Kolaches.
If you’re in Central Texas, you must get some Kolaches. They are available for sure about 20 minutes north in West, Texas. But there is probably a bakery in Waco that has them. Just make sure it’s a genuine Czech bakery.
Good luck on the armadillos. I’ve lived in austin for 11 years now, and I’ve only seen two living ones. That was at night in the country. Mostly, I just see halves on the side of the road.
You’ll have fun, Texas is a neat state. I came from california, and it was culture shock, how much pride people have in living here. And do make sure to wear your seatbelt, the fine is a few hundred dollars.
A few hundred dollars American? I could retire on that!
I will get some whachamacallits… kolaches. I guess I shouldn’t go anywhere and ask for poutine, right?
Visit Two Minnies. 'Nuff said
Most Texans will probably misinterpret that as asking for “poontang”, and that’s something entirely different.
Waco is not that bad! I’ll second the West, TX recommendation. It has some great food, and go into town to the bakery–not the one right off the highway although I guess the Czech Stop isn’t bad. Kolaches and Klabozniks (spelled that one wrong I’m sure) are wonderful. Try to find a good local barbeque place. Trujillos has some good tex-mex food, too.
Salado is south of Waco, but it’s pretty cool as it was built on what was a stagecoach stop. It has a lot of little cool shops. If you have a choice between Dallas and Austin (you’re about midway) do Austin–it’s laid-back and cool!
There is a family-style restaurant in Waco called the Circle Cafe (or maybe Circle Diner). It is the home of some of the best chicken-fried steaks (sometimes called country-fried outside of Texas). It’s just off the Interstate, but I don’t know the exit. Your friends probably do, though.
You probably won’t see cactus too much, except where planted for decorative reasons. Cactus are dry weather plants and few (if any) are indigenous to that area.
Definitely, make the trip to West for kolaches. It’s only about 20 miles, and they are so worth it.
I don’t think I would waste any time on Dallas-Fort Worth. There’s little there that you can’t find anywhere else, just bigger, brigthter, louder, more expensive, more in-your-face. If you are a fan of howe-grown music, though, 6th Street in Austin is probably worth the trip.
Hope y’all enjoy your trip!
OffByOne (Richard F. Johnson)
One year, four months, two weeks, two days, 14 hours, 50 minutes and 35 seconds. 9065 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,473.20. Life saved: 4 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes.
There is a family-style restaurant in Waco called the Circle Cafe (or maybe Circle Diner). It is the home of some of the best chicken-fried steaks (sometimes called country-fried outside of Texas). It’s just off the Interstate, but I don’t know the exit. Your friends probably do, though.
You probably won’t see cactus too much, except where planted for decorative reasons. Cactus are dry weather plants and few (if any) are indigenous to that area.
Definitely, make the trip to West for kolaches. It’s only about 20 miles, and they are so worth it.
I don’t think I would waste any time on Dallas-Fort Worth. There’s little there that you can’t find anywhere else, just bigger, brigthter, louder, more expensive, more in-your-face. If you are a fan of howe-grown music, though, 6th Street in Austin is probably worth the trip.
Hope y’all enjoy your trip!
OffByOne (Richard F. Johnson)
One year, four months, two weeks, two days, 14 hours, 50 minutes and 35 seconds. 9065 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,473.20. Life saved: 4 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes.
Do I dare ask what “pootang” is?
Only one week! In one week I won’t be somewhere where it snows every single day for five hours at least! I’m diasppointed that there won’t be cacti- no one back home will believe I’ve gone to Texas if I don’t have pictures of cacti. Oh, well. Dr. Pepper souvenirs it is!
I should practice saying, “eh”. I don’t normally say it, but whenever I go to the States…
Must check the long-range forecasts. Anything about freezing will feel like summer to us. I’ll wear shorts even if it’s only 40F. Thank you, everyone, for all the great advice, but the really important question is- are there any really good bookstores in Waco?
Things have certainly changed since 1999, but then there were only three bookstores then that I knew about: a Barnes & Noble, a Hastings, and a small place closer to downtown–I can’t remember the name, but it was part used bookstore/part comic bookstore and by '99, the comics had really started to take over. There’s also the Baylor University bookstore, which is a pretty good college bookstore (but closed Sundays!) I did all my serious book store shopping up in Dallas at the flagship Half Price Books on Northwest Highway near the Central Expressway. If you’re passing through Dallas en route to Waco, it’s well worth the detour. When I visit family in the Dallas area, I usually spend as much time there as with them.
And I’ll also recommend the Circle Cafe… Elvis ate there!
Former (and hopefully soon-to-be) Austinite checking in.
Go to Austin. Hehe.
The Bob Bullock museum is cool. If you like coffeehouses, there’s Spider House, Metro, and Mojo’s, all on the drag. Toy Joy is also on The Drag (aka Guadalupe).
And I lived in TX for 5 years and never ONCE saw a live armadillo. I believe that they’re really Disney animitronics.
Ummm. . . small towns in TX scare me, heh. But I’m a Freaky Liberal Tree Hugger. So I stcuk to Austin and San An, went to Dallas a few times, too.
You should be able to find some cacti (prickly pear cactus, to be specific) with minimal effort if you go hiking anywhere. It’s not everywhere you look, but it’s not exactly uncommon either.
As far as places to go, there’s really not a whole lot. I remember a couple good pizza places, Pappa Rollos and Baris, which are both on valley Mills (just to let you know, my definition of a good pizza is ‘soaked in grease’). Wing Stop is a pretty good place if you like hot wings, just stay away from the atomic flavor unless you’re a sadist.
And poontang is another way of saying vagina.
Oh, and to echo the other posters, I’ve lived in Texas for about 18 years, and have seen a live armadillo only once. I tried to catch it, and it didn’t work very well. Maybe you’ll have better luck though 
I second the zoo idea too. For a town the size of Waco, it’s really a pretty nice zoo.
I didn’t realize you would be here that soon! We’ll be performing at V-Day the 7th!
Oooh! That’s neat! You’re not mentioned on the itinerary- what point are you performing at? Grammar funny in sentence- just woke up. And it’s snowing again. Another day of fluffy whiteness.
I just got an email from my friends, saying that they’re particularly looking forward to having us becuase we won’t look or dress like anyone else on campus. :rolleyes: According to my friend, all the girls (or most of them) at Baylor are perfectly turned-out preppy types, with lots of makeup. I should pack my spiderweb fishnets and my kickass knee-high goth girl boots. Mr. Lissar should bring his Aragorn coat and cloak. This will be really interesting.
Waco is the 19th poorest place in the U.S.A, also according to my friend.
Lissla,
I just passed Waco yesterday, stopped to see my sister and her fam… only stayed 2 hours. I found out my nephew works at a place called BAHA’s, apparently it’s where the Baylor kids hang out.
This place is old… real old… the walls can give you a clue! Anywho, he agreed to help me out by helping YOU out, Lissla.
They have awesome “gourmet” burritos in there. It’s like a subway line when they make 'em for you. Kinda expensive… $7, but they are HUGE! They have 4 pool tables and maybe a dozen tables for eating. Did I mention a bar? (as an aside, whenever the juke plays “Margaritaville”, margaritas are ½off.
Anyhoo… go up to the bar if it’s evening, ask for “JESSE”. He is a supervisor. If you must know his last name, it’s Gonzo. (okay, so it’s gonzalez) Tell him that his Uncle David sent ya, and to give you a discount. If he’s not high, he’ll remember that he does have an uncle dave (me). [i’m exagerating]
So, if you feel the need for verification, let him know that I told you that he has 2 sisters, one that I call Billy, and one that i call jennifer (which are not their names of course, but those were the names i gave them to tease them) He’ll have a smile on if you say those names, btw. This will definately usher you into the IN crowd. But this will only work once! I don’t want all the Baylor kids to be telling him that i sent them, when I only really sent you four, lissla & company.
Lissla, if you want more info for whatever reason, please email me at the following email address only: omnisol2003@yahoo.com
Thank you, Red Matrix. I just emailed that info to my friend, and we’ll probably go when we get there!
Can’t wait. Must pack on Tuesday. Thank you, everyone.
HAH! What did you expect, Bonanza? Waco is very poor, either rich ass stupid tycoons or trailer draggin hicks, NOT cowboys. Come to houston, we have great museums and night life. ditch your friends, and come to my house, although we do have a considerable amount of…country bumpkins…here in humble (citiest city near houston)
I grew up about 30 miles from Waco in Marlin, TX (pop.~7,000). Even though Waco was our nearest big city and only 30 minutes away, we rarely went there because it didn’t have much more to offer than our little town.
I had a couple of nieces go to Baylor and they tell me that the place to hang out is George’s “home of the Big-O” which is a super sized glass of beer.
Lake Belton has some pretty spots. If you have the time, take a trip out to the Hill Country - Fredricksberg, Boerne, Austin, the Highland Lakes, etc. For a taste of Texas at the turn of the century (the other century, not the most recent one) there is the little undiscovered jewel of Calvert which is about an hour’s drive south on Highway 6.
My advice? Start a cult! Watch the fun grow!