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Small-Town Texas Donut Shop Keeps It Real And Really Big

June 23, 2009 at 9:42 AM | 0 Comments

Long before Dunkin and Krispy Kreme came to dominate America’s donut-eating landscape, baked goods connoisseurs traveled far and wide to Round Rock, Texas, a tiny town off I-35 in between Dallas and San Antonio. The reason for the pilgrimmage was of course Round Rock Donuts, open since 1926, who've attracted a cult-like following for their super lightweight glazed donut, which many claim to be the perfect example of the classic American donut.

Fast-forward to eighty years later, and Round Rock is still churning out a remarkably similar product despite their foodie celebrity status. The yeast-risen donuts are still made by hand—now to the tune of 200 dozen a day—and come solely in old school varieties: plain, chocolate, blueberry, and applesauce-filled.

And better yet, the Round Rock crew won’t have anything to do with that New York-style $3 donut trend. The classic RR donut still goes for a mere 55 cents, marked up to 75 cents if you opt for a “fancy donut” like cherry Bismark or one of their famous fried cinnamon rolls.

As an iconic Texas institution, of course Round Rock can’t get away without offering a biggest something in the world. Enter the Round Rock two-pound donut. Purely unnecessary, but pure genius, as something has to be counteract all those lightweight donuts.

Related Stories:
· Round Rock Donuts [Official Site]
· Michigan Bakery Combines Donuts and Candy, Creates Cravings [Jaunted]
· Seattle's Healthy Donuts: Shouldn't Work But It Does [Jaunted]

[Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/headache/3489887617/]

Nothing Reminds Us More Of Austin Than 'Aerial Dance Troupe'

June 18, 2009 at 8:52 AM | 0 Comments

Austin is a town celebrated for its eccentricity, where everything seems to have an alternate flavor, and so you can probably guess that their favorite local dance troupe isn’t your run-of-the-mill ballet company.

Well if weird is what you want, this weekend’s performance from Austin’s Blue Lapis Light dance company shouldn’t disappoint. The show, Impermanence, is semi modern dance meets cirque de soleil meets parkour, and involves dancers who are hooked up to aerial harnesses, allowing them to fly through the air and leap all around the 150-foot tall J.J. Pickle Federal Building in Austin’s financial district.

The dance performance, or circus, or whatever it is, runs this Thursday to Sunday, and costs $20—but the final performance, on Sunday, is a pay-what-you-can show to let everyone have a bit of the unusual fun.

Related Stories:
· Blue Lapis Light [Official Site]
· Preview: Blue Lapis Light's Impermanence at JJ Pickle Fed Building [Austinist]
· Austin travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Blue Lapis Light]

Freshwater Critters Abound At A Texas Scuba Lake

May 15, 2009 at 10:11 AM | 0 Comments

With the economy in the toilet, you might not have the funds to head out on once in a lifetime diving trip, and with that Swine Flu constantly lurking around every corner the only safe place is under the sea. That’s why we’ve compiled some strange SCUBA spots right here at home. If you’ve got a better one (or a worse one), please let us know!

Close encounters with the sharp teeth of sharks or eels may put a damper on a tropical dive, which is the perfect reason for the more finicky to look for a diving spot a little more inland. As far as we know, there’s no sharks within the Clear Spring Scuba Park in Terrel, Texas. However, we just pray to the diving gods that no alligators or crocs have been illegally dumped in by locals trying to keep them as pets.

True to its name, the lake’s visibility is at least 20 feet this week, so you’ll have no problem investigating below the surface. Under the surface you'll find all kinds of bass, sunfish, catfish, and turtles. It kind of looks like you’re diving at the local pet store, but please remember that it’s not, and don’t bring home any fish in little water-filled baggies. There's even a wreck to swim through: the SS Minnow, though not of Gilligan's Island fame.

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Visiting Post-Ike Galveston

May 13, 2009 at 5:12 PM | 0 Comments

Jaunted contributing editor Christine Bord recently took a Volunteer Vacation to Galveston, Texas. Here she tell us what else there's to see and do in this Texan beach town.

Galveston, Texas was hit hard by Hurricane Ike last fall and the scars can still be seen from the debris on the beach to the dilapidated buildings dotting the coast. Despite the hardships Ike caused, the city is slowly recovering and there is still a lot to see and do on this unique island. It's also fairly accessible, just a short drive (about 60 miles) south of Bush Intercontinental Airport. Here’s a look at the best Galveston has to offer.

Where to Stay:
At the Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort on Galveston’s main drag, Seawall Blvd, every room has a balcony with an ocean view. The resort gets rave reviews for its service on TripAdvisor and we found out first hand that if you call the hotel directly to make a reservation they'll throw in a free breakfast. Rates start at $170.

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Southwest Jet Suffers Tire Fire at Houston-Hobby

May 13, 2009 at 8:38 AM | 4 Comments

Last night was a beautiful evening, that is unless you happened to be channel surfing as we were, and come across Anderson Cooper talking between shots of a Southwest Airlines plane on fire and evacuating passengers via emergency slide.

Of course it wouldn't have been a pleasant end to the day for the passengers aboard Flight 519 from New Orleans to Houston either, as sitting aboard a flaming plane wasn't in the plans.

Upon landing at Houston-Hobby airport, the Southwest jet's tire caught fire and burned steadily through until emergency personnel arrived to the crippled plane on the runway. At that point, the rear left emergency slide deployed to get all 47 passengers and 5 crew out safely.

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Out of Clear Channel and In the Clear

May 7, 2009 at 11:51 AM | 0 Comments

Let's face it, the reputation of radio and concert giant Clear Channel was not all that great even before they embarked on their second round of layoffs in four months. Better that they focus on bringing bikes to American cities, we figure. But after posting a $5 billion loss for its first quarter this year, its San Antonio-based parent company broke out the pink slips hardcore.

Turn the volume down on all that unemployment noise for a few days with our easy-listening travel guide for those laid off in this wave:

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Restoring Hope One Pixel At A Time in Galveston

May 5, 2009 at 3:16 PM | 1 Comment

Jaunted contributing editor Christine Bord has written frequently about Volunteer Travel and today, she tells us about her recent trip with Operation Photo Rescue.

Last weekend, in the dining room of Galveston’s historic Michel Menard House, seven volunteers from Operation Photo Rescue collected photos damaged during Hurricane Ike. After the on-site volunteers meticulously photograph each image, the photos are then uploaded to a worldwide network of image restoration artists (also volunteers) who will do their best to restore them. Once restored, the photos are returned to their owners at no charge.

I was one of those volunteers poring over moldy, torn and blurred pictures that were stuck to glass frames or worse, disintegrating in our hands. As heart-wrenching as it was to hear the survivor stories of those who lost their churches, cars, businesses, even pets in the hurricane, it was worse to watch the remainders of that life disappear as well.

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X- Men Origins: The Blob Comes From the Land Where Bigger is Better

April 30, 2009 at 4:08 PM | 0 Comments

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to hit theaters Friday May 1st, and with so much drama in the XMO we put together the beginnings of a travel map that takes you to some of the places the Marvel crew have come from and gone to over the years. This is an organic map, so feel free to add to it in comments and we will plot the additional travel spots we find there.

The Blob was born Fred J. Dukes in Lubbock, Texas. But he wasn't always a blob. After working for William Stryker, he began to overeat as a coping mechanism. And he overate a lot. Like, United would make him buy a whole row if he wanted to fly on one of their planes. He finally got his enduring nickname while working in a circus sideshow before being recruited by Charles Xavier to join the X-Men.

When he got to the mansion, the others disliked his bad attitude and he wanted out. In an attempt to cover what happened at the mansion, Xavier erased his memory. The Blob still managed to escape and wrangled up the rest of the circus crew to attack the mansion. When they got there, Xavier erased everyone’s memories and the circus group headed back to Texas like nothing ever happened.

But that wasn’t the last we’d see of The Blob. He spent a brief time with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (after his memory was restored), was a member of the Factor Three, worked as an operative for the Secret Empire, and fought Professor X and the Defenders with the Brotherhood.

If you’re headed to The Blob’s hometown of Lubbock, you can put on the pounds by chowing down on a kick-ass smoked brisket at Tom and Bingo’s Hickory Pit. And you can rest assured that the town remains Swine Flu free...for now.

Related Stories:
· X-Men Origins: Travel Map [Jaunted]
· X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s Birthplace [Jaunted]
· The Blob [Marvel]

[Photo: Geek Tyrant]

Road Trip To The First Twilight Fan Convention In Dallas This Summer

April 24, 2009 at 9:14 AM | 0 Comments

Want to show your neighbors and friends you bleed "Twilight" red? You could plan your vacation around Forks, Washington, the real city where Bella and Edward met for the first time. Or you could set your sights for Dallas, Texas, which this summer will host the first TwiCon July 30-August 2.

The brain child of a Meyerverse podcaster, a vlogger and two PR people, TwiCon will gather the devoted masses at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel for a "Twilight" screening, panels on "The Female Role in 'Twilight'" and "Writing To Get Published" (for your mothballed vampire novel), and a Masque Ball to show off your darkness-inspired finery. Stephenie Meyer has not been confirmed as a guest, but several supporting actors from last year's movie will be there including Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan) and Mr. Jennie Garth Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen).

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How An Oil Company's Ex-Employees Can Spend Their 'Vacation' Days

April 23, 2009 at 12:13 PM | 0 Comments

Times must be tough if even oil companies are cutting down their workforce. Houston multinational Apache is "only" laying off 200 employees in response to dropping oil and gas prices, but that's a deep cut for an industry widely considered to be recession-proof.

Of course, the best revenge on the oil company which showed you the door would be to staycate and let their demand fall even further, but that's not as fun as our post-employment suggestions:

Cool It -- It's not even that warm in Texas yet, but you know it's coming, so spend a chill weekend sampling microbrews and watching the Rockies play in Denver; we found a LastMinute.com package for next weekend for $259/person, hotel included.

Craic -- This Gaelic word meaning "fun or light-hearted mischief, often in the context of drinking" is what you'll be having with a $516 round-trip ticket to Dublin on Air Canada this summer.

Crash -- Want to stay close to home but still get away? The NYLO Plano Hotel is offering a buy-one-get-one-half-off weekend special for a getaway you can drive to.

Related Stories:
· Oil independent Apache Corp. is laying off 200 [Houston Chronicle]
· Wall Street Meltdown Good for Airlines [Jaunted]
· Laid-Off Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: guccibear2005]

Hook 'Em Rings: Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker Will Get Hitched in Austin

April 14, 2009 at 5:50 PM | 0 Comments

Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World (TM) is having a sort of banner year already. Last month's South by Southwest festival was a huge success judging by the fact that so many folks were Twittering, texting and emailing on their iPhones that AT&T experienced a network outage.

Now there are reports that pretty young things Andy Roddick (26) and his fiancee/Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker (21) are getting married in Austin this weekend. Turns out tennis ace Andy lived in the city from the ages of four to 10.

We don't have the detes on where they are tying the knot (it will be small, just "friends and family") but if they aren't getting married at a private estate we're betting the Four Seasons Austin would be a great place for a reception. The popular Driskill Hotel would also be a fun place to send out of town guests but rooms are a steep $376 a night. We hope Andy and Brooklyn were able to get a nice group discount.

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New Car2go Service Gives You a Car Whenever You Need It

April 7, 2009 at 9:58 AM | 0 Comments

Another car sharing program is getting into the game, and they’re starting their plan for world domination in Austin. Even though everything is bigger in Texas, this service is going to deploy about 200 Smart Fortwos onto city streets, which are certainly little guys. After a test run in Ulm, Germany—mostly with friends and family—Daimler’s new car2go service starts testing things out here in the states. Too bad SXSW is already over.

Of course everyone will immediately compare this new kid on the block to ZipCar. However, company officials insist that the car2go service is different. Instead of making a reservation, members are free just to pick up any Smartcar that they see and take it for a spin. There’s no need to decide how long you’ll need the car for, so there’s no overage fees or other penalties. Just walk up to the car and you’ll be able to see if it’s available. If it’s not, just look at the screen on the back, and it will reveal the nearest available car.

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