Keeping Austin Weird: Four Days in the Texas Capital

I'm still not sure I get why Austin lays claim on being "weird," but perhaps it's simply in comparison to the rest of the state. But visiting Austin for the first time this weekend, I probably only touched the surface of this fine town. After all, I was limited to the downtown area taking part in the annual South by Southwest festival, and that also gave me perhaps a skewed view of the city. My takeaway was indeed weird: Lots of great food, cool venues but a big taxi problem. See? Weird.

But it was a great weekend. I moderated the panel for the world premiere of Showtime's "Penny Dreadful," featuring star Josh Hartnett and director Juan Antonio Bayona, and also moderated a panel organized by the United Nations Foundation for NBC's "Revolution." We also attended a taping of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," featuring guest Jimmy Kimmel, and spent a bit of time with Andy and Jimmy after the show. Seth Meyers was there, and we hung out with him at an NBC party celebrating the show. And I even sat down for coffee with Kevin Bacon, which means I'm now One Degree of Coffee from Kevin Bacon. Some pics:



I'll be doing a separate post on the Long Beach Airport, but I'll tell you now, I'm a fan of the renovated terminal. Great food choices and a pleasant experience all around. I just wish it was closer. Hands down, a better choice than LAX or Burbank -- except in rush hour. Above, my JetBlue plane.



Willie Nelson, the patron saint of Austin!



Walk around certain parts of Austin, and you'll think the entire town smells like BBQ. This town bleeds sauce. And one of the best sandwiches we had there -- actually, one of the best sandwiches OF ALL TIME -- was this brisket beauty from Lambert's. Stay tuned for the Rate-A-Restaurant review.



Seems like a good sign that Lambert's is in the Schneider building.



The bustling Austin Convention Center.



Only in Texas, right? A gun lamp at the Driskill Hotel bar.



BBQ from Stubb's. Those ribs.



Stubb's BBQ buffet



Science Channel party at Stubb's.



My "Penny Dreadful" panel with Hartnett and Bayona. (Pic by Steve Battaglio)



Putting some effort into spinning the "Price is Right" wheel.



Come on down!



On the second spin, I got $1.00! Too bad it was the second spin.



With Li'l Bub at the Animal Planet party.



The Spazmatics perform 80s hits at the Animal Planet party.



Andy Cohen hosts "Watch What Happens Live" in Austin.



Cohen with guest Jimmy Kimmel.



Branding is everywhere at SXSW. But the weirdest brand experience? Cottonelle. What?



The Funny or Die bungalow.



Lunch at the Funny or Die bungalow.



Spotted at the Funny or Die bungalow: "NO Taylor Swift ANYTIME."



Spotted at the Funny or Die bungalow: "No Pitbull FROM HERE TO CORNER."



Jimmy Kimmel's camera crew interviews a native Austonian.



Back at the Funny or Die bungalow, Bill Cosby performs. Really.



The Austin skyline, as seen from Foodtruckville.


Mrs. P's Electric Cock serves chicken.



One last bite of BBQ at the Austin airport.

In Sunny SoCal, Paying To Experience 9-Degree Weather at Long Beach's "Chill"

It may be 80 degrees in Southern California, but deep inside the Long Beach dome (the one that once housed the Spruce Goose, next to the Queen Mary), it's a chilly 9 degrees. The Queen Mary's annual Chill event gives SoCal residents a taste of the cold without having to drive into the mountains -- although it's not cheap, at as much as $40 a ticket. (Search for the cheaper $20 tix at Costco or online.) Still, it's a unique experience to walk through Chill's "Ice Kingdom," where ice sculptures tell the story of The Nutcracker and a slide made of ice thrills the little ones. Outside the dome, ice skating comes with the price of admission (or snow tubing, also inside the dome, is one more option). Located under the sparkling holiday lights of the Queen Mary (also included with Chill admission), it's a good way to give the kids a quick afternoon taste of winter. Before putting your shorts back on.

Chill continues until Jan. 5. Some pics:


Ice soldiers guard the Ice Kingdom


Ice Sugarplum Fairy


The Ice Queen Mary


Riding down the ice slide


Don't worry about bringing a heavy jacket: Everyone who visits the "Ice Kingdom" gets a thick blue parka. (It's actually required to wear if you want to ride the ice slide.)


Ice Christmas tree, and mini ice Queen Mary


Alpine Village


Giant snowman


Outside the dome, a mega rocking horse


View of the Queen Mary at twilight


Ice rink (comes with the price of admission)

The Militant Angeleno Visits Long Beach

Ever since the L.A. City Nerd stopped blogging, the equally mysterious Militant Angeleno has taken the crown as the most passionate blogger about our great city. Now, the Militant has hopped on the Blue Line and traveled down to Long Beach, filing a series of reports this week about Los Angeles County's No. 2 city.

The first two entries are chock full of interesting info:

Seven LB Buildings You Should Know About

Under the Bridg-izzle

The first entry highlights several of Long Beach's famous and historic structures, including 1929's Villa Riviera (above) and 1967's circular International Tower.

And the bridg-izzle story? The Militant investigates "a concrete bridge supporting Orange Ave. and East Hill Street in Long Beach, just near the Signal Hill border. That sunken trench was once the Pacific Electric Railway's Newport-Balboa Line," the Militant writes.

As for Long Beach, the Militant explains his interest in the city: Known for a big boat, an aquarium, Snoop Dogg and the harbor, it also has many other unique qualities to it and its own history. The Militant's Long Beach Week will by no means be comprehensive, and you probably won't be some Longbeachologist by next week, but living basically in the shadow of Los Angeles for its entire history, its time to at least give The LBC some props. So Long Beach, this ones for you.
Militant Angeleno just celebrated his/her fourth blogiiversary.

Rate-A-Restaurant #189: Open Sesame

Restaurant: Open Sesame

Location: 5215 and 5201 E. 2nd St. (Long Beach)

Type of restaurant: Mediterranean

We stipulated: My parents were in town, and we were heading down to Long Beach to visit my high school pal Anthony, his wife Candice and their two kids (including Evan's little g.f.). Anthony and Candice suggested Open Sesame.




What we ordered: Appetizer: Baba ghannouj (fire roasted eggplant, delicately mixed with garlic, lemon juice and tahini sauce sprinkled with sumac (sourberry) and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil), $6.25. Entrees: Chicken Shawarma (tender marinated chicken breast and thigh cooked on an upright spit then sliced, served with hummus, garlic sauce, wild cucumber pickles, pita and choice of salad), $11.99. Also: Beef shawarma pita (marinated beef cooked on an upright spit then thinly sliced and rolled into a pita, with tomato, onion, parsley, sumac, wild cucumber pickles and garlic sauce), $6.99.




High point: With a party of eight and no reservation, we sprung ourselves on them -- and yet still managed to get a table fairly promptly. I also liked the constant stream of pita bread, and the garlic paste was excellent.

Low point: We were hoping to sit in the main restaurant, but had to settle for the satellite location. The hummus was also of a questionable flavor. And the fact that rice didn't automatically come with the shawarma -- it was $1.50 extra.

Overall impression: Nice menu, and decent food. But nothing too memorable about Open Sesame.

Chance we'll go back: If we're in Long Beach, perhaps. But we won't make a special trip for it.

For a complete list of our nearly 190 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Equal Time: Why The Rain Rocks

I've been bitching about the rain -- no, still haven't flipped the fuse back on for the lights in our bedroom -- because of the house. But I wasn't always a homeowner, and back pre-insane investment, I loved the weather.

And there are times I still do. Above, that was the view from our Glendale home this morning. There's snow in those Verdugo San Gabriel Mountains! Over the weekend, we also noticed some green starting to return to the charred Griffith Park topography.

The rain also has a way of clearing out the sky (on the flip side, it also shuttles all the trash that has collected in the L.A. river out to Long Beach -- sorry, Long Beach!) What do you like about the rain?

A Day at the Aquarium

If I were a fish stuck in captivity, I could definitely do worse than Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific.

With the parents in town this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to finally bring Blogger Toddler to the aquarium, and check it out myself for the first time.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and wasn't anticipating anything that great. But the Aquarium of the Pacific managed to far exceed my expectations: It's easy to navigate, stocked with well-organized exhibits, and not obnoxiously slick.



There are plenty of interactive opportunities, such as petting sharks (I, um, passed) and getting a feel (below) for marine life such as starfish (below).



To make it even more relevant, the non-profit aquarium focuses on the Pacific Ocean, with exhibits geared toward Southern California and Baja, the Northern Pacific, and the Tropical Pacific.





Also on display: The exhibit "Catch a Wave," which celebrates surfing culture (below, Duke Kahanamokou is celebrated) as well as displays on tsunami and other ocean phenomena.





The Aquarium also makes an effort to explain the impact of climate change on the planet, and what can be done to reverse the damage being inflicted on the planet.



The Aquarium is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a few exceptions (including Christmas). Tix cost $20.95 for adults and $11.95 for kids 3-11. Bring your KCRW card -- they take $3 off.

The Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 590-3100