Mackenzie outside of the University of New Mexico this summer.
There were a lot of new and interesting places we visited in 2010 so I thought I should do a short Year in Review. Some of these places are in the Rio Grande Valley, but I will also include some in other parts of Texas and even New Mexico. Most places will be in chronological order.
Late January of 2010 began with a dog show in Sinton, TX (outside of Corpus Christi) where we discovered the great
Butter Churn restaurant. Don't worry about not being able to find it, it is pretty much the only restaurant in Sinton, TX and incidentally it is very good.
Next up was another dog show at our favorite venue in Kerrville, TX. We visited the lovely
River's Edge Tuscan Grille which is quite literally on the river's edge and made me a bit seasick until we moved to a table further inland. Great food, wonderful view. I like Kerrville more and more every time we go. (And not just because Mackenzie has finished both her RN and RA at that show!)
On one of our Thursday adventures Audrey and I got lost, and ended up at
Bannworth Park in Mission, TX. It is a really neat park as long as you don't get attacked by the giant geese. Which we did. Or I did rather, Audrey ran away while the goose proceeded to attack me.
A new local dog-friendly destination we did frequent was
Yumi Yogurt on University in Edinburg. Great self-serve yogurt, friendly service, and they allow us to bring tables + chairs outside onto their sidewalk.
There is another great new yogurt place in Edinburg/McAllen called
Sweet Spot which is right across from Wal-Mart on McColl. There is a Sweet Spot and a Chinese restaurant WOK Express that both have outdoor seating and a nice grassy area to the side of their buildings. We will definitely visit both of these places more in the future.
Went to another dog show in San Antonio where we visited the famous
Mi Tierra restaurant. Such an experience! Great food, incredible atmosphere, and seating for thousands and thousands of people! Definitely a must see for anyone who visits San Antonio.
Even though I didn't go to
Lulu's Bakery and Cafe in San Antonio, TX I can say that it is worth the drive for the GIANT 3lb cinnamon roll. Matt and Dad went to a football game and I programmed three spots into their GPS: their hotel, the Alamodome, and Lulu's Bakery. Also noteworthy in San Antonio (and various places throughout Texas/US) is the chain
Five Guys Burgers & Fries.
Next up was our first family roadtrip in about six years. We chose to drive up to New Mexico and stop in Roswell (for just a few hours), Albuquerque (two days), Santa Fe (two days), and Taos (one day). New Mexico is by far the most dog-friendly state I've ever visited. Nearly every restaurant has outdoor seating, several places (bookstores or small boutiques) let Mackenzie come in, not to mention the several dog stores we visited while in New Mexico.
One of our favorite dog stores we visited was
Long Leash on Life in Albuquerque, NM. The owners both graduated from Cornell (!!!) and were very knowledgeable about dog food and their other wonderful products. We bought a bunch of stuff including my awesome "Dog-friendly Albuquerque" t-shirt.
Another neat store we went to in Santa Fe, NM was called
Teca Tu. The prices were a bit lofty, but I did manage to get Mackenzie a Santa Fe style collar and some Rabbit (I think it was rabbit) jerky that she looooooved.
While in New Mexico we also rode the
Sandia Peak Tramway which was equal parts awesome and terrifying. We were literally hanging 2 miles straight up in the air in a little box suspended from wires. Once we got to the top we ate at the
High Finance Restaurant which made everything totally worth it. One of my favorite things we did in New Mexico by far.
Another of my favorite stops was the
Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. The highlight of the Loretto Chapel is what they call the "Miraculous Staircase". It is a spiral staircase that was built using a single piece of wood. Not only is that miraculous enough, but the builder disappeared after he built it. "
Two mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder and the physics of its construction."
We also visited the
St. Francis Cathedral which is right next to the Loretto Chapel and is stunning inside and out. Mackenzie even hung out with St. Francis and his dog.
Around the time of Mackenzie's birthday in October I discovered a new dog boutique opening up in McAllen called
Bloomingtails on Nolana. Its a great little store with a lot of neat things you won't find at regular dog stores. The owner is extremely nice and I got several things for Mackenzie's birthday in addition to stopping by a few times since then.
Next up was our Halloween dog show Austin trip which you can read more about all the places we went in my
Austin Review!
Two of my favorite local spots that I didn't just discover this year (since we visit them every year), but nevertheless I think I'll mention them because we go ever year around the holidays are
Valley Pecan and
Klement's Grove. Very high on the Winter Texan hit list, but locals can also be found at both locations. Klement's Grove is definitely a must see for anyone who ever visits the Valley.
Our most recent dog adventure landed us at newly opened
Dali Coffee House in McAllen. Great great great coffee (I had an iced Dali Nana) and a nice outdoor seating area with plenty of parking and grass nearby. The owner (and her husband) are both great dog-friendly people! We will definitely be back.
Hopefully 2011 will be even more exciting and we will discover more amazing places and people. Let me know if you want more information about any of the places I mentioned in this post.
More pictures of New Mexico can be seen on my Facebook
album
