Ag with kids

FWIW, Centurion Club >>> Admirals Club Admirals Club charges you for drinks if you're not getting well liquor or the bottom end beer. And food selection is meh. Don't get me wrong, though, it's better than NO lounge by a long shot.

You actually pay those grifters???

If you're jonesing for one of these...and I am... Go to Taco Casa and get a Chilada... In fact...I think a some of the items that used to be on the original TB menu are still on the Taco Casa menu... You want Pintos and Cheese? Order the Frijoles. I mentioned the Chilada. BTW, the Chili Burger is REALLY good.

Why did I first read this as Moose Knuckle when I glanced at it?

I remember those days from my childhood in England...SOOOOOO good.

They still remember the abomination? Either that or "Taco Bell" is code speak for "Cartels"

I DID find out last week that our research center is going to building up another office in downtown in the old JC Penney building (which TAMU-CC bought a few years ago). Since, I'll be in charge of a lot of the stuff that gets set up in that center I may be spending more time downtown than I ever have. Will be interesting...maybe I'll finally have an excuse to try all these places down there since I won't immediately leave the Bluff and head straight back OTB....

Did you mean N Padre Island and not Port A? Because all of those are here on NPI.

Surprised you didn't say the McRib...

I had Palenque several times when I was staying down in Harlingen this summer. That stuff is the shit. I was impressed!

WTF is the hate for KFC? It's fried chicken. Not the greatest, but still good.

Between those two, I'd say the AMEX Plat is the better choice. Points are considered more valuable than the AA miles and are easier to use IMO. LOTS more perks $200 Travel credit $179 CLEAR Credit (this is really handy at quite a few airports - especially since so many people have TSA Pre so the lines aren't that much shorter) Centurion Lounge access (and Priority Pass lounges) $200 Uber Cash And more... As you can see above, just those 3 credits above pretty much pay for the annual fee ($595) Now...I don't really have much experience with the Chase Sapphires...so you might want to wait and have someone with more experience with them let you know if it's better than the Platinum. The only downside I've found with the Platinum is that every once in awhile some place won't accept AMEX (paid a bill yesterday on my condo and that happened).

I remember when I first moved to the US in 1978 and could not find any Salt and Vinegar chips (crisps) anywhere. Somewhere around my freshman year at A&M my uncle that lived in Iowa found some and sent me several bags... I destroyed them and then realized I was now back to status quo. SOOOOOOOOOO glad that the US realized how glorious they are...

Booze

The Citi Executive MC gives you Admirals Club for you and up to 2 guests. That's a $200 discount on the AC. Earn miles on every purchase and 2X on AA purchases. Free bag/pp The AMEX Plat gets you Centurion Club access for you and 2 guests (but I believe the guests go away in a few years). Platinum has a TON of goodies that basically make up for it's HUGE annual fee. Points can be spent on a lot more things. If you book points travel through their website many flights will get you a 35% refund of the points. I just got 2 RT tix from DFW-SXM over Christmas for 90K points after the reimbursement. Gets you Gold status at Marriott and Hilton. Chase Sapphire Reserve as stated above is better than the Preferred - but more expensive. Chase is subject to the 5/24 rule. Reserve can get you some Club access. Elite status with auto rental places - upgrades are nice. TSA/Global Entry fee credit. PRIMARY car rental insurance which is a BIG thing - any issues don't go through your normal auto insurance. I'm a fan of my AMEX Plat. Just seems all around to get me everything I want - plus it's good for the occasional "OOOOH, that's heavy" when you pay with it. Oh and the Centurion Lounge is pretty nice - free drinks (not just well drinks, either) - free chef inspired food.

Oh great...they go to shit just before they open one on N Padre Island that I can go to...

When I saw the title say the Taco was singular, I was assuming it was going to kill you if you ate it...

Drive up towards Las Cruces and turn off to go to Chope's in La Mesa. Damn...I miss that place.

We had a Hurricane (Hanna) and a massive deep freeze (3 days below freezing) come through the area. So, obviously that was due to Covid...

Generally, the turnaround isn't bad, but sometimes I swear you get demons from hell that destroy the condo and it really does take a LOT of work to clean it - We get pics occasionally and are just shocked that people could be that filthy.

To be honest, I'm a condo owner here...that's how I know cleaners. The ones I know live on the island (well, one just moved to the Bluff this month, but not because of living expense). It IS a more expensive here, but I know a number of people that live on the island that don't have a shit ton of $$$. They don't live on the water, but still...they're on an island.

It depends...I know some of the people that do cleaning here. A deep clean to them is a LONG day...

Well, I know a lot of the people that clean condos here and that's not true...