Ag with kids

A few years back, my dumbass oldest boy came out to the beach with us (we had a ton of family in for vacation). He backed his truck up and spun his tires with the brake on to sink the backend down like a lot of folks do. BUT....he did it in the sand where the water had been coming up to. Next thing he knows, he's fucking stuck. I tried pulling him out with my Jeep + winch and couldn't do it. My son tried to dig the tires out but that just made it worse (listening to his old man is not his strong suit). 3 hours later, we had a guy come out with a deuce and a half and it took him a full running start to get the truck unstuck. We all had a great time watching the shenanigans and getting drunk while talking with the constable the whole time (he was there to make sure no one got hurt trying to get the truck out - he said - I think he was just as amused as we were)

A few weeks ago I ended up pulling about 12 vehicles out of the soft sand around Marker 238 (south of Bob Hall) with my 2 door Wrangler, about half of those were 4x2 trucks...Got a little amusement out of that.

Most of the NPI restaurants are open to 50% (at least) now. I've been about 5 or 6 times to Scuttlebutt's since they opened up.

NPI has been packed this whole shutdown time. I think it's partially because Port A was closed for awhile and everyone was off work/working from home and decided to come to the beach. Middle of the week in the mid afternoon last week we had to go all the way down to the very last access road (right before PINS) so that we could get on the beach without having people all up our ass. I shudder to think how bad it'll be this Memorial Day weekend. On a good note, I own a condo here on the island and usually from April to late May it's not very busy. But, my place has been rented solid since March and is booked out for quite a bit from now, too.

I'm not that big a fan of cities, especially new ones...fucking sue me. I didn't live in the US until I was 10 and my parents were both teachers so I grew up seeing shit tons of amazing history growing up. I went to a church that was almost 700 years old in our small English town. Now, I live 3 min from the beach on Padre Island now. I like that better. BTW, I'm here in NYC now. It's cool so far. Definitely bolstered by the fact that we had Per Se for dinner earlier (with a seat right on the window overlooking Central Park, so that was nice. good view). That was one AMAZING meal. We've got several things planned for tomorrow - the Staten Island Ferry so we can see the SoL and say we did the ferry. I have tix to the Top of the Rock so I can do that. Also meeting up with some family I haven't seen in 30+ years that live in Jersey. Depending on time, we'll see what else we can squeeze in. But, when I leave on Sunday, I'll have more of an urge to visit DFW than NYC again...but that's because I have kids/grandkids up in DFW. Otherwise, the only reason I'd hit DFW or NYC was because I was connecting on a flight in an airport.

Thanks! I figured I might grab a NY slice (not Sbarro) while I was there (when lived in Weatherford, we had pizza place where everyone that work there was from the Bronx, so I've had some). Plus Katz Deli and Per Se, so I have a lot of the food covered. I'll definitely put the 9/11 memorial on the list now.

Die? Nope. I'm just not that big of a city person. I've got plenty of places to travel to in the world that don't involve brand new big cities. I grew up overseas going to cities like Munich, London, Paris, etc...and work has sent me to places like Singapore, Prague, Dubai, etc... I'd rather spend my travel dollars on going to places with beaches or historical sites... I AM literally checking the box on NYC. Yes...I get that there are a lot of great things there. But, they don't really interest me much. To me, it's not much better than DFW with really fucking tall buildings and people that talk funny... As a side note (based on your username), I checked Chicago off the list because I've been through O'hare a few times...(I'm only ¼ kidding)...

Ok...So, I've got a short trip planned to NYC coming up. Basically, 2 days staying at the Hilton Midtown. I've never been to NYC (and probably won't go back unless I have to). I have ONE thing planned...dinner at Per Se, so I have that going for me. What are the things I absolutely "must do" in the short time I'm there? I've got the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building on my list. I'm thinking about a trip to Katz's Deli, too (yeah yeah, cliche, sue me). Other than that, what other things can I see in the short time I'm there?

When embracing the "Keep Austin Weird" theme goes horribly wrong...😉

Just as a PSA, if you've got an AMEX that has an airline credit, buying 500 mile upgrades from American WILL trigger the credit. Just did it on a couple of my cards (AMEX Platinum and AMEX Business Platinum). Before you ask, I have the Business Platinum because I actually have a business and I just got the personal Platinum. I'll have to reevaluate when the Business card comes up for renewal whether it's worth it. I can write off the annual fee to help offset the AF, so that's a plus. And the airline credit gets me another $200 towards AF. Plus, if I do any business traveling, I can get 5x MR points booking it thru AMEX.

I think the only real extra is that I can get complementary under-500 mi upgrades and then do the 500 mi upgrades. I'm in Corpus now so any work flights are routing through DFW. I seem to have at least a 50% hit rate for getting upgraded there (complementary). And I've gotten several on my personal travel too (I flew SXM-SAT after Christmas and my GF and I got upgraded on both legs. I know if I'd paid to fly First each of those times it definitely would have cost more than $595. And I'm at that point in my life where I don't mind spending a little extra for the comfort factor... So, I'd hate to lose that. Unless one of the cards can get me that...

When I said discounted, I was referring to getting the access for less than actually buying a membership (I.e. the annual fee for the card is less than a membership). I guess I phrased that poorly. Mea culpa.

This is off topic to credit cards, but still relevant to this thread... Since I was AA Gold/Platinum for a number of years earlier because work made me travel, the last 2 years, when I haven't made Gold, AA has offered to let me pay for a Status boost so I at least get Gold. I did it last year and plan on doing it again this year. I've got till 1/31 to sign up. Currently, it's $595, but I'm waiting to see if it will drop price again (initial offer was $735). I travel 4-8 times a year (at least twice to the Caribbean) so it seems to make sense. I get to purchase premium seating up front, which I like. And I can do 500 mi upgrades. Plus, now that I live in Corpus, a lot of my flights will be CRP-DFW, and I've got about a 60% hit rate on auto upgrade on those. Any downsides that I haven't thought of (yeah...the money, I got that)? And towards the CC side, I've got an AMEX Plat for lounge access (and I can get 5x points booking through them) and just got an AA Executive card for the sign up and discounted Admiral's Lounge (I've noticed that I always seem to end up closer to one of those rather than a AMEX lounge). Thoughts on that strategery?

What are y'all's thoughts about getting a good amount of points, but not using them right away? I've got 300K AMEX MR points, 450K Hilton points, 200K AA points and about 200K Marriott points. I travel 4-10 times a year, both for business and personal (and I have cards that give me extra points on all of those). I was thinking about letting things build up for several more years (possibly until I retire somewhere between 5 and 9 years from now). Then, I'd use the absolute shit out of them until they were gone. Or, should I slowly bleed them out every year as I do my personal travel? FWIW, I do at least one trip to the Caribbean/Belize and at least one trip to New Orleans a year... Up until now, I've spent them here and there, but I'm looking at getting some bigger vacations later

I made sure to genuflect as they were boarding, to show I understood my caste level.

From the article:

When I boarded DFW-MCO a couple weeks ago, I'd say 50% of the plane was boarded in Groups 1-3. I felt so pedestrian with my measly Group 4 status...

Did not know that imgur was screwed up here. If I get the chance this weekend, I'll try to clean it up and relink the pics. Is there an iPhone app I can use to host the pics so I don't have to save them to my computer first?

Ok....here's my food porn from my Thanksgiving-ish trip. Got in late Friday night. Went to Daisy Duke's on Carondalet. Bottomless Hurricanes for $16. Got my money's worth. Food is...ok. Didn't care because Hurricanes... Go here late night. Great people working there (bunch of them are Serbians). And did I mention BOTTOMLESS Hurricanes for $16? https://i.imgur.com/EMpcbVe.jpg https://i.imgur.com/29oqTNF.jpg https://i.imgur.com/2itvh63.jpg Willa Jeans for brunch the next day... https://i.imgur.com/YnVuJ09.jpg Fruity alcohol drink. https://i.imgur.com/T1yV7Qc.jpg Monkey Bread...do this. Seriously, do this.... Croque Madame...WOW... https://i.imgur.com/aKgZc1I.jpg Shrimp & Grits w/poached egg https://i.imgur.com/0tlMcD0.jpg BTW...Buy a bottle of their sauce. It's made with crack. And ask for the biscuit, too... https://i.imgur.com/RWncCgT.jpg We also did the Chef's Tasting Menu at Commander's Palace... Turtle soup (not part of the tasting menu but I'm not skipping it) https://i.imgur.com/5mZXMsx.jpg Whiskey Smash (GF had one then I had one) https://i.imgur.com/529lSFV.jpg Old Fashioned for me https://i.imgur.com/wYdGQOC.jpg First Course: Endive and scallops https://i.imgur.com/CfiSYa1.jpg Second Course: Oxtail Ragout https://i.imgur.com/L4a8XGj.jpg Cucumber Mint Gimlet: https://i.imgur.com/KBPkwLE.jpg Just because I'm 51 doesn't mean I can't act like I'm 8...I give you the Commander's Palace Fleshlight... https://i.imgur.com/JL3Do47.jpg Third Course: Pan roasted Gulf Fish: https://i.imgur.com/t7bugcg.jpg Fois Gras Injected Petite Filet https://i.imgur.com/zf0gb4h.jpg Spiced Satsuma Chiffon Pie https://i.imgur.com/Dtu2iFq.jpg Hot butter rum punch or some shit like that: https://i.imgur.com/uZbSPcA.jpg GW Fins Scalibut: https://i.imgur.com/N5iOQ85.jpg Grouper https://i.imgur.com/wKMnwUx.jpg Tempura Wings https://i.imgur.com/IiSAjVw.jpg Sweet potatoes and Brussel Sprouts https://i.imgur.com/IycigQH.jpg Stopped at Ole Saint (Deuce McAlister's place) and had deviled eggs (and a few hurricanes not pictured) https://i.imgur.com/yuxdtka.jpg

BTW, if you're willing to travel a little outside town, La Cabana in Lakehills is also pretty good. We always eat there when I'm visiting my Dad (he lives there by Medina Lake). I'm usually not a fan of Mexican rice...I douse it with salsa to make it better. But, I really like theirs. No need to doctor it up.

El Chaparral in Helotes is pretty good.

We'll be coming directly from Willa Jean's brunch. Doubt we'll be very hungry...

I'll bring that up, but I have a feeling the GF will shoot it down quickly...

Thanks! I'll put that on my list. BTW, I was going to find a place to watch the Cowboys play on Sunday afternoon. Got any good recs for a place with good beer, food, but most of all good TVs?

Well, based on a number of recs from on here, I added GW Fins as our Tuesday reservation. I'm planning on the Tempura Fin Wings as one of our meals. What else should we look at trying? NOTE: The GF is not an oyster fan (her loss), but I am...