Day: 550
High Temp: 72F
Two weeks ago, Tom and I were headed to the coffee shop near us for an afternoon treat when we passed a tiny storefront I had never noticed before. The door had a little frosted emblem that said "The Tigress - Lounge and Pub." I was immediately intrigued, and upon closer inspection discovered that there was, indeed, a tiny bar inside. Tom and I finally made it back over to The Tigress on Friday night to see what they had to offer, and let me tell you, it may have been the first time I felt sorry for people who don't live in Austin, Texas. For me, it may just be one of the best bars I have ever been to.
It is so good, in fact, that I hesitate to even write about it here, for fear that others will discover it, making it harder for me to get in! Then I remembered that my readership is limited to an elite (read: small) group of people who I would love to take to The Tigress for a drink.
But I wasn't exaggerating when I said it is tiny. There is room for six at the bar, plus two tables that probably seat four people each. Pair that with standing room space for maybe another 8-10 people, and you are at maximum capacity. The decor is simple, but charming, and the glassware is vintage. The lady behind the bar is both proprietor and bartender, although I am led to believe she does occasionally host guest bartenders.
As a patron, you can choose from a set menu of maybe 8-10 cocktails, many of which are classic in the truest sense. Although the proprietress told me that the menu does change often, I get the sense from online reviews that basic staples like Manhattans, Moscow Mules and French 75s are always available. But be warned, she doesn't keep a fully stocked bar, just the liquors, liqueurs and other specialty items needed to make the drinks on the menu. Although I am also told that the bartendress is willing to go off the menu if requested. And, to put the icing on the cupcake, each drink is only $7! That is a good $3-5 under normal market value, even for bars in Austin.
If a cocktail isn't your bag, you can imbibe from a small but thoughtful selection of excellent (and mostly local) beers served in genuine 20oz imperial pint glasses. And those are just $5!
We stuck to the hard stuff on Friday, and at two cocktails each, got an impressive demonstration of our host's mad skills. She is a goddess. And now, it is all that I can do to not suggest that Tom and I walk over for a drink EVERY night after work. For the sake of my bank (and temperance) I am glad they are closed on Monday and Tuesday!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hating on Texas
The last 12 hours or so have been, perhaps, my worst since coming to Texas. So this may get a little snarky, but I need to get it off my chest and move on...
It all started at 2am this morning, when a very crazy, or very incapacitated, woman totally lost her shit and started breaking out the windows of an SUV parked in a driveway off the alley behind our house. She was definitely pissed off at whoever was in the SUV, and was screaming and sobbing, and basically loosing her mind trying to destroy this car. I wasn't sure exactly who was in danger in the situation, but I called the police and soon enough 3 cruisers were on the scene to sort it all out. I would estimate we were awake for an hour and a half, listening to her ravings and the car alarm and arrests.
When my alarm went off at 6:15, I rolled over to Tom, wished him a happy birthday (yep), and said I wanted a do-over on the day. Unfortunately, that middle of the night rude awakening was an omen of the additional fun the day had in store for us.
While a majority of the rest of the country has been dealing with a major winter weather event, Austin has "suffered" the fate of temps dropping below freezing for an extended period of time. It is definitely cold here, and none of us is really acclimated to such weather, so it can be hard to cope. However, the ineptitude, incompetence and general ridiculousness displayed so far today simply cannot be forgiven.
Let us start with our pipes, which froze over night as the low temp dropped to 16 degrees. They froze in less than 7 hours, although our heater was cranked up to 74 degrees to counteract the lack of insulation and old, leaky windows. I literally could not believe it. I lived in Chicago for 10 years, experiencing weeks on end where the HIGH temp wouldn't get above the single digits. But as long as you had he heat on, it was fine. But apparently here they don't insulate their pipes... even if you are building a pier and beam house, which will guarantee that your water pipes will be all but exposed to the elements.
The excuse I have heard is that it almost never gets this cold here, so why waste the money? Instead, let us once or twice a year leave all of our faucets running for days to ensure we don't freeze up. Unfortunately, no one mentioned we should do that, regardless of how high our heat was cranked. I know ultimately this situation is sort of our fault, but come on, Texas! I will say that our landlord was really sweet, and is taking the blame herself for this one. She knows we are Yanks and she admits she should have called to school us on the cold weather protocol.
And then there are the rolling black outs. Just at the time when one might need electricity the most, the grid has been overwhelmed here in Texas, and state-wide scheduled blackouts have started. It makes sense that an increase in heating usage would tax the system, but we all knew the coldsnap was coming. It turns out that the power plants in Texas are built different than those in colder climates, and some of them here in Texas have shut down, or slowed down because of the cold. That is right. I said, because it is this cold, the Texas power grid cannot perform at peak output. Is this for real? Although it is somewhat rare, it does get really freaking cold here sometimes. And it happens even more often further north, in major cities like Dallas. And when this happens, people will ALWAYS want to turn on their heaters.
Finally, and hopefully this really is the final thing to wreck my day, the heater at the School of Nursing is broken. It was on this morning, but went down around 10am. No word yet on if/when it will be fixed, and for right now, my office is colder than I would like, but not intolerable. But I tell you what, I am not coming here tomorrow if it isn't back on. It is already literally freezing in our lobby, with students and staff coming in and out all day, and it is just too cold outside for the building to sit over night without heat and still be habitable tomorrow morning.
The good news is that Tom just call to say that we have cold water again (and there is a well stocked liquor cabinet waiting for me when I get home).
It all started at 2am this morning, when a very crazy, or very incapacitated, woman totally lost her shit and started breaking out the windows of an SUV parked in a driveway off the alley behind our house. She was definitely pissed off at whoever was in the SUV, and was screaming and sobbing, and basically loosing her mind trying to destroy this car. I wasn't sure exactly who was in danger in the situation, but I called the police and soon enough 3 cruisers were on the scene to sort it all out. I would estimate we were awake for an hour and a half, listening to her ravings and the car alarm and arrests.
When my alarm went off at 6:15, I rolled over to Tom, wished him a happy birthday (yep), and said I wanted a do-over on the day. Unfortunately, that middle of the night rude awakening was an omen of the additional fun the day had in store for us.
While a majority of the rest of the country has been dealing with a major winter weather event, Austin has "suffered" the fate of temps dropping below freezing for an extended period of time. It is definitely cold here, and none of us is really acclimated to such weather, so it can be hard to cope. However, the ineptitude, incompetence and general ridiculousness displayed so far today simply cannot be forgiven.
Let us start with our pipes, which froze over night as the low temp dropped to 16 degrees. They froze in less than 7 hours, although our heater was cranked up to 74 degrees to counteract the lack of insulation and old, leaky windows. I literally could not believe it. I lived in Chicago for 10 years, experiencing weeks on end where the HIGH temp wouldn't get above the single digits. But as long as you had he heat on, it was fine. But apparently here they don't insulate their pipes... even if you are building a pier and beam house, which will guarantee that your water pipes will be all but exposed to the elements.
The excuse I have heard is that it almost never gets this cold here, so why waste the money? Instead, let us once or twice a year leave all of our faucets running for days to ensure we don't freeze up. Unfortunately, no one mentioned we should do that, regardless of how high our heat was cranked. I know ultimately this situation is sort of our fault, but come on, Texas! I will say that our landlord was really sweet, and is taking the blame herself for this one. She knows we are Yanks and she admits she should have called to school us on the cold weather protocol.
And then there are the rolling black outs. Just at the time when one might need electricity the most, the grid has been overwhelmed here in Texas, and state-wide scheduled blackouts have started. It makes sense that an increase in heating usage would tax the system, but we all knew the coldsnap was coming. It turns out that the power plants in Texas are built different than those in colder climates, and some of them here in Texas have shut down, or slowed down because of the cold. That is right. I said, because it is this cold, the Texas power grid cannot perform at peak output. Is this for real? Although it is somewhat rare, it does get really freaking cold here sometimes. And it happens even more often further north, in major cities like Dallas. And when this happens, people will ALWAYS want to turn on their heaters.
Finally, and hopefully this really is the final thing to wreck my day, the heater at the School of Nursing is broken. It was on this morning, but went down around 10am. No word yet on if/when it will be fixed, and for right now, my office is colder than I would like, but not intolerable. But I tell you what, I am not coming here tomorrow if it isn't back on. It is already literally freezing in our lobby, with students and staff coming in and out all day, and it is just too cold outside for the building to sit over night without heat and still be habitable tomorrow morning.
The good news is that Tom just call to say that we have cold water again (and there is a well stocked liquor cabinet waiting for me when I get home).
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