I accidentally fell in love...with Iowa!

I really enjoy living in central time. It felt like I was ahead of the world in a way..or at least my world. This week has been a huge rollercoaster ride for me. Between working remotely and volunteering for Hillary's campaign, I also had to figure out housing as I'm about to sign my first lease in my adulthood! But as I reflect on this past week, it was worth every single minute! 

Let me just start by saying that EVERYONE, literally everyone I met here has been fantastic! When you talk to people here, you really get to understand their heart. People keep it real here and they don't have time to BS you. I've really been trying to figure out how they do that. How do they keep it so real, but remain kind as the same time? It's honestly a character I aspire to have. I can see myself loving it here and settling down in a place like this. I value the quality of the people and town more than what's "wealthier" or "ranked higher in the nation". People here are genuinely happy and you really can't say that about Bay Area. 

The community here is great. Everyone knows each other in town and helps each other out. You can literally drive around with a local and they can tell you everything about each house, shop, or person! I love it! Check out our amazing time in Iowa below! :)

Travel Diary: Seoul, Korea

First time trying out vlogging!! Thankful for a great travel fam. You can follow our travel pictures on IG with #ratchetroundtheworld 

Definitely turned up in part 2 and had major struggles. I don't know how Koreans do it! They typically come out and start partying around 12am and even at 6am, the streets are filled with people. Apparently, everyone goes home around 8-9am...and then goes into work at noon? What a different culture! I definitely appreciate the norm (or what appears to be normal for us) here. Out of all the countries I've visited in Asia, Korea takes the crown for the most consistently ratchet lifestyle. Anyway, hope these videos take you back in time to experience Seoul with us!! :)

Part I

Part II

Only In Texas

Part II

Day 3:

Before coming to Austin, we had already planned to spend one of our mornings waiting in line for Franklin BBQ. So after a night of partying on 6th Street, we forced ourselves up at 7am and zombied over to wait in line. The wait was actually not too bad for most of us since we just took a nice, long 4h nap there lol. We got lucky because we were probably the last large group to get lawn chairs that were provided by the owners. Everyone there was very prepared to wait. People were poppin' champagne, brought chairs of their own, and infused with their own entertainment. I'd say we got pretty lucky with our timing and place in line. Around 9-10am, the owner came out to take orders and commented that he really appreciated the "relaxation over here". Can you imagine a group of girls in lawn chairs, all passed out in sunglasses? Yes, that was us! Anyway, finally lined up around 11am and got our food around 12:30pm or so! Was it worth it? Yes, but never again...

This was enough to feed 7 people!!

Super cool graffiti walls everywhere! I especially liked this saying. #truth

After our long nap in line, we felt refreshed and ready to explore! We decided to be basic and get some spray paint for the graffiti park (HOPE Outdoor Gallery). It was super cool, except it started pouring right when we got there. You can't tell in pictures, but it was HUGE struggles! Regardless, we had a lot of fun!!

After running around in mud, we decided to grab a snack and then head to Rainey Street for the remainder of our Sunday! Off to Churro Co!

So delicious! The warm churro was perfect with the cold ice cream! :)

Welcome to Rainey Street!! This sign was especially cool for us to see since all of us are from UC Davis!! Woo!

First stop on Rainey Street: Banger's! They had amazing beer selections! We decided to just eat dinner here and shared a few appetizers. I thought the Bulgogi Sausage was very unique! If you like asian fusion, you'll definitely enjoy this dish! Mac n cheese was bomb (and super cute presentation too - super important)!! 

2nd stop: Bungalow! I don't think we did anything here other than camera whore with the "i hate you so much" wall lol.

Went next door where we found these yummy wings! Tommy Want Wingy is a popular food truck located inside a bar and I honestly don't know how they get that shape, but it was so good! Loved the spicy one!!

We thought it was cool how Austin had In n out and Shake Shack, but we couldn't leave without trying Whataburger! Our Fasten driver (yes, there's no Uber or Lyft in Austin) was so kind! And even paused the ride while he took us through the drive-thru! I thought it tasted like Burger King, but apparently the fries is where it's at! Even though it was average, it's a nice place to grab food after a night out (it is 24h)!

Day 4:

Our last day in Austin! We checked out of our hotel and sped off to finish everything on our check-list! And of course, starting our day with brunch! We chose to come to South Congress Cafe on a Monday to avoid lines!

First of all, I just want to say...YUM!! They had one of the best "free breads" I've ever had! It was warm, but crispy..and that spread!! mmm!

 Crab Cake and quiche eggs Benedict! I wasn't really used to their quiche styled egg, but still delicious! 

With only a few hours left, we decided to head to Rudy's BBQ since one of my friends highly recommended it. And after trying it, I'd have to say...I really don't understand why Franklin is so much better. If anything, most of us agreed that Rudy's may be better if anything (and no wait!). I guess it's just personal preference!

We were so full from brunch that we got this for the 6 of us to share and it was perfect! Their creamed corn was the best I've ever had!!

After arriving at the airport, we found out our flight got delayed for a few hours (bummer)...but we got to explore some more local joints at the airport! We got to try Amy's Ice Creams and Salt Lick (yes, i know...aren't we sick of BBQ yet? Yes, very!! But we had to try it before we leave). 

Salt Lick is definitely one of the sauciest BBQ places!

I got Strawberry, but their Mexican Vanilla was super unique!

Overall, we had an amazing time! Besides the constant rain, we still had a blast! We made the most out of each situation and I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to go travel with. So much love for you guys! Peace out, Austin!! I'll definitely be back again!!!! If you want to experience our trip in 3D, check out the video in Part 1! :)

Cali To Austin

A few months ago, a few of my girlfriends decided to check out Austin together! We've been looking forward to this weekend for so long and now it has already come and gone. Recapping our awesome trip and hopefully provide some sort of guidance for future Austin visitors! :)

PART 1

Day 1:

We landed pretty late on Friday, so decided to just relax in our room and walk around downtown. We stayed at the Radisson, very convenient location - walking distance to Rainey St., 6th St., and you can also watch the bats from the balcony!

Our very first stop was Gourdough's Public House - famous for their delicious doughnuts! First time trying a savory doughnut sandwich!

Dirty Bird - Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Pesto

We tried a few desserts - all delicious!

Drinks in Austin are SUPER CHEAP! Shots are $3 and Cocktails were less than $8! HH HEAVEN!

Once the rain started dripping, we scrambled back to the hotel. Isn't our bed frame so adorable? :)

Day 2:

Our first full day in Austin! We wanted to check off as many things on our itinerary as possible. And of course, we'd have to start our day with an amazing brunch! We decided to head to Snooze first and happened to see an adorable coffee shop next door called Picnik!!

Super cute, right?  Picnik was the perfect waiting area for Snooze! Before we know it, we got a text saying we're ready to be seated!!

We ordered various benedict and dessert samplers and honestly...everything was DELICious!!! Definitely one of my favorite brunch places now! We stuffed our faces and decided to head to Krause Springs. Food baby before bikini? We weren't thinking..

It was beautiful to say the least. So nice to get out of the city for once and just relax in all the "greenness". :)

Literally drove to this wall for pictures and left lol...it also started raining in this picture, but nothing ain't stopping us from basic pics!!! 

We couldn't decide where to eat, so stumbled upon this taco truck called Torchy's Tacos which had surprisingly great reviews! Austin has super cute food trucks everywhere and we've been itching to try! It was super good!!

Super cute sitting area to keep us out of the rain. :)

One of the best queso I've ever had! They melted avacado into the hot cheese! :O

Next stop, DESSERT TIME! Girls can't live without dessert!! Off to Lick's Honest Ice Creams! :)

I love how they put their flavors on little index cards! Details matter!

Their flavors change every day, but my top pick was the Back Porch iced Tea! :)

View from our hotel! Doesn't it just take your breath away? Austin is known for sighting bats at this bridge around sunset. We were lucky enough to be able to see it from our hotel, but they basically fly out from under the bridge. It looked like thousands of them!

After a full day of festivities, we ventured off to 6th Street for our first night life experience in Austin! It was super crazy and tons of promoters trying to get you inside, but free drinks at every bar was not so shabby! Definitely reminded me of college. You can watch our full experience in the video below! Part Two coming soon! :)