This is my third year to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival, now in its seventh year, and I am looking forward to the predicted slightly cooler temps, as well as a stellar lineup. The always-eclectic collection of musical talent (from Vampire Weekend to Gnarls Barkley to Robert Plant & Alison Krauss to Manu Chao) suits my far-and-wide-ranging tastes. If you’re going for one day or all three, here’s some of my favorite tips to enhance your enjoyment and comfort. The ACL Fest site covers the basics and Austin360.com has helpful advice as well.

Ice is nice: I’ll credit my daughter, Lucy for this one: We’ve bought ice for $1 a cup at beverage stands (either soft drink or beer stands; last year I was only able to get it at beer stands). In the heat of the fest, a cup of ice can be a lifesaver and so versatile: for dissolving cubes in your mouth, drinking the melted ice water (cheaper and cooler than buying bottled!), dousing down your neck or back, or even sticking your face in the cup and breathing into it. I once survived a sweltering Brazilian Girls dance-music set in the WaMu tent this way!

Another cooling-off trick, from my friend Peach: ice wrapped in a scarf or bandana and tied around your neck provides wearable chilling relief.

AT&T Digital Oasis tent: Great for a cool stroll in the air-conditioned, mini-tech mecca. The last two years I’ve been to the fest, AT&T has given away hand-held, battery-powered plastic mini-fans. Not sure if they’ll have them this year with the emphasis on greener giveways, but who knows?

Eat early and often: I’ve noticed that the long dinnertime lines form from 5:30 ’til just before the 8 p.m. headliners take the stage, so grab an early dinner around 4-5 and go back for ice cream later. This year, Aquarelle, Vespaio/Enoteca, P. Terry’s burgers and El Chilito join the already sumptuous menu, with fest-friendly wraps and other portable meals from Hudson’s on the Bend, Saba, Stubb’s, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and many other local Austin dining faves. I usually get a fish taco from Saba or Wahoo’s (whichever line is shorter) but I look forward to trying these new options.

Chair or no chair: I don’t bring one ’cause I like to move around, but if you prefer to have a seat, note that some stages have designated chair zones farther from the stage. And there’s a chair check-in area if you don’t want to lug it around when you want to get closer to the music.

Getting there: Besides the free ACL fest parking shuttle from Republic Square (in most cases parking downtown is not free), and biking there, here are some other options: take a bus route that goes to or near the Lamar/Barton Springs Rd. intersection. From there, it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the fest. Please note that Sunday night bus schedules for most routes end around 9 p.m. Also, a couple of pay parking options: the Palmer/Long Center parking garage on Barton Springs Rd. Last year they were charging $10; today I noticed the electronic sign in front announcing the fest parking but didn’t see the cost. And on Friday after 5 p..m. ($10) and all day Saturday ($20) Austin High School will allow festgoers to park in their lot to raise funds for their marching band. (A great deal for a worthy organization!) 

I hope these tips help enchance your ACL Fest experience.

In February 2007, I wrote a story about Central Market’s cooking classes, a piece that was a blast to research, as I learned to make several varieties of sushi and the best-ever chocolate cookie. (The secret cookie ingredient is salt, which makes the sweet taste of the chocolate even stronger). What I did not learn, however, was how to properly use a knife.

Now, I’ve been using knives to slice and dice things since I was in pre-K, when one particular long-haired, jute-sandal-wearing teacher taught the class to cut carrots, perhaps envisioning us busy preparing meals at his vegetarian commune. (It was the Sixties, after all.)

But after having my knives sharpened recently, and discovering after some fervent chopping that the tips of my index fingers bore unsightly nicks, I decided to sign up for Central Market’s Knife Skills 101 class, a three-hour, Sunday-evening course ($75) that emphasized safety. During the two months it took me to get in (this class is pretty popular), I wisely abstained from hosting any dinner parties.

The night of the class, twenty or so students filed in to see instructor Cindy Haenel expertly sharpening her tools on a large whetstone. She inspected our knives and sharpened any dull blades before demonstrating time-saving (and safe!) methods of chopping onions, tomatoes, and carrots, using our knuckles (not our fingertips) of our left hand as a guide for the blade. (Turns out I’ve been holding the knife improperly for the past four decades; it’s a wonder I have any digits left at all.) It has taken awhile to break old (bad) habits, but I can once again safely invite guests to dinner.

Find out the schedule for Central Market’s cooking school classes (in Austin, San Antonio,  Dallas, Houston, and Plano) at www.centralmarket.com.

I’m always looking for roadside surprises on our frequent trips from Austin to visit family and friends in Hico and Llano. When Hico bound, we often stop to fill up at the H-E-B in Lampasas, renowned for its cheap (if that’s what you can call it these days) gas. We then guzzle milkshakes and cheeseburgers alfresco a few blocks ahead at Storm’s Drive-In (Elvis ate here). Down the road, on US 281 north of Hamilton, we’ve been known to pick up a weekend’s worth of comestibles at Dutchman’s Hidden Valley Country Store: smoked meats and cheeses from the deli, cinnamon rolls and other treats from the bakery, and sweets at the old-fashioned candy counter. Don’t forget Dutchman’s own dressings and other Texas food products—and the antiques and knickknacks for sale.

I’ve already blogged (on July 9) about my favorite stop on the way to Llano, the plant/pottery paradise known as Sam’s Dam Ranch, at FM 1431 and Texas 29 in Buchanan Dam. A diagonal jaunt across the corner will take you to the aptly named Tamale King restaurant (we usually pick up a dozen or two to go).

Reading Senior Editor Nola McKey’s blog on her kolache quest in West, along with Senior Editor Lori Moffatt’s Italian food find in Sanger and Editor Charles Lohrmann’s ode to Carl’s Corner (all just off of I-35), makes me think we ought to start a list of prime pit stops. What are your favorites?

If you haven’t seen the Texas pageant in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, it offers an unexpected opportunity to relax. Not to take anything away from the pageant itself, because the performances are entertaining and memorable, but I  have to admit, the action on stage took a back seat to my enjoyment of the dramatic setting (pun definitely intended). I had the chance to make a presentation to the Midwest Travel Writers Association, and host Eric Miller ferried the group on the 30-minute drive to enjoy the performance. We enjoyed a clear evening enhanced by a cool breeze coursing through the open-air amphitheater, so the heat of the summer day was forgotten. In fact, it was cool enough that a cup of coffee was a perfect warm-up. And even a jolt of caffeine couldn’t nudge me out of my serene mood. As the warm colors of the canyon walls cooled with the fading daylight faded, the sky transformed itself into a starry black blanket. I don’t know if anyone else saw the shooting star (I half expected a gasp from the audience) but it seemed like it completed its bright arc right on cue.

Experience now tells me that no building can contain the legendary persona of Willie Nelson. I say this in spite of the fact that, when photographer Griff Smith and I idled backstage of the new Night Life Theater in Carl’s Corner on I35E just north of Hillsboro, the space seemed big enough to handle most any event. As we talked through the options for lighting the scheduled photograph of Nelson and his partners in the rebuilt and tricked-out Carl’s Corner truck stop and performance venue, Griff and I were more concerned with whether we could get the stage lights set to illuminate back stage. It’s the unofficial opening  night of Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner. There are no signs outside that identify the building, but Nelson has blessed a fundraiser for the Freddie Powers’ Parkinson’s Organization. Out front, the 550-seat theater is packed.  From backstage, I can see Coach Darrell Royal sitting right down front, smiling large as he talks with well-wishers and watching the fundraising auction that precedes Nelson’s performance.
Suddenly, we’re surrounded by a swarm of folks and the room is packed beyond capacity. A human whirlpool swirls around the beatific star. Nelson is shaking hands, saying hello, then stopping to sign a just-auctioned guitar and chat with the instrument’s buyer. With the help of some gentle nudging from Anderson and Hart, we get the group of five partners aligned for the photograph.
Even though the crowd is well-behaved, it has a mind of its own and is constantly in motion, defying any serious attempt at organization or order. The star. apparently, wouldn’t have it any other way.  And that’s one reason why no room is big enough for Willie.
But this is Nelson’s  house, so his word is law. The building officially is called Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner, and, even though XM Radio has soundproofed its studio and is broadcasting the Willie’s Place Channel 13 around the clock with Eddie Kilroy on the air every weekday morning, workers are still busy fine-tuning the venue for September’s public debut.
At a press conference before the public concerts of July 3, one writer asked Willie and Carl if the performance venue would be a problem for truckers trying to keep on schedule. Willie’s answer, “Well, it should be better than when Carl ran a strip joint here.” We’ll see.

No one enjoys working like Tony Bennett does. The American music icon drew an amazingly diverse crowd to San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium not long ago – all ages seem mesmerized by his beaming, exuberant, stage presence that radiates the pleasure he takes in the crowd and in performing. Standing ovations are the standard audience response from start to finish – Bennett walks on stage to the adulation of a crowd on its feet and returns for multiple encores. His voice still fills the room with its range. And no one can offer a history lesson in American music like Bennettt, with his anecdotes featuring Frank Sinatra, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a string of notable names:  “Bob Hope gave me my name, Tony Bennett;” “Rosemary Clooney and I were the first American Idols;”  “This is Count Basie’s favorite drummer.” Tony Bennett is THE music man.