Get Outta Town!
Even when you live in a city as great as Austin, sometimes a change of scenery is needed.

By Ramona Flume and Becca Hensley

Now that the temperatures are finally dropping and the frenzy of summer has subsided, it’s the perfect time to plan a weekend escape. Here are 16 hot spots that you can easily get to via car or a less-than-three-hour direct flight.
…

SAN DIEGO
From slick surfer hangouts to gorgeous public parks and unpretentious cuisine, San Diego shines all year round

Go Green
Skip the madhouse of the San Diego Zoo and wander throughout the surrounding Balboa Park instead. The expansive 1,200-acre public park boasts an incredible collection of history and art museums (housed within historic Spanish Baroque Revival buildings), pristine botanical gardens and The Old Globe theater, which hosts a variety of live performances, including an annual Shakespeare festival.

Life’s a Beach
Mission Beach may be the most iconic local beach, with a bustling boardwalk full of bikini-clad rollerbladers and a seaside amusement park with nostalgic rides and carnival games. But most local beach bums prefer the proudly funky Ocean Beach area, with unpretentious surf shops stretching along Sunset Cliffs, a 68-acre stretch of shoreline where nightly sunset gatherings and happening bonfire parties abound.

Go Hog Wild
Eat like a local at laid-back favorites, like Carnitas’ Snack Shack, a small, open-aired taco shack in the North Park neighborhood that flies through more than 2,000 pounds of pork shoulder every week. [We actually now go through 3,000 pounds of pork a week!] Or try the “twisted farm food” at Hash House A Go Go, which includes sage fried chicken and hardwood-smoked bacon waffles.

Stay Cool
The trendy Gaslamp Quarter is the best place to set up base camp, with a host of hip cafes, pubs and nightclubs in historic Victorian-era buildings within a 16-block radius. Check in at the sleek Andaz Hotel and survey the urban oasis from the stylish rooftop pool and lounge.

…

Read More…