Toad’s Epic Primal Adventure Stop #1: Austin, Texas

Out of the 1000+ cities I have visited in my lifetime, Austin just may be my favorite.

And I haven’t even been here for 24 hours…

There is no other perfect city to begin my epic Primal adventure around the world. This adventure of mine has been evolving since May 1 but has been in the making for numerous years.

I’ve finally started. I landed in Austin on Wednesday, October 17 at 6:00 pm and fly back to Chicago on Tuesday, November 20. I wish I could stay longer but I don’t wish to miss Thanksgiving with my family back in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve been to the first 24 so why skip one now?

At this moment I am in the middle of a huge park that is in the heart of downtown Austin. It’s what any Primal enthusiast dreams of in a big city like Austin. I can hear the cars but it’s easy to tune them out. If I walk about 100 yards I’ll be able to do pull-ups on a bar overlooking the lake. There are dogs everywhere. I have never seen so many dogs in a small area in my life! They are free roaming too – most are not on leashes.

Am I dreaming?

Wake me up!

I’m taking the first few days here to explore Austin alone. On my way downtown this morning I passed Green Pastures – a restaurant that is expensive but perfect for Primal folks. I plan to eat there one of my last nights with 20+ paleo eating advocates. It should be epic. If we do this you will surely know about it.

Where am I staying?

My home is a gem. It’s in a gorgeous neighborhood with a lot of similar sized homes. It’s not huge but it’s not small. My roommates include 4 dogs, 4 cats and a young woman from a country that is close to Poland and Russia. She is as nice as any human being can be, was very welcoming and seems to be very intelligent. Her english is stellar and perhaps better than mine. She’s pretty to boot.

The owners of the home are away and will be during my entire 5 week stay. This is what it is. I’d love to meet them as so far they have been super generous and genuine. But I do enjoy privacy and I’m certain I’ll be back to Austin multiple times and will thus meet them soon.

I’m 6 miles south of downtown, around 3.5 miles southeast of the farmers market and 4 to 5 miles from the nearest whole foods. And on top of that I’m a short walk to the nearest bus stop that goes to downtown.

It’s not the best location but for the price I paid but I’ll take it any day. I don’t mind walking (It’s 4 pm and I’m up to 10 miles so far today) so being this far from downtown is no big deal to me.

Austin adventures

There are numerous things that I will be doing during my 5 week stay in Austin. I have a list in my easy note app for my iPhone that I am continuously updating. At this moment it includes:

• Discuss my Primal kitchen idea with others
• Cook epic meals with others (see below)
• Help create and be in a flash mob
• Video interviews
• Fitness videos
• Walk 30 miles in a single day
• Stay in San Antonio for 2 nights and do the river walk
• Eat at Green Pastures with 20+ Primal folks from the Austin Primal Living meet-up group
• Meet Diane Sanfilippo and get Practical Paleo signed
• Dance with Amy Kubal
• Jump into the lively music scene
• Go to an NBA game
• Meet dozens of other online friends
• Attend multiple meet-up events from the Austin Primal Living meet up group

I may not accomplish all the things above. While I’d love to go to a Spurs, Mavericks, or Rockets basketball game, this will probably always be at the bottom of my list. And as time goes on I am always thinking of new things.

I’m going to create an Austin adventure page and I will link to it here when it’s published.

Primal dining with toad

One of the biggest projects that I will be working on over the next several years during my travels is Primal Dining with Toad. I promise that you are not going to want to pass up this insanely crazy deal today.

What you will end up getting for just $7 is honestly the world’s greatest value in the history of humankind. If you join me on this epic journey then you are in for a treat. If you are on the fence then you’ll simply pay a little more down the road.

Austin is my first stop. This is where I will create the first few epic meals with others. It is where I will eat at the first few epic restaurants with awesome people.

I just thought of the idea this morning of creating Primal living guides for every city I live in for 30+ days. The food part of it will be FREE for those who pre-order Primal Dining with Toad TODAY!

I’ll be creating awesome recipes myself, but I’ll also be cooking with others’ creating meals that are beyond epic. Sometimes I just feel like snacking, for instance today I had coconut water, carrot juice, 2 bananas and lots of almonds. Soon I’ll enjoy a grass-fed burger while I watch my Tigers sweep the yankees (I stupidly forgot to bring a broom with me – should I buy one?).

If you are in Austin then please let me know. I want to meet you! There is nothing like having like-minded friends who understand you. The conversations I have with my new Primal friends in Chicago could last for hours if we had the time.

Click here to contact me via email.

Within a few weeks, you’ll learn why I love Austin so much. It is possibly my #1 favorite city out of the 1000+ cities I have ever visited.

What do you love about Austin?

I know that many of you reading this either live in Austin or have at least visited this awesome city. What do YOU love about it? What are your favorite restaurants? What are your favorite activities? What is the best place to enjoy coffee? A grass-fed burger? What is your favorite live music venue? If you live here, where do you live and do you want to meet up? Where are your favorite locations within the city? Downtown? Hyde Park?

I want to know. I want to thoroughly enjoy my time here. You can help!

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