Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center - New Year's Travel Day 2 - 3/3

        During New Year's holidays, my husband and I went on a road trip for 5 days. On January 1st, after having dinner at Famous Dave's, BBQ restaurant in El Paso, Texas, we headed toward Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center, we stayed that night. This hotel was located very close to the Famous Dave's. There was Starbucks next to the motel.

      The tall beautiful Christmas tree was stood in the center of the lobby. :) The hotel staff was very friendly.

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

      The room was nice and clean. They provided free WiFi, and its access was pretty stable. :)

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

      There was the small fridge. There were the coffee machine and some packs of ground coffee. :)

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

      The bathroom was very spacious. There was no bathtub though.

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

      They also had free continental breakfast. :)

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

       Next morning, it was pretty cold outside but was a beautiful sunny day. :)

Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

     My husband told me that this hotel was located pretty close to the border between the U.S. and Mexico. I looked at the large city and the mountain range from the hotel parking lot. I thought that the large city I was looking at was Ciudad Juárez in Mexico. 

 
     Then, we headed toward Clarlsbad Caverns National Park.



Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center
6655 Gateway Boulevard W 
El Paso, TX 79925


     My entries related to travel can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/travel

     My entries related to hotels and motels can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/hotels%20and%20motels

    My entries related to Texas can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Texas

Famous Dave's - BBQ Restaurant in Texas - New Year's Travel Day 2 - 2/3

     During New Year's holidays, my husband and I went on a road trip for 5 days. On January 1st, after leaving from White Sands National Monument, we headed toward El Paso, Texas to stay at motel, Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel, that night. Because it was New Year's Day, many restaurants closed earlier than usual. That's why we decided to have dinner before checking into the motel. We found that there was Famous Dave's, a chain of barbecue restaurant, located near the motel. He told me that we should have BBQ that night because Texas is famous for BBQ. He has sometimes gone to Texas for his business trip and had some great BBQ and steaks there. Yet, Famous Dave's didn't originate in Texas, and it was first founded in Wisconsin. Moreover, there are some Famous Dave's branches in Southern California, where I live. However, we decided to try their BBQ that night. :) It was New Year's Day, so we didn't have time to look for other restaurants. 

       We ordered this a half slab of BBQ ribs for $13.99. The ribs were coated with plenty of smokey BBQ sauce. They were savory and so delicious. :))

1/2 Slab of BBQ Ribs

    He ordered this Chicken Chopped Salad with a Corn Bread Muffin for $9.99. The salad was bigger than he expected. The salad had BBQ pulled chicken, cilantro, tomato, roasted corn, black beans, tortilla strips and cheddar cheese with plenty of chipotle ranch dressing. The BBQ pulled chicken was also delicious, but we thought it was too much dressing on it. The muffin was sweet and good. :)  

Chicken Chopped Salad with a Corn Bread Muffin

      I ordered BBQ Tacos with a Corn Bread Muffin and French Fries for $8.59. The tacos had brisket, jalapeno, red onions and pico de gallo. The jalapeno was super spicy, but I really loved these tacos. :) 

BBQ Tacos with a Corn Bread Muffin and French Fries

      Over all, we really enjoyed their BBQ. :) I don't usually have American BBQ ribs at home, so I didn't know that BBQ ribs were so delicious. It was a great experience for me. :)


Famous Dave's
1135 Airway Blvd 
El Paso, TX 79925



    My entries related to travel can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/travel

    My entries related to Texas can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Texas

    My entries related to restaurants can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/restaurants

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

      As I mentioned in my previous entries, my husband and I have been collecting Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs which are only released locally. When he was on his business trip last week, he bought this Starbucks Texas mug! :) I thought his business trip was in Texas this time, but he told me that he flew to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as a transit point on the way to Ohio, so he bought this mug in Dallas, Texas. He also had visited Texas a several times before, but this was first time he could find Starbucks Texas mug there. Anyway, I was glad that we were able to add this mug to our collections! I'm going to share this mug with you.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

    

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

      Texas has so many windmills. There is a cactus pictured on this mug.  According to Wikipedia, although popularly associated with the Southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas' land area is desert.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

     A cow pictured on this mug is Texas Longhorn, which is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns. According to Wikipedia, cattle is the state's most valuable agricultural product. There is an orange pictured on this mug. According to Texasweet, South Texas’ sub-tropical climate is absolutely perfect for growing Texas Oranges.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

    It's the Leaning Water Tower, a famous landmark of Texas, located in Groom. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

      It's the Lighthouse Rock at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Texas

        Now, I have 21 Starbucks You Are Here Collection mugs!

These are my entries related to You Are Here Collection Mugs.

Hawaii

Waikiki

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

California

Orange County

San Diego

Chicago

Dallas

San Francisco

Utah

Vancouver

Arizona

Phoenix

Lake Tahoe

Houston

Ohio

Pike Place Market

Seattle

Illinois

Texas

New Mexico

Twin Cities

Washington, D.C.

Virginia

Maryland

      This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

      My entries related to Starbucks Japan can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20Japan

      My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

      It's been a while since my husband purchased this Starbucks You Are Here Collection Houston mug. Today, I'm finally going to share this mug with you. :) While he was going back home from his business trip in Chicago about three months ago, he needed to connect with another flight to Los Angeles. He had a few hour lay-over at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, and bought this mug there.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

     The cow pictured on this mug is Texas Longhorn, which is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns. Downtown Houston has many high-rise buildings.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

       Rodeo, a public exhibition of cowboy skills, is popular in Houston. RodeoHouston, held at NRG Stadium, is the world's largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

      The orange colored structure is Spindletop, a salt dome oil field in Texas.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

       Houston is also called Space City, and Johnson Space Center is home to NASA's astronaut corps.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Houston

    Now, we have 16 Starbucks You Are Here Collection mugs!



    These are my entries related to You Are Here Collection Mugs.

Hawaii

Waikiki

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

California

Orange County

San Diego

Chicago

Dallas

San Francisco

Utah

Vancouver

Arizona

Phoenix

Lake Tahoe

Houston

Ohio

Pike Place Market

Seattle

Illinois

Texas

New Mexico

Twin Cities

Washington, D.C.

Virginia

Maryland



      This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

      My entries related to Starbucks Japan can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20Japan

      My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks 

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

      While I was in Japan last month, my husband went to Dallas for a business trip, so I asked him to buy a new Starbucks Dallas mug, which is released locally in Dallas. After I came back to the U.S., he gave this Starbucks mug to me. :) I was really excited to see our new collection! I have never been to Dallas but would like to know about Dallas through the pictures of the Starbucks mug. I'm going to share our new mug with you.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

        First, we should know that Dallas is a major city in Texas.

       Let's look at the Dallas mug! :)

       This picture shows the downtown Dallas. There is Reunion Tower, which is a famous observation tower in Dallas. You can also see Hyatt Regency hotel the next to Reunion Tower. The pictures of a cow and a football symbolize Dallas Cowboys, which a professional American football team of Dallas.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

       This is Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which connects Downtown Dallas to West Dallas over the Trinity River.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

      Texas is known as the most famous place for cowboy in the U.S. Cowboys wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. These are also known as western fashion. This picture shows a cowboy hat, which is a wide-brimmed and high-crowned hat.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

      Cowboys boots are pretty popular boots for women nowadays. We have seen ones on many fashion magazines and at shoe stores. I don't own ones but would like to get ones someday.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

      The inside of the mug is bright yellow. :)

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mug - Dallas

      Now, we have 9 Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs. :)


My Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs

These are my entries related to You Are Here Collection Mugs.

Hawaii

Waikiki

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

California

Orange County

San Diego

Chicago

Dallas

San Francisco

Utah

Vancouver

Arizona

Phoenix

Lake Tahoe

Houston

Ohio

Pike Place Market

Seattle

Illinois

Texas

New Mexico

Twin Cities

Washington, D.C.

Virginia

Maryland



      This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

      My entries related to Starbucks Japan can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20Japan

      My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks 

My Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs