NIGHTLIFE
"There's a great comedy troupe at Esther's Follies, where they have Saturday Night Live-type parodies of political things. I can't wait to get back there now that George W. Bush is in office. They'll have lots of fun with that. But if I could only do one thing in Austin it would be getting a season ticket for all summer long to The Backyard. It's an outdoor venue and it's magical. They get great acts, whether it's John Prine or Dwight Yoakam. It's west of Austin. You take some back roads and arrive at this little, tiny amphitheater out there. The seating is informal with decks you can sit on. It's a warm, terrific feeling."

SUNDAY

TOUR
"I would recommend going to Austin in the spring, like at the beginning of April, when the bluebonnets start blooming. Take Highway 290 - this is the big thing - take 290 toward Fredericksburg, toward Johnson City, to the LBJ Ranch. I know it sounds like a touristy thing, but it's actually kind of amazing. Lady Bird Johnson still lives at the ranch some of the time. And it's gorgeous. The colors are just extraordinary. There's a wildflower farm up there."

LUNCH
"Las Manitas for chile rellenos. It's downtown on Congress Avenue, a funkier kind of place. It's a great breakfast place, but good anytime. You see people of all ages and differences. You sit around and talk to people next to you. I am really, really partial to the chile rellenos and their handmade corn tortillas - that's just the living end to me. A Mexican restaurant isn't really Mexican unless they're hand-patting their tortillas."

MADELEINE'S FAVORITE HANGOUT