"Fredericksburg is sensational for home furnishings. The main shopping place is Homestead. They have wonderful fabrics and great, great things for the home. Little architectural pieces for the garden. It's pretty terrific, but in terms of quality you'll find even better antiques at The Comfort Common. The people who own it, Jim Lord and Bobby Dent, are constantly going on buying trips all over the country. They bring all these treasures back. They're very connected throughout the South, in Southern furniture, some Texana, and pottery. And they're honest, not pricing where you're paying way more than something's worth. If anything, compared to other people, they under price."

LANDMARK
"When my husband was a kid, he used to keep a picture of the Texas State Capitol Building. He had no interest in Texas, but he was fascinated by the building. He would look at the picture every day and stare and stare at it. He forgot about it until we ended up moving to Texas and went to Austin for the first time. There was a huge connection for him. I think it's golden and beautiful, just this wonderful, stately building. On top there's the goddess, holding a star. I haven't gone inside and investigated it. I always just like looking at it from a distance."

DINNER
"There's the Texas Chili Parlor for chili and drinks. And I love going to nearby Llano for Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ. They just carve the meat right in front of you. It's this great big pit. It's very, very working class. You sit down and they put paper in front of you and give you your meat, a loaf of bread, and your sauce. They have some of the best steak and chicken ever. The Salt Lick is about 20 minutes from Austin, headed toward Dripping Springs. Fantastic for ribs. Again, it's about putting things on the paper and making a mess. Stop in Fredericksburg at a terrific place called The Nest. It's in an old Victorian building. It's very intimate. The food is just about as good as anything I've had in Texas. It's got a great porch, so when my daughter starts getting exasperated, we can run around outside. They make wonderful food. It's great contemporary, hearty food done with sophistication in completely informal surroundings."