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Casey Cornett heads to Oz

We gave Casey Cornett a Flip Mino HD last summer to capture couchsurfing across Europe.

Now he’s headed to one of my favorite places on the planet: Australia. Casey left this afternoon for a week’s travel beginning in Melbourne. I caught up with him in his office at Jones PR this morning for a quick debrief, watch above. And to deliver another Flip cam for him to record his adventures.

So, over the next week you can follow his travels on Twitter (@caseycornett), on his personal blog and on his NewsOK blog. You can also read and watch the Europe couchsurfing series on the same blogs.

I’ll be jealous in the meantime. I’ve been to Sydney twice and it’s amazing – great Harbor, great food, mountains, beaches, rail system, accents, friendly people… and Vegemite. Anyone else tried Vegemite?


What’s your favorite OKC sidewalk cafe?

I, for one, could not be happier that winter is almost over and that the temps will not dip below freezing this week for the first time this decade. I’m all about sitting patio-side (or poolside for that matter) having lunch, dinner or drinks. The NY Times has an article about NYC sidewalk cafes:

Coffee and cheesecake from my NYC 2008 trip. As good as advertised.

Coffee and cheesecake from my NYC 2008 trip. As good as advertised.

As of January, the Department of Consumer Affairs had licensed 1,078 sidewalk cafes in the city, up from 761 at the same time in 2007. Although licenses are expensive — anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, including fees and security deposits — many restaurateurs say they are worth it because they significantly increase the number of available seats.

“It can double the day,” said Jean Jacques Bernat, an owner of Provence en Boite, most of whose 24 outdoor seats were filled on Sunday, augmenting the 45 inside. “It’s a big boost.”

New York is a wonderful place, and part of that charm is from the delis and cafes along many of the streets and alleys. They add personality and charm.

My favorite OKC patios/sidewalks:
- Ryan Parrott‘s Iguana Grill.

- Will’s Cafe & Lobby Bar on Western.

- Musashi’s Japanese restaurant located just across the street from Will’s.

- Buffalo Wild Wings on NW Expressway. They have an impressive patio with plasmas.