Austin, TX October 31 – November 4, 2006

It was with great anticipation that we began our drive to Austin, TX. We were now finally visiting a city we had researched before and that we would maybe move to. Not to mention that we had been meaning to visit my cousin Mike Austin for over 2 years now.
Austin is also the home of Shawn Colvin, one of my favorite singers. One of her cds can always be found in my cd player!

The drive into Austin was full of bright lights and enticing signs for the usual unhealthy fast food. We got to my friend Heather’s apartment around 7 p.m., had a drink and then the 3 of us headed downtown.

We purposely arrived in Austin on Halloween. We wanted to be in a cool city for the celebration. Austin did not disappoint! 6th street was flooded with costumed people walking in and out of different bars. We walked up 4th street and had a beer and some food at the GingerMan, which had the most beer on tap of any bar I’ve seen! And they were still having draft specials at 9 p.m. at night! It was a really cool bar that you feel right at home in !

The people of Austin were very friendly and many of the shops that we walked into, people would ask us how we were and strike up a conversation. Before Austin, my only real exposure to Texas has been visiting family in Dallas. My family in Texas may get defensive about this, but Dallas has never been a favorite of mine. Glitz, glamour enourmous cars and lots of makeup give Dallas its personality.

Not that people in Austin don’t love their state. Don’t try to find a common bond or joke in how Texas thinks it really IS that much better, b/c some of the natives will agree, no matter how open minded they are. J It’s obvious that Texans love their state by the amount of times you see the Texas flag as you’re driving around here. As a girl who has been brutally teased for being from New Jersey, Texans need to turn it down a bit! ;)

On Wednesday we met Heather for lunch at the largest Whole Foods Market in the USA, 80,000 square feet of food, free beer and wine tastings, not to mention huge selections of meat, fish, eteetc. 1/3 of the store is set aside for take-out and sit down meals, and our lunch was delicious. The store is equipped with free wi-fi, and was impressive. It reminded me of Harrod’s in London, though, I guess I’m a bit of a brat b/c Harrod’s is unlike any other huge food store I’ve seen. After lunch we went to “Book People”, a local popular book store. Then we drove downtown, parked the car, and walked all over downtown. We went into the capital building (which is 7 feet larger than our federal capital) which had historical paintings and intimate art detail.

We ended our day at the Scholz, the oldest bar and business in Texas, over 140 years old. The Scholz was a very cool pub that served german food. Vegetarians wouldn’t like it very much, I wasn’t in the mood for meat so I had a grilled cheese of the children’s menu. Haha J

Near dusk, we walked down to the Congress street bridge to see the bat colony that thrives in Austin. I know, BATS, gross! But I learned about these fascinating creatures that also live in the city of Austin and how they eat over 3000 pounds! of insects in between the months of March-November. When we first got there you could hear them using their wings and slowly waking up. Soon after the sun goes down, you can see them swarming above your head, high in the air, and in massive groups. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before! And it was here, in Texas, not in a zoo. We were really lucky to have made it in time to see the bats, as most of them are heading to Mexico. It’s mostly the mothers who were left.

The people here seem very laid back and are very conscious of the decisions they make toward the environment and one another. Also, it seems like almost every place we saw had WiFi….the city is very progressive. It’s a city that you can feel pretty comfortable in as a tourist, especially if you’re like-minded. The city seemed pretty easy to navigate through (and this is coming from a girl who gets lost in a paper bag.) Austin is passionate about food and I am too. There are tons of restaurants to choose from and Austinites seem to really get out and enjoy the cuisine. Although Austin isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as Charleston or Savannah, the amount of parks in the city and surrounding it make up for it. We def. have the feeling that we could be happy here—but no decisions yet! Gotta see everything first and take some time to think about it all. ;)

We met Heather for lunch again on Thursday and went to a Vegan/Vegetarian restaurant. On the way to lunch we drove down Guadalupe Street, or “The Drag” which is the main street on UT’s campus. UT is located in the northeast part of the city is needless to say, is a huge part of the community there. We then headed to SoCo, South Congress street, which has a lot of neat shops and restaurants. I became a true tourist and bought a “Keep Austin Weird” tshirt. I love the idea of keeping it weird! www.keepaustinweird.com. The shop owners were funky, fresh and friendly. We stopped at Doc’s, an old garage converted into a bar, and had 2 appetizers and a pitcher of beer for $15. We have found some incredible food deals on the road! Oh, by the way, if anyone has Boardwalk or any of the pink or orange pieces from McDonald’s let me know. We’re missing one from each and we could split winnings!

Austin claims to be the “Live Music Capital of the World” and it certainly lives up to its name. Live music can be heard in almost every bar, from every genre. Great importance is placed on keeping Austin this way. Since there are so many venues, bands can find it easier to get gigs in the city of Austin. We didn’t have enough time to check one out, hopefully next time. Some charge a steep cover also.

On Friday we took it easy at my cousin Mike’s apartment b/c we both weren’t feeling 100%. I guess traveling around for 20 days is catching up to us. We did venture out for lunch at Threadgill’s, the place where Janis Joplin got her career start. The southern food there was delicious! Josh had meatloaf, Mike had glazed ham. I had cheese grits with a salad and lima beans. Not to mention the buttery rolls to start our meal. Yuuuuuuuum. Nope, not losing any weight on this trip! Next time we’re here we’d like to take a trip out to Hill Country, go to some nearby wineries, see San Antonio, the Trity Oak, and see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. And hang out in more of the neighborhoods in the city.

Pros
Lots of parks
Warm (hot) weather
Food was cheap!
“big city” with small town feel
Unique shops with like-minded individuals

Cons
Jobs?
Need a car, no great subway system
Pretty bad rushour traffic (but I guess that is everywhere)
Some sprawl?

Big thanks to Heather and my cousin Mike and his girlfriend Aspen for putting us up in Austin! It was great to hang out with everyone in Austin, wish we had more time to spend there. Though I guess that is the feeling with any great visit/trip! P.S. We miss my cousin’s cats. And Megan and Joey’s cats. Still.

Josh said Texas is the only foreign country he’s ever visited :)

Next stop: Guadalupe National Park, Texas, and then a week in New Mexico.