Austin, TX

Picture of the Capitol in Austin!

On the way from New Orleans we took a small (1 1/2 hour) detour to visit the San Francisco Plantation. It was an interesting journey into a totally different time & lifestyle. Our guide gave us some good information on how people really lived in those big houses with the help of slaves.

Our first night in Austin we wanted to party, and we recommend anyone doing any road trip (or any trip really) should go to places they normally wouldn't go to. You'll get a sense of the city and meet some interesting locals along the way. There's a reason they call Austin the weirdest city in the south.

First night there we went to a place called the Broken Spoke - a true, Texas honkey-tonk. Dale Watson played traditional country music while couples two-stepped around the dance floor. With sawdust on the floor & people wearing Levi's & boots, it was an experience.



Sara made friends with a free-spirited, boot-wearing, dancing gal. She was a regular who had 10 men - her "guys" - who she would randomly pick out and dance with. Sara told her that Gale would like to dance, and she had Marty come over and take Gale for a spin. To get a mental image of Marty, start with a middle-aged man in a t-shirt, jeans (duh), boots and a trucker hat to top it all off. Then throw in a full beard & mustache. There you go. He was super nice and despite the flip-flops Gale was wearing, actually got her to spin & two-step like a pro.

Next day - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOM!

We started the day with delicioso breakfast taco's (more like a burrito). Then we walked along S. Congress for some shopping. Austin may be known as weird & for its great music scene, but it should also be known for it's cute & quirky shopping. Our first stop was Allen Boots - and let me tell you those boots were fantastic! Expect lots of Austin gifts!

For lunch we met Catherine, a friend of Gale's dad, at Magnolia Cafe. She was great, and picked a great place for lunch. One of the greatest parts of this trip is meeting people and seeing the cities through the eyes of locals. Learning their favorite spots & places to avoid has been enlightening. Catherine was a ton of fun & energy. If anyone knows where her laptop is, please comment on this blog.

After lunch we did more shopping and then headed into town to visit the Museum of the Weird. One of the last dime-store sideshows, it was a tiny hallway of freakish things - a 2-headed chicken, fijian mermaid and the sort.

Next was Barton Springs, which consists a public pool and a cold, rivery, springy, lakey thing. Everyone goes to cool off in the summer & we waded in the river for a couple of hours to relax.

Finally, we ate dinner at Shady Grove, a fun place with an airstream trailer & live music on Thursdays.

After all that adventure we got back on the road and flew down to San Antonio (only about an hours drive), found our hotel & chilled out. More on San Antonio next time!