For those of us from the Midwest it is fairly common to think of Texas with a sort of country hick mentality. I am posting today that Texas gets a bad rep.
Since it is a travel Wednesday I am picking Austin as this months topic. I lived there for a long time. I still have a lot of family there and my brother and sister were both born in Austin.
When visiting Austin there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, you are in Texas. It is hot outside. Hydrate often. Secondly, Austin is not flat. Wear sensible walking shoes. Thirdly, it is unlikely that you will see a tumble weed. Shocking I know. Now that the basics are covered on to the fun bits!
Everyone always goes to the capital building. It looks sort of like the white house only its made of pink granite. Infinitely cooler. I would say go check out the Elizabeth Ney Museum. She was a really cool artist and her house is now a small museum with her art and history and a really cool secret passage. Take a stroll down the drag to get a feel for the Austin scene and do some shopping. Don't forget to get your picture taken by the graffiti frog. It's sort of a thing there. At the end of the drag is a really awesome toy store called Toy Joy. I used to go there all the time as a kid and it is still a really cool place for kitschy stuff. And then go take a dip in Barton Springs. The Austin area water supply is fed from an aquifer and one of the springs is dammed into a natural swimming pool. Its cold but pretty neat!
When It comes to food Austin has a variety of great choices. When I was little we used to go to the Spaghetti Warehouse. It is still a fun place to go and if you are lucky you can dine inside the antique train caboose in the center of the dinning room. My favorite place is the SoCo Cafe. They offer some really interesting combinations I would never think to try at home. It is a little more pricey but worth every penny. If you are looking for Tex-Mex and a view head out to the oasis. Its an ok restaurant with good margaritas and an amazing sunset view. Did I mention it is built into the cliff face? For a great lunch head down to Cantina Laredo. They will make your guacamole fresh to order right at the table side and the meals are just as tasty!
I know we are all waiting for the section on nightlife. When in Austin the standard Modus Operandi is to go to sixth street. There are a lot... well actually its pretty much ALL bars. I find it is a little too messy on sixth and tend to stick over on fourth st. As for gay bars I really like Oil Can Harry's (which brings up a much dirtier image than what the bar is actually like) and Rain. Right between those two is QUA. It is a straight club but the big allure is that the dance floor is an aquarium with live sharks. For all of you screaming for the poor sharks check you the QUA website first. They claim to be taking really good care of them and they never seem distressed to me. I also really like the bar Six (also right there on 4th street). This bar is connected to the Spaghetti Warehouse. It has a roof deck, nice drinks, and sometimes live bands.
Austin will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only since I have friends there but because I grew up there as a child. Its a very eclectic and singularly accepting friendly place. Don't hate on Texas til you've been!
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