Although I loved all of the places we stopped on our Texas tour, I must admit that Austin was my very favorite...by a landslide. If it hadn't been 106ยบ on the afternoon we spent downtown, I would probably entertain fantasies of moving there one day. But then I remember the torturous feeling that I had submerged myself in a hot tub that I could somehow breathe in, yet never escape and promptly change my mind. The Midwest, complete with four seasons and a summer that allows for moderate activity, is perfectly fine with me.
After a quick overnight stop at Wheat's parents' new place, we hit the road in our rental car and headed for Austin, the state capital. Hungry after our three-hour drive, we stopped at Freedmen's, a traditional Texas barbecue restaurant near the University of Texas' campus, for lunch. I wish we could have waited in line for hours at the world-renowned barbecue joints, like Franklin's or La Barbecue, but this place served as the perfect alternative for people short on time and looking for a delicious meal. The historic building, old West saloon vibe, and beer garden were worth the stop alone. The meat on my pulled pork sandwich and Wheat's brisket was unbelievably tender and smoky, and the barbecue sauce and horseradish potato salad gave my meal quite the spicy kick. Wheat chased his lunch with smoked banana pudding (ewww) and we headed over to campus for some exploring.
First, we tracked down UT Tower, the impressive centerpiece of campus and the infamous site of a horrific massacre in 1966. We decided to forgo the tower tour and opted instead to walk around the grounds, admiring various sculptures and wiping sweat off our faces. From there, we ventured over to Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium to see where Texas plays football. However, the gates were locked, which proved as the perfect excuse to get back in the air-conditioned car.
Next, we stopped by the Baylor Street graffiti art wall, which is actually a hill-like collection of walls open to the public for legal tagging and art displays. This was honestly one of the highlights of my entire trip. I was blown away by the vibrant colors and incredible artistic talent evident on each wall. We saw a few artists at work on new pieces and tiptoed over the empty spray paint bottles and glass that littered the ground. Somehow unfazed by the heat, Wheat decided to climb to the top of the structure for an uninhibited view of downtown Austin. I stayed below, snapping an embarrassing number of pictures and wishing I had brought some spray paint myself.
After checking into our hotel and refreshing a bit, we decided to track down a few of the locations from Friday Night Lights. We both really loved the show, so we were excited to see the houses of Matt Saracen, Tim and Billy Riggins, and, of course, the Taylors. We took a quick drive through Zilker Park in hopes of seeing the Barton Springs pool, but it was ridiculously packed for a blues show from Austin native Shakey Graves. Instead, we made a quick pit stop at the capitol building so I could drool over it from a shorter distance.
For dinner, we wanted to check out South Congress, the 'hip' part of town known for its restaurants, bars, live music, and bohemian vibe. Thanks to its trendy food trailers, bizarre boutiques, and dogged determination to 'Keep Austin Weird,' it was absolutely my favorite area of town. We wandered along the store fronts, stopping in an awesome candy shop for samples and listening to live polka music at a crowded outdoor bar. After some deliberation, we decided to stop for dinner at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, due in part to the line of customers that wrapped around the building. Long lines mean good food, right? This was probably the best spur-of-the-moment decision we made the whole trip. I ordered the Magic Shroom burger and truffle fries and tried my hardest not to melt into the floor due to gastronomical ecstasy. My only regret? Not ordering a milkshake, too. Seriously, if you're ever in Austin, go here.
After dinner, we rushed over to the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the largest urban bat colony in North America take flight at dusk. I read about the bats in preparation for the visit, but nothing could have properly prepared me for witnessing over a million bats fly out from under the bridge on their nightly hunt. Oddly enough, August is the best time of year to see this famous Austin spectacle because the pups are finally old enough to fly out with their parents, which essentially doubles the number of bats. The bridge was packed with tourists and natives alike, as others floated beneath the bridge on kayaks and boats or gathered on a nearby viewing hill to watch the nightly ritual. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the experience - incredible, creepy, bizarre - of watching thousands of bats fly right below you for an entire hour. In the distance, you could see what looked like clouds of smoke, but were actually colonies of bats on the hunt. It was something I'll never forget.
In the parking garage afterward, we had to dodge a few stray, lost bats that were darting around outside our car. Once safely inside, Wheat decided to take me back to the graffiti wall so I could climb to the top. I'm so glad he did because the nighttime view of Austin was stunning. Only a few other people were around, so we slow-danced, admired the view, and reflected on our incredible first day in Texas.
In an effort to squeeze every last bit of goodness from our day, we opted to check out 6th Street, Austin's version of Bourbon or Beale Street, before bed. Fortunately, the bars weren't crowded at all (thank you, Wednesday before school starts), so we had our pick of venue. We checked out most bars from the street, including Bat Bar, before deciding on Recess, an arcade bar. Wheat set the high score playing basketball and tried his luck on NBA Jam and Mario Kart. We also both took our turns on Ninja Turtles and Ms. Pac-Man before we'd had our fill. From there, we wandered into The Chuggin' Monkey for some live music and drinks to close our close-to-perfect day.
Next up? A little more Austin, then San Antonio...
