Every once in a while when people get overwhelmed with their day to day mundane life in Houston, they tends to take refuge in Austin. It is one of the most liberal cities in Texas and really convenient for Houstonians, being only 2.5 hrs away (if you are driving). Austin is very similar to Portland in many ways, for example both have Voodoo Doughnuts; even their tagline is similar “Keep Portland Weird”… “Keep Austin Weird”. Who was weird first? Does anyone know? Does anyone care? It is safe to say that these are sister cities. Other than being weird, one can easily describe Austin as a State capital, world capital for live music, home to UT, center for film & theater (Academy Award winner Mathew McConaughey is from UT Austin), formula 1 circuit with a huge number of pubs and restaurants et cetera. For me, the most prominent features of Austin are its walkability and unique culture. To date I have been to Austin thrice, each time for different reason.
Trip 1 … Jan-2015:
One of my friends wanted to get familiar with US freeways “left hand drive” as we were really new to this country plus we wanted to explore a new city, so we rented a car and we were on our way to Austin. It was a one day trip, just to get a glimpse of the city and surroundings. First pit stop on our list was Town Lake or more appropriately Lady Bird Lake, which turned out to be a pretty neat place. It is full of activities from boating, jogging, swimming et cetera. One can find numbers of Austinities engaged in different activities, which in turn brings out the unique Austin culture. Next stop the Graffiti Park a.k.a Hope Outdoor Gallery, one of the most famous and one of my all-time favourite places in Austin. It is enriched in art in every possible way. It is a space open for all artists, it does not matter if you are an amateur or a serious artist, and you can tag yourself silly at this multi-level facility. By the time we were done with clicking selfies at Graffiti Park, all of us were famished. We didn’t know where to go for lunch, so we asked Google and bingo, here comes the Eastside Cafe into our life. I fell in love with their food and homey ambiance, everything they have on their menu is to die for. If someday I’ll jot down my top 10 places to eat, this restaurant will be on that list. Their menu is consistent except for specials, and that day I ordered poached eggs, salmon, fries n strawberries with chipotle sauce. Apparently Austin is host to a nude beach … Hippie Hollow (on the shore of Lake Travis); which most people are not aware of. Even though it’s a nude beach don’t get your hopes high. It is not at all like nude beaches in Europe (movie reference as of now). Views were serene but that place was a real drag especially in cold January. We were on our way back to Houston after being in an Irish pub on 6th street but at 4 in the afternoon, it was not that exciting.
Trip 2 .. 6th street:
The Iconic and historic entertainment district of Austin was the only place I didn’t explore during my first trip. Formerly known as Pecan Street, it is the heart of Austin’s live entertainment scene. It is lined with numerous historic buildings, which have been converted into numerous pubs & bars, tattoo parlours, casual cafes, upscale restaurants (great food) and the awesome Driskill Hotel. It is known to be the party capitol for students of UT Austin or for anybody who comes there. The best thing about 6th street is no dress code, one can be punk, cowboy, uptight, goth … anything they want to be. The entertainment sector pertains to the east side of 6th street. On the west side one can find many art galleries, antique stores, hair salons et cetera. If you are looking for a place to bar hop then don’t look any further. With the variety and options available on 6th street one can easily get as satiated as my friend and I did. We decided to get started by 10 PM and last as long as our bodies allowed us. I guess the secret of bar hopping is just to have one drink at each bar with proper food and water, if you want to avoid a massive hangover. Despite that as they say each to its own. I don’t remember now but I guess we ended up going to 6-7 bars and that night 6th street was hosting a biker event. It was completely packed with leather studded bikers and we were able to see many Harleys and custom-choppers in one go. Oh it was heaven. Austin is truly liberal and after being sedated by 6th street we went to our Airbnb room, located directly opposite to UT. Thank you, Megabus for cheap transit.
Trip 3 .. Jan 2016
Exactly after a year I decided to visit Austin again and this time with a side trip to shop in San Marcos. San Marcos has premium outlet shops with designers like Gucci, Prada, Armani et cetera and if you’re into designer shopping and saving a few bucks then it’s worth a visit. Another reason to visit Austin this time was to stay at the iconic and legendary Driskill hotel. It is one of those historic hotels which set the standard of elegance plus its location is perfect, being right there on 6th Street. It could be a bit heavy on your pocket as it is considered to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Austin. After checking into the hotel, I went to an Indian restaurant (I know, what I was thinking) named G’raj Mahal and here it begins … my worst night to date. The food was so interestingly awful that it was not worth the 40 mins wait or for a staff full of attitude or for so called lovely ambiance or for a group of drunkards (a few of which were not able to stand) sitting next to our table. Apparently that restaurant is highly rated on all of the platforms and I am still not sure how they were able to manage to get such good reviews with such terrible … hmm … everything. For the record one is not supposed to prepare Kheema naan with peas in it. To save me from the dreadful experience, I took shelter in one of the Driskill’s cafes, the 1886. Their dessert menu is impressive in every possible way. Next morning I decided to walk on 6th Street when there is no commotion and most pubs are closed, which was surreal and pleasant at the same time. Voodoo Doughnuts? Obviously I have to pay my visit to the most quintessential doughnut shop, getting stuffed for the short drive to Hamilton Pool. It is a natural swimming hole surrounded with waterfall and grotto. That evening, I stumbled upon the largest record shop I have ever been to … Waterloo Records. And yes they really do have most of the vinyl albums.
I am not sure when my “thing” for Austin will be over but until that time; It’s the city for a perfect weekend getaway. And my 4th trip will be next month to get a tattoo. I hope there will be many more trips to Austin and with each trip; I’ll come across something unique which will make me fall in love with this sublime Texas City all over again.
