A Little Taste of Austin

Last weekend we headed to Texas for a wedding celebration in Hill Country. We decided to make a little vacation out of it and spend some time in Austin and San Antonio as well.

We arrived late on Wednesday so we really only had one day in Austin. It wasn't much time to get to know the city, but the little taste we had has enticed us to return.

We started out with a trip to the legendary barbecue joint, the Salt Lick, in nearby Driftwood. We picked up some beers (it's BYOB) and prepared to stuff our bellies. We opted to share a platter and it was more than enough to satisfy the two of us. We enjoyed the brisket, sausage and ribs, all covered with Salt Lick BBQ sauce, along with potato salad, coleslaw and soft bread. Even with dessert of pecan pie and ice cream (hey, when in Texas. . . ) our bill was a minuscule $15.

From there were headed into the city to explore. We parked near the Congress Avenue Bridge (from whence the bats emerge at dusk) and walked along the river and up Congress to the capitol building.

It was close to 100 degrees and we'd come from temps of around 65 in Chicago, so the heat took its toll on us. We stopped a few times to cool down in some air conditioned stores and then went to visit foodie mecca - the Whole Foods flagship store.

I really wish I'd taken some pictures, because words can't do justice to just how massive this place is. Vegetables are stacked like art, bins overflow with herbs you've never seen before, and "beer alley" is stocked with brews from around the world. We wandered around, mouths gaping, and drooled over the sushi bar, the sandwich counter, the seafood station, the pizza counter, the salt bar, the bbq restaurant, the smoothie and gelato counter, the bakery, the pastry shop, the make your own peanut butter station, the nut bar, the bulk food bins, the cheese counter, and the displays of chocolate truffles and assorted toffee.

With just a bit more time to kill before we met our couchsurfing hosts for dinner, we decided to head for a beer at a place known for its wide selection - the Draught House. It did not disappoint. With what looked like 100 beers on tap, the selection was amazing. Dan quickly settled on his favorite Oregon brew, Mirror Pond, and I opted for the house-brewed Vanilla Porter (which was only $2.25!).

We sipped our pints in the sun and declared we'd move to Austin just for this bar, and then headed back to our hosts.

Around 6:30 we joined Enid and Isaac and drove back to the city for dinner at Guero's. Dan and I just shared a combo plate with some standard Mexican food and each had a margarita. We wandered along Congress, taking the sight of all the people hopping from bar to bar, enjoying live music at Guero's outdoor space, or lining up for food at one of the many Airstream trailers set up serving food like crepes, tacos, pizza, and cupcakes. Then we made our way down to the river to watch the bats emerge from under the bridge.

As the sun set, the crowds grew until the grassy slope we were sitting on was nearly packed with people and there was a crowd lining the edge of the bridge.

We waited about 30 minutes and then. . .there was one bat, then another, than another. For several minutes only a few bats at a time would emerge and then gradually the mass exodus began. I had anticipated it being over quickly, but I guess it takes a pretty long time for 75,000 bats to emerge. We watched in awe for close to 10 minutes - as we left the bats were still streaming out from beneath the bridge. (unfortunately, my pics didn't really turn out well)

We were having a great time with our hosts so we decided to head back to the Draught House, since they had never been there. Where the place has been busy when we'd come earlier, now it was completely packed.

Every seat on the patio was taken and locals had even brought their own lawn chairs, which they'd parked next to their cars. We snagged a table inside and enjoyed a few more beers before finally calling it a night around 11pm. The next day, we took a quick drive around Zilker Park and then headed off to Hill Country.