The first thing I did when I got into Austin was return to my old stomping ground, Kerbey Lane Cafe (27th and Guadalupe) I spent my first four months in town working at this 24 hour diner, and Austin staple. The experience of working the graveyard shift there was a great way to orient and initiate me to the city, as well as get a feel for the culture of the town. Some nights, young people would start out there, grabbing a quick snack of irresistible Kerbey queso before beginning their night out on the town. Some times it was while they were pulling up all nighters, chain drinking cups of coffee to finalize school or work projects. Other nights there would be UT students pouring in after hours, and after spending long nights drinking, to try and sober up with some Migas and pancakes. Other nights, they would come in the wee hours of the morning, after spending the night out with a new found object of affection met at a bar and treating them to breakfast. Austin is a town that likes to work hard and play harder.
I sat down at a seat at the counter and immediately ordered the Eggs Francisco: an English muffin topped with scrambled eggs, tomato, avocado, and bacon, and all generously drizzled with queso. I had been craving this dish for MONTHS! It was cooked to perfection, and tasted heavenly, just the way I had remembered it. I had crispy Kerbey Lane signature home fries on the side, and fresh juicy grapes recently plucked from near by Hill country vines. In between bites I caught up with some of my former co-workers there, and heard stories about what happened to so-and-so who didn't work there anymore. Several new friendly faces introduced themselves to me as well and chatted with me between taking tables. Kerbey Lane Cafe has always prided its self in hiring very friendly and personable staff. (http://www.kerbeylanecafe.com/)
After I finished up my lunch and said my “Hi's” and “goodbyes” to people, I headed across the street to Waterloo (28th and Fruth) cycles to rent a bicycle. I inquired about this to a man behind the counter who informed me that, while they usually do offer rental bikes for $10 a day, the bike shop would be closed that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. That dashed any opportunity to return the bike before my 6:15am Monday morning departure. I told the man I wouldn't be able to swing it, and he nodded and said it was understandable. He pointed me in the direction of The University Cyclery (29th and Lamar) and told me that they could make a comparable offer on a rental bicycle.
I heeded his advice and made my way over to The University Cyclery. I was a little dissapointed with the lack of variety they offered in rental bikes. The only offered to rent out Giant brand mountain bikes. However, the associate helping me out assured me that I was getting a deal, as they were great bikes and perfect for hitting the bike trails around town lake, the Austin greenbelt, as well as simply cruising the streets of the town. I grimaced at the rental price of $20 a day, but signed the paper work and was off to start my weekend catching up in Austin!
I met up with my friend Jenny at her house, where I was staying, and we went for a leisurely Friday afternoon bike ride. We cruised around some of the more major streets in Austin...Manor, Dean Keaton and the UT campus, Guadalupe, Sixth, and Lamar. We took an extended break at The Lamar Pedestrian Bridge (Lamar and S. 1st). I sat on a bench and stared at the clear water and the city skyline for a long time. There were a lot of people out on the lake in rental canoes and kayaks easing their way into the weekend by enjoying a relaxing post-work float down town lake. There were also a lot of people greeting their weekend by walking, jogging, and biking across the bridge and into the different trails weaving in and out of Town Lake and the Austin greenbelt.
After spending a few hours cruising around, reconnecting with the city, taking in the sites, and enjoying the weather, it was time to eat again! Jenny and I decided to head back towards the east side, near her house, since night was beginning to fall upon the city. The bike rental did not include bike lights. It is illegal to bike in Austin when it is dark, and the police hand out tickets with out remorse. Its an inconvenience, but they have the best interest and safety of the riders at heart.
We decided to go to The Red House pizzeria (19th and Manor) for dinner and drinks. The scene was pretty packed, even for a Friday evening. Bicycles lined the fence surrounding the spacious outdoor patio. Lots of late twenty-somethings and couples out on group dates filled up the tables, drinking pitchers of beer and eating multiple pizzas.
We had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table to free up. There was not a host or hostess taking names or utilizing a wait list. It had a pretty laid back, seat-your-self sort of vibe. It did seem slightly disorganized, and it took a little while before a server was able to acknowledge us. But once that dedicated server found us, the service was very decent.
Unfortunately, we were tardy for their happy hour and missed their amazing drink and appetizer specials, but ordered some reasonably priced margaritas anyway. $6.00 for a royalty sized chalice of frozen lemony lime tequila infused deliciousness. Don't for get the salt! Being on a pretty tight budget, I could only enjoy a few $6.00 margaritas. So after a couple, I had to switch to $2.50 lonestar pints. Many Texans will suggest that this is too much to pay for a pint of lonestar. However, it is difficult to find this beer in many other states, so for me, this was both a bargain and a luxury.
Ah, yes. The pizza! We ordered a margarita pizza (to compliment our frozen margaritas of course!) It was a delicious white pie with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil leaves. We devoured it pretty quickly as to re-nourish ourselves after our epic Friday afternoon bike ride. We ordered a large, 16 inch pie. I told Jenny I though that would be too much for the both of us, but she chuckled at me, and reminded where I was, and that everything is bigger in TX, including the appetites of out-of-towners. I was glad we got the large pie. It was delicious, and gone in instants!
Saturday morning I woke up with a slight headache. Was it due to multiple Friday night margaritas and lonestars? Or was it because it was the infamous Cedar Fever allergy season in Austin? I am going to assume it was a little bit of both. I decided it was a crucial morning for breakfast tacos, another staple of Austin, this one is stolen (borrowed?) from the Mexicans. Your choice of tortilla (usually flour, corn, or whole wheat) and eggs and cheese scrambled with your choice of meat and /or veggies. I thought about where I should go to get them. Torchy's? (28th and Guadalupe) El Arroyo? (1624 W. 5th) Quacks? (Duval and 43rd) While those places are incredible, none of them are conveniently located in relation to where I was staying, and would probably be ridiculously busy with Austinites and UT students tying to nurse their Saturday morning hangovers. I decided to head towards the north-loop section of town. I was bound to find some delicious breakfast tacos that way!
Well, my prayers were answered. And quite literally, I might add, at that. I was driving down Airport road and there were a bunch of people dancing on the side of the road, holding signs that said “Free Breakfast tacos!” What could be better than that?! Of course, I had to stop. There was no way I could turn down such a perfect offer of free breakfast tacos on this particular Saturday morning. I marched up to the stand and requested one bacon breakfast taco, and one sausage breakfast taco. My stomach grew even more excited when I found out the breakfast tacos were from Tamale House (Airport and 50th), an Austin favorite!
The group handing out the breakfast tacos was trying to promote their church: The Austin Power House. As to not be a total free loader, I took their flier and read about their organization. Handing out free breakfast tacos, and claiming to heal marriages and transform lives tend to be their three big selling points. As I sat down on a curb and finished up my heaven sent, divine breakfast tacos, a woman from the church thanked me for stopping and told me they would love to have me attend a mass at her church. I confessed that I would not be able to make it, and that I was from out of town. I thanked her for her kindness and generosity for feeding a hungry traveler. And then I was off!
The next stop that late Saturday morning was Epoch coffee house, (221 North Loop) for some caffeine. The scene there is pretty hip. Lots of young people in daring new fashions and unusual facial hair trends. People usually keep to them selves here, noses buried behind lap tops or books. Not the best place to go if you are looking to meet people, but an excellent spot to work quietly on your lap top whilst listening to the pounding modern disco or Euro-pop music that always seems to be blaring from the speakers there.
This is probably the best wi-fi spot in town as well, it is very decorated with electrical outlets. There are so many, they even dangle from the ceiling on flashy black extension cords. I am pretty sure there are more electrical outlets there, than there are places to sit! Its also decorated with art created by local artists. They usually tend to display the works of some of Austin's more talented locals, and host an opening reception about once a month with free food and...you guessed it. Free coffee! (http://www.epochcoffee.com/)
I ordered a large chai and gulped it down while reading The Austin Chronicle. The Chronicle is a weekly periodical that comes out and speaks to Austin. The Chronicle used to hit all the news stands in town on Wednesdays, but since my absence they have switched their press release time to Fridays. It gives all sorts of information about local current events, as well as happenings around town the upcoming weekend and week, movie reviews, as well as featuring comics by local artists and information about up and coming bands and artists and local yokels. (http://www.austinchronicle.com/)
After my stint at Epoch, I decided that I must have a cupcake from “Hey Cup Cake!” (S. Congress and Milton) Hey Cupcake has several locations around Austin. The one I had in mind was on South Congress boulevard. Situates in an air stream van amongst other mobile restaurants known simply as “The Trucks on South Congress” There are about ten of them (they rotate daily, you can find just about all of them on the weekends though) they sell all kinds of delicious junk food. This is the place to go if you are craving something quick and cheap, as well as delicious, sweet, and/or fried, and greasy. Some of the trucks feature items such as cupcakes, pies, crepes, fried chicken, fried avocado, pizza, and popcorn.
I ordered my cupcake: A Vanilla Dream Whippersnapper: Vanilla cake with pink vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Whippersnapper means its filled with fresh whipped cream! I went into a daze as soon as I took my first bite. Eating this cupcake made me feel as if I was not sitting at a crowded picnic table in a hot parking lot filled with food trucks that specialize in calorie packed concoctions, but rather I was floating in the cotton like clouds above. Each morsel of fluffy sweet goodness that touched my taste buds transformed me and took me to another place, where I was rolling around in fields of soft clouds and warm sunshine. This didn't last long. I took my last bite and was quickly brought back down to reality. (http://www.heycupcake.com/story.html)
After basically inhaling my cupcake, I walked around South Congress for a little bit, and got a feel for the scene there. It was pretty crowded, a busy Saturday afternoon. Lots of people were out with their families, walking around, and going in and out of some of the different shops there. Lots of artisans have set up shop on South Congress, making it a great place to find gifts for all occasions. There were a bunch of tents set up in a mini grass filled lot. It was like an upscale flea market, with local artists selling their hand made goods. Some of the different tents featured jewelery, glass blown pieces, paintings, portraits, photography, and tie-dye. It hinted at the laid back, hippie culture the locals embody truly embody, and are fighting to maintain as Austin continues to expand and develop, bringing in more and more young-urban professionals, and building lots of brand spanking new condos for them to habituate.
After my stroll around South Congress, I met up with my friend Jenny and her boyfriend Josh at an old favorite haunt of mine: Spider House (29th and Fruth). Spider House is a very funky coffeehouse/ bar featuring an outdoor patio that is decorated with trash. This seems to be a trend in Austin coffeehouse patio culture. The shop owners have taken to decorating these patios in junk! I suppose a trip to the junkyard/local dump is cheaper than Ikea or pier one! The classic, rusty, rubbish filled aesthetic leaves something to be desired. But the kids seem to love it These patios are wildly popular in Austin. Other cafe patios with a similar look, feel and vibe to Spider House are: Cafe Mundi (1704 E. 5th) Rio Rita (6th and Navasota) and the Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse (S. 1st and Elizabeth)
We ordered a pitcher of Sangria and some chips and queso to munch on. Oh how I have missed queso! No other city does delicious liquid cheese like Austin. The Sangria proved to be pretty wonderful as well. I had my doubts, as I have not always been a huge fan of the stuff. But Spider house's version featured fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peach slices in their mix. It was incredibly refreshing for that hot Texas afternoon. (http://www.spiderhousecafe.com/index.php)
While sipping our Sangria, I discussed with Jenny (an Austin vet of 5 years) and Josh (born and raised Austinite) about how Austin has changed over the past few years. They informed me that Austin has begun to lose its “small town feel” and that it has much more of a big city feel to it. They claim that this is exemplified through large crowds everywhere they go, and a longer wait for drinks at bars. They have observed changes in the demeanor and attitude of the locals. Where as people once used to be friendly, outgoing, and approachable, they have noticed that now a days, people seem curt, rude, and elitist. They also said that they have been meeting more and more people moving to Austin from all over the rest of the country, and have seen many more condos, apartment complexes, and housing developments springing up quickly. And traffic has worsened. But being avid cyclists, they have also both noticed that more and more people are riding bicycles in the city, and it is becoming one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the country.
After gulping down our Sangria, we decided a visit to Zilker park (2100 Barton Springs Rd.) was in order for that gorgeous afternoon. We drove down there, and looked for parking for what felt like forever. It was a very crowded day in the park! Everyone and their mother was there, literally! And understandably so, I might mention. There is a lot of fun to be had in Zilker park. It is where Barton Springs pool is (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm) where you can find many Austinites lounging around on hot summer afternoons. The Zilker Zephyr is there, a little train that takes its riders all over the park to gorgeous views of the lake and the wildlife. There is a huge playground packed with screaming and laughing children. There is also a concession stand featuring frozen goodies like ice cream and slushies, and hot snacks like fried chicken strips and fries.
We walked for a long time to find a spot to set up our blanket that wasn't too crowded. We followed a path that went along the water. There were a lot of people out with friends, taking quick little dips. As well as musicians strumming guitars and having impromptu sing-a-longs with strangers, people playing with their dogs, and Frisbee golfers. The lake was very crowded with rented kayaks and canoes. It reminded me of concert traffic on the Jersey Turnpike for people trying to see Bruce Springsteen at the meadowlands. We found a nice grassy knoll where there weren't too many people, and the noise was minimal. We spread out our blanket and napped in the sunshine.
After our lazy Saturday afternoon, we decided to head to Rio Rita for a snack and some caffeine. Rio Rita (E. 6th and Navasota) is another infamous Austin junkyard/cafe/patio, decorated with rusty old radiators. Another trend I have noticed with these cafes is always being out of menu items! For instance, Spider house was fresh out of their incredible house made guacamole that usually compliments their chips and queso so well. When we went to Rio Rita we tried to order MMMpanada's (a locally owned artisan empanada maker that focuses on fresh ingredients and unexpected flavor combinations!) And they were all out! I am guessing its because they sell like hot cakes, they are so wonderful! They are the perfect snack to eat when you are hungry, but not quite ready for a meal yet. (http://mmmpanadas.publishpath.com/)
Rio Rita was also fresh out of the amazing pizza slices they offer from the best pizza place in town: East Side Pies (http://www.eastsidepies.com/). This isn't the first time this has happened during a visit to Rio Rita, where they are inconveniently out of half of their snack items. But their bar is usually pretty reliable. We were more in the caffeine mood, so we all got late's, which were pretty satisfying. We also snacked on a brownie. The brownie was fresh baked at Rio Rita, and seemed to be made with equal portions of salt and sugar. This may sound disgusting to many everyday palates, but it was surprisingly tasty. Not overbearingly sweet or rich, it was very subtle. (http://www.riorita.net/)
The next day was Sunday, my last day in Austin. I had to make it count! I woke up around 10am and went for an epic bike ride all over the east side of town, and Town lake. I stopped a few times to take pictures of things I noticed around town that hadn't been there before.
After a few hours or riding around, I stopped at Casa Chapala (S. First and San Jacinto) for a late breakfast. I devoured two delicious breakfast tacos and all the complimentary chips and salsa they gave to me. They grind the salsa fresh for you, at the table, and add your desired amount of spiciness. The food was wonderful, and the service was fast, attentive, and friendly. (http://www.casachapala.com/)
After my epic bike ride and satisfying breakfast, it was time for me to return my rental bike to the University Cyclery. The transaction was quick and easy. The employees there are very friendly and helpful. They ended up giving me a great deal on the rental too! I rented the bike on Friday and kept it until Sunday and they only charged me for one day. (http://www.universitycyclery.com/)
Later in the day, I decided a hike up Mt. Bonnell before I left town was a must! (3800 Mt. Bonnell Rd.) It doesn't take very long to get to the top, but once you are up there, you will not want to come back down. I stayed up there for a long time, absorbing the breath taking sites. The lake side is absolutely enchanting. Its the most perfect blue/green color, like a new born baby's eyes, the first time they open them to look at the world.
I stood on top of the city, gazing at the lake, the skyline, the trail, the lakeside houses, the lush vegetation, and the overall view. I felt myself falling in love with Austin all over again. I made a permanent etching in my mind of how beautiful and magical the city is.
After spending a long time on top of Mt. Bonnell, I started to get hungry. I decided to head to Central Market (40th and Lamar) for some dinner. Central Market is a subsidiary of the popular Texas grocery chain HEB. Central market is a huge organic grocery store, with a cafe restaurant inside. But this is not your average run of the mill grocery store restaurant. It is huge, and the menu is nothing short of incredible. They offer fresh, locally grown organic produce. And its nice, because they never run out of things since the restaurant is already inside of a grocery store! They offer huge portions of reasonably priced food, prepared and cooked fresh for their loyal shoppers. I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap with a side salad. The chicken was crispy, golden and the perfect ratio of crunchiness to tenderness. It had just the right amount of sauce on it, tangy with just enough kick, but not uncomfortably spicy. The side salad was made of of fresh vegetables and clean, crisp mixed greens. It came with a zesty lemon vinaigrette that was to die for. I could really taste how much effort went into preparing my dish, which is surprising considering how little I had to wait for my meal to be ready.
I headed back to Jenny's and presented her with some fresh cut pink hydrangeas I picked up from Central Market as a way to say “thanks for your hospitality!” We had plans to go to a karaoke bar that night, but had some time to kill before that started. Jenny and Josh were hungry, so we went to dinner 24, a place that had just recently opened on the corner of 6th and Lamar. I ordered a chocolate milkshake, since I had already had dinner. It was very thick with chocolate chips mixed in, and a layer of fresh whipped cream at the top. Jenny and Josh ordered veggie burgers which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy. I ate most of Josh's fries which tasted like they were freshly cut and deep fried to perfection. (http://24diner.com/)
A short while later, we headed to Ego's a classic Karaoke bar off of South Congress Ave. It was 90's theme night and our friend Alan was DJ-ing. He was a very fair DJ, making sure everyone waited in line for their turn. 90's karaoke night was a great display of true, rugged, Austin culture. People stumbled on to the stage, drinks in hand, and did their very best renditions of 90's classics from all genres. There were TV theme songs like full house and Buffy the vampire slayer, as well as Diva's like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, in addition to one hit wonders from various boy bands, and my personal favorite: “I'll make love to you” By Boys 2 Men, sung by Jenny's boyfriend Josh, complete with a strip tease. The folks performing were very theatrical, and quite entertaining. It was a very good night out, and a great showcase of Austin's true talent.
I had to be up bright and early the next morning to catch a flight. I bid farewell to my former flame Austin, reminding the city that it holds a very dear and special place in my heart. I got on my plane to return to my new squeeze, Kansas City. KC doesn't get too jealous though, and luckily, still lets me see other cities.
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