Coast to Coast – Austin, TX

We had heard, from more than a few sources, that Austin, Texas was a must see on anyone’s southern-bound road trip. People spoke of a vibrant metropolis, replete with young progressive minds, a hopping party scene, and quite possibly the best music scene in the United States. And, as is the case with most movies, restaurants, and blind dates that receive similar hype, it didn't quite live up to expectations.

The city itself was nice enough. Even as the state capital, Austin still managed to avoid most of the pitfalls that come with that title. It was a descent size city, but there were plenty of open space. It was stretched out over a large area but had a navigational freeway system. The downtown had its skyscrapers and state buildings, but it was also set on the banks of a huge river (called the 'town lake'), which ebbed its way through the heart of the city. It also was home to the University of Texas, a school with 50,000 undergrads and its own zip code, so there was plenty of action to be had out on the town both during the day and at night.

And yet, despite all of these attributes, we never really seemed to fall in step with the town. Upon our arrival, we were starving and stopped in at a local Mexican spot that came HIGHLY recommended by one of our friends. After waiting outside in the blistering 103 degree afternoon heat because they wouldn’t allow dogs on there patio, we got our to-go order and found it to be some of the worst food we’ve ever been asked to pay for. After the meal and after our gag reflexes subsisted, we searched for a dog friendly park nearby and found one, Butler Park, right downtown along the river. But, after walking a mile or so to get to the off-leash area were dogs could swim, another Texas Monsoon hit the city and we had to sprint back to our car to avoid the deluge of rain and flooding that ensued*.

In the evening, after the storm broke, we headed back downtown to see the famous mass exodus of bats, apparently in the hundreds of thousands, that flows from under the downtown (bat) bridge at dusk. We were told to get there early to ensure a good seat. We arrived about 25 minutes before sundown to find almost no one there at all, and proceeded to wait until well past dark for the bats that had apparently taken the night off. After and underwhelming dinner, we headed down to East 6th Street, where all the bars, nightclubs, and live music venues are concentrated. But, being a Wednesday night in the middle of summer vacation, there wasn’t a whole lot of shaking going on. Just C-list cover bands and a half dozen people in each of the 300 bars that seemed to stretch on forever. Defeated, we called it an early night, knowing that we would be leaving tomorrow and this would be our only memories of Austin.

The next morning we got out early, but, before leaving, we gave Austin one last chance. Grabbing some iced coffees, as it was already 89 degrees at 8:45am, we headed back to the dog park on the river. We got walked back to the off-leash area and found a huge pack of dogs and owners hanging out by the waters edge. We could barely unhook Zoe’s collar before she was bounding around in the water, chasing stick and balls with the rest of the pack. A light breeze blew in off the water and, for the first time since we’d gotten here, I looked up at the cityscape before me and though to myself ‘hey, it’s kinda nice here.’ And I wondered if I shouldn’t give everything else another go (except the Mexican food), and some of the other things I wanted to see(Like Barton Springs Pool, or The Salt Lick BBQ house). But that would have to wait for another day, cause we had to get back on the road. Next stop: New Orleans!

*On our way back to our hotel in this huge storm that was flooding streets and bringing down trees, we passed by the UT football practice facility and saw hundreds of fans standing out in the rain watching the Longhorns practice. Practice! We’re not talking about a game, we’re talking about practice. Practice! I guess that’s what happens to sports fans in a state capital city without a pro sports team. Oh yeah, and it’s Texas.