Our first trip on a plane away from the kids in 18 years.
Combining a business trip to San Antonio for Andy we tacked on a couple of days
to explore Austin. Hope everything is intact when we return. Feeling pretty
good as the neighbors promised to keep an eye on things. They also then
strangely asked what type of beer the kids like??
To make the most of our time we took the early flight which
meant a 4am departure from the house. We had a reservation with spot saver for
security which makes it just about walk through. The whole process was less
than 30 seconds. Our flight was uneventful, and everything was running like
clockwork until we hit Avis. Walking to space c-5 we noticed our silver Altima
was conspicuously gone. Over to the counter by the cars where a guy was hashing
out what the best deal he could get for someone without a reservation. Rookie!
After becoming bored we went back to the counter where we picked up the
original car. “I can’t help you sir, you’ll have to go back upstairs”. Our
buddy still hashing out finally settled on an Escalade. Guess the price wasn’t
that big a deal. Into our red non-descript can’t remember what it was car and
headed to Black’s barbecue. We’d probably be a little less sour if it wasn’t
100 degrees out.
It was a difficult decision picking where to get BBQ in
Austin. Franklin’s is legendary although it comes with a 4-6hr wait and the
real possibility they run out by the time at your front. Other possibilities
were the Salt Lick which is equally famous and another place with a woman for
pitmaster that has been doing it for 70years. After reading countless reviews
we figured the difference between 4.7 stars and 4.4 was a tossup. We wound up
at Black’s which is known for the luscious brisket and for being a local’s type
of place. The place looks to be built out of barnwood, with a line that weaves
around giving plenty of time to look over Blacks gear, grab a beer out of the
ice tubs and think about what to order. The patrons were along the lines of out
for a good meal and not too worried about a little BBQ sauce on their shirts.
We didn’t see it, but a sign about not serving hipsters may have been posted.
Our timing was great and we showed up as the lunch rush slowed and dinner rush
hadn’t started. We still waited 20 minutes in line before placing an order. We
chatted up our line mates and confirmed the brisket was the thing. After making
our way through the line we were directed to one of the cutters to place our
order. It’s all pretty straight forward and no nonsense. Guy cutting and
weighing meat on to cafeteria trays and a helper ringing up the till. Our guy
looked the part with cowboy hat, giant knife and dreamy, good looks. At least
according to Cindy. $125 got us a generous portion of brisket, a colossal rib
and some pulled pork. A few sides and drinks also, but they were un-noteworthy
next to the meat. To be honest, after tasting the brisket nothing else really
mattered. It might be top 5 meals ever-ever. Fatty, bad for you on another
level. We left so full a split a salad at dinner 9hr later seemed like a lot.
After finishing the meal, we went back to tour the pits and speak with the Pit
masters. Really nice guys willing to talk through the whole process and what
they do to get it so perfect. The top tip was varying temperature through the
smoke to avoid stalling. These were genuine guys utterly passionate about the
art of smoking meat and sharing it with people. Another highlight that makes
Black’s an easy recommendation.
Well-fed to say the least we headed to our hotel. Zsa-Zsa, a
bit of a splurge and as it turns out where all the hipsters go since they
aren’t welcome at Blacks. Kidding aside, the hotel was a score, furnished with
vintage movie art and just the right amount of swank it made these parents of
two teenagers feel like they had a little cool left in them. The room felt
great with many thoughtful touches and some blasting AC that made getting under
covers cozy. We settled in for a quick siesta to find some energy and work off
the food coma. One of the selling points of this place was a roof top pool with
views of the city. Into our suits we headed up for cocktail and a dip. Lots of
lounge chairs to be had and we were one of two couples to actually get into the
pool. A steamy evening with cocktails in the pool was just about perfect. There
was great people watching at the bar with everyone wearing nice threads and
looking good made for a nice start to our evening.
A unique occurrence in Austin on summer nights as the sun
sets are the bats that emerge in a swarm. It turns out this bridge they built
over the river just happens to be what Mexican fruit bats look for when finding
a place to chill during the day. We found a place about mid span and joined a
good number of people waiting for the bats to show. Sure enough as the sunset
the bats started coming and coming out from under the bridge. To put swarm in
context the thought is something approaching 1.4 million bats. The whole thing
only takes about 15 minutes and with the cloud of bats disappearing upriver.
Beyond being a spectacle with people watching from the bridge, shore, and boat,
it’s not creepy like we expected and turns out the bats do a great job of
keeping the bug population down.
Still full we walked town a bit and headed to the Rainy St
area. This is a place of older home homes that have been converted into hip
bars and fun restaurants. Can’t remember where we wound up, but it seemed like
you couldn’t miss.
We started our next day at Valentina’s Tex Mex. On the side
of the road and more of a parking lot serving food out of a trailer on picnic
tables. Fun to check the Tex Mex box
. From there we headed to the river to cool off with a
float. Tubes were easy to rent at the local Lions club and they provide a free
ride back making our escape from the 106 degree heat perfectly relaxing! The
pace was something short of walking and there was not much to do other than
chat and take in the scenery. Just what two parents on furlough needed although
some might say a bit redneck? At the end there was a set of rapids you could
opt out of or tackle. Andy took a few trips down to get the energy back up.
Along the way we found some ice cream and stumbled across
the Austin Motel. From the outside it looks to be super gay friendly and might
be the most fun to place to stay. On the list for our next visit.
Aba was a Mediterranean vibey place that feels very grand
for dinner and a drink. We couldn’t get a table, so we just sat at the bar and
enjoyed the outdoor scene which turned out to be the best location. Loungey
chairs, lots of plants and groups of people having a fun afternoon.
After some downtime at the hotel, we headed out for dinner,
which turned into two places. Vic and Als for some Cajun and then the
unexpected surprise that was the Vortex. The latter is visual and almost
impossible to capture with words. A mix of violet and white colored lights,
open with communal dining in the middle, surrounded by walk up restaurants and
places serving drinks. Very cool and filled with young and hip people.
For some late night entertainment, we made it to the Broken
Spoke. A beat-up place that has been around forever, specializing in live music
cheap drinks and dancing. They might even serve food, but it would be food you
would think twice about. Lots to watch from the edges with couples dancing on
the floor. We took our turn and equally enjoyed watching. There were two older gentlemen,
like 70s older that would go up the prettiest of girls and ask for a dance.
They were so smooth and seemed to make sure their partners had a great time.
What was astonishing was to see them shift from hobbling around on sore joints
to gliding once they started dancing. So in the moment.
Austin is ever creative with places like Mean eyed cat, Suns
out buns out and the Vortex. A lot like Portland, but less aware of itself and
with mor than a little Texas cool.
Our next stop was San Antonio, which was way toned down
after Austin, although we managed to find some fun things to do. We were in an Airbnb
and Andy juggled business so it was more about time in the pool and a nice meal
in the evening. The place we stayed was an upscale building surrounding a pool
area. The various young professionals would show up in the evening with drinks
and friends read to just chill. We of course joined the party and could happily
see doing so for an entire summer.
Along the way we managed a second round of BBQ at Blacks.
This time driving close to an hour. It was still amazing although it seems a
month between visits makes sense for the body to recover! A new place for Cindy
was Buc-ee’s. This is an enormous convenience store. There are 100
gas pumps, 50 stall bathrooms, every Slurpee flavor known and any other thing
one might need on a road trip.
The Elsewhere bar was a surprise find. Cindy described it as
a permanent burning man installation. There were swings, artwork, trapeze
performers under a canopy of trees fitted with a million beautiful lights. A
place to connect with a different level of energy.
It was just short trip and so fun to just get away as
adults. Always something to find along the way and places we could easily go
back to.
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