Miscelaney

Austin, Texas, the cultural mecca of the Lone Star state. And really, the only place to live in Teejah if you find yourself needing to live in a state which has its own power grid.

I recently was able to spend a few days in Austin with my very good friends. Luckily, my trip coincided with a good ‘ol fashioned Texas heat wave. Super. Because being from Seattle, you know I can manage 106 degree temperatures and accompanying humidity without any problem. Right. But, the buckets o’ sweat which drenched my t-shirt everyday we walked around Lady Bird Lake was a fabulous way to purify the body from the antics of the night before. With such oppressive heat, we kinda got on a cycle of breakfast tacos (bacon being a must to shore up any looming hangover), a sweat-filled, ambitious walk around the lake, cool down burgers and beer at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium,  a well-deserved shower, then a windup of various liquid-induced activities.

And is there a better place on the planet to retox than Austin? I swear they have as many bars as Seattle does coffee shops. I counted. And I’m not talking just around Sixth Street. I mean everywhere. So many options, so little time, but we were up to the challenge. My one request was to hit live music while we were there. I mean, Austin is the Live Music Capital of the WORLD. Fortunately for me, we ended up at the historical and ever-musically-prolific Continental Club. Between the upper and lower clubs, we caught three great bands, with the highlight being Graham Wilkinson and the Underground Hardship. Fantastico live. A must see if you ever get the chance.

But I think the real highlight of the city (besides all of the great Mexican food, the vast sea of bars, and fabulous music) was the overt friendliness of the locals. Maybe it’s because people are bathing in vitamin D and/or it’s all of them bars (and folks are just a little tossed all of the time) but people are welcoming, vocal, and all around nice. Not that “surface nice” Seattleites seem to posses in spades. Actually, I’m 99% sure it is in direct relation to the proximity of the equator, but whatever the reason it feels pretty fantastic as an outsider.

Austin’s draw and fabulousness seems in large part due to the city’s promotion of uncensored creativity, progressive thinking, individuality, and sense of community (along with other stuff like technology and education). It’s no wonder Austin continues to experience rapid growth. But alls I know is you gotta love a place which proudly promotes the slogan: Keep Austin Weird!