Houston was the first stop on the Texas leg of my trip. I never really could figure what I wanted out of the city so ended up visiting my cousin instead, though the rodeo or space center might have been interesting with more time.
On the way to Aus…
Houston was the first stop on the Texas leg of my trip. I never really could figure what I wanted out of the city so ended up visiting my cousin instead, though the rodeo or space center might have been interesting with more time.
On the way to Austin, I stopped at Buc-cees convience store super center. It had tons of varieties of beef jerky, fountain drinks and slushies, and every other road food and item you could possibly desire. It really surprised me and was a fun, unexpected stop.
Austin is the state capital of Texas. The capital building has color scheme of red granite that blends well with the states semi arid western environment. Full of history and relics from the states inception, you can also view the inner workings of the state legislature. The capital grounds are full of statues in a similar vein.
6th street is the best place to get a sense of Austins vibe/culture. Often described as a liberal mecca in a sea of red or a colony of California, it seems similar to several other west coast cities. The music festival SXSW (South by Southwest) was going on at the time so traffic and the local representation may have been somewhat skewed by people from out of town.
My favorite part of the city was the Colorado River which runs through downtown and is flanked by parks and woodland for almost it's entire length. It's a calm, low flower river and easy to navigate with any kind of watercraft, I took it as a chance to use my kayak. The best stretch is in Zilker Park at Barton Creek/Springs. This spring makes the waters hue a turquoise blue which contrasts to the greener water in the Colorado.
The Bat Bridge on Congress Avenue is the best place to end your evening. Around sundown, from March to November (peek season is July/August) a colony of 1.5 million bats emerge from below from under bridge and put on a show for the crowds of onlookers.
