Most of my travels in the U.S. have been purely coastal. East: Manhattan, Boston, Orlando, Miami, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Outter Banks. And West: Los Angeles, Portland, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Seattle. With the exception of a requisite bachelorette trip to Vegas, and a week lakeside in Michigan, the middle of the country was a mystery to me. Wide flat land full of cornfields and Republicans.
So when my friend Jeanette suggested I meet her in Austin, where she would be for a work conference, I booked my flight before you could say Texas hold'em. I decided Austin, known as a political oasis for us liberal types in an otherwise especially red state, would be my perfect introduction to the lone star state. I was not disappointed.
Austin is an excellent mixture of food, music, hip folks and d.i.y. culture, with a decent bit of good ol' boy country and american pride thrown in. That said, we spent most of the long weekend eating, shopping, drinking and exploring.
Here's a short list of my favorite things:
- A champassion cocktail at the san jose hotel, the cutest boutique hotel on s. congress, with a perfect happy hour patio.
- Milk + Honey, a new day spa on second street. Fluffy robes, skinceutical products, bliss-inducing treatments, need I say more?
- Jo's cafe. a little outdoor spot that will look familiar to Urban Outfitter catalog addicts. Munch on the delicious veggie bbq (made from seitan!), sip an iced latte and pretend you're a model.
- The Broken Spoke. One of the oldest bars in the city, this true to it's roots country saloon helped launch Willie Nelson's career. We paid $10 to hear the Geezenslaw Brothers and see some no-joke two-stepping. We even pretended to know some ourselves and were pleasantly indulged by the locals.
- The dynamite shrimp roll at Kenichi. Who knew I'd be eating sushi in Texas?!?
- Guero's tacos. Chips, salsa and an ice cold Shinerbock. Perfect.