Austin

I've been to Austin once before, with Drake, driving down from Dallas through the beautiful Texas Hill Country. This trip, though, I didn't have much time for activities outside the conference and keeping things moving with my project back in Seattle. It worked out well to catch an early dinner and then be back at my hotel by 7:00 (5:00 Seattle time) to wrap up any final business.

Day 1 my goal for dinner was barbecue. Tucked away on one side of the Austin Convention Center is Iron Works Barbecue. I could have probably eaten here every night. Damn it was good.

Day 2 I decided to go for more "upscale Texas" cuisine. I chose the Roaring Fork, right on Congress Ave. Once again, this proved to be a perfect choice. Rather than ordering an entree, I ordered two appetizers: the made-to-order guacamole and "Texas Tempura" Gulf Shrimp (in a light cornmeal batter). When I went into the restaurant, it was blazing hot, but by the time I finished my meal, a storm was moving in and the temperature had dropped maybe 15-20 degrees. I took this opportunity to walk up Congress to the capital, which was still open, but almost completely devoid of tourists. During the walk back to the hotel the storm started to close in. I got back just as the clouds opened up.

The next night, I was up for some Tex-Mex, and wound up just a block from my hotel at the Rio Grande. Tired of being in air-conditioned "comfort" all day, I chose to sit out on their patio. The heat was somewhat tempered by shades that were pulled down and also by fans generating a light mist of water. This was another amazing meal, particularly the house-made flour tortillas.

On my last day (Friday) I got out for lunch to Las Manitas Avenue Cafe. Apparently, this place is normally packed for lunch, but I was having a late lunch (around 2:30) and so I had no problem getting a table. After I finished my meal, I walked out the door to see a color guard and police escort marching down Congress Ave.

And right behind, a series of high-school marching bands:

Nobody was quite sure what the parade was for... I learned later it was an early Juneteeth celebration. It was the heat of the day and these kids were really sweating!

So, aside from the conference, I was at least able to squeeze in some good food and a little bit of fun.