Dale and I went for our second visit to Austin, this time to attend the wedding of my niece (and godchild) Margaux. In addition to all the wedding-related festivities, we also had the opportunity to do a little more exploring than last time we were here.
A cool old sign in South Austin.
I don't know if it is an absence of zoning rules or just typical Austin weirdness, but roadside trailers selling stuff is really popular, especially in South Austin. Vacant lots are transformed into funky food places.
South Austin Trailer Park is home to a number of vendors, one of which is Torchy's Tacos. I've had more than my fair share of tacos, but Torchy's were the best I've had yet. Not only were the fillings awesome (I think this is one beef and one green chile pork) but the tortillas were unbelievably good. We loved it so much we ate there twice during our visit.
This "canned ham"-style trailer sells s'mores! How cool is that? They sell you the fixins and you DIY it at the small fire pit near by.
These cool Airstreams are parked on South Congress.
We also visited the saddest.fun fair.ever. OK...it was early and a little rainy, but this was one sad fun fair. Even the carnies were sad.
I'd been looking forward to checking out the Austin bat colony that resides under the Congress Avenue bridge. This is the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in the world. The bridge is over a widening of the Colorado River called Lady Bird Lake. Luckily for us, the wedding reception was right on the shore of the river/lake and we were able to see the whole thing. I expected a couple of bats to fly around, but this was unbelievable! Once they started coming out, they kept on coming and coming and coming......for about 20 minutes! Constantly. They sort of made a sinuous, helix shape and sometimes there were even two columns of bats. It was crazy!
I know--not so awsome during the day...but this is a great example of the styles Todd designs. Last time we were in Austin, we went to Jovita's to see Brave Combo play.
Another highlight of the trip was the chance to eat some kolaches. There are many outlets of The Kolache Factory around town.
Frozen custard in Austin? You betcha! This place has been in business since the 40's. Started up by transplants from Ohio.
It was sort of weird to travel to Texas to learn about California style--but this was a great exhibit. Austin has a thriving modern community and we saw some cool architecture as we explored the city.
We got to meet Maya--cutest, friendliest pup ever.
The entire visit was a blast. Not only did I do touristy things like these photos show, the wedding events were the highlights of the trip.Since the bride is from Wisconsin, there was a large contingent of Cheeseheads that traveled down to Texas for the event. I had a great time catching up with friends and family as well as meeting more of Aaron's family.
Here's a pic of the happy newlyweds!
7 comments:
Yay frozen custard! My mouth dropped open when I saw that picture. Sounds like you had a great trip. :)
GR--yeah..it was pretty surprising to see the custard stand. It is a cute old-fashioned drive-in and has a nice area in back with a bunch of picnic tables. It was sort of weird to be eating frozen custard at 10am on a Sunday morning, but hey..I was on vacation! I have to say though, it was not as good as Leon's. It seemed a little "light".
Have you heard of the woman from Waukesha who opened a custard store in DC? Her dad was a senator or something, so she has ties to both places. I'd heard of her a little while back, but she was recently written up in the Journal because Prez Obama and kids went there for some frozen custard. Wow....that must have been awesome.
Cute newlywed pic! :)
I also LOVE the smores-selling trailer and fire pit!--what a great idea! :)
But the bats? I'm not sure I could handle that many... *smiles*
Wow, you saw more of the real Austin than I ever have - - and I lived there for three years.
I miss the Mexican food. . . .
MHP--the trailer park was so neat....picnic benches and bales of hay to sit on while eating and cooking s'mores.
Buck--Austin rocks! One of the places I didn't make it to was the "Cathedral of Junk"...a guy has transformed his backyard into an ever-changing work of art. Now that I have a free place to stay, I think I'll be going there often. Hopefully I'll get my post of SanAntonio up soon! The May issue of MarthStewartLiving had a great article on the genesis of Tex/Mex cuisine. I can see why you miss it. But Chicago should have some good places. Milwaukee has a few that rival what we have in SoCal.
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This is very cool, i would like to have one similar someday , but i want to sell ice cream and sodas, i think that could be a good business.
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