After literally not seeing a soul from our secluded spot on the Texas Gulf Coast, we were thrust back into the global pandemic reality of Austin, Texas. In normal times, Austin is a thriving metropolis of contemporary hipster living, one of the fastest growing cities in the whole of the US, with breweries, restaurants and food trucks pushing the boundaries of uber-cool.
In 2020, it is not that. True, Elon Musk just announced he’s done with California and is moving his Tesla electric car business to Austin Texas. So up and coming, yes. It WILL be back up there and we WILL be back to enjoy it. But right now it’s December 2020, and with a new more contagious strain of the virus emerging in the UK and the US situation not getting any better, the main reason for us being in a city was to work.
The Impact Hub co-working space in Austin was busier than any other we’d been in, although still spacious, airy and actually not that busy at all compared to a normal office.
With Texas being one of the more liberal states, indoor bar and restaurant dining was generally still open, albeit with reduced capacity, masks, social distancing, etc. We tried to make the most of the hip Austin scene by going to quiet/outdoor venues or getting takeaway. Which makes it impossible to experience and comment on the vibe and atmosphere, but there was some pretty awesome food and drink…
Only made it to one brewery, Central District Brewing, which had an interesting selection. And just steps away from our very centrally located city campsite was Austin EastCiders. Did what it says on the tin but not just that. In addition to cider, it also did damn good pizza, bonus.
And you can’t do Texas without experiencing the Texas bbq. Melt in the mouth meat, fall off the bone ribs, and smoked jalapeño cheddar sausages. At Louie’s Craft BBQ truck in nearby Buda, pulled pork and juicy brisket made for delicious tacos.
Dare I say it and for sure our waistlines are acknowledging this, but yet another donut shop. This one run out of a converted airstream trailer, right outside the Impact Hub, called Fat Bastard Donuts. Oops sorry, my subconscious speaking, actually it was Big Fat Donuts.
I’m not sure I ever truly appreciated the American partnering of chicken and waffles. And so who would’ve ever thought chicken and donuts would be a thing. Therein lies the realization that diets are for tomorrow and this crazy abomination, served with honey butter (like it needs any excuse for extra unctuousness) was somehow to die for.
For sure we didn’t come close to walking off all those calories. But Austin has a great network of paths centered around the riverfront that served us well for our early morning walks, getting out and about to see the city.
We came across Barton Springs “pool” one morning, which did not make for an impressive photo. It was shortly after sunrise. One of those sunrises with no sun – chilly and windy. I just missed snapping a swimmer in the water and there were other brave souls who had recently emerged. It was maybe 5 degrees C, tops. Rather them than me. Maybe they were trying to make up for the donuts too.
A quick google search revealed this is how it looks in the summer. A non-COVID summer I presume.
I was mightily impressed to see three climbers scaling the sheer wall of one of the skyscraper buildings. I thought it must be one of those social media stunts, “Hey, look at me! So what did you achieve before breakfast this morning…?” and immediately felt woefully inadequate.
Moral of the story: don’t judge yourself against the achievement of others. Turns out perception is not always reality.
