Austin, The greatest place in Texas

 

 

Hey folks! Sorry I have been away for so long. I have been working on getting my house in order and spending time with family.  It has been wonderful getting back into the swing of things in the land I hail from (North Carolina…..) but now I am back to work and I need to complete this project before I start my next one. (also save up enough money to jump continents and do this again.)  I hope you enjoy!

The Video Companion to this blog can be found HERE

 

After we left Amarillo we rode south to Dallas.  That was a long hard ride but nothing compared to how bad it was from Colorado to Amarillo.  I have family there but unfortunately they were out of town…. So we booked a hotel for a night and then we headed southwest to Austin, the wEiRdESt place on earth…. and I love it. It is a city I have been to on numerous occasions and it never gets old. It is ever changing yet it stays the same in some strange way.

Austin Texas is world famous for being well… a bit different. It is a city that thrives on its own unique counter culture, art, music, education, incredible food and yet still somehow clings to its rich and deep history of a hard people who conquered a rugged and unforgiving land. It has two personalities.  At every turn you are either amazed at the craziness that is Austin  or you are reminded of that deep cowboy heritage they take such pride in.

It clings to its past and to its rugged way of life yet it bursts at the seams with new ideas, new art and new ways of thinking.  It is a paradox unlike any that I have seen in any other place in my journey around the world. While it is firmly rooted in its heritage it also seems hell bent to push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable and normal. In Austin if you are not “normal” then you are in fact “normal”.

 

My best advice is to take your time when visiting Austin Texas.  The nightlife is amazing and your days will be filled with interesting and wonderful oddities and side shows.  From Chandeliers hanging on trees, shrunken heads at the Museum of the weird, The Driskall Hotel, Stubbs BBQ, The Salt Lick, the unbelievable music scene…. you will find no shortage of things to do while you are here.  Lets dive in to some of the highlights!

The Museum of The Weird

Warning:  This place is not suitable for little kids…. nightmares and what not…..

This local tourist Attraction located in down town Austin on 6th street and  is an absolute gem! They have all kinds of crazy and delightful oddities to see in this place and it is definitely worth your time to check out.  Some of it is real…. and some of it is a hoax…. but all of it is interesting.  Pictured above is allegedly the mummified corpse of a mermaid.  They also have a big foot frozen in ice, A two headed calf, real shrunken heads and a real life voodoo shrine.   It was totally worth the 12 bucks I spent to get in.  I saw crazy things from around the world that you just cant find anywhere else.  I highly recommend checking this place out.

Graffiti Park at Castle Hills

Since there is so much art in Austin…. They dedicated about 1/2 an acre of concrete walls to nothing but graffiti.  It is a specially zoned place in Austin where you are allowed to do it legally.  I met up with my friend Scott’s son and we spent an afternoon practicing our skills!

 

 

The Salt Lick

While Stubbs BBQ may be the most famous place in Austin for BBQ,  The Salt Lick is not to be underestimated.  The very first time I went to Austin Texas they had one location.  It was not much more than a shack with picnic tables outside.   It was BYOB.  This last time I rode through they had expanded to at least a few locations.   The Brisket is amazing.  Hell…. Everything on the menu is amazing.  They also use a mustard based BBQ sauce that is awesome! If i had to describe it I would say it is a mix of a South Carolina (vinegar and mustard based) and Kansas City (brown sugar and tomato based)  sauce.  The mixture is amazing.   If you are out that way… you have to go check it out.

 

From here we head out next to Houston…..  See you all soon!