Keeping Austin Weird

This weekend, we went to Austin to explore the city and see what the rest of Texas is like. We arrived in Austin, having taken advantage of a carpooling scheme affiliated with the university, ready to see what the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ had to offer.

We got our bearings on the first evening, deciding what we wanted to do and when we wanted to do it, all whilst relaxing in our amazing Airbnb apartment. After a quick dinner, we headed into town to discover the nightlife on 6th Street.

The next day, we spent the day exploring the city. We got a bus into Downtown and headed to one of the cities many famous food trucks to have lunch. After lunch, we had a tour around the historic Capitol building learning about the history of Texas, in particular how it became a part of the US, and how it is run in the present day. On the way out, we passed a few statues which we were slightly shocked to find out were ‘Confederate Heroes’. Austin is very different to the rest of Texas in that culture has a large influence over the city. We went up to a large outdoor park which has been designated to be used as a gallery to express yourself through graffiti. There were intricate designs interspersed with political and cultural messages as well as the odd little joke. As we headed down to downtown again, we took a detour through the University of Texas campus to have a look at one of the main aspects of the city. There we found towering buildings and large open spaces The jury is still out as to whether it is a more impressive campus than A&M’s. The evening spent having dinner at an authentic Texan BBQ restaurant and experiencing the nightlife again.

This morning, we set of again, this time leaving our comfortable apartment for the last time. Into the city we went to find the live music Austin is known for. We headed to Rainey Street, a street lined with bars, outdoor music venues and, of course, food trucks. We sat down and caught the end of a brass band performance in the sunshine. We then walked through the park to meet up with the others who had gone to do water sports on the Colorado River. We relaxed at Barton Springs pool, chatting and listening to the music from Austin City Limits festival in the background (we unfortunately couldn’t get tickets). After nearly getting attacked by a rogue swan, we decided to head back to the city for dinner and to watch the bats come out from under Congress Bridge. They are known to come out at night and perform huge murmurations, however, we were unable to see them tonight. We headed back to College Station and no I’m here writing this post.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Austin to anyone who comes to Texas and is interested in culture.