I got to tag along on Mr. Click's business trip to Austin which was a perfect distraction from our empty nest syndrome. Austin's slogan is "Keep Austin Weird" but I didn't find it weird at all, just wonderful!
Our first stop was lunch when we arrived and a walk around SoCo (South Congress).
This is a famous Austin mural at
Jo's Coffee.
I got my first taste of Tex-Mex at
Guero's Taco Bar. I got the Veggies A La Parrilla--sautéed veggies on a bed of potatoes served with sliced avocado, black beans and tortillas. YUM!
Mozart's Coffee Roasters was a beautiful spot on Lake Austin to watch the turtles, fish and ducks and listen to the extremely loud birds in the oak trees. They were so loud, I thought they were miked!
There were so many pretty flowers still in bloom all over town!
That night we headed over to
"Bat Bridge" (South Congress Bridge over Lady Bird Lake) to see the nightly swarm of Mexican Free Tailed Bats make their way out for an insect dinner. Austin is home to the largest urban colony of bats in the North America.
We got a lot of beautiful views and sunsets but only saw a few bats emerge.
Look at that rainbow!
This is what it would have looked like if they had come out. Hubs took this photo on a previous trip.
The next day I was on my own and headed back to SoCo for some serious shopping and mural spotting. This one is a TOMS shoe store.
You can see the murals all over and they were easy to photograph.
He's got my vote!
This one is a little bossy.
This one is in front of a clothing shop in a food truck trailer park area.
Speaking of food trucks, they were everywhere!
This another iconic mural at
Roadhouse Relics (a studio and gallery of unique, vintage style neon signs by artist Todd Sanders).
This enticing archway led to the cutest looking bungalows at the
Hotel San José.
The hotel looked very hipster and upscale.
I need to add this place to my travel bucket list.
The front porch at TOMS was more in line with my bank account that day.
I couldn't get enough of this place (it had a cafe too!).
More shopping to be done though, so onward! I'll never get over Friday Night Lights and I don't think Austin has either. #texasforever #teamriggins
I had done my research and wanted to try a few vegetarian friendly restaurants that looked good. I had one of their 'Big Azz Salads' at
Bouldin Creek Café. The Tofu Broccoli Salad had stir fried sesame tofu cubes, broccoli, carrots, local tomatoes, sunflower sprouts, sunflower seed and mixed greens. Delish!
I treated myself to a soy cappuccino for dessert.
After lots more walking around, window shopping and a little real shopping, I stopped at Jo's to try the coffee that went with the famous "I Love You So Much" mural. I had to agree! I didn't have a bad cup of coffee in Austin.
Heading back to the hotel and for another try to view the bats at Bat Bridge (another fail).
My new shoes from TOMS.
One last mural of the day (also from TOMS).
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