Bats, bars, and BBQ: sampling a little more of Austin

May 7-8, 2013
Oak Forest RV Park
Austin, Texas



One of the Keep Austin Weird things to do while here is witness the 1.5 million bats, the world’s largest urban bat colony,  fly out at dusk from under the Congress Avenue Bridge downtown. We had no idea what to expect and were pretty surprised to see the bridge lined with folks, the park below filled with bat-seekers, and tourist excursion boats jockeying for position under the bridge when we arrived. Apparently, when the bridge was rebuilt in 1980, it provided the perfect bat roost. Every spring the bats return to this roost from Central Mexico to provide an eerie show for the tourists and, more importantly, fly out to eat 10-20,000 pounds of insects, many agricultural pests.







Sunset occurred at 8:13 but it took about twenty more minutes of dusk to lure the bats out of safe hiding. While we were waiting, we enjoyed people watching and seeing the lights of the city come alive. Just below the bridge, the local newspaper dedicated an area of their property, called the Statesman Bat Observation Center, which is now a park specifically for viewing the nightly emergence of the bats. They even had a cart that sold bat souvenirs such as t-shirts and bat mugs to commemorate the occasion. Once a few bats started flying out,  big oohs and ahhs eminated from the crowds and camera flashes went off in all directions. The bats were hard to photograph because of the dark background of the water and the impending dark. It wasn’t until we arrived back home, that I discovered the best view of the bats I managed to get was in the video I took.

Congress Avenue Bridge bats emerging at dusk

We heard that the music on 6th Street just starts to get going about 9 or 10 p.m., so the timing after seeing the bats was perfect to take a walk down 6th and see if we could find some live music that appealed to us. What a place!  It’s true that 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night things were barely getting started but we enjoyed all the activity and peering into the lounges to check out their acts. One very good thing is that Austin does not allow smoking in bars (like Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana do) and they also do not allow guns as evidenced by this sign posted in every bar window:



We enjoyed the stroll, but never landed on a place that had “our kind” of music. It may be that it was still too early—or maybe we were born too early???  Our backup plan was to go back to the Driskill Hotel to hear their lounge act—more our speed—plus we both had the memory of hearing about their awesome pastries.  Before we did that, here is a little glimpse of the 6th Street scene.










The Driskill Hotel, at the Congress Avenue end of 6th Street, was a quieter choice for us old-timers. The band was folksy sounding and the place had lots of character with cowhide bar stools and lamps made of six-shooters.

After a drink in the bar, we learned that the dessert menu was only available downstairs in the main café, so we finished off the evening with an indulgence, something we hardly ever do: their banana rum bread pudding and 1886 chocolate cake.






We had hoped to be in this area long enough to spend a few days in the hill country, but our Louisiana extension cut into our time here so we opted to spend our last day checking out Lockhart, a hill country town only about 30 minutes away. The small town of Lockhart, population 10,000, is known as the BBQ capital of Texas.

Supposedly, 5000 out-of-towners come to Lockhart each week to try one of their four famous BBQ joints. We had the recommendation from a butcher at Central Market in Austin to go to Smitty’s and order a pork chop and prime rib. This seemed like a lot of meat to me, but I have always wanted to try the serious BBQ that comes from the pit masters who have been smoking meat in the same brick ovens for over 100 years and it didn't look like it changed much since then. 







We did as we were told and opted to try the 2" pork chop and prime rib cut. They were already sold out of prime rib by 4 in the afternoon, so we opted to try their brisket. They serve the meat in brown butcher paper with a few pickles and your choice of a piece of white wonder bread or saltine crackers. (If you know me, I drew the line at the wonder bread) and you take it out to a separate dining room where you can order sides of  potato salad, coleslaw, or beans and wash it down with an RC. (Actually, they did have bottled beer for sale.) Very basic. Smitty’s also makes a BBQ sauce which is, of course, optional, but not necessary at all. The meat was incredibly tender, melt in your mouth delicious with just the right amount of smoke—this is serious BBQ.  



They must have about a half a dozen large brick ovens that they keep going 24-7. I asked the pit masters how they could stand it in the summer and they said they drink a lot of beer as the temps get to 110 inside the oven area. I also asked if they used any kind of rub or brine on the meat and one old timer told me just a little salt, pepper, and cayenne. Check out the wood stacks they keep ready just to keep these ovens smoking.



Our little trip to Lockhart marked the end of our Austin area adventures. We knew that three weeks to travel from Louisiana to Los Angeles was only going to allow us enough time to just get a flavor of the towns in our stops along the way. We both agree that Austin is a place we would like to spend more time, especially in to explore the surrounding area and kayak in the lakes of the hill country.  Until next time, Austin.

Seeing highlights of Austin

May 5-8, 2013
Austin, Texas
Oak Forest RV Park



Our drive to Austin from Houston was a little shaky because of our concern over the possibility of losing our co-pilot side mirror as it was duck-taped to the arm. I am happy to report that it held steady even at 60 mph although the angle shifted a bit, so I had to tilt my head a few times to give Vic the go-ahead.



We chose to stay at this park for its relative proximity to downtown Austin, about 15 minutes away, and for its reasonable Passport America of $22 Sunday-Thursday. The park is in a quiet area of Austin out in the country away from traffic noise, but easy to access. They did something smart here and divided the long term resident area from the shorter term area where the sites are all roomy pull-throughs on concrete with full-hook-ups, cable, and picnic table. There is also a large fenced area for dogs and a swimming pool and spa for humans. They were also kind enough to accept a large package with our new mirror from Tiffin and we found a reasonable mobile RV service technician to replace the mirror for us right here in the park vs. driving to a dealer. So, life is on the up and up.





Whenever we first arrive somewhere new, we like to set up the motorhome and take a drive to get a sense of our surroundings. The day for doing this happened to be Sunday and Cinco de Mayo. We headed downtown in hopes of checking out the well-known 6th St.and Visitor’s Center there, but it turned out there was a two-day festival, the semi-annual Pecan Street Festival being held all along 6th St. Normally, we would have joined right in but we both felt a little tired after a somewhat stressful four-hour drive. After checking out the downtown area, we took a drive through the University of Texas campus and its surrounding business area on Guadalupe called “The Drag.” The university is just slightly north of downtown so most of the main attractions are in close proximity.



Neither of us had been to Austin before, but we had always heard it was the best place to live in Texas.  We were both surprised to see towering buildings in the city as we imagined it to be smaller and more yuppie-urban. Our drive from the campground took us through some pretty poor and run-down neighborhoods on the northeast side of Austin. And we saw very few retail centers as is typical in more affluent towns. (Maybe we just didn’t discover the Neiman Marcus side of Austin, but that was fine with us.) Overall, we liked the eclectic character of what we saw: the historic district with many bars on 6th St., the SoCo hippie-type district on South Congress, the small artist mecca on the East Side, and the liveliness of the University district on Guadalupe.

Since we were not able to get to the Visitor’s Center, I looked up things to do in Austin on Trip Advisor and also downloaded an Austin Citybot App.  I discovered that one of the number one things to do here is walk or bike the loop around Ladybird Lake (formerly Town Lake it is actually a reservoir on the Colorado River in Downtown Austin).






We decided to take the dogs in the morning before the heat of the day (daytime temps have been in the mid-80s, and slightly humid) and walk the five-mile loop of this trail. It turned out to be a very popular place with lots of bikers, runners, dog walkers, jogging strollers, etc. The trail was mostly gravel and very well-maintained with water fountains, wildflowers, rose gardens, and overhead trees in most places for shade.  It reminded us both of Portland, Oregon, with the bridges, river, and lush greenery.  Walking the trail with so many locals made us feel a part of the Austin vibe. 





There were many folks also taking advantage of the urban waterway by kayaking, canoeing, or paddle-boarding. In this sense, we were reminded of Bend, Oregon, where many outdoor enthusiasts paddle the Deschutes River as it flows through downtown. We talked about doing our own triathlon of Ladybird Lake: hike, bike, and kayak the trail, but it would have to be on different days. Totally doable, but we had a couple of excuses not to: my burst front tire on my bike and windy weather. Still a good idea for another time.





I didn’t see many birds on our walk except ducks on the river, so I was very surprised to come around a corner and see this swan. I don’t know the story behind it but it was sure a pleasant discovery.

On day two, we made a plan to go out for breakfast at the Magnolia Café in the SoCo district followed by a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library—something Vic, as a historian, wanted to do.  I read about Magnolia’s as a very popular place on the Austin App and as soon as I saw that one of their specialties was gingerbread pancakes, I knew I wanted to check it out. I am not normally much of a pancake eater, but gingerbread is one of my favorite indulgences and I also saw that they served real maple syrup—a necessary complement to any good pancakes. 

I forgot to take photos, but Magnolia’s was great. They are open 24 hours a day every day except Christmas and New Year’s and have quite a diverse menu. Other than the hard work, I would love to have restaurant like theirs with such good food in a super charming and casual atmosphere.  The gingerbread pancake also came with pecans or fresh fruit and it was delicious, especially washed down with Brazilian-Ethiopian coffee. Vic had another one of our favorites: heuvos rancheros. There were quite a few Mexican and Tex-Mex style offerings on the menu. One of their most popular items is breakfast tacos fixed all kind of ways. May have to return.





The LBJ Library turned out to be more interesting than I expected. I remember a fair amount of his presidency, including the darkest aspect regarding his decision to escalate the Vietnam War, but I hadn’t given much thought to the many beneficial things he accomplished in his plan for the Great Society. 






Just in terms of conservation efforts, 36 national parks and wildlife refuges were added under his presidency and he signed into legislation the Wild Rivers and Scenic River Act, Clean Air  Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, just to name a few.  In terms of alleviating poverty, he added Medicare to the Social Security System, created the government-backed student loan program, and initiated the Headstart program.








One of the most amazing things about Johnson, in my estimation, was his stance against racism as a Southerner. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 stands as one of the important milestones of the 20th century American History.  I also learned he contributed greatly to the arts by starting the National Council for Endowment of the Arts which eventually spawned National Public Radio, which feeds one of my daily addictions. (Don’t ask about the others. . . .) I would be remiss not to mention Ladybird Johnson and her efforts to beautify America. There is a Ladybird Wildflower Park here that I would like to see also.





One of the more entertaining aspects of seeing the library was the nostalgic displays of the 60s.  Go-Go boots, Twister, Jefferson Airplane album covers, and the TV show Hazel sure takes you back to a much different pace and perspective of life. On the darker side, the assassination of Kennedy and haunting images of the Vietnam War triggered more disturbing memories.



Vic and I ended up spending about two and a half engaging hours at the library watching short clips, viewing original photos and artifacts, and reading about key aspects of the Johnson presidency.  This was my first time in a Presidential Library and I found it worthwhile enough to be motivated to see others—regardless of their political perspective.

Now, when most people think of Austin, they think of music city. I learned there are three distinct events or places associated with Austin City Limits. One if the annual Austin City Limits Festival that happens over two weekends in October. Another kind of event is the Austin City Limits live tapings at the Moody Theater of the concerts that are aired on PBS. The third concerts associated with Austin City Limits are simply the live shows at the Moody Theater. Tuesday was Dianna Krall, love her, but the only tickets for $49 were in the back row. The bars on 6th St. have nightly music but we found ourselves being homebodies at night. I think Louisiana took the party right out of us—for the time being.

Day three, we headed downtown again this time to just wander around. We did want to see the Driskill Hotel which is quite famous, so we made it our first stop. What a place. One of the hotel managers greeted us and even gave us a short tour explaining some of the history of Colonel Driskill, the cattle baron who built the hotel in the 1890s. He also took us to see the legendary gold-leaf, sterling silver, and crushed diamond mirrors estimated at over $13 million in the Maximilian room and pointed out the significance of the famous Tiffany dome in the main lobby.







Quite the place. They also, according to the manager, have the best pastry chefs in all of Austin—good to know! I loved the romantic feeling of the hotel’s colorful history and decadent luxury.

We walked around the central downtown area for a couple hours ducking in and out of a few stores and checking out the many, many bars along 6th St. From here, we tried to get the most famous BBQ, according to Southern Living, in Austin at Franklin BBQ but in true fashion they had already posted a hand-written sign on the front door that said, “Sold Out—Sorry” by 1:30 p.m.



Our next plan was to try Trudy’s, a place recommended by Ms. Heyduke, only to discover they are only opening in the evenings on weeknights. Fortunately, there was another good BBQ alternative near Trudy’s called Ruby’s. We each had a brisket sandwich (Texas is no place for vegans!) and were quite impressed with its smoky flavor (no sauce seems to be Texan way) and its amazing tenderness. I saw several awards and framed magazine articles on the wall as we were leaving, plus an impressive signed photograph of James Cotton having lunch there. Ruby’s was a winner.

This post is getting long and I still have to write about night watching the bats emerge from the Congress Street Bridge, our return to 6th St. in the evening, and our trip to Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas. Stay tuned for Part II of our taste of Austin tomorrow. Y’all come back now.