Oh Austin!

Could this be the “end”of our journey?Austin, TX was the last place on the agenda left for us to explore as we made our way back north for the holidays.  Padre Island was really nice to us, but we were ready and excited to get one last night of sleep in our beloved camper, and see someplace new.  We didn’t really know much about Austin, only that it was a fun city to explore and people seem to love it.  Now we know why!

Our first stop was at the up and coming Austonia RV Park to drop off our teardrop so we could bum around the city a bit without the extra baggage.  It’s a resort and urban farm that came recommended to us by some friends who had stayed there recently.  While certainly still in its early stages of development, we found it to be quite charming and unique.  The people there are quite friendly and helpful – certainly a world of difference from some of the other “RV parking lots” we’ve stayed in on this trip where most everyone just retreats indoors.  The owner, Mike, let us use his office RV’s bathroom at night since we weren’t fully contained and their bathhouse hadn’t quite been completed yet.  We were so grateful for this gesture!

We also met a lovely young couple, who had just landed there a month prior and planned to reside there on a more permanent basis.  They gave us some good recommendations for where to go in Austin as we marveled at how cool their RV renovation project was coming along.

“Could we live here?”

We headed into town to wander the shops around “SoCo“, South Congress Ave.  There were so many fun places to pop into with a variety of different clothing and wares.  And the restaurants!  So many places to choose from that all looked pretty hip and unusual.  Most of all, the place seemed really friendly.  Everyone we encountered seemed happy, laid back, and upbeat.  Kiwi was adored and accepted just about every place we walked into which was a real bonus!  In only a matter of hours, Austin had us wondering, “Could we live here?”

At our new friends’ advice, we dined at Cane Rosso where we had the most amazing artisanal Neapolitan pizza.  We were so grateful for their covered patio with heaters to keep us warm so we could dine with Kiwi by our side.

The next day, we knew we had plenty of eating ahead of us so we decided to load up early and walk it off the rest of the day.  Where to get the best BBQ is of great debate among Austinites, and after weighing a lot of different factors like distance, wait time and how early they opened, we settled on Slab for our breakfast of brisket and ribs.  It was a great way to start our day, for sure!

Late on, we took a stroll through the Zilker Botanical Garden, and explored the HOPE Outdoor Gallery, a community graffiti park.  Both locations were extraordinary and beautiful in their own way, but in each case we were grateful to be outdoors in the month of December enjoying these transformed landscapes.

After dinner and cocktails at Moonshine Grill, we met up with an artist friend of mine living, working, and practicing in Austin.  She had exhibited in my gallery a few years ago and we had done business together when she was living in NYC, before she pursued her MFA at UT. A sculptor in her own right, Kat gave us a tour of her studio and gave us a peek into her practice.  We were excited to see her continued passion for her work and new projects.

Of course, a visit to Austin wouldn’t be right without breakfast tacos.  Much like BBQ, the source of the best place to go depends on which Austinite you ask.  But we followed up on a tip by a friend who once lived there, and decided to go with Tyson’s.  Boy were we glad we took their advice!  We were skeptical about how good a breakfast taco could possibly be, but several days later, we’re still dreaming about the delicious experience we had there!

 

We said goodbye to Austin so that we could make our way north to be with family for the holidays.  As we did so, we considered that this was perhaps the last official stop on our journey.  We’d be heading back to Omaha, then Minneapolis for Christmas, then back to upstate New York for New Year’s – all places we are familiar with, where we won’t be camping, and where we will be for reasons other than for the sake of exploring.  Of course, we have many thoughts and feelings about the close of our epic trip…

…to be continued!