After yesterday’s case of fashion wanderlust, I thought I’d share with you another one of my travel adventures. We drove through Austin, Texas last summer almost on a whim after hearing so many good things about the city – and after 36 short hours, it’s safe to say I almost stayed forever…
There’s just something so incredibly unique and at the same time so wonderfully welcoming about the Texas capital city that it’s hard, even now (after reminiscing with the boy about how much we loved it there) to put it into words. So I’ll start with a few recommendations and hope that these may inspire you to go see it in person and find out exactly what it is that makes Austin so special. For starters you’ll need a place to stay, and the emerging cultural center is the SoCo (or South Congress) area so I suggest you set up shop there. While I’ve heard great things about the Hotel San Jose, we chose the Kimber Modern and I couldn’t have been happier (the place is literally like a tree house for grown ups), plus that put us a short walk away from the main South Congress drag. Perfect for shopping (there’s a plethora of amazing vintage and local artist selections – but you’d be remiss to not stop into Uncommon Objects), and the food (again, there’s no shortage of delicious selections, but you’ll want to check out the famous food trucks for the community atmosphere alone). And when you’ve had your fill of shopping and dining – drive to the nearby Barton Springs (natural fed springs tucked away minutes from downtown that act as a giant city swimming pool). Oh, and did I mention this place is the live music capital of the world? You’re going to want to see Austin for yourself.
(All pictures my own: Barton Springs; the capital building; Sunset at Lake Austin; and the Congress Ave Bridge bats)
