First things first, Texas is where Benny was rescued from. The woman who runs the rescue in Maine brings animals up from overcrowded shelters in Texas and finds them homes in New England. Of course I had to talk to Benny all about his humble beginnings before traveling the country in style.
After arriving on a Saturday I went for a shakeout run the next morning after spending 11 hours in the car the day before. On my run a bird pooped on my shoulder and if you remember from when I was pooped on leaving Wisconsin, this is a semi-regular occurrence for me, that I’ve been told is good luck; bring it on Austin.
After my run I grabbed a delicious iced coffee at Summer Moon Coffee which became a staple for me as I enjoyed their famous moon milk in both the Autumn Moon latte and then the Gingerbread latte once December hit.
It was a beautiful 85 degree day and not knowing how many of those I would get in the winter I headed to Barton Springs pool which is filled completely with water from the nearby natural springs. It’s a massive pool with a rock bottom that ranges in depth with beautiful clear water. The water stays between 67-70 degrees year round so it’s guaranteed to be refreshing. I spent my afternoon soaking up the sun, swimming, and watching a guy perform epic flips off the diving board.
The highlight of my time at Barton Springs was diving for the first time in probably a decade. Most public swimming pools max out around 5 feet in depth and prohibit diving. One side of the pool is 5ft and one is 8ft (which is where diving is allowed). I was a bit worried I’d forgotten how but as soon as my fingertips parted the water I was right back to my childhood. I got out and dove in a few times with a smile etched across my face.
The next evening I went on a 5 mile run along the river that connects to Zilker Park where Barton Springs is and then jumped in the pool to cool off after.
Austin is amazing for running and walking. My favorite place to run was around the river and Lady Bird Lake which is a 10 mile trail with multiple bridges to choose shorter loops. There are multiple docks and boardwalks with a trail but also a view of the city.
For one of my quality runs I went to the Austin high school track which is conveniently right on the running trail along the lake. Not only was the workout difficult and frustrating but so were the oblivious self absorbed high school students who kept meandering across the track or kicking soccer balls in front of me.
I also went to Mount Bonnell for a view of Lake Austin and downtown but it’s honestly barely worth the drive. I thought I would be hiking but it’s more of a relatively short staircase that leads to a lookout.
Mayfield Nature Preserve is right near Mount Bonnell so I also stopped there to walk a mile long tail while checking out the peacocks.
Lastly, I walked the Barton Hill Green Belt which is very rocky, therefore, perfect for a hike but I would hesitate to run even though I saw several people doing so.
On my first Sunday I went to a farmers market and noticed everyone passing me was holding these amazing looking drinks in plastic containers that look like restaurant storage pints; the long line was worth the citrus smashed strawberry blueberry lemonade I got.
Unfortunately, my second week I got a head cold and felt pretty awful. Although my covid test came back negative I still missed several days of possible exploring due to feeling so terrible.
Once I felt up to exploring again I went to the highly recommended Book People and Waterloo Records.
I also went to several staple shops including Uncommon Objects antique store, Take Heart, Feathers vintage, South Congress Books, and Allen’s Boots.
In between exploring stores I went to Central Machine Works Brewery for a very (delicious) autumnal drink that was made up of smoked applewood vodka, le verger calvados, apple pear shrub, and lemon.
I also went to Velvet Taco which is a casual taco place that’s a step above a fast food place, vibe-wise, for fun and interesting tacos including a shrimp and grits taco and a bacon cheeseburger taco.
In preparing for Thanksgiving I got all the necessary ingredients at the original Whole Foods Headquarters and luckily was able to borrow a Pyrex and a pie dish from my AirBnB host who’s dog walkers let me in to grab the dishes and ended up inviting me to their vegan gluten free Thanksgiving and being all around awesome people.
For a couple weeks a friendly carpenter was working on projects at the house I was staying at and when we were talking about Thanksgiving he even offered to deep fry my turkey for me if I wanted to bring it over the morning of.
I decided to run a Turkey Trot the morning of Thanksgiving which was my first road race in several years. The route was through a beautiful golf course that required a bussed start because there wasn’t parking near the course. Bussed starts suck for my anxiety. I hate not having my car as an escape option and I had a panic attack after running the Charleston Bridge Run back in 2010 which had a bussed finish.
Of course I mapped out how far my car was parked from the start in case I needed to walk back without the bus.
The race ended up going well. I felt strong after coming back from my injury and I am used to freezing cold turkey trots in New England so running in shorts was an absolute treat.
After my race I went back to my AirBnB to cook my first ever Thanksgiving meal. While I’ve made Thanksgiving sides plenty of times, I’ve never cooked a turkey. After using a dry brine I put it in the oven and hoped for the best.
I made a dairy free gluten free green bean casserole that came out delicious and then made mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. My gluten free gravy didn’t thicken as planned but tasted fine.
The Turkey took much longer than I calculated because the meat thermometer wasn’t indicating it was done which resulted in a pretty dry turkey that Benny enjoyed more than I did. Regardless of how it turned out, I am proud of my efforts and learned some important lessons for next time I cook these items.
A childhood friend from church relocated to Austin several years ago and we were able to get together several times during my stay. I initially met up with Rachel, her husband Derek, and they’re adorable 3 month old daughter Maple at Last Stand Brewing. Their friend Keely also stopped by and we all had the best time catching up and hanging out.
Rachel, Maple, and I went to Cosmic Coffee later in my trip. Cosmic Coffee is a mostly outdoor venue where there is a large area of picnic tables with a stream and small waterfalls adding to the ambiance. There are also several food trucks parked around the space offering a variety of choices. We opted for coffee and breakfast tacos which were all delicious.
On my last weekend in town I met up with Rachel again along with Derek and Maple and their absolutely amazing group of friends. We spent the afternoon at Desert Door Distillery celebrating one of their friend’s birthdays.
Desert Door distills the Sotol plant which is local and sustainable and tastes similar to tequila. They make fun craft drinks that are delicious.
A friend recommended Lichas Cantina which is a delicious Mexican inspired restaurant with amazing food and drinks. I tried their Mexico ‘76 which is my new favorite drink that is made up of tequila, grapefruit juice, and sparkling rosé served up. I enjoyed a gluten free quesadilla for my dinner which is not a common allergy friendly find.
After finishing my dinner I went to Whislers which is a gothic cocktail bar right up the street. The drinks were amazing but it definitely had a more party vibe which wasn’t as conducive to being there alone; they had tables only and no actual seats at the bar but I would absolutely go back with the friends.
During my last week I went to the famous Rainey Street which is a block of small houses made into bars that are dichotomous to the surrounding city. It is another party vibe that would probably be more fun with a group for a Sunday funday or an evening out but I enjoyed my ginger paloma at Half Step before heading back to Licha’s for a Mexico ‘76 and a quesadilla.
I was relaxing and reading at the bar when the girl next to me asked what I was reading and we got talking about our shared love of true crime (I’ve met some many new friends on this trip due to a shared love of true crime). Ashley is an avid traveler from El Paso who is in graduate school in Austin. We talked about both our experiences living in New York City and her plans to live in Europe after she graduates.
On my last Friday in town I went to Mozart’s Coffee after work which is a beautiful spot with a ton of decks right on Lake Travis. I got some work done before heading off to find a fun spot for happy hour.
Most of the Lake side bars were all closed for private holiday events so I drove back closer to the city to go to Clark’s Oyster Bar which was my favorite place in Austin.
They have an extensive cocktail menu and my favorite was the Clark’s Winter Pimms Cup which is made up of pimms, gin, amari pasubio, rosemary, lemon, grapefruit tincture, and topo chico.
While enjoying some oysters I met Christopher from Charlotte, NC who was also enjoying a round of oysters. We hit it off and talked for what seemed like hours over espresso martinis. He is in the film industry and travels for work. We exchanged numbers and talked about getting dinner Sunday or Monday.
I went to San Antonio to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk that Sunday after changing plans around to be able to meet up with Rachel that Saturday.
I was surprised to see the Alamo right in the middle of the downtown area of the city. I took a few pictures but didn’t pay for the tour; I couldn’t wait to see the riverwalk.
The riverwalk feels like a city underneath the city. I got a ticket for one of the river boat tours and had an amazing time learning all about the history of San Antonio from the boat captain, Diamond, who was only 17 years old. She pointed out the bridge where a scene from the movie Selena was filmed, a hotel that used to be a hospital, art sculptures gifted from foreign cities, and how the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant used to be the city morgue. Fun fact: I worked at the Bubba Gump in Times Square when I lived in New York.
After the boat tour I wandered around and stopped to have a snack and a drink at a table right on the edge of the river.
Try as I might to get a picture of myself that I liked I just couldn’t. I was having a tough body image day and could only see my flaws in each photo I took.
When I received a text from Christopher to grab dinner that evening I told him I was too tired to make it which was definitely impacted by how I was feeling about myself that day which snowballs sometimes after being single for so long and questioning if it’s because I don’t have the body I had 5 years ago.
I asked Christopher if we could do Monday night instead and he seemed agreeable but also said he wasn’t sure what his work schedule would look like.
On Monday I checked in and he said he thought he’d be done around “sunset” which was 5:30. I finished work at 5 so I skipped my run and got ready to meet up (curled my hair, fixed my makeup, and picked an outfit). By 6:30 I still hadn’t heard anything from him so I warmed up something to eat for dinner. When I still hadn’t heard anything by 9pm I washed my face and put on leggings.
He finally texted after 10pm to say “things got crazy” and that he would be around the next night if I was.
I was frustrated that he didn’t send a text to say he was running behind far earlier than he did. I didn’t respond to his text and didn’t plan to until he texted again the following day to ask if I had dinner plans.
I shook off my annoyance from the night before and chalked it up to miscommunication around definitive plans and didn’t want to overreact so I told him when I’d be done with work and that I would be open to grabbing dinner. He said he had two hours left until he was done which would be a little before 8pm.
After confirming that would work for me I went about my evening of finishing up seeing clients. I ate when I finished and decided to wait to take any steps towards getting ready until I heard from him…which I didn’t… until 9:30pm when he texted to say the crew wanted to take him out for his last night in the city.
Again, why couldn’t he have texted to provide a respectful update? Am I expecting too much here?
Regardless, I didn’t respond to that or his text the next day about how it was nice to meet and that he was sorry it didn’t work out for us to get together.
To round out my time in Austin, I finally got a reservation at Odd Duck. This restaurant is so popular even the bar seats require a reservation.
I enjoyed the seared scallop entree and when I was still hungry after the modest portion I then got the mushroom chorizo tostada appetizer. While the food was delicious I have to say it wasn’t worth the hype and the impossible reservations.
I did hit it off with the bartender who was planning to move to Jemez Springs, NM to then explore the southwest for his own epic adventure and a couple next to me with tons of restaurant recommendations.
On my last day, after packing up my car for the 30 hour drive back to New England, I went to Bouldin Creek Cafe for an amazing dairy free gluten free lunch of chips and queso and a Smokin Joe’s tofu omelet with chipotle pecan pesto.
Where My Feet Are 
The pictures are beautiful! Austin looks amazing and fun!
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