San Antonio and Austin, Texas

We arrived in Austin, Texas the first of December. Since I had never been to San Antonio, we made the most of our trip and made the 1 ½ hour drive south of the Austin airport and spent our first night at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk. This side-trip was also timed to coincide with a trip my sister and her husband were making to San Antonio.

The Riverwalk is an attraction for tourists year round, but is especially charming at Christmas. A narrow river winds through downtown where all the establishments face the water, not the streets. Pedestrians stroll the tree-lined sidewalks on either side of the waterway while water taxis carry more tourists, some wearing Santa hats, beneath colorful twinkle lights strung overhead. Imagine Christmas music playing in the background and it makes a magical image.

After checking into the decked out Hyatt with a stream running through its lobby, we found my sister and her husband who were already settled into town. The four of us hopped from place to place along the Riverwalk taking in our surroundings. We ended up having dinner at Boudro's, after reading their favorable reviews on Urban Spoon. (In every new city that I visit I always go to their site or Yelp to look for restaurant suggestions.)We were seated at a table by the water where each chair had a Mexican poncho draped over the chair in case you got chilly while dining. The temperature did seem cooler down by the water and I draped my poncho over my lap to stay warm.
The next day we walked across the street to tour The Alamo. In my mind, this famous Mission was located in the middle of nowhere along the Mexican border. Turns out, most of the city of San Antonio is built upon former Alamo land. What few buildings of the Alamo compound remain: the chapel, long barracks, etc., are located right in the middle of downtown. Touring the site is free, but we paid to rent audio tours which were well worth the history lesson that we received as we learned of the horrific thirteen day battle between the Texan defenders and the Mexican army. The tragic and heroic fight until death by the Texans inspired so many others to join the Texan army which then defeated the Mexican army a mere six weeks after the battle at the Alamo resulting in an end to the Texas Revolution.

Driving north out of San Antonio is a straight shot up Interstate 35. We passed the premium outlet mall in San Marco on our way south, and I was able to persuade my husband to stop on our way back up to Austin. The premium outlets are adjacent to Tanger Outlets, but are Ina class of their own. The big names are Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, etc. I had found shopping paradise! But mindful of my limited budget and even more limited carry-on luggage… had to restrain myself.

That same day, we made another detour en route to Austin. Every time my husband attends his South Zone meeting, a group of them head to Salt Lick Barbeque for some of Texas's finest eating. He learned that the original Salt Lick is in Driftwood, Texas and took me on a ride through the Hill Country for a culinary surprise. While I normally try to watch my diet, sabbatical has been all about trying new things and embracing local culture and cuisine. He had planned on taking me there for lunch, but after the stop at the outlet mall, it was closer to dinnertime when we pulled into a parking lot large enough for forty tour buses. Although the Salt Lick property looked like it could hold hundreds (and it probably does at times) we entered the eating hall and joined about a dozen other folks who were there at the same late-lunch early-dinner time.

Our waitress had been working there for decades and was happy to see a rookie and explain the menu to me and point out the family history written on its back. She told me the founder originally started smoking brisket and sausage and the pulled-pork, turkey and chicken were newer additions to the meat choices. Dinners come with potato salad, beans and cole slaw, and you get pickles and onions by request. Of course, you wash it all down with a sweet tea. I gave it my best shot, but couldn't finish my dinner and never looked at the dessert menu… which I am sure was every bit as tempting as the barbeque. We were glad we ate dinner early because we then had all evening to digest the heavy meal.

Austin is a hip

city with an artsy feel and is known for its live music and food trucks. It looks like it is having a growth spurt and is definitely outgrowing its highways as evidenced by all the traffic delays. I couldn't believe all the building construction and overhead cranes. In downtown Austin, Sixth Street is the heart of the city's nightlife. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon to find a sports bar where we could watch the Steelers game. We returned after dark where the street awakens with live music pouring out from all the bars and onto the crowded sidewalks. We stopped at a Sixth Street institution, Maggie Mae's, for some Blues. But, the up-and-coming end of town is East Austin. Be sure to visit the White Horse for their live music. On Sunday night, we heard a famous old time East Austin band and were just as entertained by the patrons' dancing as we were with the sound. I even got asked to dance and stumbled through my version of the two step.

The Texas state capitol building is the largest in the country. We walked right in and joined the free public tour. Stepping into the rotunda, we learned about the six flags of Texas (representing the six countries that ruled the present day territory known as Texas) depicted on the terrazzo floor and lone star on the roof of the dome. The legislature is part-time, meeting only in odd numbered years and for only 140 days. Across the street, we stopped to look at the outside of the Governor's Mansion. The state offices, meanwhile, are hidden underneath the grounds in an engineering marvel of an underground city.

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