I’ve been wanting to discover more cities in the US for a while now and I’ve heard nothing but great things about Austin, Texas.  With a slogan like “Keep Austin Weird,” I knew I would have plenty of things to see, to do, and to eat.  Some friends have said to me that I would love Austin because it’s liberal even though it’s Texas, artsy, has great food, and is a little weird.  I had to check it out for myself.

Three major things I learned on this trip: 1) Southern hospitality is a real thing.  Everyone was so nice and at first, I thought this was weird too but I learned that Southerners are just nice folks.  Saying hello to a perfect stranger is normal; 2) People always think that because I live in New York City, I love the fast paced life.  The opposite is actually true.  I like a more laid back lifestyle.  Everything about Austin was easy breezy.  Granted, my girlfriend and I were on vacation but everything from getting into restaurants, navigating through the city, and overall logistics were easy; and 3) Austin is a food destination.  Austin has all of my favorite kinds of food like BBQ, Southern, and Tex-Mex.  The food is delicious, the restaurants are casual and approachable.

What I loved most about Austin was there were so many “weird” things to see.  It’s what made Austin a truly unique city.  If I told you what I did, you wouldn’t quite understand so hopefully the photos will help.  These were the weird and pretty cool things we did in Austin…

{Trying to find East Side King at the Hole in the Wall}

{We ate Sapporo Beer Bacon Miso Ramen at East Side King}

{We looked up at the rotunda in The Capitol building}

{We visited the Cathedral of Junk}

{Tried on cowboy boots at Allen’s boots}

{Ate sweet corn sorbet which tasted like deconstructed cornbread at Uchiko}

{Saw the Graffiti Wall}

{Waited for the bats to fly}

{Saw the bats fly out of the Congress Ave bridge}

{Ate BBQ at The Salt Lick}

{Watched chicken shit bingo at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon}

{Ate delicious tacos at Torchy’s taco}