Austin, Texas has been at the top of my ‘US cities I need to visit’ list, despite not fully understanding why I so badly wanted to check it out. But as soon as I arrived it became clear. Music, food, picnic tables, patios and swimming holes – what more could you want?!. There’s a real charm to this place – the size, the pace and the lifestyle!

I spent a lot of time on South Congress, a hip street with restaurants, music venues, food trailers, and eclectic boutiques.. My first night in fact took place entirely on this great street.

Dinner at Perla’s was first up. Perla’s is a seafood restaurant with a large casual patio out front. It was too cold outside to sit on the patio, but it looked like a great spot to waste the day away. Hushpuppies, oysters, crabcakes and some of the best mac n cheese around.

  

After dinner it was on to the Continental Club, a popular music venue. There was a line outside, which apparently isn’t a normal occurrence…and we quickly learned that it was because Alejandro was going to be playing. We had no idea who this Alejandro was, but clearly he was beloved in Austin.

 

Turns out Alejandro is a Texas singer-songwriter, more rock than country, but his music was a combination of styles. I kept wanting to call him Rodriguez, the folk singer and subject of Searching for Sugarman – the one name was really throwing me off. Truth be told, we weren’t as enamored with Alejandro as the diehard crowd seemed to be, but it was really fun nonetheless.  We also went to the upstairs bar where a Jazz trio, highlighting a great trumpet player, was playing.

  

The highlight of the night, though, was the introduction I got to the friendly people of Austin. A few funny characters chatted with us throughout the night, though my clear favorite was easily the older leather-clad cowboy, wearing a flashy outfit with a snake theme: snake heads with mouth open on the front and back of his hat, snakeskin on his leather vest and pants, great bolo tie. With all that going on, I just realized I didn’t even get a look at his boots! I took photos of his outfit all night, I couldn’t help myself.

 

On my first morning in Austin I was introduced to another staple of the Texas way of life – the breakfast taco. Taco Deli tacos, yum! I could eat them daily. A papas (potato), egg and cheese, and a Migas, which translated means crumbs, but in texmex-breakfast-taco language it means tortilla strips, onion, chile pepper, tomato and cheese. Both were delicious, but because I like a little spice, I think the Migas was my favorite.

 

We got our tacos from Jo’s coffee, which houses a famous piece of local graffiti. This is an actual public love letter to one of Jo’s owners from her girlfriend, but it’s become a staple in town and a popular photo opp spot.

I spent the day exploring the shops on this street. Everything from authentic cowboy boots to antique shops.

 

Allen’s Boots has such a diverse collection of this staple, I could’ve spent an hour just investigating it all.

    

Uncommon Objects is a great shop with all sorts of antiques and taxidermy. There’s so much to see in there, my few pictures don’t do it justice – clearly I was most excited by anything in there that felt “Western.”

  

Hotel San Jose is another notable spot on SoCo – a hip boutique hotel in a revamped old motor lodge. Such a perfectly curated style and beautifully done space!

  

There’s a sister hotel – St. Cecilia’s nearby, just off of S.Congress, which is very different but equally as beautiful!

  

I love the mix of authentic Western/Cowboy and modern hipster that can be found in this neighborhood. That’s all for South Congress, but I’ve only scratched the surface on Austin. Next up – Franklin’s BBQ, Honky Tonks, watering holes, and much more…y’all come back now.