I’ve covered S. Congress, live music, breakfast tacos and BBQ, but there are some very important staples of Austin that I haven’t yet talked about…swimming holes, honky tonks, food trucks, and picnic tables.

I visited two of the various swimming holes that are in and around Austin – Hamilton Pool and Barton Springs. The concept of the swimming hole feels so old fashioned to me, something you’d see teens do in a movie about a simpler time, decades ago. I think this is what felt so endearing about both places. Plus, I really do love public outdoor spaces where people of all types congregate…

   

Hamilton Pool was cool. About 30 miles outside of town, and a beautiful drive past ranches and wildflowers. First, a short walk/hike before reaching the impressive waterfall in what looks like a grotto. Surrounded by slabs of limestone – it’s really pretty impressive! Amazing to think that it’s all natural, just a product of thousands of years of erosion. There was no one swimming the morning that we went there, but apparently it can get really crowded.

The other swimming hole I visited was Barton Springs. This one is very different from Hamilton. To get here we walked along the Colorado River and then the Barton Creek before arriving at this crowded spot. People laying out on the shores, and others enjoying the cold, cold water. This spot seems like a great midday escape from work – just a few minutes drive, peel off your cowboy boots (see pic at top of this post) and go for a quick dip before you have to be back from your lunch break.

  

When day turns to night, the people of Austin move from swimming hole to out somewhere cool, probably outdoors, probably drinking and eating something delicious. We spent a night on the East Side of town, visiting a food truck, a honky tonk and a great outdoor bar. All 3 of these places completed the Austin experience for me.

First up, East Side Kings for dinner. This is one of a few of Paul Qui’s (Top Chef Season 9 Winner) locations, each with a slightly varied menu. We were supposed to go to his brick and mortar restaurant, Qui, but the truck experience felt more appropriate for my short visit to Austin. So, we went to the Whisler’s bar location where we ordered Thai Fried Chicken (two orders), Steamed Chicken (Khao Man Gai), and Waterfall Pork. A lot of food for 2 people, but what can I say, I wanted to try a bunch of things. The chicken fat fried rice with the chicken dishes was amazing, as were all of the thai sauces for each dish, and for me the broth served with the steamed chicken to help digest the fat of the dish was a perfect touch. I loved the setting here – tables filling up the outdoor patio of Whisler’s bar, with single strands of white lights hanging above our heads and leading up to the food truck at the end of the patio.

  

After this heavy meal we walked it off, a few blocks to White Horse, a hip Honky-Tonk. Now I’ve seen the movies and I’ve even been to the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, but this was something new for me. Two-steppers, both young and old. In fact, so many young hipsters doing this dance that I felt like I was Baby walking into the Staff Party, witnessing Dirty Dancing for the first time. Not to say that any of the dancing here was inappropriate, but it was just so different for me to see so many young people enjoying this more traditional style of dance. I loved watching the way this all worked – if you were standing on the other side of the dance floor it meant you wanted to dance, so with each song change the guys headed over there for a new partner. Every guy had his own particular style – fast, slow, traditional, not so. There was of course one outlier: a flamboyant dancer who was basically turning the two-step into a weird contemporary broadway routine. We couldn’t take our eyes off of him as he just continued to repeat his one signature move – it was just that special :). But when I was able to peel my eyes off of him, I loved watching as couples changed with every song. I was way too nervous to partake in this tradition, but almost as if by accident I did end up on the dance floor for one dance. I don’t know that I’d say we were actually two-stepping, but we were dancing nonetheless. I’m intrigued by the culture of it all – do you grow up in Texas learning this dance, or is it frequent visits to the honky-tonk that develop these moves?

    

We ended the night at a small outdoor bar called Yellow Jacket Social Club.

There isn’t much to this place, but I loved it. A small indoor watering hole with some tables, but the outside is the highlight. Picnic tables and a single strand of white lights set amongst trees planted as if you’re in a forest or at a friend’s outdoor house party. There’s an inherent coziness to this place…some people even brought their dogs with them! I was really tired by the time we sat down here, but I couldn’t get enough of the simplicity and the very organic vibe that this place had. I wish we had a spot exactly like it in LA!

 

I had such a great time in Austin! Thank you to Katy for being a great host and tour guide. And Emily for hanging out with me and showing me around. Austin is a really cool city – very laid back and relaxed, with a fun and different sort of nightlife. It’s a city that feels both hip, cool and new, but also like a throwback all at the same time. I wish I had more time there, and will definitely be back for more!

And just one quick last thing. I don’t have enough for a full Sartorial Post, so below are just a few examples of some of the different characters I found around town.

 

Farewell for now, Austin…