I had a work event that required me to be in Austin, TX in January of 2020. In order to make this event more enjoyable Lynn agreed to meet me in Austin and we could extend the stay into a long weekend. I had to be there Monday, January 6th through Thursday, January 8th for work. We planned for Lynn to fly in on Wednesday and we would make an extended stay of it and come back home on Saturday, January 11th. We had no idea at the time that a few weeks later COVID would become an issue and all travel would be locked down. We were lucky to get this trip in before that happened.
Lynn arrived in the afternoon on Wednesday. I was still tied up with work functions so she got settled into the hotel and headed out to explore the city. Once I was done with work stuff I headed out to meet up with her. She found a place that made it hard for me to find her. She texted me from a speak easy off of East 6th street asking me to meet her there. At the time 6th street was the happening place in Austin. Live music, bars that were open to the sidewalk, great vibe. She sent me directions but I was really having a hard time finding her.
Once I figured it out I found this. The door to the bar where she was waiting for me... Yeah. That book case is actually the door to the bar... LOL.
After you get inside it is a really cool bar. Just takes a minute. The entrance is in a hotel lobby and no one there will let you in on the secret. You have to actually push that book case open yourself to find out what is behind it.
Hey Babe! Found you!
After that we headed down to Rainey Street. This is an eclectic area that is on the Colorado River. There are bars and restaurants along the block that are built in old historic houses as well as one bar that is totally made up of cargo containers. Funky place with good vibes. We bar hopped along Rainey for a while then headed back to the hotel for the night.
The next day was Thursday and I had very few work related commitments. Lynn and I started the day with an early lunch (we won't call it brunch because they had no brunch menu) at Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill. This is one of my favorite spots in Austin. The outdoor patio seating allows you to enjoy the Austin weather and the menu is off the hook excellent!
From there we did a lot of bouncing around to different spots on both sides of the river.
The Colorado River...
The bat bridge. Not the real name but more on that later...
We spent some time on Congress Avenue...
The bat bridge is a real thing. Apparently thousands of bats live under this bridge and during certain times of the year they take flight in search of food as the sun is setting. Well, unfortunately for us we were not there during an active time so we were not able to experience it. Didn't stop us from trying, though. Nice skyline views anyway.
From there we headed back to the hotel. We enjoyed the sunset and had some drinks at the roof top bar before heading out for dinner.
About dinner. I had been to a restaurant earlier in the week that I really wanted Lynn to experience. The place is called Red Ash and I cannot recommend it highly enough. My first experience there was with work colleagues and we had a couple sitting next to us that were professional chefs. Both of them. I struck up a conversation and came to realize that they were there to sample everything on the menu because it was their favorite place to dine. OK. This place was absolutely a top shelf dining experience. If you go with a friend I recommend the Tomahawk Ribeye. Awesome!
After dinner it was all about bar hopping and live music on 6th Street. We even met up with some of my work colleagues that were still in town.
The next day we had plans to venture out from Austin a bit. Hamilton Pool Preserve had been recommended to us and we wanted to drive over and check it out. It's about a 45 minute drive from downtown Austin. This is part of the Travis County park system and is a natural swimming hole formed by limestone outcroppings that create a 50' waterfall into the basin. The park usually requires advance reservations but this was the off season so were able to drive right in and hike to the fall. It was definitely worth the drive!
When back in Austin we stopped by the hotel to get cleaned up then headed out to Congress Avenue again to check out the scene there.
The next day being Saturday we had a flight back home late afternoon. Before heading to the airport, however, we just had to stop by a highly recommended Thai restaurant, Sway, for lunch. We love Thai food and when in Austin, well...
From there on to the airport and back home...
This was such a great trip and combining business with pleasure really sums up how we feel about living life. Enjoy every moment. You don't know when that moment may be your last.
It was right after this trip that COVID became a real threat worldwide and travel was basically locked down. We had no idea at the time but we are grateful that we were able to enjoy this trip prior to the changes that would impact our ability to travel for the next year and a half.
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