First, I want to mention all the places we ate, thanks to the knowledge and graciousness of Austin residents, Tim and his boyfriend, Patrick.
Zocalo http://www.zocalocafe.com/
Fresh Mexican-ish food. Almost all the places we went had some degree of Mexican influence. Una horchata excelente!
Mother's http://www.motherscafeaustin.com/
Couldn't be further from New Orleans' own Mother's. This eatery was characteristically vegetarian and vegan in brunch, yum! Jes and I shared a bowl of the tomato artichoke soup du jour; I had the migas (veggie style, not the tofu vegan option); Jes, the veggie burger.
Daily Juice http://dailyjuice.myshopify.com/ Service everywhere we went, except this place, was super efficient. I think our barista was sort of high, but it was a nice place to sit and wait; calm environment with an interesting namaste/90s grunge music vibe. Good smoothies.
Torchy's http://torchystacos.com/ and the accompanying cake ball on a stick vender. After this place (or if you had this place in your hometown), you would NEVER go to Taco Bell again. I shouldn't even compare the two. This is the Austin local chain. It's a taco truck/trailer--like the metallic old school kind--on a lot with picnic tables and covered dining. New Orleans could take a page out of Torchy's Taco's book. It's what I imagine the Mid City Friday burrito speakeasy to be like...when Jes and I actually make it out there.
The Clay Pit http://claypit.com/contents/Claypit/html/index.html Delicious. Jes' favorite Austin restaurant which means a lot coming from him since he didn't much care for Indian prior to this experience. We had their lunch buffet because though we came the night before, they were so busy; it was an over 45 minute wait before we settled on Torchy's since we had a reservation at the super cool bowling alley, The High Ball (Tim's birthday party location).
East Side Kings http://www.eastsidekingaustin.com/ After a night full of bowling and birthday fun, we traipsed via car to this food truck in the back yard of a bar, perhaps called The Grapple, for Asian-inspired go food. Fried beets and curry buns were what our hosts recommended, and I will further endorse their shares!
As you may be able to tell if you perused the above links, Austin is quite health and localvore conscious. It's nice! There's so much to do outside, too, despite the heat! Not even counting the food truck/camp culture, in two days, Jesse and I got a pretty good survey of Austin city's limits. The Colorado runs through the city and when crossing the bridge into downtown Austin, one can see many a kayaker in its waters. Also, the forests surrounding Austin are protected as natural treasures and so they remain open to the public but for outdoor activities like hiking. Lots of people bike, and though there is comparatively little crime, bike-theft is allegedly their largest problem. Imagine if New Orleans' biggest problem was bike theft! I am as New Orleanian in spirit as can be, but I'm starting to consider moving [indefinitely] somewhere else, I'm 25, why not? Will I ever have the mobility or ability to go somewhere later in life? Also, cost of living in Austin's cheaper, there's no tax on unprepared foods, and there are arguably more job opportunities for Jesse and me (when I look post graduation because I still love working at Scriptura)!
What left the greatest impression on me was how beautiful the area was, nestled almost. I prefer the greenery around NOLA (Austin's a bit dry and arid), but the diversity of the geographic area, its hills, and river, the damned up Lake Austin, its cooler natural springs and creeks, and the cliffs all provoke moving consideration. Additionally, there's the nightlife, which I won't usually take part in, the vibrant community I could glean from several publications, quite a few solar panels, and virtually no one looked fat. Austin could be Jes' and my next stop!
Photos to come.
