It seems like ages ago when I took my second “grown-up” vacation. Meaning, I took myself away from work, friends, and family to explore. I had done it once before, but that’s another story.
I wanted to know if Austin was the city I belonged in. I lived an hour away; I had the financial means and the vacation time stored up, so I booked a room in a downtown hotel. What a great holiday!
I spent my days entranced in museums, art galleries, and historical sites. I walked everywhere. The evenings meant fine dining and music. Austin is full of little restaurants specializing in whatever flavor of food you can imagine. The best part: They all provide for their vegetarian customers. I love food and didn’t have a single bad meal.
Next came the music. Threadgills and Antoine’s were and still are the big spots for hot, local music. I swayed and rocked away to Austin rock and blues. As luck would have it, the Austin Symphony and Choir performed Carl Orff’s Carmine Burana. I didn’t know that when I booked my holiday. Let me tell you, I love Orff’s Carmine Burana. Since I was by myself, I walked up to the counter and got a great seat. It made my musicial evenings in Austin perfect.
In the years since that holiday, I’ve visited other Austin music spots and dined at plenty of other restaurants. These days, I’m with my husband, so my experiences are all the more fun.
Austin grows and changes with the times. I refuse to use the adage, “it’s not what it was,” because it never was what it was. What is it? A college town dominated by the University of Texas, a political town housing the Texas State Capitol (as evidence by the huge stars plastered everywhere), a liberal city in a conservative state, and a home for artists – at least for those who can still afford to live here. It’s growing, expanding and having its growing pains, but it’s still Austin as long I want it to be.
That’s it.