Austin: Part III: Running, Food, & Touring

Wendy and her sister were kind enough to take me down to Town Lake so I could do my long run on Sunday morning.  The area is so neat.  It's made up of hard packed dirt trails, which you can take in a number of different directions.  The city is so active; the trails were packed with walkers, runners, families with baby strollers, dogs; tons of people everywhere.  I had a ten miler and it was amazing.  I was so distracted by the people and the views that it flew by; if only every run could be so effortless. 

Post run brunch at ZTejas. 

A real 6th Street margarita at the original Z on 6th Street! BAM.

We headed over to Mount Bonnell to try and work off the food coma.  The top is said to have the best view in town.

 Super fancy homes along Lake Austin; North view.

View to the South.

Making Wendy take pictures with me, non-showered.  Not very nice.

Time for more exploring.

Quick tour through the UT campus.  Love these Longhorn street signs.  ASU, take note!

New town, new Lulu. 

The original Whole Foods.

A person could live in this place.  The biggest WF I've ever been in; containing anything you could ever desire.

The cookie bar alone.  Enough said.

Bike area.  Love the active lifestyle in Austin.

Our final evening activity was the Moontower Saloon, an awesome locally owned, mostly outdoor bar.  It's a full bar with food trucks on site, has game areas throughout the lot, and it's pet friendly.  A very cool and laid back place. 

Just hanging in my low rida'.

Love this!

It's been fun Texas.  Until next time.

Austin: Part II: Mellow Johnny's & Downtown

I finally got to visit Mellow Johnny's! I've been wanting to go here for years.  I'm a huge Lance fan, still to this day.  Judge away.

Love the brick building.

Juan Pelota Cafe

Love!

A cool piece for different stages of the tour.

Another pretty Trek!

Spin & training studio.

Lance memorabilia

I enjoyed walking around and checking out downtown Austin.  Lots to see and way too much for the photo hoarder to capture.  Your tour in pictures...

6th Street: Bars, bars, and more bars lining both sides of the street.

Loyal Starbucks girl picking up her new Austin mug.

Music everywhere!

This statue of Willie was super popular.  Everyone needed a picture, so I figure I had better get one too.

Gold boots.  Only in Texas.

I didn't get to eat here, but I will on a future trip.  I love me some hot dogs.

Also for a future visit list.  Post race fun here I come. 

That evening we hit up an area near Downtown called Rainey Street.  It's a bunch of old houses that have been turned into bars.  You walk up and down the street, stopping in at the various houses/bars.  Such a cool and fun idea.

Banger's, our first stop.  A fun bar with a LOT of beer.

You think they don't have what you want?!

Next stop, icenhauer's.  Fantastic cocktails & a great outdoor area.

Last bar, Bungalow.  A laid back, dog friendly patio bar.

BFFs.

Kris and I.

Our final stop, Stony's Pizza.  Like Portland, Austin had quite a few food trucks.

Austin: Part I

My College BFF, Wendy, and I had been talking about venturing down to Austin for quite some time.  Her parents and her sister lives there.  Less talk, more action.  We took Austin by storm late March.  Wendy went down earlier, but I arrived on a Thursday afternoon.  I was ready to eat my left arm off and Wendy knew just the place for a quick snack.  Enter Torchy's Tacos.  Breakfast tacos served all day; is this heaven?!  The choices are endless and I love the corn tortilla option. 

AZ is in serious need of one of these.

We got all gussied up for a night out on the town with Wendy's sister Kris and her friends.

These margaritas look small, but they pack a serious punch. 

After dinner we ventured to the The Continental Club, one of the most popular live music venues in Austin.

Nothing but trouble. 

Live music, cocktails, and dancing!

The following morning Kris and I hit up a spin class at a local 24 Hour Fitness.  The instructor was an actual cyclist, so it was an awesome class!

Time to hit the town for some shopping and site seeing.  Wendy and I grabbed a quick bellini and pizza at Taverna.  Later that evening, we headed out for a night on the town.

Fueling up for some shopping.

Lock up the cowboys!

We started the evening off with dinner at Hula Hut.  It was CRAZY packed, so we obnoxiously stood next to a couple's table until they finally left.  The views were to die for and made the table stalking worth it.

Restaurant Boat Parking; no big deal.

The night I learned nobody in Austin goes out in cowboy boots.

Awesome atmosphere and views.

After cocktails, we headed over to Shady Grove for dinner. It's an Austin inspired home-cooking restaurant that is decorated as a trailer park.  So cute.  My pictures are all kind of dark from this night, but you get the idea. The Wandering Madman came by for a visit while we were eating.  A guy roaming the country has turned a box truck into his home and performance studio. 

One of the many trailers on the property.  I could live here.

Selfie.

Even the bathrooms were in a trailer.  Airstream love.

The Wandering Madman.

Our final stop of the night was Broken Spoke!  The last of the true Texas dance halls.  In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed.  I'm a huge country music fan, but most specifically the music I know and can sign along with.  The Broken Spoke features bands who have written their own music, so that made it less fun for me.  Also, I expected cowboys to be whisking me off to dance; but there was no such action.  Regardless, it was awesome to visit such a historical dance hall.

Remnants of a good night.