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| Andy, on the right, participating in a podcast |
Another leisurely start to our morning, we got the kids
moving with the smell of bacon! We were
finally able to enjoy our cage free eggs and organic bacon this morning. Because we made breakfast (and I got a bit of
laundry done), we weren’t really ready to leave the condo until noon!
Andy left before us as he was participating in a podcast
with his Rooster Speak friends at a nearby restaurant. Soon we were on our way there, too so that we
could watch. I’m not really sure what they
talked about, but we were there to show our support and eat quesadillas!
Once it was over, Andy left with his friends, and Em, Pete,
Steve and I hit Austin to do a bit of shopping.
We stumbled upon a great store called Wild About Music. They had everything from guitars that were
works of art, to purses with built-in boom boxes, and everything else in
between! Emily found some headphones she
liked, but they couldn’t take them out of the box. They told her that she could try them on in
their other store over on 2nd, and we felt like for the price she
was going to pay, she should make sure she liked them. So we held off purchasing them. She did get an iPhone cover made from an old
record which was pretty cool.
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| Driskill Hotel Lobby |
We then walked over to a beautiful old hotel called the
Driskill Hotel. Built in 1886, It’s been
the scene of many political parties, dignitary gatherings and such. It served
as the campaign headquarters for president Lyndon B. Johnson, I took a few photos of the inside. It was like walking back in time.
After that, we headed over to the other music store so that
Emily could test their headphones. It
was about a 4 or 5 block walk, and the heat was stifling! She ended up trying them on, liking them, but
wanted the blue ones (which, of course, were only available back at the first
store!)
So, we headed back towards the first store. At that point, Pete and I peeled away from
Steve and Em (almost quite literally) and headed back to the condo. Pete was done, and so was I. Steve and Em ended up going over to the
convention center to register for the convention tomorrow, stopping in and
getting the headphones and meeting us back at the condo.
After about an hour of recovery, we were cooled and ready
for our next adventure. Who knew we’d
make such a BAD decision next! It was
hot. We knew it was hot. We had been in the hot. We wanted to go see Brave at a really cool
theater called The Alamo. They not only
show you the movie, they bring food to you, so you can have dinner and a show! Unfortunately, the Alamo down the street in
downtown Austin wasn’t showing it, but the one on South Lamar was. We looked on a map. That didn’t look too far. “Let’s walk!”
So, the next time someone thinks it’s a good idea to walk
about 16 blocks in 95 degree heat and humidity, tell them No. Just TELL THEM NO! About half way there we started discussing
cabs. Of course, there weren’t any, so
we persevered on. Stopped at a few
7-11-type stores for water. We were
PATHETIC!
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| The theater as seen from our bus stop |
We got there in plenty of time though. I tried to take a sponge bath in the sink at
the theater. It was gross.
Anyway, we settled in, saw a fabulous movie, had pizza,
nachos, popcorn, and drinks, drinks, drinks!
I must say, Brave is one of Pixar’s best movies, I think. I hope you go see it. Just don’t walk there.
Once the movie was over, we discussed how we were going to
get home. Steve called a cab company,
but they said it’d be over 20 minutes to get to us. I’d seen a bus on Lamar, so I said “Let’s
check out how these busses work!”
BOOYAH! We found a bus line that
picked us up, and dropped us off, practically in front of the condo! And all for $3 for all of us. Now why didn’t I figure out the bus earlier? Oh well, don’t ask. It made us stronger people, right?
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| Everyone waiting for the bats that didn't come |
After the bus dropped us off, we walked a block back towards
the Congress St. bridge to see the bats that leave from under the bridge “en
masse” each evening. We ended up waiting
for about an hour as the sun set…nothing.
Saw a few bats flying around, but nothing close to a ‘mass.’ There were people lining the bridge to see
it, people lining the shoreline, and even boats filled with people in the
water! When the boats left, I decided it
was safe to give up. What a bummer. Perhaps we’ll try again Sunday. Tomorrow night we can’t because I think we’re
going to be at a Barn Dance! Woo hoo!
We came back to the condo, we showered (Emily soaked in the
tub for about 1.5 hours), I got Pete to bed, and Steve and I decided to hit the
road and see 6th Street in all it’s glory. 6th Street is the party street at
night…so much so that the street is closed off to traffic every night because
there are so many people, they don’t all fit on the sidewalk! There were so many people!! It was a Friday night, but Steve says it’s
like that almost every night. I saw a
man dressed as death standing like a statue on a stand, I saw a guy dressed in
a red, white and blue cape and codpiece playing the guitar with long hair and a
longer beard…I guess he’s keeping the “Keep Austin Weird” motto alive! There
were heels higher than anything I’ve ever seen, long hair, tiny skirts…it was
quite a scene.
After that, Steve and I walked back to the condo and passed
out. What a day! Tomorrow I’m going to stay a bit cooler if I
can…
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