Austin Adventure

Austin, TX is officially where I want to be RIGHT NOW, even though I scored a wicked cold resulting from drastic weather changes, airports, and working until the wee hours of the morning. I was there for most of last week and, though I was busy through most of my stay, I had the opportunity to roam the streets of downtown for an evening in search of late night entertainment and good eats. Tuesday night in Downtown Austin was livelier than Friday night in Downtown Tulsa of the same week. What am I saying? It was livelier than the last 20 Friday nights in Downtown Tulsa. Sadness. I have high hopes for T-town, though.

Anyway, I didn't take my camera because I honestly had no room to bring it. Oh, and I didn't want to look like a total dweeb busting out a very conspicuous piece of equipment with people from work who ( let's just face it) get out a lot more than I do. I need a point and shoot...bad. I felt naked all week without it. Fortunately, it turns out there was no need to bring it afterall because the fine folks at Flickr already took pics of nearly everything I saw. Weird.

So, up first ... The Iron Cactus located on historic 6th Street. Contemporary styling with youthful flare. Oh, and rooftop seating. Gorgeous. I ordered this massive burrito and nearly ate it all. For perspective, this thing is larger than my head. That's big.

Following dinner, you're sure to find entertainment anywhere you turn. On one corner, a guy asked me what my favorite animal was with hopes of making me one out of a sheet of tin foil. This might be him:

I said a cat and he asked, "Wild or domestic?" Hilarious. I passed on the cat art and we made our way to a billiards hall, followed by live blues at Nuno's and Live Band Karaoke at Maggie Mae's.

Note to self: Before you sell your mad karaoke skills, make sure you pick a song you can actually sing. Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam is officially not karaoke material.

After I blew my live band karaoke debut, I returned to my room and got the last bit of sleep I'd have for the next week. I'm still not sleeping. Austin, you were so worth it.

Photos linked to original sources ( Various Flickr Members)