Visitors from Kansas

As I mentioned last week, this past weekend two of my best Kansas-friends came down to Austin for a weekend visit. Wildg had never been to Austin and KV had visited me once before, right after I graduated from UT.

Last time she was here.

The three of us had an awesome time touring around the city and hanging out with many of my Austin-friends. It was especially fun for me to check out so many places on my “to do in Austin” list. It seems like every time I cross something off the list, something else gets added on.

Because of their suggestions, and maybe because of Cup of Jo’s Guide to NYC, I’ve been inspired to add more Austin-centered places and events to my little blog. I know haven’t been everywhere, so it’ll be a work in progress for all of us.

Our weekend, in summary:

James’ house for the UT v. OU game – Although the result was unfortunate, it was a good setting for the girls to meet the framily* and witness first-hand, how insane the UT/OU rivalry is.

The Bats on the Congress Bridge – This is a MUST SEE for any Austin resident or visitor. The first time I saw them was standing on the side of Town Lake with my family back in ’05. It’s way cooler standing on the bridge. So many bats! I can’t wait to go back and see them again when my dad visits.

Hard to see them, but there's tons.
Jolvita’s to see The Eggmen – The Eggmen are Austin’s BEST Beatles Cover Band. I love them. And the hilarious 40-somethings dancing to them at Jolvita’s made for excellent people watching.

Sandy’s Frozen Custard – When I told my mom that KV and Wilg were coming she said, “Oh make sure to take them to Sandy’s for an ice cream cone!”

Taco Shack – They’d never had breakfast tacos before. EVER.

Kung Fu Saloon – Chris and I listen to Chillville almost every Sunday morning. We’ve heard the ads for unlimited game play, $1 mimosa, and the bloody mary bar countless times, yet this was the first time I’d been there. Needless to say, we will surely be back. FREE skiball. So fun.

The State Capital Building– How horrible is it that in all these years as an Austin resident I’ve never been inside the Capital building? Well, now I have. It was old. And quite large. Interesting fact: at the time it was built, Texas was unsure of its borders. Thus, they just have the star image everywhere inside, but the actual state outline is nowhere to be found.

First & Annie Street Art

Yay, we saw it!
South Congress – One of my favorite spots in Austin. Allen’s Boots, Uncommon Objects, Lucy in Disguise, Tesoros Trading… unfortunately the street vendors weren’t there (RAIN!) but SoCo is sooo the first thing on my list of places to take visitors.

Whole Foods – This is my dad’s favorite spot in Austin. We dined at the seafood area and grabbed a few things for Chris’ surprise birthday party that night. OH MAN I just remembered, they were giving out fresh baked ciabatta bread samples at the bakery. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Photo from The Statesmen.com
Tacodeli – The breakfast tacos were such a hit the day before that we… got them again! Please note, Tacodeli is my favorite taco spot (but I still haven’t had them all).

UT Campus –We wandered from north of Kinsolving down to the new SAC building. Shoot, I forgot to take them inside Gregory Gym. Then we headed west to see the ridiculous statue placement (image below) before crossing through the main mall and down to the Drag. We made a few stops inside the Co-op, Tylers, Whole Earth Provision Co., swung by the DG house for Wildg, and then headed up north toward Toy Joy.

Spiderhouse - Chris couldn’t believe I’d never been to Spiderhouse. But nope! Wildg summed it up when we walked through the patio and she said, “Oh, let’s sit at the table by the bathtub.” Only in Austin.

Madam Ma’ams – The last stop on our roughly 2 mile walk was for a late lunch. Although the service was troublesome, the meal was delicious (per usual). We headed off to the airport and I told them to grab some Amy’s just before taking off to really complete the trip (and make their plane-mates supremely jealous).

If only we’d had time for the Cathedral of Junk and Master Pancake at the Alamo. Until next time, I’m sure. And in conclusion, I leave you this little facebook finding in anticipation for the week to come.

*Framily: Friends who might as well be family.
Also, super thanks to Wildgen for all the photos!