The legendary Texas fascination with football has never made sense to me. I'm not the biggest sports fan, but I can understand passion. Texans, however, take a step above and beyond. If this wasn't clear to me when seeing Austin blanketed in UT orange, it was certain by the time I saw a high school pep rally, a bonfire where the students burned the rival mascot in effigy. Being from the heathen northeast, this was undiscovered country for me.
Amidst the football, there was Austin, Texas, this oasis of lefty culture surrounded by the rest of Texas. It reminded me of Brooklyn, or Northampton, MA. Independent businesses seem to be holding on pretty strong despite the recession. The atmosphere clicked with me.
Culinary highlights included Hut's Burgers. Not necessarily up the snuff of New York burger joints, but they offer a dizzying array of fixings. It was a great first stop after getting off the train. Brunch at Trudy's gave me a taste of their legendary migas. While I'm not usually that big of a jalapeno guy, these were just fantastic. I could stand to have these more often.
Of course, as a film fan, no trip to Austin would have been complete without a pilgrimage to the legendary Alamo Drafthouse, one of the nation's most famous independent cinemas. Servers bring dinner and beers right to your seats. The food is pretty good too.
Austin has piqued my curiosity. Not sure if I could ever live there, but I'd definitely love to return in the future.
