ATX

October-November, 2018

I guess the place to start is to make sure that everyone knows ATX is shorthand for Austin.  Yup – “Keep Austin Weird” Austin.  Some believe that this slogan comes from Austin’s diversity, which, using per-capita measures is far, far, far beyond the rest of Texas.  Then there’s the absolutely-has-to-be truthful Wikipedia explanation (sic): “Keep Austin Weird is the slogan adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.”  In any case, and with the help of the 15 Best Things To Do in Austin, what the locals recommend a visitor see and do; the Crazy Tourist, and Atlas Obscura, there is lots and lots of weirdness we had the good chance to visit during our time here.

Austin is the capital of the U.S. State of Texas, and it is the 11th most populous city in the United States and the 4th most populous city in Texas.  It is also the fastest growing large city in the United States, the second most populous state capital after Phoenix, Arizona, and the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States.  As of the U.S. Census Bureau’s August 1, 2018 estimate, Austin had a population of 967,629 up from 790,491 at the 2010 census; the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan statistical area had an estimated population of 2,056,405 as of July 1, 2016.  Austin is located in Central Texas and it is part of the greater Texas Hill Country.

We are gradually making our way to the Southwest and West Coast for the winter, and Austin was a perfect 4-5 hour drive from Livingston.  It also just happens to be our nephew’s home.  Jon, Lucy and their daughter Lily (now 5) left Brooklyn 4 years or so ago and moved to Austin.  Since the move, Bennett, who is now 3 years of age, came along.  We had never met Bennett, and it had been a long time since we had a good long visit with our Texas relatives.  We were looking forward to spending time with family!

Synchronicity played a part in our time in Austin as well.  Marty and Susanne, good friends from Pennsylvania, had been planning a visit to Austin to visit other friends, and it coincided with our time in the city.  Would we like to be included into their visit?  Boy -would we!  AND, Tom and Kelley, other close friends and University of Michigan football fanatics were going to be in San Antonio while we were in Austin, and since his work obligation carried into Friday night and they were staying for the weekend, would we care to get together for a Michigan football watching party on Saturday?  Boy – would we!

We pulled into Austin and set up camp.  Being a Saturday in the Fall, our first priority was to watch the Michigan game and then to find our way to Nephew Jon’s for a wonderful reunion.  On Sunday between Facetime with the Bullocks, Blocks and Umstattds and Barbara’s weekly evening phone call with her sisters, we continued catching up with Jon and Lucy.

Come Monday the weather in Austin was fairly dreary…perfect though to get familiar with Austin, to catch a workout or 2 and to enjoy indoor stuff like museums.

Time for a rant.  Brian’s driven in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; Chicago, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston (where are all of those people going at all hours of the day and night?); LA, Dallas/Ft Worth, Pittsburgh and Boston (just to name drop).  We’ve put up with the NJ Turnpike, the gd George Washington Bridge, the PA Turnpike on Thanksgiving weekend; the Capitol Beltway, driving in a blizzard between Chicago and Milwaukee, and seen more deer along the roadside and in the roadway than most hunters will see in a lifetime.  We’ve seen accidents including fatalities, stupid drivers, negligent police officers, and helicopters land on interstate highways and tollways.  I-35 through Austin compares to them all:   24/7/365 there is going to be a slow-down or traffic jam on I-35 somewhere in the 15-mile N/S stretch from South Austin to the North, and don’t even think about adding the stretch from North Austin through Round Rock.  Construction must be a full-time job and personal-time hobby for State and local highway workers.  Luckily there is a 2-lane, one-direction access road that runs parallel to I-35, and there are several N/S main arteries that allow the savvy traveler to avoid eternal damnation in traffic.  Otherwise, Austin is incredibly easy to navigate.  Thank you for your patience.

First stop on the dreary Monday was the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.  The building is on the University of Texas campus, just a short walk to Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (capacity of 100,119).

Permanent displays and galleries allow the visitor to explore LBJ’s exemplary history of public service; includes the November 22, 1963 assassination of JFK and LBJ’s inauguration as the 36th President of the United States; LBJ’s handling of the Vietnam War, and the legislation passed under his name in the name of social justice.  Visitors can also view the President’s limousine, a 7/8 size replication of LBJ’s Oval Office, and exhibits of items collected during his White House years.

From our perspective the true highlight of the museum was touring the Legacy Gallery.  Walking into the museum, our version of LBJ’s legacy related to the Vietnam War, but we had truly forgotten the dynamic impact he had on America.  Consider the bills and programs that became law:   the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, Affirmative Action Education and Work-Study Act; the War Against Poverty as well as legislation establishing Consumer Protection, Medicare, Public Broadcasting, Community Health Services, anti-Age Discrimination, the Highway Beautification Act, Clean Air Act, and the law requiring seat belts.  All of these laws and social movements and programs became part of the American landscape because of LBJ’s belief in The Great Society – what American could become.

“Get In The Game: The Fight For Equality In American Sports” was on exhibit during our visit as well, and it is designed to examine the intersection of social justice and sports in the United States. The exhibition celebrates athletes who have broken barriers and spoken out for equality.

Next stop: The Texas Capitol.  The Texas State Capitol is located in downtown Austin, and  houses the offices and chambers of the Texas State Legislature and the Governor of Texas.  The building was designed in 1881 and constructed from 1882 to 1888.  A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.  Our arrival timing was perfect as we were able to participate in a guided tour.

We had 3 more stops on our agenda for the downtown area, both recommended by Atlas Obscura and best things to do in the City.

We agree with the recommendation of making sure to visit Pinballz.  Pinballz is a 2-floor cornucopia of any and all pinball games you can imagine from about 1980 to the present.  Sure, there are other games there as well, and if pinball is not your thing you can spend time playing skeeball, shoot-em up, or other head-to-head electronic sports games.  Yeah – there’s the other “earn tickets for prizes” games to take your money…but for goodness sake – play pinball!

We don’t necessarily agree with visiting the Museum of The Weird.  It’s a schlocky accumulation of real (?) and reproduced oddities, and part of the admission fee includes a live show meant to amuse and/or shock the audience. 

Our last stop was to a true “throw back to yesteryear” indoor flea market.  Self-described as “your eccentric uncle’s attic on steroids”, Uncommon Objects is a 35,000 square-foot homage to everything your great grandparents, grandparents and parents threw away or gave away.  Established in 1991 as a small antique collective, it has matured over the years into a one-of-a-kind emporium of transcendent junk.

…and just to round out this first blog from our stay in Austin are a few more random pictures of statues (with apologies to Willie Nelson) from our time in town.

Barbara and Brian