September 2016

My work travels have taken me to Austin Texas several times over the past couple of decades and every time I’ve gone there I’ve enjoyed the town immensely. From the great food (especially the BBQ), to the 6th Street bar, art and music scene to the bats under the 6th Street bridge and the trails around it –  Austin is a great place to visit and explore.

The Texas State Capitol in Austin is a beautiful piece of architecture that took 6 years to build and was completed in 1888. The Capitol is the largest in gross square footage of all state capitols and is the second largest Capital in the entire nation; second only to the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

In 1842, on a dark December night, Sam Houston tried to take the Texas archives out of Austin, thereby eliminating it as a possible capital city of the Republic. Angelina Eberly, a middle-aged woman, saw what was going on downtown and fired a cannon at the thieves.  They failed, Austin became the capital, and in 2004 the city, in gratitude, erected a bronze statue of Angelina firing her cannon at the spot where she stood. (from Wiki)

Underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge lives the largest urban bat colony in North America. When they emerge in the evening during “bat season,” it’s like a cloud flying toward the east. Many people gather at dusk to see the bats fly out, get there early (before dusk) to see the bats in action.

Picture of me with one of the many guitar sculptures that were out on Congress Avenue. The sculptures are part of Austin GuitarTown, a public arts project that featured many 10-foot tall fiberglass Gibson guitars painted by visual artists and celebrities. The project showcased Gibson Les Paul guitars and was administered through the Gibson Foundation, a division of the Gibson Guitar Corp.

If you love the weird and strange, you need to check out this funky little museum collection of macabre oddities that you will find interesting. It’s got a bit of everything and they have an amazing gift shop for those looking for something a little bit different.

A favorite part of Austin near downtown is where I found out why Austin is called the Live Music Capital of the world – the location is 6th Street. This place is the definitive location for bar hopping. During the day it’s nice but the street really comes alive after dark.  The entertainment area of 6th Street is closed off at night so people can walk around from stores to bars to tattoo shops to restaurants to clubs partying late into the night.

Beautiful Austin Texas sunset

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