I wanted to jot down some notes about our visit to Austin before I forget. We were just there two weeks ago for a friend's wedding. While G has been many times, to play SXSW and to visit family in the state in general, I'd never been to Texas nor had I ever been to a friend's wedding. (Does Florida count as The South? If not, then it was my first time in the South too.) Many firsts for me in one trip!
As soon as we got out of the airport I noticed two things: one, the air smelled really good, like cedar, a mildly sweet and woody scent. Two, the bird sounds were different. Having lived only on the East coast in the US, I realized I was in a region with birds I'd never encountered before. The trees right infront of the cab pickup area were filled with a cacophonous collection of great-tailed grackle, a bird that quickly lost its novelty before even half the trip was over. I love a black bird, they look like conniving little devils and they really are; you could find them sneaking tortilla chips and egg from table leftovers at every outdoor patio we sat at. They have a lovely diversity to their calls and I like their beady little yellow eyes, intense and calculative.
Our AirBnb host requested we call when we land and I was greeted by a thick Texan accent over the phone, informing us we'd know the her house by the lit Christmas tree on the front porch outside. It was May but I wrote this off as charming and quirky rather than very belated un-decorating habits.
The. Airbnb was located in Cherrywood which is just north of downtown Austin. Manor Road (pronounced May-nor, as our host clarified to us sternly) has a lot of great places to eat and drink and that area seemed highly underrated in comparison to the more popular 6th st/Red river district, at least from what I observed. The Airbnb itself was adorable, a tiny house built by our host and a friend that was apparently featured on HGTV or something of the like, right in her backyard. There was a lofted bed which you would access using "witch steps" and just enough room to stand at the sink or sit on the couch below.
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| image courtesy of our Airbnb Host, Rebecca |
The toilet was strange and merited an entire 15 minute explanation from the host even though it was very late.
Have you ever heard of an Incinolet? It's pretty much what it sounds like: a toilet with an incinerator built into it like some kind of Terminator-like futuristic gadget. It had a receptacle where a regular toilet has a bowl. Using it is a three step process: you put what is essentially a large version of a coffee filter into the receptacle, do your business into the filter, step on the lever that opens the receptacle's mouth and drops your business and the filter into the bottom, and then you press a button like you would flush a regular toilet except this button starts heating up the coils you just dropped everything onto (which you can't see) as well as turns on some very prominent internal fans. Every press of the button sets a timer on the heat for 2 hours, in which time it evaporates your pee and crisps your poo to ash.
Every two days our host would come to empty out the ashes from the bottom tray and sanitize it. Because of this toilet, the airbnb always smelled vaguely farmy without being horsey. If you have been around horses or grew up in a farming town like I did, then you know what I mean when I say it had all the sweetness but none of the real funk I'd associate with...well, poop. Apparently our host had been through many a toilet but settled on this one because each flush is 35 cents, a shadow of what a regular water-based toilet costs per use. Would I get one myself? Convert to the mild earthy smell of my own excretions on the daily? While extremely eco friendly, I actually would prefer the compostable toilets in outhouses I've used on camping trips or AirBnb stays at off-grid homes. But enough about the toilet, more about Austin!
After we got the extensive tour of the comparatively tiny home we were going to stay in for six days, we went out on the town like the good Brooklynites we are, fully intent on taking complete advantage of each minute of our stay. After all, it was our first vacation since the pandemic lockdown.
First, I had the best grilled chicken sandwich of my life at this place called the Haymaker. I admired the space of my first Austin bar, not knowing that such square footage was very much the norm here because, well, I don't know, the city isn't limited to an island like it is where we live. More waxing poetic on the sheer amounts of SPACE later. They had a great selection of local beer to start off our week-long sampling of the finest fare Austin had to offer. Because G works at a brewery now, I've come to understand the craft beer culture a little better, I have much more respect for the DIY, community-forward aspects of what I used to dismiss as a purely bro-ey concept and beverage. This could be entirely its own separate post so I'll stop there.
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| We went back a second time later in the week for this sandwich |
This bar also had great boilermakers which are beer + shot combos (surprisingly I have not come across this term in NYC), the name of which originates from what miners would drink after their shifts in Montana. I really loved the one with a shot of fernet menta followed by a Montucky Cold Snack. Super satisfying, will be stealing for my own purposes at parties.
We then walked to a place called The Wheel which claims to be the world's worst bike shop because it is indeed a cocktail bar with no repair tools in sight. I gave the bartender carte blanche and really liked whatever it was she made me even if I can't remember it at all. After finishing our cocktails we did a round of Lone Stars, as is appropriate when in Texas. Tastes just like Pabst Blue Ribbon to me! G borrowed the Airbnb's BBQ lighter to light his cigarettes since we couldn't bring one in our carry-ons and there was one guy at the table next to us who loved the concept so much he'd cheer each time G would whip it out. G, who loves to ham it up, started twirling it and holstering it like a gun. Funny in the kind of way only your partner can be after a long day.
The only shame about Austin is the bars close at 2am, instead of 4am like what we're used to, but I guess it's for the best. They say nothing good happens after midnight, but I'm not sure I totally agree. During our entire stay I found myself consistently tipping more because drinks were cheap and folks were so nice. I think the New Yorker in me was deeply moved.
We meandered home, walking the streets of this very picturesque suburban neighborhood, our shadows fluctuating to and from each street lamp. The air was balmy and I was listening to the sound of unfamiliar insects and marveling at the cacti and fauna you can't find on the East coast. I missed it, but at one point G saw an owl swoop between trees ahead of us.
Tipsily we unlatched the gate to our Airbnb and inside, climbed up the odd staircase to the lofted bed where we immediately fell asleep to the comforting lull of cricket song.