I got changed into my new outfit I bought while in Fredericksburg the day before, and headed to Swift's Attic, a bar/restaurant that received great reviews on Yelp and was listed on some list I'm sure that I came across while doing my in-depth research of Austin :) Well, it was the day before Valentine's Day and so the place was very busy and no tables were open for dinner until much later. The hostess told me to just stand near the bar seating because it rotates out relatively quickly and it shouldn't be long until I found a place. So I ordered a beer (something local, of course!) and stood there eyeing everyone at the bar, waiting to pounce haha! Meanwhile, couple after couple after couple arrives and also stands in the section waiting to push into the seats. I started thinking to myself if I was going to be the rude person who takes one seat when two people vacate some stools, instead of allowing a couple to sit down and I had decided that yes, I was going to be that person. But no worries, I didn't have to, because then my night was made by some wonderful, wonderful people. As I was standing waiting, a couple who was also waiting started chatting with me and I found out that they had just relocated very recently from Boston to Austin! We bonded over that and chitchatted away until a hostess comes to tell them that a small table by the bar (also part of the bar seating/non-reservation area) was open. I was getting ready to wish them well when they surprised me by asking if I would join them! They proceeded to pay for my drink and for our shared appetizers and I was so, so happy and it warmed my heart :) I love experiences like this. At first I was hesitant because this couple had children and this was clearly their night out to celebrate Valentine's Day and I didn't want to impinge on date night. But they had reservations somewhere else after, so it was okay! They were such a sweet couple, and I really enjoyed talking with them.
After dinner, it was back to the hostel to meet up with the girls to go out on 6th street. 6th street is literally half a block from our hostel (the girls mentioned that the hostel had the "stumble factor" down pat). 6th street is an area that reminds me of big university towns and their rows of college bars, except 6th street is better than that. There are SO many bars/restaurants and almost all of them have live music-it's basically a requirement. Also, they shut down 6th street for about 5 blocks worth so that bar-goers can easily walk from bar to bar. We stopped at an assortment of places along 6th: an Irish pub, The Blind Pig Pub, Easy Tiger (another place on my list), and "the bar where you could ride the bull". At the Blind Pig Pub, there was live music going on both inside on the first level (I remember Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" playing), and then there was a band playing on the rooftop. We stayed up on the rooftop because it was a beautiful night and the music was actually pretty good! Easy Tiger was farther removed from the heaps of bars on 6th and therefore why it is much more of a "chill" bar which I really liked. When you walk in there's actually a little bakery first, and then stairs lead down to the bar where they have indoor, outdoor, beer tent, and garden seating. Ping pong tables, board games, and more. This place was pretty awesome with a good beer list! I would definitely go back there. Overall, a really fun night out with some great girls!
After lunch, Jenna had to get back to do some work and then rest for her first half marathon in the morning, so I had her drop me off at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum (I know, I'm a history nerd)! The museum was really cool, and it makes me want to make it a priority to go to the rest of the Presidential Library and Museum's if they are in places that I am visiting. So far I have only visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield (technically not an official Presidential Library and Museum), which is absolutely one of the best museums I have ever been to. I am ashamed to mention that I have not been to the JFK Library and Museum yet, but I will be remedying that soon. The museum was set up on three different floors, with exhibits such as full time-lines of his life, an interactive timeline of his presidency, a replica of the Oval Office when LBJ was president, a life-size animatronic LBJ telling jokes, and clothing from Lady Bird. But my favorite of all of these exhibits was the various telephones that they had throughout the museum where you could listen to LBJ having conversations with prominent people such as Former Presidents Eisenhower and Truman, his wife, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jackie Kennedy. LBJ recorded every phone call while in the White House no matter how menial, and it was really crazy to listen to these actual conversations. I left the museum truly feeling like I knew more about our 36th President.
If you can't tell, I make up a pretty large list of "places (mostly restaurants/bars) that I would like to visit" whenever I go someplace. I would not have felt complete if I didn't at least attempt to visit a few more of the places. So next, I took a bus to Rainey Street which I would highly recommend you frequent if you visit Austin. This is also another row of bars and food trucks galore, but much more tame and chill and with WAY better beer lists ;) Which brings me to why I went there in the first place. I wanted to visit Craft Pride, a bar that was on a number of "best" lists that I saw while researching. Because I love tasting local brews, this place was perfect because they have 50 beers on tap, all/only from the state of Texas. But before I went to Craft Pride, I realized that I desperately needed to get some food. While walking down Rainey, I saw ANOTHER place that I had seen listed on "best" places and so I went there: Banger's Sausage & Beer. Pretty cool place, with a nice beer hall inside and a massive beer garden outside. I have come to realize how great the South is, and one of the things I love most is that every restaurant/bar has outside seating because weather can be beautiful all-year round. This place had a great beer list, and an even better sausage list. ALL kinds of unique sausages with weird ingredients all mixed together, which is one of my favorite things :) I ended up getting the South Texas Antelope & Venison Merguez and it was delicious! Afterwards, I was incredibly full but I still headed to Craft Pride because it needed to be checked off my list. I went for my trusty ole' flight of beers and was able to taste six different Texas brews. I didn't finish them all because I literally could not put anything else in my stomach, I was so full (I didn't even allow myself mini-donuts from the food trucks on the walk home, even though they smelled like heaven). Even though my Valentine's Day (yes, this was V-day) sounds lame to some, I think it was pretty successful :)
Overall, a great trip to Texas filled with family, friends, food, beer, and sun! Austin, is absolutely a place I will visit again sometime. Things I didn't see but are still on my list (and they should be on yours too!) are a country dance hall (may have to go outside of Austin to do this), more live music specifically on Congress, and check out more of South Austin and SoCo (South Congress) where Austin gets really weird, and has some unique shopping!
Until my next trip...