May 28th, 2024
The conference doesn’t start until tomorrow but I was able to pick up my badge today and get a few photos of the venue. I am staying about two blocks away which is great.
This was the first time I had seen one of these. They were just as ugly as I would expect.
Next I walked over to the State Capital which was under construction. The outside of it was under construction and so the photo was disappointing.
I took one more photo from the other side before heading to lunch.
Taco Tuesday
Because of the time difference and the jet lag, I hadn’t realized it was Tuesday until after I started eating. On my way to the capital I saw a few taco shops and had already decided that was what I’d do. This place was excellent and had many different variations, including this Chicken and Waffles taco.
After lunch I visited a museum and walked down to the river. On the south side of the downtown there is a large river with a walking trail on both sides. One of the things that Austin is famous for is the bats that live under these bridges. I didn’t stick around, but they wake up around sunset and fly around.
I walked across one of the foot bridges to the south side. Before I came I thought that Austin was a small suburban town and was very surprised by all the skyscrapers. I talked some locals a few days later and they said that if you go further out it is more homes but the downtown is growing like crazy. There were so many new buildings under construction.
After walking for a few hours I found a brewery, grabbed a beer and watched King of the Hill. It felt very Texasy.
