Midwestern, down-home and comfortable

You may have noticed by now that I haven't commented on So You Think You Can Dance this week, with predictions, affirmations or lamentations. It's because I haven't watched either show yet, so Shh! Don't tell me what happened. It's waiting for me--with, I hear, some face-rocking Wade Robson genius--in my Tivo, and I'll watch it when I get home from Austin.

Oh, yeah: I'm in Austin, TX. Howdy y'all! Austin is RAD. Wait, that's not the right complimentary adjective. Let me tell you what it's like, and you can help me come up with one.

Austin is lush and green and beautiful. When you fly in and look out your window, you see rolling countryside blanketed in trees, buffeting the twists and turns of the Colorado River. Stepping outside on a late June day feels hot and humid, but it's not overpowering--this is what summer should feel like. The neighborhoods are each unique, the houses are darling and situated on plots of green grass next to tall leafy trees. The occasional rope swing dangles from the front yard. It immediately feels Midwestern, down-home and comfortable. But with guitar sculptures. Austin fits like an old pair of Levis. I like it here.

So far, we've checked out a bit of SoCo, where I bought a birthday present for my sister at one of many groovy boutiques. We ate dinner at Guero's Taco Bar where I had my first taste of Real Queso (Texans are particular), and it was delicious. After a long day of travel we capped off the night early with some beers & conversation poolside at The Hotel San Jose.

Yesterday we lunched at the Whole Foods Flagship store before checking out the new Die Hard at the Alamo Drafthouse. Of course, Mac and I and the friends we're staying with all had to work at some point in the day, but we managed to squeeze a Sno Beach break into the late afternoon. For dinner we inhaled some Texas BBQ at Rudy's, followed by Mexican Martinis at Trudy's.

If you haven't figured out by now: you can totally eat your way through this city, and well. And cheap. This morning I got stuffed with deliciousness for about $4 at El Chilito. Breakfast tacos: come to Austin to see what all the fuss is about. They really are that good. Also proving to be fun and productive, is the shopping.

Still on The List: bats at sunset. Fireflies (I miss them). Maybe a chill hike at some point to walk off all the delicious food we've eaten, and have yet to enjoy. Not to mention a long list of recommendations from all my Texan friends. We have a day and a half left, and many more opportunities to come back.

And after all that, I still can't think of anything else, so I guess I'll have to stick with my initial assertion: Austin is RAD.