Downtown Austin (TX) -- Dave’s Family Visits the Austin Area – March 2003 (Part Four)

DAY FOUR (Sunday, 16 March 2003):  DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

My family had seen Austin from the car when they first arrived, and when I took them on the driving tour, but in reality they really had seen it up close.  Thus today we’d spend time letting the family see the downtown aspect, and what it had to offer.  Mary commented that if we had time later, she wanted to head back to the driver range we’d passed the other day (the one on 620) for a couple rounds there.

When we passed the area of the Capitol, we could see there was a demonstration going out front.  There’s a demonstration going on there just about every weekend, and considering the current situation in Iraq, it was probably about that.  I directed Bruce to a decent parking place on a side street on a few blocks down from the Capitol building complex.

As we got out to Congress Ave, we encountered some ladies, who were carrying some folded-up signs, and heading towards the Capitol.  Asking them what was going on up there, the ladies mentioned it was a gay pride rally, and to end workplace discrimination.  Once they continued where they were going, Mum and Sue then held hands, and started skipping up the street.  If anyone wonders where I get my warped sense of humor from, take a look at my mother, and you’ll have that answer.

We entered the grounds, and I asked the Austin cops acting guards if we could get inside the Capitol because of the rally going on (which we weren’t here for).  The cop was indifferent, as I’m sure this was something they had to put with all the time, but mentioned the protesters had to stay in the front, as not to block access to the building.  Using the side door, we were able to get inside.

Being the middle of the day, many of the office people were still busy doing their normal stuff.  None of the representatives were present today, so there would be no Senate sessions going on.  In one wing of the building the Texas Senate meets, and in other are the chambers for their House of Representatives.  Each of the wings also had portraits of previous elected officials, many going back to the Republic of Texas days.  The marble floor in the center of the Capitol has the seal of Texas, surrounded by (also inlaid into the marble) the flags of the six nations which owned this area at some point.

Looking upwards at the inside of the rotunda, there was a single star set into ceiling, surrounded by the word “Texas.”  We went up a couple different levels so we could get better views of the rotunda’s interior, and the marble inlays on the floor.  It was difficult to get a clear picture of things, due to the number of people still wandering around.  Back down on the ground floor there was an entrance which went to the rear wing where the Capitol Library was located.  Other than rows and rows of books, there wasn’t much to see there.

One interesting part of the Capitol was the accountants’ office.  As this was once a place where people came to pay their taxes, fines, or other things, bars had been installed in order to separate the workers from the often-irate citizens who had to part with their hard earned money.  Keep in mind this wasn’t a museum, but a functioning government building, so many areas picture taking was discouraged.  Especially where the older portraits are, flash photography was discouraged.

We headed outside to the grounds so we could look at the various statues which were scattered about the area.  I wasn’t able to see these items the last I was near here, so this was a treat for me.  Many of the sculptures were of notable persons in Texas history.  There was one monument dedicated to state firefighters, which of course Dad was happy to see.

Mary showed us the visitor’s map she had found, which noted there was a small golf course right within the downtown area.  I looked at it, and confirmed the information.  Butler Pitch & Putt was located right near where the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge was, which was seven or eight blocks away, and then across the river.  Not far for me to walk, but it made more sense to take the car down.  Mum liked to play golf too, and Sue wanted in on this game.  Mary wanted to know if I played golf, to which I responded “occasionally.”  When she asked what my handicap was, I said “golf.”  I much prefer miniature golf over the full-scale game.

Since no one else was really into playing, I decided I’d leave the ladies at the course for the duration, and take the guys for a short walk along the Hike & Bike Trail.  The Lamar Pedestrian Bridge is designed to allow foot traffic cross from one side of the river to another, and to serve as an access point to the Trail.  The Hike & Bike Trail encompasses a large portion of Town Lake between where Mopac crosses the Colorado River to the Congress Avenue Bridge; with Shoal Beach on the north side, and Auditorium Shores and Zilker Park on the south.

We didn’t go too far down the Hike & Bike Trail, as we wanted to stay in the vicinity of the others.  It was nice to loiter on the Pedestrian Bridge, get a good look at the skyline, and people watch.  Austin is a microcosm of the rest of country.  Just about any group which exists within the U.S. has representation here, from hippies to Goths, and from well-dressed professionals to active-wear clad health nuts.  That’s one of the reasons I like the city, that casual attitude.  I go to many restaurants in jeans and t-shirts, and in some cases shorts, and it’s still considered acceptable attire.  And Austin is also dog-friendly, so many people on the Trail have them.

Returning to the golf course, I was not surprised to see the seriousness level of the game was on the low side.  I pinch hit the remainder of game, trading out for Sue and/or Mum.  After the game was done, it was time to look for food.  Mum used her tried and true method, and asked the person at Butler Pitch & Putt where a good place to eat was.  We received a tip for a place nearby on Barton Springs called Shady Grove.  Sounded good to me.

Shady Grove was first founded in 1992, and quickly became an Austin staple.  The parking lot had a lot of potholes and some trees in it, but it was pretty decent size.  With a mix of inside and patio seating, and an eclectic menu, it had everything we wanted … except the catfish Earl was looking for.  We all got burgers or sandwiches, and they were all very good.  I know this is a place I plan on coming back to, as the food and atmosphere were awesome.

Once lunch was done, and as it was getting towards the hottest part of the day, we headed uptown towards the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.  Since we had the remainder of the afternoon, that should give us more than enough time to go through everything.  For the first few exhibits on the ground floor we stayed together, but after that the group started to separate.  People move through museums at different speeds, and some stop to look at things that others skip over.  Before too long, the family had gone in four different directions.

There are three levels of the Bullock Museum; the first has the prehistory and Spanish exploration period, the second focuses on the succession from Mexico and the Lone Star Republic, and the top notes events past the Civil War.  Since I’d seen the ground floor on my first visit, I started with the upper levels.  There were various dioramas and displays which showed how the American settlers came to this territory to receive land grants from the Mexican government, and how events pressures culminated in Texas becoming an independent nation.  Other than the events of the Alamo, most of those things I didn’t know.  The third level had the cotton boom, the discovery of oil, and (what I enjoyed the most) the state’s involvement in the World Wars and Space Race.

Everything I saw in the museum was very quick, and I glossed the surface on the exhibits.  It wasn’t that I was uninterested; it was because I ended up playing sheep dog.  I realized no one knew where anyone else was.  The sensible thing would’ve been to coral them all together, but the group would just go their separate ways when looking at things.  So I went one to one level to see where Bruce & Sue were, and then back down to find Mum & Dad’s location, and then over to another place what Mary was checking out.  I didn’t worry about Earl, as he tended to travel solo a lot, and knew he’d rejoin the party eventually.

For a couple hours we remained in the Bullock Museum soaking up the history of Texas.  It didn’t really bother me that I didn’t experience all the exhibits like I wanted to, but it was all about the family.  I could come here any time to see the stuff, the family was only here for the week.  As long as they were satisfied and had a good time, that was all that mattered.  Mary got her golf in, so she was.  Earl commented that he still hadn’t had his piece of catfish yet, and that was something he needed to make his trip complete.

For current information on the places visited or mentioned:

Austin State Capitol:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol

Butler Park Pitch and Putt:  http://www.butlerparkpitchandputt.com/Pages/default.aspx

Hike & Bike Trail:  http://www.austintexas.org/listings/Lady-Bird-Lake-Hike-and-Bike-Trail/4369/

Shady Grove:  http://theshadygrove.com/

Bullock Texas State History Museum:  http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

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San Antonio (TX) -- Dave’s Family Visits the Austin Area – March 2003 (Part Three)

DAY THREE (Saturday, 15 March 2003):  SAN ANTONIO

We had a pretty decent start to the day, and had a leisurely breakfast while we waited for traffic to thin out a bit.  It didn’t bother us too much if we were going to hit some of the morning rush, as we were heading south to San Antonio.  A benefit of taking Interstate 35 down is it would provide a view of the Austin skyline from a different angle (as well as bringing us directly to our destination).  Earl pointed out the LBJ Library, and commented that if there was an opportunity, he’d like to see that.

Bruce was a great driver.  When I commented to get in that line or to make a turn here, there were no questions of whether or not I was sure.  That’s nice to have in situation of large city driving, where exits can come up fast, and the space needed to get in position for said exit might be narrow.  The flipside of that, which was my job as navigator, was also to give as much lead time as possible, so there wouldn’t be a lot of last-minute turning.

Once on the appropriate exit off of Interstate 35, and we were deposited in San Antonio right near the Rivercenter Mall.  I knew this was our best place to park, as it was close to both the Riverwalk and the Alamo.  The Alamo was the main objective of everyone’s visit.  Mum had commented how can you visit Texas and not go to the Alamo?  With the car parked, I took the family back out to the street to go the rest of the way, as it would be more visually stimulating than short-cutting through the mall.  I’d save that for the trip back when they’d been walking for a bit.

At the intersection of Commerce Street and Alamo Plaza, I noticed an orange sculpture which looked like ribbon bent in the shape of a lollipop.  I don’t recall seeing that when I was in San Antonio last time (which was interestingly enough about this time last year).  This is the Torch of Friendship Statue.  Erected in June 2002, it’s a symbol of goodwill between the city and Mexico.  The rest of the family took note of the parading kilted bagpipers going down the main avenue.  I couldn’t plan a better greeting for a bunch of Scottish descendants.

As we approached the Alamo, I informed the family how when I was here the first time I was surprised to find that San Antonio had sprung up right around the city (and how I expected it to be more on the outer edges, or in a large park area).  I also mentioned the fact that due to the shrine-like nature of the Alamo, no building’s shadow is supposed to fall on it, and pointed out how the city’s taller buildings were a few blocks back.  That had to take some planning to be able to deduce where the Sun’s position would be at every point in the year in order to ensure that.  Of course, guard was standing there (and signs posted around) to let visitors know there’s no talking and no picture taking inside, and to remove your damn hats.

I did have to note as we were walking around the complex, this time the historical recreationists were made up of both defenders and Mexican forces.  There were individuals dressed as Santa Anna, Davy Crockett, and other historical personages giving their “sides” of what happened here.  This was a much better presentation than what I saw last time here.

We spent some time wandering around the grounds, and looking at everything which was here.  There are some annex buildings within the compound walls that I didn’t get to see the last time.  One of the interesting things was a diorama showing the siege, as we got to see how haphazardly the wall barricades were constructed and how overwhelming the attacking force was when compared to the defenders.  That showed what an amazement it was that the people in the Alamo were able to hold out as long as they did.

Here are two little tidbits which the Alamo defenders benefited from.  One, the Mexican regulars may’ve been “professional soldiers,” but the bulk of their forces were conscripts with very little training.  And two, as the Mexican President Santa Anna loved all things French, he made sure his army was dressed in the same regalia as Napoleon’s regulars.  The many-layered wool uniforms were not the best thing to wear in a hotter climate, and that hindered the effectiveness of the Mexican forces.

We then walked back to the Rivercenter Mall, and descended down to the Riverwalk to find a place to get some lunch.  Where the San Antonio River flows through the city here (technically below street level), there are a number of sidewalk cafes on either side.  The design of this, while reminiscent of Venice, draws as many locals as it does tourists.  Even though the day was a little overcast, we still found some tables with umbrellas to provide some shade.  Because the tables are right up to the river’s edge, and there’s nothing by a small chain fence separating you, be sure you where you’re moving your chair before you do so.  There’s not much to keep you from dropping into the drink.

With lunch under our belts, we purchased tickets for the Riverwalk boat tour.  The pilots put as many people as they can on the boats, and we let a few others go ahead of us so we could keep our group together.  The tour starts near the Rivercenter Mall, and meanders down away from the Riverwalk area to a less-developed section of the river.  This has hotels and some condos which overlook the area, as well as a stage.  I liked how the seating for the stage was across the river.

The San Antonio River does truly exist in its natural state, but this section is more of a canal which was artificially-created in order to get the most utilization out of it.  The width of the channel is enough for two of the tour boats to pass, with lost of room on either side.  The boats themselves are open-aired, about fifteen feet long, and hold about 40 persons.  There’s a section where the boats veer around a fountain, and then come back on the opposite side.  A similar fountain exists at Rivercenter Mall, so the boats can queue up to disembark passengers before taking new ones on.  It’s a pretty seamless operation.

Mary saw a Hard Rock Café while we were on the boat, and she wanted to walk down to see it.  I’m reasonably sure that it wasn’t the venue itself that caught her eye, but what was attached to the exterior of the building.  Mary loves old cars, and being able to see one glued to the wall of the establishment was probably enjoyment enough.

One thing I wanted to check out while we were here was this tower which I’d seen when I was down here last year.  I like to get to a high elevation and take panoramic shots of an area.  The street map showed that the Tower of the Americas was only a few blocks over then a couple blocks down.  Considering the amount of walking I do normally, I don’t consider that very far.  It was a little further than what Dad wanted to walk, so Mum would stay with him at a shaded seating area near Rivercenter Mall.

With everyone else in tow, we went down the avenue towards the tower, and passed the Casa Mexicana Gallery.  The giant stone head out front was kind of a giveaway to what might be in the building, but it was more of an art gallery than an actual museum.  I expected something more interesting with historical information.

The Tower of the Americas is surrounded by a nice plaza, known as HemisFair Park, which has a lot of seating areas and alcove spaces containing art murals.  I’d consider this as close to a zocalo as I could get.

It was only a few bucks each for us to go to the top of the 750 foot Tower.  While it was completed back in 1968 as part of the World’s Fair, the interior was current being worked on as part of some renovation project.  We were able to wander around the lower tier, which was open to the outside, and allowed us to get a good view of the city.  It wasn’t completely open, as grates were in place to keep stupid people from trying to fly, but I thought you knew what I meant.  I took my standard shots from each of the compass points.

One of the things my family has a habit of doing is taking candid’s of each other doing weird things (like taking pictures of people taking pictures).  As we got all lined up so Sue could take our picture, I cradled by camera in my hand, and hoped I had aimed it in the correct direction.  I had my flash turned off, and figured there was enough light for my 400 speed film to capture the image.  As you can see, that worked out pretty well.

After spending some time in the Tower, we came back down to the plaza below.  While we were wandering around checking out the artwork placed around the area, we stumbled upon a wedding party who were having their pictures taken.  We remained unobtrusive as possible, but had to admit these were some perfect backdrops for shots.  I liked the waterfall which cascaded down some bricks arranged in a step pattern.  That was a nice artsy image to start with, but to use that as a focal point for a portrait, that’s awesome.

We regrouped back at Rivercenter Mall, as it was nearing the time to leave San Antonio.  We knew we were going to run into some of the afternoon traffic as we neared Austin, but to leave any later meant we’d hit more of it here.  Better to take the lesser of the evils.  We timed out trip back pretty good, but the traffic was starting to build on Interstate 35 (as it does every day between 4 and 7 pm).  The construction which was currently going on wasn’t helping matters any.

A quick check of the MapCo book gave me an idea.  We turned off to go west on Slaughter Lane, which would bring us to Mopac south of Unisys.  The traffic on that side was only going to be slightly better.  There was an Applebee’s near there which provided the perfect to have an early dinner, and wait out the congestion.  That was a better use of our time.  Once things had lightened up, we cruised back to the hotel, where we could take advantage of the pool for the remainder of the evening.

For current information on the places visited or mentioned:

San Antonio:  http://www.sanantonio.gov/

Rivercenter Mall:  http://www.shoprivercenter.com/

Torch of Friendship Statue:  http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2F09

Alamo:  http://www.thealamo.org/main/index.php

Riverwalk:  http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/

Hard Rock Café (San Antonio):  http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=106&MIBEnumID=3

Tower of the Americas:  http://www.toweroftheamericas.com/

HemisFair Park:  http://www.hemisfair.org/

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Mansfield Dam & The Mystery Lighthouse -- Dave's Family Visits the Austin Area – March 2003 (Part Two)

The first thing we did was invade my house.  The other occupants thought I’d be gone the entire day, so I’m sure we surprised Rob when we came barreling in the door.  Rob then quickly grabbed his bowl of cereal and removed his bathroom-clad person to his room.  We took enough time to loiter at the house so the family could get the nickel tour.  My parents had seen pictures of the house, but it was nice for them to see my abode in person.

With the house located off of Anderson Mill Road, it was pretty simple for us to pick up Route 620 and head west towards our first destination.  The section of 620 we were on was pretty sparse, as there were only a few some housing complexes from here to intersection known as Four Points.  Mary did notice the driving range, and wanted to be able to get a round of golf in while she was here.  She’s got a collapsible golf club which she brought with her.  Past the intersection which makes up Four Points, we continued west into a more affluent section (known as Lakeway).  With the rolling hills, and expensive-looking lake-front houses, this reminded us of sections of Lake George back in the Adirondacks.

We passed the massive Mansfield Dam, but a quick turn to a side road brought us to the parking area overlooking the structure.  It was a nice high elevation everyone could use to get a view of the Texas hill country.  The sun was warm and beautiful this day, and we all had to get out and soak it up.  As I’d been here for a short time, I’d adapted to the nice weather.  Everyone else was enjoying the warmth, but if they were still in New York they’d be bundled up in their winter coats right now.

Mary produced a beer from a cooler she’d stashed in the car.  I did let her know this was a public area, and there was a park and boat launch area nearby, so she should keep the can out of site.  While I didn’t see any signs that said anything, there may be ordinances about open containers here.  Mary then proceeded to pour it into a water bottle for camouflage.  Funny how I’m the one who’s acting like the responsible adult here.

Mansfield Dam was completed in 1942, as a series of dams built as part of the way to control the flooding of the Colorado River.  This created an area behind it known as the Highland Lakes.  What we were looking at was Lake Travis.  To my knowledge, there weren’t any houses or other structures left here when the lake was allowed to form behind the dam (unlike Sacandaga Lake back in New York State, where you can see still the church steeple when snorkeling there).  When we looked at the water behind the dam, and then how big the valley was downstream, it gave a good idea of what the area probably looked like before the dam was constructed.

I did mention to the family that I’d driven over here a few months back, and the spillways were open.  That was a pretty interesting sight to see the mist created by gallons of water flowing over the dam, and crashing down far below the bridge (which winds its way in front of it).

A gate was blocking access to the top of the dam, for safety and security reasons.  When the dam was first constructed, the main road went across the top of it, but traffic congestion forced the construction of the bridge that loops around the front of it.  In the center of the parking area where we were was a small hill with a single tree on.  While there were a few other trees here and there, this was the highest elevation point we could reach.  We could see all the houses along the shore, most of which are private residences.

Looking past the Dam (in the direct which we’d driven to get here), we could see there was a marina in one of the inlets.  As it was close to where the road was, we figured it we back-tracked a little, we might be able to get to it.

But something else attracted our attention.  Towering over the house-filled hills was a large lighthouse.  There’s not much navigating which would need to be done on a confirmed lake area, so we doubted it was a real lighthouse.  We figured it had to be a private residence, so it was interesting enough for us to get closer to it.  We drove down a few roads here and there, which brought us to the entrances to gated communities (that we didn’t have access to).  There was no way to get close to the thing, but it then occurred to me what it was.  It was a water tower painted to look like a lighthouse.  That was a pretty clever way to blend it into the surroundings.

Our next objective was to get the marina.  We went back along 620 a little bit, and I didn’t see any roads that matched what was on my MapCo book.  As the boat launch was on the side of the Dam we’d just left, it made sense there were no roads down to this inlet.  But if people were going to park their boats here, then there had to be a way to reach it.  I had Bruce pull into a church, which faced over the lake.  We might be able to find a footpath going down.  We didn’t find one, but the family enjoyed the exterior design of the church at least.  Some of the trees on the hillside obstructed the view of the marina.  If there was a way to get to docks, then it was inside a gated community.  A sign mentioned this was the Marshall Ford Marina.  Marshall Ford was also the original name of Mansfield Dam.

From there, I decided to give them a whirlwind tour of the layout of the Austin area.  We backtracked to Four Points, and got lunch at a Subway.  It’s amazing that adults wanted to into the liquor store next door and grab stuff this early in the day.  I pointed out we can get that closer when we return to the hotel.  So once my charges were packed back into the car, we picked up Route 2222 (so we’d go down one of the most extreme hills in Austin), and then went south on 360.  Yeah, this was the same drive I took to work, and the family wanted to see my place of employment.  Not too far after turning onto 360, we crossed a section of the Colorado River.  We went over the Pennybacker Bridge we went over had a similar design to the Twin Bridges (just north of Albany, NY).  This section of Austin was still hilly, but we had enough elevation so the family could see how far that terrain continued to extend.  This area was known as West Lake Hills.

Soon we arrived at my work.  A one-story brick building really wasn’t much to look at, but it was nice to show the family the place where I was busy making money.  Unisys is a technical support company that takes contracts from various businesses or entities.  I work on the Homeland Security (TSA) account, doing password resets for drones at the Pentagon, and walking airport security people how to reboot the screening machines.  From seeing how much the people charged with protecting the safety of our country are complete and total morons, is it any wonder I drink when I get home from work?

There really wasn’t much to see in the area, so we hopped on Mopac and shot northward.  As we crossed Town Lake (which technically is another section of the Colorado River), it allowed the family to get a nice view of the Austin skyline.  Continuing on, we passed the military installation of Camp Mabry.  There’s a military forces museum there I saw a sign for, and suggested that as a stopping point.  With the tension building in Iraq right now, that was not something the group wanted to see, so we continued north on Mopac, and then went past 183 exchange.  We all waved at the hotel as we breezed by.  Not too far from there, I pointed out National Instruments.  I did a short temp gig there, and really enjoyed the place, so I hoped in the future I could work there.

Mopac (which is owes its name to the “Missouri-Pacific Railway”) is also known as Loop 1.  But as with most of the roads in Austin, there’s another name, especially when a new road is built to connect to an existing road.  Also, the routes have different names in front of the numbers (thus slightly varying signs).  620 is technically “RM 620” (for “Ranch to Market Road”), some others start with “FM” (for “Farm to Market”), and some don’t even have letter designations.  So I’m not trying to be repetitive when I keep saying “route” here, but that was the easier way to refer to the roads.

At one point Mopac became Route 1325.  I don’t think I saw any signs changing, but we didn’t think anything different of the two-lane divided highway becoming a regular two lane road.  Next thing we knew the road we were on had brought us almost to the front door of a business.  It looked like Dell.  After a consultation with the MapCo book, I quickly figured that we’d ended up in Round Rock.  A couple of quick right turns got us on to Interstate 35, which we took south until came to it’s exchange with 183.  A few more turns took us down Burnet Road, and then Braker, which brought us back to the hotel.  Can you say that was a pretty roundabout way to get back?

We loitered at the pool for a little bit to cool off after being in the car most of the day.  We opted for the early dinner, and were told where a Fuddruckers was (as that was a burger chain the family liked).  I hadn’t eaten at one before, so it was fine by me.  The closest location was nearby on Anderson Lane.  We consumed mass quantities of burgers, fries, and milkshakes.  I found the food to be okay, but it really wasn’t that impressed by it.  It was food, and I was hungry, so I was good.  I also made sure to take the family over to corner store so they could obtain some cold brew.  Priorities, people.  Secure food first, then booze.  Now my friends see where I get this from.

For current information on the places visited or mentioned:

            Mansfield Dam:  http://www.lcra.org/water/dams/mansfield.html

            Sacandaga Reservoir:  http://www.edinburgny.com/ReservoirHistory.html

            Marshall Ford Marina:  http://www.marinequest.net/marshallford/

            Pennybacker Bridge:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennybacker_Bridge

            Twin Bridges (Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaddeus_Kosciusko_Bridge

            Camp Mabry:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Mabry

            ###  30  ###

Dave's Family Visits the Austin Area – March 2003 (Part One: The Arrival)

I’d been living in Texas for about six months when my parents decided they wanted to come down and visit.  It sounded like it would be fun.  Since I was still exploring the area to see what there was here, we could all do that together.  I made the arrangements to take the time off from work so I could give them my undivided attention, then Mum let me know of an alteration to the plan.  She let me know they’d mentioned to Uncle Bruce & Aunt Sue, and they wanted to come along.

Hell, the more the merrier, I thought.  Since it was going to more than what fit in my Sunfire, they could share the car rental cost.  Bruce had reserved a respectable-sized SUV.  A few days later Mum let me know that Aunt Mary wanted to tagalong also.  Sounds good to me.  Arrangements were made for them to all get the same flight together, and a series of rooms were secured at the Springhill Suites (overlooking the Mopac Expressway, near where Braker Lane crosses it).

Then I was informed my Uncle Earl also wanted in on this trip, but he’d made his own plans to get here.  Okay, Earl’s always been the lone traveler, so I knew this would be interesting.  Earl liked to travel by bus, as he said he got to meet the most interest people that way.  That’s true, but I find you meet the scariest people at the bus station.  As Earl already had plans to see some people in the center part of the country, he’d just take a bus from there and meet us in Austin.  Everyone else was coming in by plane, but Earl would still be arriving the same day, just later towards the evening.  Fortunately this was not the week of South By Southwest (one of major times where Austin goes completely crazy and every available space is booked), so Earl was able to get a room at the same hotel as the others.

Here was the plan.  Each morning I’d drive over to the hotel, park my car there, and meet the family as they were having breakfast.  I’d be their guide as we traveled around Austin, and the surrounding area.  I offered to drive, too, but Bruce said he preferred to do so.  I did state the point that it’s harder for him to enjoy the scenery if you have to keep your eyes on the road.  Bruce countered, noting by being a navigator, it would be my job to make sure I knew where we were going.  Well, can’t argue with that bit of logic.  I’d only scratched the surface of the area so far, and my driving had been limited for the most part to interview locations, and a few of the major routes.  Having the trusty MapCo book handy, and the ability to study it as we went along, should ensure a smooth trip.

DAY ONE (Thursday, 13 March 2003):  ARRIVAL OF THE CLAN

When flying from Albany to Austin, there’s always going to be a layover, and you’ll spend a large portion of a day just in the travel.  My family was smart about making the arrangements, as they’d planned it so they’d arrive about noon.  I tried not to think about what unnatural hour they had to get up at to make their flight.  Okay, I was still at work when they came in, so I couldn’t meet them at the airport.  That also meant they’d have to drive across Austin themselves, and find their way to the hotel.  Weeks earlier when Mum told me where the rooms were booked, I drove down to the area so I could find where exactly it was, and provide information on the necessary landmarks.

I’d given them directions on how to get there, but that section of northwest Austin could be potentially confusing (because it’s where Mopac and Route 183 cross each other, and Route 360 springs out from that mass).  Part of the information I mentioned was the street the hotel was on Stonelake Blvd appears to end at Braker, only to extend a little farther a distance down from the intersection.  It was so much a separate street that I don’t know why it didn’t have a different name to begin with.  Because I’d taken the wrong turns and spent the time figuring that shit out meant they didn’t have to.

Being of Scottish descent, our family traces back to some of the Highland Clans.  Growing up in an area in northern New York State with people of similar descent, we don’t think anything about commenting about our ancestry.  So when I was at work and mentioned that I’d be spending the week “with the clan,” I got a lot of bizarre looks from people.  It took me a moment to realize they thought I’d said “with the Klan.”  Quickly realizing the different meaning (and Southern connotation) of my common-use word, I explained this was “kilts, not white sheets.”  Once that was done, my co-workers got a good laugh about it.

Where I worked (a call-center called Unisys) was located on the southwest side of Austin, and I lived on the northwest side (and didn’t enjoy that 30-50 minute commute).  The airport was located on the southeast side of the city, so I knew my family would enjoy the high-speed highway drive to get to their hotel (insert sarcasm here).  After work, I drove up to meet them, and see how well they found it.

Mum let me know the first set of directions I’d given was confusing because of all the roads criss-crossing one another, but the alternate set was useful.  She also said they were thrown off a bit by the frontage road concept.  For example, I’d said “take the Braker exit off 183, go right (by the Boston Market), and then after two stop lights, look for Stonelake on the left (by the Burger King).”  When they exited 183 on to the frontage road, they thought they were then on Braker, not realizing the frontage road was considered part of the route they were on.  They figured that once the first intersection and saw the crossing road was different than what they thought they were on.  See, there’s wisdom in providing physical landmarks to know what to turn by.  Many times those are far easier to spot than a street sign.

After they’d unpacked and gotten settled in, Sue had already noted there was a bar next door (called Sam’s Boat) that she wanted to wander over and check out.  I never realized my aunt was such a lush.  There’d be time enough for that, but first five hungry jet-lagged adults needed food.  I opted for the easy location and known menu, so we went back down Braker to the aforementioned Boston Market.  It’s pretty cheap and filling, and will be enough to carry them through the night.

Once we ate, it was about time work our way down to the bus station to await Earl’s arrival.  I’d never been to the Greyhound depot in Austin, as I’d never had any reason to do so.  It was fairly easy to get to, due to its proximity to Highland Mall.  I’ve never seen a bus station that looked nice, and I truly believe they’re purposely placed in the scariest parts of the city.  (Perhaps the bus station is placed in a nice area, and later becomes scary due to the elements it attracts?)

Earl’s bus arrived on time, and as soon as he came out he was asking where was a place he could get a good piece of catfish.  Everyone looked at me.  Hell if I know, most of the food I eat from the water is tuna and lobster.  Since everyone had spent the day in transit, the best plan would be to put everyone to bed, so we could get a nice early start the next morning.  Considering I tended to rise pretty early in the morning, I could be shower at home and at the hotel by the time they were still having breakfast.  When you have a limited amount of time at a location, it’s best to use it as wisely as possible.

For current information on the places visited or mentioned:

            Austin (TX):  http://www.austintexas.org/

            SXSW (South By South West):  http://sxsw.com/

            Sam’s Boat:  http://www.samsboat.com/home.html

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