Dave's Travel Adventures: Downtown Austin (TX) -- Dave’s Family Visits the Austin Area

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.