On MLK Jr. Day, 1/18/10, Linda had work off so she persuaded me to take off too. We'd been talking for a good while about visiting the Texas Capitol in Austin, because in spite of her native Texian roots, Linda had never been. Personally I felt that as a Texas Transplant I would not be fully nationalized until I saw it in person. And so, on Sunday 1/17, we hopped in the car and journeyed northward.
An hour and a half later, we rolled into La Quinta at 11th and San Jacinto, directly across from the Capitol. The best thing about it was the location because we could walk anywhere downtown. I was a little aggravated that valet parking is required there, but you have to weigh the pros and cons of everything. This was the view from our room looking roughly southwest.
Soon after checkin we decided we were hungry, so we asked a hotel employee where we could find food. He told us there was a Subway at roughly 10th and Congress. He lied. But we did find this sweet ride.
Now I know what they mean when they say to keep Austin weird. They want to keep this car parked here.
We did happen to find a burrito place directly across the street here. It's the orange shop in the center. The food was decent and Linda learned that mineral water is not as tasty as it sounds.
After dinner, we walked to the Capitol and did a self-guided tour.
I think I heard the other day this is the largest state capitol in the country. It's fitting.
Representatives' Chamber:
To keep this short(ish) I'll just say it was a memorable experience and I would recommend it to anybody.
After we were through, we stopped in at the visitors' center, which looks like a castle.
Linda bought a snow globe at the gift shop. She is entertaining the thought of being a snow globe collector.
We still had daylight left so we meandered downtown. My favorite landmark was St. Mary's Cathedral at 10th and Brazos.
Linda's favorite landmark was 6th Street. Just kidding.
Once daylight began to fade we returned to the hotel. We agreed we were not ready to turn in yet, so we drove up I-35 to Ikea of Round Rock.
It was quite impressive. Expansive with every type of furniture imaginable. If you've ever seen Ikea furniture before, you know it is pretty slick.
On the morning of the 18th, we had our continental breakfast (Texas-shaped waffles) and walked up to the UT Austin campus. Here, again, we were impressed with the size and style of what we found. However, it was a bit cramped for my taste and made me appreciate the expanses of Texas Tech a little more.
This is where UT students go to chill.
Fittingly, I was able to grab a shot of the MLK Jr. statue just before the camera's batteries died. And we didn't have extras.
On our way out of campus, we walked by the Church of Scientology®©™ at W. 22nd and Guadalupe. I got a kick out of seeing where the craziest of crazies gather.
We checked out of the hotel and tried to leave, but an MLK Jr. parade blocked the lot exit so we watched while we waited. I thought it was insulting that some anti-war protestors and union supporters hijacked the parade to their own ends, but in spite of these things it was neat.
We hadn't had enough of Ikea so we returned. This time we bought a dining table, folding chairs, and a DVD shelf. We learned from experience that if you would like to try the food from their cafe, it is in the rear area of the store. We couldn't find it so we just bought hot dogs from the concession stand. Of course, after we were already full, we stumbled across the dining area. We'll have to save the Swedish meatballs for next time.
At that point we were feeling a little homesick and missing the cats, so we packed the furniture in the car and zoomed home!
We are quite happy with our Ikea furniture. ☺
DVD shelf
Dining table and chairs. I know the table doesn't look like much...
...but it folds out to seat four.
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