Very first thing I noticed. QR code stickers and graffiti are everywhere!
The highway system isn't as bad as it's told, but traffic is still pretty terrible. Everything is relatively close together, but the highways don't always make it a quick trip.
Just crawling along for most of the day, and it's even worse off the highways.
That's probably why Austin is such a bicycle-focused city. There are bikers and bike shops everywhere. That doesn't mean it's safe though.
It's called a Ghost Bike. They are put up when a cyclist loses his life in a traffic accident, often when the vehicle driver isn't found.
Most of the time here I've spent hanging with my friends from college who emigrated over the last couple of years. That means Dungeons and Dragons, which I didn't get any photos of because if you've seen one game you've seen them all. I was also introduced to a new tabletop game called "Paranoia". It's pretty interesting, because the first rule is that knowing the rules is against the rules.
A bunch of geeks and nerds sitting around a table, painted figurines, maps, paper, and dice, and books.
There's a few things that I've seen around town that have pretty much cinched it for me as a possible place I'd like to live. Firstly,
Austin has a sense of humor. I like that in a city.
Secondly,
Torchys Tacos. The very best taco joint I have ever eaten at. The three tacos in the picture you see are The Libertarian (deep-fried jalepeno sausage), The Democrat (slow-roasted barbacoa), and The Crossroads (Smoked beef brisket). All so very good, and suited perfectly to real Dublin Dr. Pepper.
I haven't gone to many events yet, but I'm going to hit up a concert or two this weekend. You might as well when you're in the live music capital of the world!
As for the change in plans, I've been on the road for close to three weeks now. I've seen some friends I haven't seen in a long time, and I've had a lot of time to myself to think. When I left Houston, I left someone that I've spent the better part of the last seven years of my life with. I'd say that I'm homesick, but it's not for a place, it's for a person.
As such, I'm going to be changing up my schedule a bit. I'm heading to Buffalo on Sunday to see family and enjoy the last of memorial day weekend, then I'm heading back to Houston until I head to LA for the Electronic Entertainment Expo. After that, I'll return to Houston again. I'll still make road trips out to see the world, but I like having a home to come back to.