After a full nights sleep in a comfy bed and showers, we were clean and energized and ready for the day. Things only got better as we entered the kitchen and saw three bowls of fresh fruit (cantelope, strawberries and, my favorite, blueberries!). This was followed by waffles (don't forget the walnut syrup, Kat says!), coffee and we got to meet her daughter, Sue, who, like her mother, was definitely fun to talk to. Next up was the farmers market which was a reminder of how green Austin is. It was quite a bit smaller than Madison's but perhaps that was because it was February. Also, since we got there rather late most of the stands were sold out. The day was pretty icky, cloudy and spitting rain, and so we decided a trip to the springs, lake and park was out and some indoor activities were in.
If the farmers market was a bit of a let down, the Whole Foods Market in Austin certainly made up for it. As the original store in the chain, it was huuuge and the fruit and veggies were beautiful! There were samples galore and Kat and I made sure to take full advantage. There was even a section in the middle of the store giving out wine samples and we must have tried about six different kinds. Fun stuff. My favorite section was the bread, super yummy, although the two kinds of ice cream cake were a close second.
As we got to the end of the store Kat saw a skin analyzer and we both had scans and a printed out analysis done for free! They use these machines in the skincare labs and were piloting a program to use them in stores around the country. Kat went first and then, while I was getting my done, another lady came up to her and asked if she wanted her makeup done. "For free and I'm probably not going to buy anything?" Kat asked. "Yeah, come on!" was the reply. A little powder, blush and eyeshadow later we were ready for our night out on the town. By experts. And for free. Sweet.
There was still some time left before the crazy night and so we headed to the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum. It was so cool! (yes, we sound like nerds here). The first thing we saw was a Gutenberg Bible which was followed by the First Photograph. Next we came to an archive of materials (journals, planning notes, letters, etc.) of a number of 21st century authors. It was pretty sweet how so many of them were interrelated. The final exhibit was a collection of everything Tennessee Williams. I had no idea how much this crazy man had done and it will certainly be interesting to come across his works in the future.
We next headed to the capitol and were met by our host for the night who works there. The guard told us that the last tour was at 4:30 and so we chatted for a bit about her work and our travels before she headed to another building for a bit and we went to the foyer for the tour. Oops, the last tour had been at 4:15. Oh well, we were getting hungry anyways. On our many trips up and down Congress street we had seen a Surf N'Turf truck that looked interesting. Kat and I do enjoy interesting and so headed down there. We pulled into the parking lot next door to see if it was open and it was. Parking said $7 but the attendant came over and when we said we were just looking at the food truck he said to just stay, no charge. The friendliness continued as we got to the truck and asked a bazillion questions about the menu and po boy vs. taco options. We ended up going with the tacos, one Mahi Mahi and the other grilled shrimp. While the place might have looked a little iffy on the outside, on the inside they were making some amazing food and we enjoyed throroughly.
Next up was a stop at Starbucks for more $1.50 coffee, wifi and power outlets. We looked over some pictures and wrote a few blogs, amusing nearby customers with our frequent laughing. The dreaded coffee bladder hit Kat while there was a long line to the single toilet. As she said, "I'm going to explode and it's going to be sad when there are pieces of me all over the place." As we were leaving Kat was hit on by a curly haired man. Perhaps it was her joyful expression after finally getting to pee? He was also traveling the country, albeit in a slightly less savory manor. Him and his friend asked for our numbers, but Kat talked him into instead giving us his number and we left.
It was time for sixth street. We'd been told it was the place where the party never stops and it was rather impressively filled with people. We wandered down and listened to a group of brass players for a bit. As we were meandering about we passes a guy advertising $1 shots and so decided to stop in. The first shots we took were a Buttery Nipple and a red one. These were followed quickly by jello shots and then tequila/butter take two. Ok, now we're ready to be crazy. Walked out the door and saw a palm reader. Sweet! Wait, who is sitting there? Yup, it was the guys from Starbucks. (more from Kat on this later!). We decided it was a sign and hung with them as we walked down the street.
After passing another street performer we saw Pete's Dueling Pianos Bar, yay! Seven dollar cover, boo. This worked out well because a few bars down was Coyote Ugly! We went in and the people and music had us smiling, relaxing and itching to dance. First up was everyone at the bar doing whiskey shots. Next up was dancing on the bar. Oh yeah! It was crazy and exciting and just incredibly awesome. Definitely something we're happy to say we've done. The afterwards was not as fun as a guy wanted to dance with Kat, but the guy we had walked in with complained and they threatened to take their disagreement outside. Kat tried to reason with the silly men, but it didn't work and so I grabbed her arm and we left. At least we got a story. The walk back to the car was full of beautiful weather, interesting people and reminiscing about the day. Awesome Austin experience.
It was time for sixth street. We'd been told it was the place where the party never stops and it was rather impressively filled with people. We wandered down and listened to a group of brass players for a bit. As we were meandering about we passes a guy advertising $1 shots and so decided to stop in. The first shots we took were a Buttery Nipple and a red one. These were followed quickly by jello shots and then tequila/butter take two. Ok, now we're ready to be crazy. Walked out the door and saw a palm reader. Sweet! Wait, who is sitting there? Yup, it was the guys from Starbucks. (more from Kat on this later!). We decided it was a sign and hung with them as we walked down the street. 
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