Postby mudshark » 25 Sep 2023, 16:20
Hadn't been in Austin for several years (apart from a quick 'in & out' to watch Dweezil play in the Paramount in 2020, just before 'the great lockdown'). My word, how the place has changed over the past 10 years or so! The vast number of apartment blocks that are sprouting up, especially near the river, is of Floridian proportions, with the difference that, instead of geriatrics, mainly young whippersnappers seem to be moving in. From a sleepy hippie enclave the place has evolved (?) to become the vibrant center of yuppiedom. California in the Hill Country. The wife and I were by far the oldest patrons in the three or four places we ate and drank. It's only a 2.5 hour ride from Tomball, but the feel of in Austin is completely 'un-Texan'. I didn't know how much place had changed. We brought along the kids that still live with us (aged 35, 33 and 18) and now they have no greater desire than to move to Austin. I'll gladly lend them some money to help them on their merry way. The perfect win-win situation. I also didn't know that the Austin-Burnet-Austin train ride is completely run by volunteers and that it's quite a quaint experience. Another thing I learned: The Van Zandt Hotel (where we stayed) is named after Isaac Van Zandt, a politician and great-grandfather of the mighty Townes. I was hoping for some sort of connection between the hotel and greatest singer-songwriter Texas has ever known, but no sirree Bob. The closest the place gets to "country" is a picture of Uncle Willie in the elevator lobby of the fourth floor. I was slightly disappointed. Fucking Yuppies.
There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over
