Austin, Texas barbeque & a dance hall

The woman at the visitor center described Austin as a blue dot in a red state.  Great vibe with lots of young people, left-over hippies, cowboys and Texas legislators.  We've never seen so many cyclists in a big city.  Toured the capitol and once again were reminded how much we've forgotten from our history classes.  After our history lesson we walked 6th Street, the epicenter of the Austin music scene.  In search of a snack, we were drawn to the Jackalope, which won an award for best food in a dive bar.  We had beer and deep fried pickles.  Hey, we're in Texas, right?  We did change the demographics a bit:  no tats covering our bodies, no multiple piercings, no metal studs on our clothes. 

Visited Zilker Park's botanical gardens and 3-acre hot springs swimming pool.  We were advised no one would be swimming this time of year and why should they, it was only 93 degrees today!  Our first hint, not too subtle, of what the humidity is going to be like.

At dinner we decided this has turned into a culinary tour.  Maybe a little lower level than some might choose, but for us, it's heaven.  After deep friend pickles for lunch, what could be better than Real Texas Bar-B-Q at Rudy's in a converted garage.  They still sell gas.  We had to have Rudy's Sissy "Sause" with our heavenly smoked turkey and pulled pork.  Yum.

How should you finish up a grand Texas day like this?  In Gruene Village, settled by German immigrants, at Gruene Hall, oldest dance hall in Texas.  Not that we danced, but we listened to live music,  tapped our toes and had a great time.