Keep Austin Weird! (Part One)

Nolan turned 18 MONTHS this week, but first we need to recap our recent trip to Austin, Texas! I took so many photos that this trip will be split into 2 posts :)

This vacation marked Nolan's first plane ride! We flew out of Philadelphia around 10am to Atlanta (about 2 hours) then a second leg to Austin (another 2 hours). We got to Philadelphia nice and early, checked our bag, and let Nolan run around in their awesome playground made by the Please Touch Museum! After much deliberation, we decided to use our good stroller (City Mini GT) and gate check it with a padded bag for protection and to rent a car seat in Austin rather than bring ours. Our house rental also provided a pack n play so we didn't need to bring ours.

Philly airport play area - So Cute!

Future Air Traffic Controller??

Nolan did amazing flying and we got many comments from fellow passengers on how good he was. The first leg he was awake the entire time and we utilized most of our stockpile of new toys I bought before our trip. His favorite things were probably his new truck, his old standby favorite book "Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you see?" with slide and find panels, and a plastic soap dish that he could open and shut to put smaller things inside (we used a pack of gum). He also got to try his first lollipops as a treat to keep him occupied. He liked the dum dums, but it made a huge sticky mess for all of us so in retrospect it probably wasn't the best idea :) He got a bit fussy towards the end, which was his naptime. He fell asleep literally as we landed then woke up as we were deboarding. 

First Flight! Looking out the window

We had a short layover in Atlanta and had to switch terminals so we had just enough time to grab some lunch (which we ate after we boarded early) and let Nolan run around our gate a little. Nolan was so tired that he fell asleep as we took off and only woke up with about 20 minutes or so left. This leg was much easier :)

Second Flight - Passed out after takeoff.

Relieved parents!

Pretend sleeping

We got into Austin around 3:30pm, picked up our rental car, and drove to our rental home, which was located in the Zilker Park region of the city. After we got our bearings a bit, we headed out to grab some dinner. We picked Chuy's, which was around the corner and known for its great Tex Mex. Yes, it is a small chain (which we generally avoid), but started in Austin and we have none near us. We were starving after our LONG day of traveling with a toddler, and the food hit the spot. We loved the kitschy vibe of the place (which will be a recurring theme in Austin). We made a quick stop at the local grocery store (H.E.B.) to pick up essentials such as milk/etc then called it a night.

Chuy's Decor - Austin, TX

Day Two in Austin:

Our first full day in Austin started with a quick breakfast in our rental before heading out to Zilker Park - only about 3 minutes away! We drove around the park to get a lay of the land and saw all the preparations being done for the upcoming Austin City Limits Festival, which was due to start right after we leave. We decided to hit up the major attractions in the park - the Barton Springs Pool, Playground, and Zilker Zephyr train.

Although it was HOT in Austin, not many people were swimming in the pool (maybe since we were there during working hours on a Friday?). The pool is fed by the Colorado river and is gigantic! It didn't look very kid friendly as the bottom was rocks and not many shallow areas so we decided to skip actually swimming and just people watch for a bit. The river is also 65 degrees year round since it is spring fed.

Barton Springs Pool

One end of the pool with a nice view of the Austin City Skyline

Hanging out in the picnic area overlooking the pool

These birds were everywhere - They are Grackles

After a snack break, we walked over to the big playground area in the park. Nolan had a blast and knowing how close we were staying, we knew we'd be back for repeat visits during our trip! Nolan favorites were the swings and stairs :)

Happy Boy!

The swing man!

Up and down the stairs

Playing some music

After Nolan was a sweaty mess from running around, we strolled over to the Zilker Zephyr train to catch a breeze while getting a nice tour of the park and surrounding river. Nolan was very quiet and contemplative during the short trip, but we're pretty sure he enjoyed himself :)

The Zilker Zephyr!

Getting ready for the ride!

Exploring the train

Caught a smile on mommy's lap!

Checking everything out mid-ride

Pretty scenery

The train went under this bridge and through some tunnels! A fun trip!

After the park, we loaded back up in the car and Nolan fell instantly asleep. Joe and I took advantage and decided to drive around downtown Austin. After letting Nolan sleep a bit, we decided to grab some lunch near the University of Texas Campus at Torchy's Taco's. This place was delicious! They had a really fun menu with choices such as the "Trailer Park"which was fried chicken tacos that could be ordered "Trashy style" with queso (Joe got this and loved it). Other fun menu items we tried were chorizo tacos and fried avocado tacos. Everything was really good!

After lunch, we decided to walk some of the calories off by walking around the University of Texas Campus. It was a pretty campus (and big!) and we got some fun photos there. Nolan loved being able to run around some of the open spaces.

UT Austin

Hook 'em Horns

With mommy and a moody sky

What's THAT?

Campus scenes

Walking down the "mall" - reminded us of Old Main

View of the capital from campus

We rounded off the day with a stop at the flagship Whole Foods Store (which was huge and awesome!) where we picked up some yummy food (and a Shiner variety pack!) to bring back to the rental for dinner. Everyone slept well from this long day!

Day 3: 

We started off Day 3 in Austin with some breakfast out at the Magnolia Cafe located on the famous South Congress St (referred to locally as SoCo) - which is a REALLY cool strip of hip/funky restaurants and shops. The Magnolia Cafe was delicious and kept both the kitschy and Tex Mex theme going!

Magnolia Cafe and flowers

We again decided to walk some calories off by taking in the scenes of SoCo after breakfast. I loved the cool vintage signs and may use some of the photos as decoration for our new master bedroom :)

SoCo at a glance!

Accurate portrayal

Food trailers (and picnic tables) abound!

This day was HOT and HUMID so we were all dying after this stroll and headed back quickly to our air conditioned rental where we took a much needed nap/rest. After a quick lunch of some yummy bread and cheese purchased at Whole Foods, we headed back out to downtown Austin to check out the Pecan Street Festival on famous 6th street Austin (picture 5 straight blocks of side-by-side restaurants/bars with lots of outdoor seating/decks). Of course, as soon as we parked our car and stepped outside a torrential downpour started causing us to take cover under a hotel overhang for about 5-10minutes.

After the cost was clear (and thankfully the temperature/humidity dropped to a more comforable range), we walked around the festival for awhile (I have no photos due to fear of getting my camera wet) then decided to head down to the South Congress Bridge where the famous Austin Bats come out in droves every night from March-November around dusk. We got to the bridge around 6pm and waited a bit as more and more people started showing up. After about an hour I walked over to a vender selling water and asked when the bats have been making their appearance lately. After being told "around 8:30pm" we decided to throw in the towel and get our tired boy some food and sleep. Luckily, we used our waiting time to get some nice photos at least!

South Congress Bridge pre-bats

A good bat viewing area - under the bridge vantage point

Luckily this kid loves his stroller!

Cutie!

Playing around

Where are these BATS?!

I like exploring!

gotta stay hydrated!

We got Nolan home, gave him some food, and while Joe put him to bed I did some quick research for our own dinner and found a nearby food truck that had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives - Luke's Inside Out, which was delicious and featured fun foods like Banh Mi's and Rabbit Korean BBQ! It was fun to enjoy this at home along with Texas's own Shiner Beer to cap off the night!

Stay tuned for the 2nd half of our trip!