Texas: 2 days in Austin

There is like no other place in the world like Austin! Just be yourself no matter how weird you thought you are, because you might just be contributing to the society in"Keeping Austin Weird"!

Day 1:The Wierd Austin

The University of Texas at Austin

If you want to take a tour to explore the UT Tower, you need to make reservations. For Long Horn fans, do check out the Long Horn hall of honour! It is a free gallery!

State Capitol
The architecture of this landmark is breathtaking. I heard that it is a little bit taller than the State Capitol in Washington. I don't know how true it is as a matter of fact but I do know that this State Capitol is more beautiful than the one back in Washington (Well that's my judgement because everything was under renovation in Washington! During my visit, there were a group of kids singing the National Anthem in the main hall. I recommend you to join a guided tour: it is free and informative. But if you want a pressure free, flexible, do-whatever-you-want self-guided (but it must be legal) tour, you are welcome to do so.

Graffitti Park

After visiting State Capitol, walk over to Castle Hills where you can bring a can of spray-paint to express yourself. If you are physically fit to climb to the top of the hill, you can have a great vista of the city! You may find this place raw, dirty, hipster but you can't deny the fact that it is one of the coolest unusual attraction that keeps Austin "Austin"! Please keep Austin Weird, don't ever de-weird this place!

Oasis

I found out about this place on Instagram and since then, determined to pay a visit. It is famous for the sunset view over Lake Travis. Parking on weekends is HARD. Try to avoid weekends if its possible.

Rudy's

When Shin pulled into a petrol station and announced that we are eating something smokin', I thought ok so this is another joke right? Stepping into Rudy's, the first impression you will get is "The worst BBQ in Texas"! No I am not being mean, they are the one who said so! Now, let me comment about the food: the Briskets were TO-DIE-FOR! Moist and flavorful. The chocolate pudding came second and then the creamed corn. All orders come with complimentary white bread. Easily ranked 1st in my Top 5 best meal I had in the US list, this is how much I loved it!

Peter Pan
Peter Pan Mini golf is the best place to end a wonderful day in Austin.
The check in was a breeze (again, they only accept cash). $4.50 each for a priceless time spent? Worth every penny! Here you can play mini golf on a fun course through many iconic statues, the most significant one would be the Peter Pan (as the name of this place might have suggested). We had a blast! (ps: if you are coming with a bunch of friends, bring your own beer and enjoy the night!)

Day 2: Weirdness continues

Colorado River Wildlife Sanctuary
When a refreshing morning walk is the only thing you need at the moment, check out this top secret recreational park located under the Montropolis bridge! The trail will eventually lead you to the Colorado river, if you bring extra clothes, go for a quick dip!

Grab a Taco and a Texas Tea @ Taco Joint

DELICIOUS! What a gem located within the UT campus! Shin told us that this place has the best Tacos in town and looks like this is widely agreed upon among UT students! That was probably the most authentic Tacos I had in my entire US trip and I am NOT exaggerating. Recommendation: Fish tacos. And a texas tea to complete the meal, you won't go wrong with any flavor. After drinking my tea I kept the cap as souvenir and it has been on my wall ever since!

A place to paddleboard

Under scorching hot sun during summer, the only thing you'll feel like doing is a dip in a spring/ pool. Barton Springs pool in South Austin is a fine choice. You can also rent kayak and paddleboard here. Other options are Big Stacy Pool and Hamilton Pool. Umlauf Sculpture Park is not far away (5 minute drive.)

Sno-beach

A "sno-beach" shaved-ice was luxury during extremely hot summer. Very thoughtful of them to prepare a few big umbrellas for waiting customers. As soon as we get our shave-ice, there were seats aplenty. Mine was a combination of 3 flavors, you can ask for recommendations at the window, they'll give you some pretty good ones. I still remember one of the combination was Sangria, Tiger Blood and wedding cake (or something?), special right? and oh, remember that they only accept cash!
Cathedral of Junk

That is probably the most creative cool stuff a person can do with rubbish! One's junk is another person's treasure. The cathedral have 2 levels and many rooms to roam around. Pretty good place for a hide and seek. To visit, you have to make an appointment, and park at St. Elmo as the "Cathedral" is located in a residential backyard . Although it is technically free to visit, tip accordingly ($10 for a group), because you know, "Creativity" doesn't grow on trees.

Walk around town.
Keep an eye for the Frost Bank Tower, designed to look like an owl face! It was especially beautiful when the building was lit up at night!

A huge Thank You to Shin (who was the absolute highlight of my trip!)
for making all these possible!

All photos above are mine.

Thank You for Reading! 

This post is based on my personal experience. 

 Feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!