Our day began with many failed attempts to leave New Orleans. First, there was road construction blocking I-10 West. Next, a tractor trailer flipped over in front of the next on ramp. We had to drive an extra 10 miles or so just to get on the highway out.
After about an hour of driving, we stopped in Baton Rouge at a place called Chimes East for an early lunch. I had a crab and shrimp etoufee and Vasi had shrimp and corn soup and a salmon caesar salad. Both were very delicious. The restaurant had an extensive beer menu from around the world, but I couldn't try any because of the long drive ahead.
We drove through the swamps and bayous of Louisiana to finally get to our hotel in Austin. We stayed at the W hotel and, thanks to Priceline, it was extremely cheap. I recommend using name your own price anytime you can, it saved me hundreds of dollars this trip. After admiring our room's decor and changing our clothes, we ventured into downtown Austin.
We ended up at a nice bar with a decent blues band. We had a few drinks while sitting on a comfy couch and listened to the music. After the band was done, the loud house music started so we decided to find another bar. Our friends Susi and Peter suggested we check out live music at a bar called The Parish, so we walked down the block and we were there. It was also "Free Week" in Austin, so no bar or music event had cover charges. *Borat* Very nice! We saw a band called Frontier Brothers play. They were good, very pop, and entertaining. We headed back to the hotel after the music was over and went to sleep.
Day 5:
What a day... We decided to get barbecue for an early lunch so we packed up the car and headed to the Salt Lick. We got pulled over on the way because, apparently, I was going faster than everyone else. I think it was more that I had out of town plates but we'll never know. The only thing that would cheer me up was more bad decisions. At the Salt Lick, I ate 4 different types of animal: pig, chicken, turkey, and cow. It was quite a treat. I try to only eat meat when I'm in Austin because the barbecue is exceptional. After lunch, we headed to Lake Travis and took pictures of scenery for a couple of hours. We left when the park ranger told us the park was closing.
We knew we were gonna meet up with Susi and Peter but we didn't know where they lived or when we were getting together. So, we headed to South Congress to pass the time till we found out more info. We walked around an antique store first and then headed to an outdoor bar with a very old blues/zydeco band playing. We ordered margaritas and watched the old men enjoy playing music. Vasi wished that I was in a fun band when I was their age. I told her that I hoped I played better than they did, but she didn't appreciate the sentiment. Eventually, we got the info and were off to Peter's house.
After eating, we went to see live music at an outdoor venue in the Red River district. Peter's boss was the singer/guitarist of the first band, My Golden Calf. Definitely my favorite band of the night. Another band played but they were way to dissident and loud for my tastes. Mother Flacon, an 18 piece orchestral rock group, was the final band. After setting up for 45 minutes, it was was only fitting that it started to pour right before they started playing. I wasn't too terribly impressed with their music but everyone else around was really into it. To each his own.
We headed back to the house where Peter and Susi gave up their bed for us while they slept in a tent on the living room floor. Thank you again to you both! That was so gracious and kind. You two are the best!
Day 6:
Lots of Driving!!! We ate breakfast in Austin before heading we on I-10....all day. Not much to say here. We just put the pedal to the metal and rocked the 80 mph daytime speed limit for as long as we could. We're staying in Las Cruces, NM, a small city about 30 miles north of El Paso, TX. We took some great pics that I'll put up when I get to Oakland. I seriously am exhausted and my mind can't handle editing photos at the moment.
We're driving 10 hours tomorrow to get to Palm Springs California. Priceline got us a very nice cheap hotel. But I need to go to bed now. Until next time, we love you all!
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