A Weekend Back in Austin, Texas
Dedicated to friends and memories.
Austin, Texas. 11/08 ~ 11/12 2019
It’s been so long, trying to remember what’s left in the city I once called home. Austin, Texas, the land of the “weird,” the city with amazing live music, food, and alcohol. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and frankly, I’ve had some of the best times of my life living in Austin.
It dates back to 2016 summer, when I got admitted into The University of Texas at Austin as an external transfer student. A big win… not to say that I haven’t been living a good life prior to that, but this was one of the first times in life that I felt like I had opened multiple doors for my future; it was also a major validation of success. Looking back, that feeling was correct and attending UT has created an uptick in my life and it has shaped who I am today. I can talk about UT all day and my experiences there, but I’ll dive into that another day.
Most chapters in life come to an end, and my time calling Austin home also came to an end. I was graduating UT in the summer of 2019 and moving to NYC in August 2019. I loved Austin but I felt like I had outgrown the city and needed to try a different place to live, gain experience, and walk out of my comfort zone. What other place more exciting to start your early twenties and truly walk out of your comfort zone? NYC was all that I dreamt of once I found out I had the opportunity to live there. The city of dreams, the modern day Rome; I thought I would never look back at Austin. Oh boy, I underestimated how wrong I was. Humans are creatures of habit, and change is hard.
There was something about Austin that made it so easy to settle in and so hard to leave. Was it the southern hospitality? Was it the emotional association of a major milestone in life? Or was it all the people that I met there that allowed me to have a home away from home? Maybe it was all of it; maybe it’s the fact that we’re always infatuated with our pasts. Like I mentioned, creatures of habit we are.
With the world continuing to stay in chaos, I’ve been dreaming about the past, looking back at the times I returned to Austin. The weekend of November 8 2019 stuck out to me. This was one of “those weekends” as we used to always say. As the title suggests, this post is dedicated to that weekend and all the memories created then, to my friends, and to Austin, Texas.
November 08 2019
It began with a typical evening flight from JFK to AUS airport on a typical workday. At this point I had normalized traveling on any long weekends I had, mainly to see my girlfriend, Heather, who was still in school and living in Austin. She usually picks me up in arrivals but this time I was asked by the airline to check my luggage in order to save cabin space on the plane. She shows up at baggage claim waiting for my arrival with her Fujifilm disposable camera. “Welcome to Austin” as the sign shows… I feel like I’m back home again. Damn I really miss being here, I miss being with you all the time.
There’s something about the skyline of Austin; it’s not as magnificent as the Manhattan skyline that catches your eye every time you see it. Magnetic is what I would use to describe how the Austin skyline feels. Driving from the airport on I-35 back to our familiar West Campus, it’s nothing to be jealous of, but in the moment it’s just us, our car, and the city.
November 09 2019
Brunch is one of the elements of my perfect Saturday morning. The first time I went to Eberly was with my family back around graduation season. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious, fancy, and expensive. We decided to go there for brunch and it was wonderful. It was small though, and not enough; I was hungry. Part 2 of brunch: Tacodeli. Easily one of my favorite spots in Austin, Tacodeli has the best sauce in my opinion. Salsa Doña in particular is a must try there.
Coffee at Summer Moon, not much to be said other than: “Half Winter Moon Latte with Oat Milk.”
What’s a Saturday night without having a great time with your friends. It had been a while since I had last seen most of my closest friends. We decided to get Loro for dinner. Loro is the fusion of two of Austin’s most beloved restaurants: Franklin’s Barbecue and Uchi. Before going to Loro, we decided to take a pit stop to prepare for the night… Back at Passionate Spirits, one of the only places we know that sells Soju (iykyk) in Austin.
While waiting for our friends to show up to the restaurant, I decided to grab myself some mango sake slushies. These are so dangerously strong and delicious; don’t get them if you don’t want to have a fun night.
Seeing friends that you haven’t seen in a while is such a delightful feel. I think I’m finally understanding what Confucius felt when he said: “有朋自遠方來 不亦樂乎,” which states the happiness when having friends coming from afar. I don’t remember what we talked about at dinner. It didn’t matter; what matters is what we felt at that moment in life.
Sometimes there are those nights when all of your friends are down to get together and go out; this was one of those nights. Pictures say it all but I think the correct structure to my night out in Austin would be: West Campus pre-game -> lyft/uber while making sure your friends don’t cause “inconvenience” to the driver -> Sixth Street -> always end up at Buckshots -> food (preferably Halal Bros) -> go home and sleep. The elements were met this night and oh boy oh boy it was a fun and unforgettable night. I miss it, I really do.
November 10 2019
What’s going to Texas without some barbecue? Some would say it’s heavy while you’re hungover… well it is, but it's yummy. Terry Black’s Barbecue, one of my personal favorites often has a line but it’s usually quick and worth the wait. Brisket brisket brisket, that’s all you have to know when you order.
I personally had my boba phase when I was in elementary school in Taiwan, gained a couple of pounds from it and for the longest time my nickname was “小胖” (means “little chubby” when directly translated). I haven’t been drinking it regularly for a while but it’s always nice to have someone remind you of the joys of having dessert in the form of a drink. This was my first time trying Ding Tea and all I can say that it’s solid, would recommend if you’re looking for boba in Austin.
I currently don’t have nor have I ever had a driver’s license in my life. Growing up in Taiwan, there really wasn’t a need to drive when everything was accessible via public transportation. Maybe it’s the fact that I have never owned a car or never had the ability to go anywhere freely that makes me so fascinated with driving. Maybe that’s why travel has become so prominent in my life. Like I mentioned earlier, when we’re driving it’s just us, our car, and the city. When we’re driving I feel like we can go until the world ends…
The 360 Bridge is one of those places that most Austin locals know of. Driving here during sunset feels like you’ve escaped the city and honestly into another state like California. You wouldn’t expect Texas to look like this. Though it’s only a short moment of escape before hitting the 290 and returning back to reality, in the moment it’s just me and you against the world.
November 11 2019
Nothing much honestly happened on Monday. I had the day off but most people had to go to school. I decided to re-live what it would be like as a college student again. Walking from The Block on 23rd, getting Thai Brew from Lucky Lab, walking past UT Tower, and then chilling on McCombs 5th floor. It seemed so plain but I cherished every moment of it. Four years (in my case three at UT) really flew by fast… talk about someone who hasn’t gotten over university life.
Lunch at Ramen Tatsuya, dessert at Insomnia Cookies, and dinner at Halal Bros, a normal day in the life.
November 12 2019
It was the day to go back to New York. I decided to work remotely and catch the flight after work. For breakfast we had Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches, one of my favorite breakfast places in Austin; I’m glad that I found out about it. For lunch we decided to try out the spicy chicken sandwich from Popeyes. It was that period of time when everybody wanted to try it; really felt like ages ago when that happened.
Saying goodbyes are always hard. The same excitement that I had coming here felt like it was inverted at the moment. “Until next time” I always say; I’m happy that I got to spend time here, and I’m looking forward to the next.
“我不是歸人，是個過客……”
There are some of those days that you often keep referring back to as, “the legendaries,” “the unforgettables.” Not everything went perfectly this weekend but I would say that this weekend was perfect for me. It’s these memories I have created that makes me want to go back for good.
There isn’t ever the perfect city; there is however always a perfect city for someone. I had such a privilege calling Austin my home. Now that I’m living in New York I often look past all the imperfections of Austin and focus on the cons of New York. We often choose to remember the good and ignore the bad in our memory. That often results in us being infatuated with the past and ignoring all the great things happening in life in the present. 2020 has been a hard year and it’s hard to find positives about our current situation; it even took me a few months to finish this blog post because of my non-stop procrastination. I keep reminding myself to stop looking at the past, focus on the present and look forward to what’s coming. All that being said, I have developed so much since leaving Austin and I have created so many more connections and unforgettable memories here.
Writing this blog post has brought me down memory lane and I plan to write more about past memories. However, I am also looking forward to documenting my most precious memories yet to be created here as well. The past is great, but the future seems equally as exciting.
Austin, you have been the perfect city for me, but I think at the moment I will stay a visitor. One day I hope to call you home again.
