Our SXSW photo journal from Austin, TX + a mini city guide!

It’s been a busy few weeks here…it seems like we’re always saying that, but maybe that’s a good thing.  If we were to slow down, we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves. We see this a lot with our parents, who are always on the go.  They’re at that age where they could have retired a few years ago, but something in them just wants to stay busy, wants to work, and keep their days full.  We never fully understood it until this last year. We would always tell them they should take a break and relax, but we see now that there has always been a drive and energy in them to explore new things, push themselves to new limits, and see what they can handle. The excitement and spirit that comes along with always being on the go has definitely been passed on to us.  Earlier this month we found ourselves in Austin, TX, experiencing the city for the first time, during SXSW with the Sperry crew.  We had been wanting to visit for quite some time now and to see the city alive during this festival was truly something else.  We visited Dallas briefly on our road trip back in September, but Austin was a whole different kind of animal. Everywhere we turned there were food trucks, people in the streets, and music coming from every building we passed. The city was alive and we loved it.

We were in town for five days and shared the most incredible house with some friends. If we were ever to use the term, “we had a ball”, this trip would be the time to use it. Each day we all wandered the city on the hunt for the best restaurants and coffee shops, hit up some great vintage boutiques, and found ourselves dancing late into the night at some SXSW performances. They were the kind of nights where you just had to let yourself go, dance like a fool, eat a lot of junk food, and not care about how silly it all was. We ended most evenings grabbing some food to-go at a local food truck and brought it back to the house, where we all chatted in the living room till all hours of the morning. It felt so reminiscent of when we lived in New York…going to shows in the city, and ending each night by picking up some chicken and rice from The Halal Guys on the street corner.

It’s really amazing when you just “click” with people and can talk and laugh like you’ve known one another for years. We couldn’t have felt more grateful to be with such an amazing group.  We met Denny a few months back on our visit to Grand Rapids, and were so excited to finally meet his wife, bond over married life, and what living back east was like. We met Vincent and Isabel for the first time on this trip and instantly felt like we were old friends. Each night the hours got away from us… sharing meals, stories about high school, our families, and even some strange Disney movie theories. To say we miss them all would be an understatement, and we’re already looking forward to planning another trip together real soon.

One of our favorite things to do when we visit any new city is to live like the locals do. We got so many great recommendations and discovered some pretty awesome places while we were there.  If you find yourself in Austin, here are some places you should check out…

FOOD
Torchy’s Tacos – This place definitely lived up to all the hype! I mean the President even ate there just days before we did, so we knew it had to be good. We embarrassingly ate here twice while in Austin and it was SO good. Our favorites were the baja shrimp and the trailer park.
Josephine House – We stopped here for brunch before catching our flight back home.  It’s a little on the pricey side, but everything was super fresh and tasty.
Dolce Neve – Refreshing treats — try the strawberry sorbet or the oatmeal cookie ice-cream sandwich.
Easy Tiger – Great for beer, sandwiches, pretzels and people watching on the patio.
Homeslice – Such good pizza! Definitely the closest to “NY style” we’ve had since moving.
South Congress Cafe – If you get the huevos rancheros make sure you also get lots of water! (so spicy, so good!)

SHOPPING
Esby – thoughtfully curated women’s apparel, well made, quality goods made in the USA!
Uncommon Objects – Fun and unique objects perfect for filling any shelf or end table in your home — they also had a great selection vintage postcards.
East Austin Succulents – We fall pretty hard for any succulent or plant nursery, but this place is definitely worth checking out.
Bricolage – Pretty floral arrangements and a beautifully designed space.  The owner was so sweet and welcoming.
Paper + Craft Pantry – This cute little shop was next to Bricolage. We picked up an embroidered piece to add to the gallery wall we’re working on at home.  They had a ton of great prints and stationery.

SIGHTSEEING
Barton Springs Pool – A beautiful swimming pool created from underground historic springs. It was a great spot for us to relax a bit and people watch.
Mount Bonnell – A few of us headed here after dinner one night to catch the sunset.  The view of the city was gorgeous and although it was a bit crowded with tourists, like ourselves, it felt so serene and calm.

Check out some more of our travel posts here.

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