audiences in austin are like that weird friend who always brings extra tequila

i just woke up to the sound of a琴 in the distance which i assume is either a street musician or a very determined pigeon. it’s 6:47 am and my soul is already 70% caffeine. the weather here is this weird 15.95 degrees celsius thing which is basically a fridge that’s trying to be friendly. i hope you like that kind of thing. i checked. it’s there right now. outside. probably on a bench. maybe dressed in a suds covered t-shirt. who knows?

sometimes i wonder if the locals are judging me for not owning a denver gaults jersey. or maybe they’re just too busy trying to outrun the heat that’s somehow cooler than last week. the pressure here is 1018 hpa which i think is like the atmosphere saying ‘please don’t panic’ in a very official way. the humidity is 65% which is just the sky breathing on me. it’s not bad. it’s not great. it’s just… there. like a friend who shows up to a party with a cooler of lukewarm soda but no one asks for more.

if you get bored, austin is just a short drive away from the hill country. which is like a drive where you might see a cow or a very confused hiker. i heard that someone told me that the diner on hamilton street serves the best pie in town. i don’t know if that’s true but i’d bet my last dollar on it. i also heard that the coffee shop on 6th street has the worst latte art. but maybe that’s a good thing? maybe it means they’re not trying too hard. or maybe they’re just lazy. who knows?

i passed a boardwalk near the river and saw a guy selling handmade tattoos. i think he was using a marker and a coupon for a free coffee. it was both amazing and terrifying. i also saw a woman in a hoodie arguing with a seagull. i don’t know what the seagull was saying but i imagine it was something like ‘i need a sandwich’ and the human was like ‘no, buddy, this is a park.’

someone told me that the best way to get around is by bike. i tried it once and ended up in a ditch. but maybe that’s the point. maybe austin doesn’t care about your efficiency. it just wants you to feel the dirt under your tires. i also heard that the locals swear by the tacos at el palatinque. i haven’t tried them yet but i’m gonna go there tomorrow. maybe. if i don’t feel like my soul is already 80% exhausted.

i saw a flyer for a local band playing at a bar called the violet room. i don’t know if they’re real or if it’s a prank. the username on the board was @austinmusic. i think that’s a real thing. i also saw a review on yelp that said the view from the rooftop here is ‘overrated but still worth it.’ i don’t know if that’s true but i’ll take their word for it. i also checked tripadvisor and it said the hotel i’m staying at is ‘a hidden gem but maybe bring a raincoat’ which is helpful. i did bring a raincoat. it’s raining. not a lot. just enough to make the sidewalk shimmer. which i think is poetic.

i took a picture of the skyline and it looked like a bunch of glass windows shouting at each other. maybe that’s the vibe. i also found an instagram post from a traveler who said the best part of austin is the people. i don’t know if that’s true but it feels like it. i met a guy selling vintage vinyls and he was like ‘you realize this is a one-way ticket to nostalgia?’ i don’t know what nostalgia means anymore but i liked it. i also saw a plaque for a historic house and it said ‘home of the first texas governor’ which is cool. i wish i had a time machine. but i don’t. so i’ll just keep walking.

i checked the weather again and it’s still 15.95 degrees. i think that’s the universe telling me to stop overthinking. i’m gonna go get a coffee. maybe a bold one. i’m a coffee snob now. i don’t know how that happened. maybe the weather made me this way. maybe the lack of sleep. probably both. i also saw a meme about austin being the ‘city of annexed dreams’ and i laughed. it’s true. it’s a weird place but in the best way. like a dream you don’t want to wake up from.

i also found a local board on facebook about free events. it had a post about a poetry night at a bookstore. i don’t know if i’ll go but the description said ‘bring your own playlist’ which sounds like a good time. i’m gonna add that to my calendar. or maybe not. i’m bad at follow-through. i also saw a review that said the best way to experience austin is to get lost. which I think is a good piece of advice. because when you’re lost, you’re forced to talk to strangers and that’s how you find the real stuff.

the neighbors here are either really quiet or really loud. i can’t tell. sometimes i hear a tuba practice at 3 am. sometimes i hear nothing. i think the silence is scarier. or maybe it’s just my imagination. i don’t know. i’m probably sleep-deprived enough to hallucinate a tuba. or a seagull. or a taco truck that’s not there. don’t judge me.

i think i’ll end this by saying that austin is a place where you can buy a taco and a book of poetry and a map that leads to nothing. which is perfect. or maybe it’s just my head. i don’t know. but i’m gonna go sleep now. the rain is getting heavier. or maybe it’s just my ceiling fan. who knows. either way, this is a messy, human-style post. thank you for reading. or not. i’m not here to care.

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