Sunday, June 8, 2014
met with john. we drove to south congress for breakfast at Jo's Coffee: chicken wrap for him; 2 potato, egg, and cheese tacos for me; iced turbos (coffee) for both. as we finished eating an amazing live band began playing. dropped john at the airport. returned to the hotel, easily found parking on the street. extended my car rental. rested. drove to barton springs pool and stayed a few hours ($5 parking, $4 admission). afterwards i got a coffee popsicle and a large, unsweetened iced tea (maybe $7?). returned to south congress, got a bite to eat at tokyo robot, fusing japanese and western cuisines. the soy sauce dispenser resembles R2-D2—cute but it doesn't work perfectly and drips a lot. some seats are swing benches. decor is modern, fun, colorful. staff is very friendly, helpful, and efficient. hk-47 (pork belly) and lucky robot (chicken), unsweetened iced tea. i was offered miso and edamame but declined both. (too hot outside for soup, i don't enjoy edamame that much). browsed the few shops that remained open, including Stag and Uncommon Objects. saw my first Austin openly gay couple dining at Snack Bar, smiled. weird back-in angle street parking. south congress has many gems, but overall i was disappointed because it's such a wide, busy, and hilly street. SoCo looks like it could be a lot more charming in 5 or 10 years, though. south congress hotel is under construction, scheduled for opening in 2015. it looks like it's going to be big. returned to the hotel. couldn't find street parking to last as long as i needed, so i used valet ($25 for overnight with in and out privileges). rested a bit. it was my last night in austin so i decided i would try again to see the bats. i got to the bridge at 8:30 PM and waited with hundreds of others. while waiting I saw Dries walk by talking with someone. the bats finally emerged at exactly 9:00 PM. they flew in circles around certain points under the bridge. they were easiest and most exciting to see directly under a lamppost. afterwards i browsed nightlife near 4th and colorado but found nothing particularly interesting. stomach feeling a lttle upset, so i wasn't in the mood for alcohol. snack at frank: breakfast hash sub vegan dog ($4), iced tea ($3?). the hash was good but it's just a side, and so i was a bit surprised at the small portion, which fit in a small 8-ounce cup. only $9 after tax and tip because the bartender was far more helpful to the two women seated next to me than he was to me. made plans for tomorrow. to bed late.