The minute I stepped off the plane, the humid, warm Austin air pushed me back a bit. I wasn't expecting it, only because I wasn't thinking about it. It was 10:00pm and I couldn't believe how warm it still was. I am accustomed to the evenings cooling off about 20 degrees. Even in the dead of summer.
Austin Bergstrom Airport is a small airport. I had been flying with a friend, and was surprised to see her parents very quickly after de-boarding the plane. We had only walked a couple hundred feet before we were greeted by them. In Seattle, we would have walked for 5-10 minutes before seeing anyone who hadn't passed security. I had reserved a rental car and was pleased to find out that I didn't have to catch a shuttle to the rental company I had chosen. Rather, I just walked across the street and took the elevator up. It was slick. So far, so good.
Now onto my first actual Austin experience. The evening after my arrival, some friends took me to a little restaurant in the downtown district called Freddie's Place (1703 S. First St.) The experience was not far from your typical backyard BBQ - dogs included (read: dogs invited). In keeping with Austin's theme, "Keep Austin Weird", Freddie's was definitely strange, but pleasantly so. The parking lot is on the small side, but there's also street parking available. Something that I'm really excited about is all the outdoor opportunities there are. Sure, some venues in Seattle have outdoor seating and activities, but with the nearly constant chance of rain, it's not common. In Austin, outdoor opportunities abound! Sidetracked again. OK, upon approaching the restaurant, I noticed lots of outdoor seating, using wood picnic-style tables and plastic chairs. Strings of colored lights were strung from tree to tree and funky, hammered-tin figures adorned the outskirts of the yard. Waiters and waitresses buzzed around wearing t-shirts that say such witty things as, "Be a-fred, be very a-fred" and "Fred likes me best." Needless to say, Freddie's has live, outdoor music with the featured artist of my night being The Adam Raven Trio. Ironically, the trio was only a duo that night. The menu boasts mostly unique burgers and salads with normal burger joint sides. I ordered a burger with pineapple and bacon on it. It was good, but nothing to call home about. My favorite point about Freddie's was the playground within the eating area for kids to get out all their pent-up energy while waiting for the food. Adults can also take part in some fun by playing a game of "Washers", which is similar to horseshoes. Overall, Freddie's was a great place to begin getting a feel for what I'm going to find in Austin. I'd go again.
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