Warning: very long & picture-heavy post ahead...
On Friday I mentioned on fb that I had spent the week catching up on everything from the previous week (when I was in TX) and I was just then beginning to catch up on everything from last week I had neglected in order to do everything from the previous week. Yes, it has been one of those weeks. Actually, March was one of those types of months. This month isn't shaping up to be much better (in terms of time crunches), but at least the main cause of the craziness will be a pleasure trip - one that I have been looking forward to for months (only nine days until we leave for NY!). Now for Texas...
The conference took place at one of those la-di-da overpriced spa resorts outside of Austin. The conference info had said it was minutes from downtown Austin - um, yeah, that would be 40 minutes outside of Austin (in the middle of nowhere). The resort was pretty and had a lot of activities available, but they were mostly aimed toward families. It's not really the best place to be if you're alone - unless you like attending face-painting workshops with a bunch of random kids. :)
For me, the best things about the resort were the rooms (they were so spacious & the beds were incredibly comfortable),
the nature trails (I did the one along the Colorado River), and
the fact that there were flowers blooming everywhere! It was in the 30s when I left Chicago, so this was a very big deal. :)
The pools were also awesome, but I decided to spend most of my free time exploring Austin, rather than hanging out at the resort.
The conference? Eh, it was okay. I was able to meet a big name education guy (and attend a session with him that was limited to 20 attendees), which was cool because I've been studying and teaching his research for years. Other than him... let's just say that the rest of the sessions were a bit painful.
I was able to spend most of Thursday in Austin (after a $50 cab ride!). I spent part of the morning wandering around 6th Street and eventually decided to join an organized tour. I'm not a big fan of Duck Tours (I did one in Boston years ago), but it really was the best way to see the entire city.
6th Street:
The Capitol (yes, I know the photos are crooked - for some reason the tour bus just zoomed by it, so I didn't have the best vantage point):
Lake Austin (which isn't really a lake) & the very expensive properties surrounding it:
Later that night I met up with Awesome Austin Blogger (she doesn't name her location on her blog, so I won't out her - she is one of those bloggers who has been around forever & someone I've wanted to meet for years!) for drinks at
The Driskill (such an awesome place!).
We eventually ended up at
Hey Cupcake, where I fell in love with the coolest Airstream trailer ever... and the cupcakes. Oh, the cupcakes. They were so delicious!
Awesome Austin Blogger was indeed awesome. We made jokes, caught up on some blogger gossip, and had a great conversation about relationships. As with my other blogger meet-ups, it was like I already knew her - we just picked up on a conversation that had been happening online for years. I had such a fantastic time and I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity to meet her! :)
Although I did have a lot of fun in Austin, there were so many things about Texas that really bothered me. Yes, I know it's an uber-conservative state, but I've always heard that Austin is actually quite liberal. It was noticeably less conservative than where I was staying (and that wasn't even an hour outside of the city), but it still wasn't the type of liberal I'm used to (the racial stratification... wow. There are definitely issues in Chicago, but it's nothing like it is there.)... I guess they mean that it's liberal for Texas. I was also a little perplexed about the use of the word liberal down there. There were definitely some actual liberals (like AAB), but there were also quite a few people who identified as liberal, but who said they voted for Bush because "he was the lesser of two evils." I had a conversation with a guy (from Austin) who said his beliefs most closely align with liberals, but he hates Obama and thinks that he's not even qualified to be in office (as in he's not an American citizen).
My biggest issue was with the blatant lies/misconceptions I heard (I probably shouldn't have watched the news). My favorite actually came up three times (during the course of three days!) - during a conversation with cab driver, during a presentation about Texas at the resort, and during the Duck Tour. Apparently, Texas is the only state that has permission to fly its state flag at the same height at the US flag. This is because TX is still classified as an independent nation. Texas can also choose to secede from the US at any time and go back to being on its own (the cab driver even said there are several groups currently "gathering its strength to make it happen"). WTF?!? Seriously?? Is this what they're teaching in schools there? Is it not a requirement to read/discuss the US Flag Code? NO, Texas does not have special flag privileges - hell, even Wikipedia mentions how that is an urban legend. Also, independent nation? Yes, back in the 1800s... I'm sorry you hate Obama, but you really are a part of the United States (although I'm sure many people would be happy to see you leave). Ugh!
It was nice to get out of the cold and to see a new place (and meet AAB!), but three days in Texas was definitely enough. Chicago isn't perfect, but I was quite glad to return home. :)
*full photoset
here
