Not only was our trip to Austin, Texas, our first opportunity to get Eloise on a plane, but it was also my chance (finally!) to see this weird, creative city for myself. I think I'd had it in my head that it was going to be SO eccentric, that by the time I actually arrived, I was surprised by its normalcy.
We managed to find the quirky side of town, window shopped, ate the famous street food and witnessed the dusk departure of millions of bats. It was the perfect 48-hour getaway, and a nice way to ease my way back into post-baby travel.
The South Congress "SoCo" shopping district seemed to be the eccentric part of town and is where we spent a majority of our time. And while the dozens of ecclectic shops kept us entertained for hours, it wasn't exactly baby friendly (note: next trip, use baby carrier). When the day started to wind down, I looked on my phone for the closest coffee shop—which was surprisingly hard to find. I found one about a quarter of a mile away, and made the trek to work on a few things before dinner.
What I found was Elizabeth Street Cafe—a French Vietnamese eatery and possibly the most lovely coffee spot I'd ever encountered. The menu ranged from noodles to lattes and the tables outside sat under pretty umbrellas with hot pink and teal highlights, the perfect resting spot after my hike. I felt like I'd finally found what Austin does best—a dreamy combination of pretty and weird.
If you're ever in Austin looking for a peaceful, inspired place to write—this is it. Some more things I loved about this pretty weird city:
The coolest antique shop I've ever been in.
The biggest (and tastiest) doughnuts I've ever eaten.
One word: cupcakes.
Watching millions of bats take off at night should be on your bucket list.
Beer snob? The Ginger Man will quench your thirst.