In my nearly three decades of business travel, I’ve spent hundreds of nights all across Texas (I submit exhibit A as proof: Houston, McAllen, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Midland, Amarillo, Lubbock, Hereford) but this was (oddly and sadly) only my second time to Austin and Melissa’s first.
We had limited time to visit this state capitol, music town, home of the University of Texas Longhorns and Live music show, Austin City Limits.
We started with watching the Longhorns playing the OU Sooners in the Big 12 Championship game at our hotel and then struck out to find some music on 6th Street. We landed at San Jac on the corner of 6th and San Jacinto and were not disappointed. The locals are so used to great music (spoiled, perhaps) that many were more rapt by the Alabama: Georgia game (which we were as well, given the nature of the near upset) than the soulful sounds of strumming and singing coming from the front of the bar. This seemed an ideal place to unwind and soak in classic country, acoustic rock and bayou blues.
For dinner we landed at Ciclo, a hard to find via Google Maps place with good food, great service and an oddly sterile ambiance downstairs at the Four Seasons hotel. The food and service were what mattered though and it was somewhat moderately priced (except the wine).
On Sunday we enjoyed the beautiful weather on an early December day with a stroll around the lake on the lakeside trails.
When your time has limits, we made the most of it in this live music town.
The Traveling Ridleys 
0 comments on “Austin TX: When your time in the city has limits”