Austin, TX

One of the best parts of Austin is that it came with our own tour guide and vacation planner: Jess Jankowitsch!  Our first night there, Jess drew out a schedule structured around meals and restaurants, which is the best way to plan trips.  The only requirement for our stay in Austin was that Lester would be making the pilgrimage to Franklin Barbecue, the best barbecue in the country according to some folks at Bon Appetite magazine.

Lester made it to Franklin at a quarter after eight in the morning; there were already 15 people in line in front of him.  Franklin doesn’t even open until 11.  After three hours in line, Lester walked away with roughly eight pounds of brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and sausage.  There was also a small container of potato salad as a nod to the vegetable food group.

The line at Franklin Barbecue.

I don’t know if it was the best barbecue in the US, but it was definitely the best Lester and I have ever had.

We did a few touristy activities between the Tex-Mex, ramen, and barbecue.  We tried to swim at Barton Springs, but it was closed for cleaning – it’s such a popular swimming spot that it has to be cleaned once a week with pressure washers even though it’s a natural spring.  We were able to swim at Big Eddy, which is more of a traditional pool that’s fed by river water.

We also saw the view of the city skyline from Mount Bonnell.

And we were entertained (and, in Lester’s case, pooped on) by Jess’ birds.