10,000 words (or 10 pictures) about Austin

Look, we all know it would be strange if I didn't post something that was nostalgic for my time in Austin while lauding the many, many, many, many great things about the city. Well what I thought about doing was something a little different, and I'd post 10 of my favorite pictures of Austin (though not ones featuring people I know, rather the scenery) and talk very briefly about them.

 These are the cupcakes you find at Quack's, a coffee shop and bakery very close to my old apartment in Hyde Park. They make all the stuff from scratch right there, but what's even more amazing is how they look. They're just as visually stunning as they are delicious, but they are incredibly delicious as well.

 A Mexican Martini from Trudy's TexMex restaurant, a staple as far as Austin drinks go. They are extremely delicious and great paired with enchiladas or some other TexMex meal. But you can only drink one- if you drink two you won't be feeling so good... or perhaps I should say you'll be feeling a little too good.

The famous Epoch Coffee, open 24 hours a day. This is where most, if not all, of my best writing was done while I was in Austin. There were many nights spent here, cranking out papers at the last minute while fueled by a cup (or multiple cups) of coffee, and most of the best writing for my undergraduate thesis was done here, as I sat at one of those many tables. If Epoch was in Winston-Salem, my masters thesis would have been a lot easier to write and it certainly would not have taken as long as it did.

The Downtown Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz Theatre. Not my Drafthouse of choice (the abundance of parking and the variety of films at South Lamar put it over the top) but it's still a Drafthouse. It was also here that I won the Dionysium debate and proved that the Beat Generation was vastly superior and more important than the punk rock movement. Plus, I love the retro stylings of the theatre and especially the aesthetics of the sign and the exterior, which lead me to...

This sign, one doesn't have any real significance in the grand scheme of things. I saw it one night when I was out for dinner down on South Congress but I always liked it. As I'm sure you'll discover, I take a lot of pictures of things at night and this picture is definitely an example of that. That said, it reminds me of South Congress in some strange way.

The Capitol Building at dusk. Having the state's capitol building so close was definitely something I took for granted during my years in Austin, but it was always amazing to be able to look down and see the seat of the state's government right there.

Again, another example of how much I love taking pictures at night, especially of urban settings. This is a picture from Sixth Street looking at the Frost Bank building, one of the most prominent and famous sights in the Austin skyline. I've never been to this building, never had a reason to, but I've seen it so many times and it's something I always associate with Austin and especially downtown.

The famous Daniel Johnston "Hi, How Are You" mural just off the Drag near the campus. Here's Daniel Johnston's Wiki bio, if you don't know who he is. But Johnston's is definitely a part of the culture of Austin and its history, so it's funny to think I've walked by this mural so many times and not even thought about it. It is one of the things that people (or at least a certain segment of people) associate with Austin, yet I would walk past it on my way to lunch while never really thinking twice about it.

The main tower, lit up in burnt orange with a #1 to commemorate our victory in football over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl to claim the 2005 BCS Championship. Seeing my school win a national championship in football, beating a team in USC that I had absolutely no love for, and all during my 1st semester at the school I wanted to go to all along after having to spend a year someplace I didn't really want to be? It was a pretty incredible experience and easily one of the best parts of my time in Austin. This picture will always be one of my favorites as it reminds me of those good times and the fact that, in 2005, we were the national champions.

Finally, a picture of that same main tower from the night of my graduation, lit up burnt orange with an "08" on it as well to commemorate the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2008 of which I was a member. And, oh yes, there were fireworks being shot out of the tower as well. It was a graduation ceremony unlike any other schools, and the fireworks display was the perfect end to a great day of celebrating the hard work and energy I put in during my time at UT. It was a great graduation, a great time, and a great way to wrap up and put a bow on my academic career at UT. And thus, this makes a lovely picture as well.