Austin, Texas

We had a great time in Austin today. We met Becca Saxon and her husband Alex for drinks at Irene's on 6th Street downtown.  I taught Becca when she was in 5th grade.  Now she is an assistant principal for a KIPP School here in Austin.  She is also the daughter of out good friends, Judy Schwarz and Hugh Saxon.  It was so fun to visit with her and Alex.  They are a sharp and interesting couple and have lived here for three years.  We talked about family, Austin, teaching, politics, and our trip.



After we left them, we walked a mile down 6th street to Red River, so we could eat barbecue at
Stubb's.  Stubb's is an Austin institution, and we have eaten there many times.  It hasn't changed a bit. I was happy to see that they had a good crowd of diners at 9:00 pm.



Although Stubb's seems the same, 6th Street is even more popular and packed with bars than it was 20 years ago.  It has a party feel with hundreds of young people walking along and hawkers trying to lure drinkers into their establishments.  It seemed as if the main food offered was pizza, but the drinking places were numerous.  I like seeing so many folks out at night. It felt safe and cheery.





As we crossed Congress, I took a photo of the state capitol. You can just make it out at the end of the street. Although the festivities were just revving up on 6th street, George and I found our car and came home.  We are happy to be back in our hotel and off our feet.