Rachel, aka my best friend since pre-school, aka the peanut butter to my jelly, aka the sugar to my spice, the milk to my cereal, the icing to my cake, the milk to my cookies…..you get the point, I could go on….FINALLY CAME TO VISIT ME IN AUSTIN. Finally, people. And let me tell you something: I had a smile so big on my face that nothing could take it away.
She came on a Sunday and left the following Tuesday morning and we packed every single minute with something fun and exciting and memorable and best friend-y.
It all started on Sunday morning when she picked me up from my house in Dallas and we started the drive down to Austin. (This past week was her Spring Break at OU so she decided to take a pitstop on her way home from Norman to pick me up and head to ATX!) We made it to Austin in the afternoon and once we dropped off everything at my apartment, we headed out for some adventure!
We started off the day with a trip to South Congress for some good eats, good shopping, and good company. We hit up Home Slice Pizza for some pizza as big as our heads. Rachel likes pepperoni with parmesan and I like pepperoni with tons of red pepper flakes, if you were wondering.
We then walked around SoCo (South Congress, for you non-Austin people) and went into some shops and just did some general people watching. Can’t go to SoCo without getting a picture by Jo’s Coffee! Rachel, I love you so much!
We then continued to walk around and take selfies and pics in front of fun walls and buildings. As is evident by the next two pictures…
Next up, we went to Castle Hill. It’s this huge cemented area where local artists and hoodlums come and graffiti all these cool murals. It’s called Castle Hill because a house it at the top of the hill is a house that looks like a castle! (You can see the tip of the Castle peaking out at the top of the picture!)
We then continued our day of “Total Austinite Things To Do” at Whole Foods where we picked up a freshly squeezed juice to tide us over until dinner. After that, we headed back to the apartment so Rachel could take a quick cat nap and I could unpack and all that jazz. Comfortable, Rach? Tehehe.
For dinner that night, a group of Rachel’s sweet friends from OU were also in town and we all went to dinner at Hyde Park Grill. After dinner though came the real showstopper. Her friends had heard about Gourdoughs and we made our way to the food truck for dessert. Gourdoughs serves speciality donuts that are insanely delicious and rich.
We got the Black Out and Naughty&Nice and split the two. These donuts are by no means for the weak and weary. You must be prepared for their amazing-ness.
Black Out Donut: Cake Donut topped with Brownie Batter, Chocolate Fudge Icing, Chocolate Covered Brownie Bites and Topped Chocolate Syrup
Naughty&Nice: good ‘ol Sugar and Cinnamon
After that, we rolled on home with our full bellies and enjoyed a great night’s sleep.
The next morning, I had soccer workout and my internship. But before heading off for the afternoon, we squeezed in breakfast at Walton’s Fancy and Staple. This little coffee shop and deli serves the best breakfast and it’s owned by Sandra Bullock!
For the afternoon, Rachel hung around the apartment while I was out and about attending to my intern responsibilities but when I returned that afternoon, I had a fun little something planned. I had stopped by athletic dining hall earlier in the afternoon (yes, everyone who is shaking their head…UT had a special dining hall only for athletes…it’s wonderful, not going to lie) and had picked up some snacks for a picnic! Rachel and I headed to Zilker Park for a picnic in the beautiful sunshine. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day!
On the day’s menu was lots of fresh fruit, greek yogurt, granola. Yogurt parfait, anyone? Yes, please!
We spent a couple hours soaking up the sun and talking and then Rachel, being the coffee-lover she is, needed a little pick me up. Where better to go than Mozart’s Coffee Roasters? Located on Lake Austin, it’s makes for a great study spot or just a fun place to visit. Rachel got an iced mocha that was quite tasty…and I don’t even like coffee that much!
After that, we went back to my place and did some chilling in the form of homework for me and Netflix for Rachel. For dinner that night we went to Kerbey Lane for dinner. It’s a quintessential UT student restaurant that is open 24/7 and they have delicious pancakes. It’s right on “The Drag” so we walked on over and had a delicious dinner! After dinner, we met up with two of Rachel’s friends from high school and hung out with them for a while before calling it a day!
The next morning, we woke up early and was back to reality. Rachel had to make the drive back to Dallas and I had to make my way to soccer practice and class.
Definitely ranks as my favorite couple of days I’ve had in Austin in a long time! It was fun getting to be a tourist in my own city and getting to do some things I wouldn’t normally do!
Here’s a picture Rachel sent to me a couple of month’s ago when we played YMCA soccer together! We go way back. Thank again Rachel for making the trip, I loved every minute!
xoxo,
Brinks
the brinks 