Day 30 -- Saturday, May 30

Originally, I wasn't sure I was going to venture into Texas, except on Route 66 as it cuts through the Panhandle, but as I decided to come to Houston, I ventured a little further east today to spend this Saturday night in Austin. I loathe the University of Texas Longhorns and didn't fancy being among them in their own territory for long but I love much of the music that comes out of Austin and I wanted to experience a little of the nightlife.

My Oklahoma Sooners had made it into the College World Series for the first time since 1976 and our first game was to be against, you guessed it, the Texas Longhorns. As I considered my night's lodging, I placed a premium on being able to watch the ESPN-televised game somewhere other than a sports bar filled with drunken Longhorn fans. UT has a few dorms and housing co-ops that have a room or two available for drifters like me and the one I checked into had a big-screen TV in the lounge. Luckily, the residents who watched the game, while cheering their puke-orange-clad heroes on to victory, were pretty civil to me. I had to suffer through a 15-3 massacre, but not the fans' abuse. Under the circumstances, I guess I got off pretty cheap.

I've been to Austin a couple of times before but I was much younger. I'd never gone out to the clubs to hear the music. There are so many spots to go that it can be a little intimidating. There were no nationally-known acts playing that night, so I wasn't quite sure whom to go see. I opted for the strip, downtown on 6th street, which is bar after club after restaurant. I worked out a pretty good system, too, as I strolled along: Any place that had a cover charge was out (I was on a budget), but if they had no cover, I'd wander in and stand at the bar while I heard from the band. Usually a couple of tunes was enough, so when the bartender finally made his/her way over to me, it was "Thanks anyway," and on to the next joint. I heard some nice tunes this way. I stayed a little longer (drinking soda) in one bar, but it wasn't the place that attracted me. It was the band, the Solid Senders. Kind of a dumb name, but they played some really tasty blues. The singer, though he looked like Michael Bolton, had a good smooth/husky voice and he knew just what he could get away with; understated yet soulful. The drummer stayed way in the background, the bassist was rock-solid and the lead guitarist was hot. I really enjoyed them and if I lived in Austin, I'd make it a point to catch them often.

The streets were teeming with the various types one finds in Austin: partying frat boys, neo-beatniks, and hippies out for some cheap tunes, a few tourists not sure what they were doing there (did I look like that?). A few guitar players were scattered about on the sidewalk, an upturned hat or music case before them awaiting some positive feedback; one guy played a nice enough slide guitar to earn one of my dollar bills. I stopped at a sushi bar and had a California roll and a tuna roll; admittedly not the quintessential Texas nosh but it was good. I had a $1.75 margarita in a packed joint that featured piped-in '80s techno-pop. This was my first margarita of the Odyssey and it hit the spot on a warm night. I also bought one for a bleached blond with too much makeup named Ginger. She seemed appreciative. Her approach was a novel one; seeing my salt-rimmed glass containing green slush, she asked, "What's that drink?" A Texas girl who doesn't know a frozen margarita when she sees one? I don't think so.

I then hit a spot called the Smart Bar that offered only coffee, dessert, and herbal concoctions that are supposed to make you relax, wake up, go to sleep, feel amorous - depending on which one you select. I opted for a combination and just ended up feeling confused. They take the name of the place quiet seriously. Scattered all over the bar, on little 5x7 cards, are riddles, math problems, brain teasers and such, and when I pointed out that one of the brain teasers had a flaw in its wording (well it did. I won't bore you with the specifics here but take my word for it), they seemed a little resentful. I guess they want to attract smart customers but not too smart.

The next morning, I was on my way to Ft. Worth for a night or two. Before I left, I had lunch at Threadgill's, an Austin institution. Janis Joplin used to hang there. The roast beef was pretty good, but the chicken fried steak that kept floating by on the way to neighboring tables looked even better. Oh well, next time.


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