Austin, Texas – Music, Food, and Fun

On March 26, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Texas6 Comments

We had the opportunity to visit Austin, Texas, and enjoyed the opportunity to have some good barbeque, country-western music, and wonderful hospitality. Congress Street in downtown Austin has a variety of restaurants, shops, and music venues, which makes it the perfect place to stroll. Austin is the capital of Texas and the tourist section of Congress Street starts or ends there depending upon how you look at it. At the opposite end of Congress Street from the capital is the Congress Bridge, which will take you across Lady Bird Lake, which is a river-like reservoir on the Colorado River in Austin. There is a nice park and walking paths to enjoy.

Line for Barbeque in the Red River District

We only had one day downtown as we were there for a work trip, so we made the most of our time walking the streets of downtown. We started our day in the Red River District and made sure to get some beef brisket before heading towards the capital, which seems to be the most photographed image of Austin. The grounds of the capital are quite beautiful with several statues and you can even take a tour of the governor’s mansion depending upon when you visit. After walking in the Texas heat for a while, we decided to stop in The Driskill Bar and Grill, which is located in the historic hotel. The inside of the hotel is quite beautiful and it was an elegant place to sit and relax before continuing to enjoy downtown Austin.

We couldn’t leave Austin without listening to some country-western music and oddly enough we found an Irish pub with a live band that met our needs perfectly. It was almost a family affair as different members of the band joined at different times, so the music was constantly changing. It was quite a lively atmosphere and we enjoyed it very much. Afterwards we continued to walk around downtown Austin looking at the varying architecture, which is a mixture of historic and modern buildings sitting side by side.

After having some seafood for dinner, we made our way back to our hotel. We definitely enjoyed our time in Austin and are looking forward to visiting again in the near future. There is more to see than what we were able to do in such a short period of time, but what we did see left us wanting to see more.

Texas Peace Officer Memorial at the Capital

Art and Inspiration

On December 11, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado11 Comments

One of the things that we always enjoy when walking the 16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado, is watching people play the fancifully decorated pianos on the street. This certainly isn’t isolated to Denver, but providing access to musical instruments in a public setting provides an opportunity for impromptu gatherings of people enjoying themselves. As soon as someone stops and starts to play, usually better than one might expect, people start to gather, perhaps someone starts to sing, and the next thing you know you are enjoying a show. We often see homeless people playing the pianos, which is not only a reminder of their humanity, but is likely a brief opportunity for them to escape from their plight. In this time in the world when music classes are being eliminated from schools, seeing how music can connect people of all ethnicities should serve as an example to be replicated not eradicated. Have you seen anything similar in the cities that you’ve visited? If so, we would love to hear about them and how they are received in those places.

Skyline Beer Garden in Denver, Colorado

On June 27, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn ColoradoLeave a comment

Denver provides a variety of special events over the summer to provide activities for the many tourists who visit the area. While it might not rival the beer gardens that we saw in Germany, the Skyline Beer Garden on the 16th Street Mall was definitely a lot of fun. There were games for kids of all ages as well as live music. We sat for a while and listened to the music and watched as families took advantage of the various games.

There was a miniature golf course, ping pong, cornhole (bing-bag toss), and foosball, all of which was completely free. There is live music on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons and we enjoyed hearing a wonderful jazz band while we were there. Needless to say, there was a selection of beers available for purchase as well as a food truck with a variety of options to satisfy your hunger.

We stumbled upon the beer garden quite accidentally, but we were certainly pleasantly surprised. The beer garden runs from June 9th through October 7, weather permitting. The event focusses on Colorado craft beers and there are 12 varieties available. We decided to have a wheat beer, which was as close to a heffeweizen that we might have had during our stay in Germany. If you are in Denver over the summer, stopping by the Skyline Beer Garden and enjoying some games and refreshing beer would be a wonderful way to spend some time.