Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, USA

Texas. Three cities, about ten days, and enough heat and humidity to melt the soles off your shoes.

Dallas was first, though technically I was staying in Irving, which is close enough to claim you’re in Dallas but far enough that getting anywhere requires a car or a minor miracle. The public transport was absolutely shithouse.

First night I walked into a pub and sat down next to a guy from Perth. On his birthday. You couldn’t make it up. Drinks, a nightclub, crashed at his hotel. Travel throws these random encounters at you constantly.

The Sixth Floor Museum was the highlight of Dallas — the JFK assassination, told from the building where Oswald took the shot. I spent two hours there and it barely felt enough. The historical context, the actual window looking down at Dealey Plaza, then walking out to the grassy knoll afterwards. Whatever your thoughts on the conspiracy theories, standing in that spot gives you chills. That evening I went to Cowboy’s Red River for line dancing and drinks, which was about as Texan as it gets.

San Antonio was a Megabus ride away. The hostel was another one of those places technically “near” the city but practically in the middle of nowhere. Getting real sick of that.

Once I walked down the river to downtown, though, San Antonio won me over. The River Walk is genuinely beautiful — restaurants and bars lining a peaceful stretch of river. Had some Mexican food, popped into Coyote Ugly for a beer (predictably tacky but you have to do it once), then the next day did the Alamo (smaller than you’d expect, bigger in significance), a boat ride along the river, and ice cream. Dinner at Johnny’s for tacos — cheap, no-frills, loaded with flavour.

Austin was the one everyone had raved about, so I gave it three nights. First order of business was a pub crawl up and down 6th Street, which is Austin’s famous strip of bars and live music venues. Only problem was I went at about 3pm, which meant most places were either empty or just opening up. 6th Street at 3pm is like showing up to a party before the host has finished setting up. Still, I managed to see the Capitol building between drinks, so at least I got some culture in.

Tried to see the UT tower the next day but tours only run on certain days. Instead I walked The Drag, explored SoCo, and found decent coffee. The humidity was brutal. Met Renee and Christine at the hostel and we hired bikes, rode to a bar, and had beers. Later hit up 6th Street with Renee’s mate Garret.

The last full day was probably the best. Biked around the UT campus in the morning, had lunch on 6th Street, then disaster struck — flat tyre on the bike. Had to trek to a bike shop in the insane heat, which was genuinely one of the more miserable walks of the trip. Rewarded myself with a frozen yoghurt, because I deserved it. That evening Christine and Renee dragged me out to some suburb where the houses had been converted into bars. Sounds weird, and it was weird, but in the best possible way. People were hula hooping, juggling, just doing their own thing in these backyard-bars. It was the most Austin thing imaginable and I absolutely loved it.

Early bus back to Dallas the next morning, then a flight to LA. Texas surprised me. It’s easy to have preconceptions about the place, but each city had its own personality and its own charm. Even Irving, with its terrible buses. Actually, no. Irving can keep its buses.