(breakfast!)
This morning was my day to pick up the CSA box at the Sunset Valley farmer's market so, naturally, it was a perfect day to start my coffeeneuring challenge. I chose a South Austin icon, Bouldin Creek Cafe. This place has been around forever (or so it seems), and features an entirely vegetarian/vegan menu. I got the Tofu Renedict for breakfast and washed it down with a cup of their house coffee (black, because I like my coffee just like my metal).
The trip gave me a nice chance to reflect on what a wonderful city Austin is, as well as how that charm and beauty has caused it to explode in population recently. I wandered my way down one of our lovely hike and bike trails, travelled along the bikeway, and cut through one of our true gems, a stretch of park that extends the length of city east to west along the river. The fact that we have such beautiful and extensive greenspace smack in the middle of the city is one of the things that makes Austin special.
(art installation in the lake along the pedestrian bridge)
Unfortunately this weekend is also one of two ACL weekends; this music festival takes up a large chunk of the park and resulted in an overwhelming amount of traffic from out-of-towners and suburbanites. The contrast was stunning; the city is vital and active in its own right, but the drastic increase in car traffic, as well as foot and bike traffic, ended up causing chaos as out-of-towners and natives alike to drive far more aggressively and impatiently as they tried to negotiate the small neighborhood streets in search of a place to park (only $20, folks!). This is the sort of thing people who grew up in Austin are afraid of...this mass of people who don't care about the city and just want to drive over everyone in their way (Yee haw Texas!).
Overall it ended up being a wonderful ride but the frustration and stress was in the air. Austin is really working to make the city more bike and transit friendly and I hope it ends up having a more calming effect on the traffic as a result. Everyone needs to chill!
(Mishka, my Surly Disc Trucker, loaded down with farmer's market bounty)
Stop: Bouldin Creek Cafe, 1900 S 1st Street, Austin, Texas
Beverage: black coffee
Total Milage: 19.2
Soundtrack: Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf
I may have to add this to my ride list.
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