I arrived in Austin, Texas late on 9th May. I booked into a Motel 6 by the airport. I used to stay in these motels when I first visited the USA in the early 90s. They are a national chain and are generally the cheapest motel you can get with a reasonable room (without resorting to the very run down motels with damp and smelly rooms). The only downside is that their clientele can be a little bit colourful. I have previously encountered full on fights in the car park with base ball bats, blood and vast number of police arriving too late, loud marital strife and over consumption of alcohol! 20 years on, not much has changed but they are still a good option if plan to arrive late, leave early and you are just need somewhere to sleep.

The following day, I had an early breakfast and made my way into downtown Austin to have a look around. I started on 6th Street which is the heart of the nightlife area. Austin has a reputation for good live music.

There are also quite a few tourist shops selling all sorts of music related stuff, including pyjamas.

I returned to 6th Street that evening (I forgot my camera) and caught 3 different bands who were very good for a Tuesday night.

Next I came to The Driskill Hotel which is the oldest hotel in Austin that is still operating – it has been open since 1886.

Walking up Congress, I was pleased to see they have retained a couple of old theatres.

Austin is the state capital of Texas and I was heading for the Texas State Capitol. It is the third building to serve as the Capital. This one was completed in 1888 after the second one had burnt down. The state was hard up for cash at the time and so they changed the state constitution to allow the sale of land to purchase the new building. It was one of the largest barter transactions recorded and the builders were paid with 3 million acres of land in the north of the state.

The has an impressive central rotunda.

The walls on all 4 floors of the rotunda feature portraits of everyone who has been either President of the Republic or Governor of Texas. Including this recent Governor.

Both houses were in session when I visited. The Senate were going through some rather boring administrative procedures so I didn’t stay very long their visitor gallery.

The House of Representatives were debating the provision of specialist free medical treatments to Veterans and it had just been pointed out that bill had been worded to include associated services that had not seen active service – many were unhappy with this.

I noted that they wore their Stetsons inside the building (but not in either chamber).

After leaving the Capitol Building, I continued walking around the downtown area and came across one of the original moonlight towers.

After an increase in night time crime, 31 of these towers were installed in 1895. Most have now been replaced by modern street lights but a few remain.

Like many Cities these days, Austin considers itself a foodie destination. Here are a couple of places that I tried.

I also came across some interesting independent shops such as this great record shop (waterloorecords.com).

Talking of shops, Austin is where the Whole Food Markets chain started. The original shop has been replaced with a massive store that even has yoga sessions.

I also tried to find some more unusual things and I visited the Hope Outdoor Gallery (hopecampaign.org/…hope-outdoor-gallery)

Whilst looking for the more peculiar sites, I tried to visit the Cathedral of Junk. Unfortunately the installation in a back garden has become so popular that the neighbours have started to complain and it was closed to visitors when I got there. I was just able to get a glimpse of the installation through the garden gate.

After a whistle-stop tour of Austin, I headed south west to San Antonio.