Every city has its area of shops that are not cookie-cutter, run-of-the-mill, shopping mall standards, and in Austin, that area is called SOCO or South Congress. We strolled the SOCO stretch in more heat and sunshine that nearly fried us. The heat, plus the late night the night before,made our heads light and our stomachs woozy, but we soldiered on.
We were impressed with the ecclectic spirit in this part of the city, particularly in a store called "Monkey See, Monkey Do", a place that sells wacky gifts and products ranging from fake moustaches to breath freshener that would make you turn "Canadian"... complete with a package featuring a Canadian hoser in toque, checked lumberjack shirt and maple leaf gloves. There were outlets selling genuine Texan and western wear, right down to beautiful cowboy boots. Other
stores sold recycled clothing, including cowboy boots, and numerous book and music stores. Also present in this stretch was a group of food vendors selling wares from trailers. Most of the food was unusual and gourmet: special coffees, tex-mex, thai, delicious and creamy cupcakes, and unusual hot dogs: my favourite (although I didn't try it) was the "predator and prey" hot dog, with the weiner made from rattlesnake and rabbit !! It's all part of "Keep Austin Weird".
stores sold recycled clothing, including cowboy boots, and numerous book and music stores. Also present in this stretch was a group of food vendors selling wares from trailers. Most of the food was unusual and gourmet: special coffees, tex-mex, thai, delicious and creamy cupcakes, and unusual hot dogs: my favourite (although I didn't try it) was the "predator and prey" hot dog, with the weiner made from rattlesnake and rabbit !! It's all part of "Keep Austin Weird".We followed up with an absolutely amazing Mexican dinner at "Maria, Maria's", co-owned by Carlos Santana, and a couple more clubs. Tomorrow, we begin the return leg of our journey. We will miss Austin, rapidly becoming our favourite American city.
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