Thursday, July 03, 2014

Keep Austin Weird

On my second day of Austin, Texas I wanted to have something awesome for lunch. I guarantee you've never been in a place like Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Kitchen. Kitchen is pretty literal here: it was pretty much like eating in someone's kitchen. Lola seemed to be doing the serving and the cooking herself. As a result, it tasted awesome but took for freaking ever for our food to arrive. She called all of her customers "baby", and everyone got hugs after the meal was finished.




I need a sign like this on my front door. "If I'm not here, I'm probably feeding the homeless, or doing some other really admirable thing. Do not check the pinball place, because I'm def not there."




I believe I had shrimp etouffee with cornbread and sweet potatoes. As you can see in this picture I refuse to stop rocking my Robert's Grove Belize bracelet. I just love free jewelry.


The decor of the place was very interesting and eclectic but borderline serial killer.


Next we headed to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. I wonder why we stopped the JFK/LBJ naming convention. I could say BHO a few times in conversation and see what happens.


Presidential museums get me thinking about living life. For example LBJ was a great man, elected President and so forth. But now he is dead. All that's left of him are some pictures, some stories, and the lasting effects of his deeds. The Atlantic wrote that "his signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an achievement which, along with his landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, made Johnson the most consequential crusader for the cause of racial equality to serve in the White House since Lincoln."


One of my favorites was a description of the "Johnson Treatment", which consisted of close-talking the crap out of legislators until they voted his way. One thing I didn't realize about him is that he died 4 years after leaving office.


By the time I left we were best pals.


IKEA is a great place because Lydia likes to look at all of the furniture and I like to buy imported Swedish food. It really just works out. This is Lydia shortly after realizing that the coffee table she picked out wasn't going to fit in the car. I was also pretty broken up about it... but then I bought some chocolates with lingonberries inside. Problem solved.


Later on we caught a comedy/variety sort of show at Esther's Follies. It reminded me a bit of the show we saw at Second City in Chicago but with more variety. There were local issue and political comedy routines, but also magic and singing. 


One unique part was the windows facing the street. The comedians would make fun of innocent bystanders walking by, and there would be planted weirdos outside that were part of the act as well. It was a hoot and a half.


Austin ain't bad. Ain't bad at all.

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