Hi everyone!
I’m so excited to be sharing this trip with y’all. I had been watching flights for months hoping to find one at the right price since Austin was at the top of my travel list for this year. Luckily things worked out!
I arrived late the first night and, after dropping my stuff off, decided to hit the town. Staying near the infamous 6th Street (think Nashville‘s Broadway but with a little more grime…they don’t call it the Dirty 6th for nothing!), I stopped into Easy Tiger. This German beerhouse style spot had $5 beer flights that night, an awesome charcuterie board, housemade sausages, and literally the best beer cheese ever with a pretzel. Sadly, the weather did not comply with my wish of checking out the patio but definitely something I’m hoping to check out next time when it’s warmer! Go here at some point of the trip for a good time, great value and great food too.
I gotta talk about the outfit for a second too. I bought a few new items for the trip, one being these amazing python-printed boots to go with my new hat. I love the Western edge they bring..and the locals said they fit right in! 😂
Shop the look: http://www.shopstyle.com/shop/thehargz/43219147
My favorite of the three on the far right is a local grapefruit flavored sour Odell Sippin’ Pretty. I realize I need to have more sours in my life after this one!
After my friend Claire touched down, we hit the rest of the strip. Be warned: there’s a ton of promoters ready to walk up to you and try to get you into their bar. I didn’t love that but I did really like how they barricade the street so you can walk without having to dodge cars while hopping across the street and back. If we hadn’t just landed we probably would’ve braced the crowds and tried one of the rowdier places but we were tired so we went to a quiet little spot toward the end of the street for a little and then called it a night.
The next day we were ready to see a new neighborhood and really soak in the city. South Congress is the CUTEST little neighborhood you ever did see. A lot of the shops and eateries are new so it’s easy to see why. The next time I go back to Austin, I want to explore this area even more than I already did this time around. My friend and I started at Cove: a luxury boutique with breezy resort wear and travel themed trinkets as well as fun accessories. While waiting for your lunch reservation, spend some time in here!
And on to the next! When in Austin, we obviously HAD to hit up the new Kendra Scott Flagship store since this is where the brand started and where it’s headquartered. It is gorgeous, you guys! The layout is huge and they have events there from time to time, there’s even a cute hidden bakery too. If you go in there, get the mimosa and freshly baked doughnut combo for a pick me up! I really liked the vegan blueberry one. You can also walk around the store with your beverages if you want to sip as you shop. I completely forgot there was a cute mural on the outside of it so we forgot to take a pic there but y’all can learn from our mistakes! 😂
Another outfit mention: I am in love with these new flares. Gonna warn you now: this is not going to be the last of me in flares in this post – I am officially hooked again. I say again because the last time they were in style…I was little and was really against them being put aside for skinny jeans. I got over it and do really like skinny jeans but I’m happy that flares get to share the spotlight this time too.
Shop the outfit: http://www.shopstyle.com/shop/thehargz/43218974, Jewelry: Rocksbox (use code thehargzxoxo for a free month)
After we got a little shopping in, it was time to break for brunch at Perla’s. This spot is adorable! Wish it was warm enough to sit on the patio but the inside was fine too. As soon as we sat down we were immediately greeted with complimentary hush puppies and lemon garlic aioli – mmm! Then we split an incredibly cheesy shrimp n’ grits. It was the perfect size to split and it tasted like comfort in a bowl. Don’t pass it up! Since Perla’s is seafood-centric, as soon as I spied the lobster roll I knew I had to have it. The fish tasted so fresh and the bun was toasted & buttered to perfection!
A little more shopping nearby in cute little shops like Parts & Labour. I found another pin for my jacket here! If you want a souvenir that’s not cheesy, this is your place.
After Claire found this next place on Instagram, we knew we had to check it out. This adorable little wine bar, House Wine, has great frosé as well as an extensive wine list and nibbles to go with them. It was a nice place to chill out for a little bit after running around all day. Plus it has a gorgeous pink wall that’s screaming for a photo op.
After heading back to the room to continue our relaxation, we stepped out for dinner. We were on the hunt for some Texas barbecue and ended up at Ironworks down the street. To be honest, it wasn’t the best barbecue we’ve ever had but it was decent! I made a walking taco (aka beans, Fritos, and pulled pork) – yum!
Shop the jumpsuit: https://amzn.to/2F5hnLA
Earrings: http://bit.ly/2UFIhPI
The next day I ventured to Rainey Street – a really adorable bar strip where all the houses on it have been converted to restaurants and bars. Out of all the places I went to this area reminded me of Nashville the most – and I loved it more for that! In my opinion, if you were to choose between 6th Street and here to go out, I’d pick this. It’s cuter, no promoters are bugging you as you walk, and it had the right mix of rowdy and relaxed.
Switching gears for a second…remember when I said flares would pop up in this post again? Well…I got these super cute python pants and they fit right in here! So many compliments and I can’t wait to break them out again when it gets warmer in Chicago. They are honestly probably the most comfortable pants I own; they feel super soft and similar to leggings at the top and then obviously flare out at the bottom. I got mine here, but I linked some similar ones as well!
Shop different pants options here
I knew my first stop had to be Banger’s since literally EVERYONE told me I had to go. I’m glad they did because it was a blast! They have “man-mosas” aka German steins filled with mimosas. They’re as big as your head, you’re limited to only one per person, and the restaurant makes you order food with them since they are so giant. If you just want “one drink” at brunch – get this! Being that it is a sausage house, I also got one of the housemade chicken sausages filled with apple and cinnamon and topped with caramelized onions. Plus some cheese curds with housemade ranch (which you know I love thanks to Holt’s), because why not! Everything was good. The atmosphere is the real selling point here though – there’s a huge patio that everyone sits in community-style and a great people (and puppy) watching spot. Definitely DO NOT miss this while in Austin!
Regular beer pint glass next to the man-mosa for size reference, along with the cheese curds.
After hopping through a couple more bars I headed back to the hotel to relax a little bit and work on a couple things before getting ready for dinner. We went back to 6th Street since it was close and in search of queso – Austin is known for good queso so we knew we couldn’t leave here without trying it. We went to Iron Cactus and it was pretty good! We also had yummy paella too.
Afterward, we headed over to the instagrammable Voodoo Donut. I didn’t try one but everyone who got one seemed to like there’s! Plus we just love the funky look of it with the donut trees and neon signs.
The final day: back to Rainey Street again! After meeting people the day before and going where they went I didn’t get a chance to go to Unbarlievable until this day. This was at the top of my list too, as it’s only been open for about a year and it’s circus-themed! Guys, there is a SLIDE in here!! I couldn’t stay long so not sure how it is ambiance-wise but it seemed like a fun place when I went by it the day before. I got this super cute rainbow romper just for the occasion and it’s super breezy and comfortable too! Also because it reminds me of the dress in 13 Going on 30, that may or may not have been the reason I bought it. 😂 After reading reviews I sized up and definitely glad I did since being tall it was just shy of being too short. The one I got seems to be selling out but then replenishing a few days later so check back if yours is gone, otherwise I’ll link a few similar ones below too!
Similar romper options here
To round out the trip, I grabbed a quick brunch before my flight at Stella San Jac. Their pecan praline French toast with bourbon maple syrup & vanilla bean housemade whipped cream was so good and the perfect size too – not too big where you’d want to take some home and not too small where you’d feel the need to order something else along with it.
So now that you’ve got the lowdown on where to go, you’re probably like ok well how to I get to all these places in a weekend?? Luckily, after loving the results from my Christmas in Chicago map, I made another one for this trip! That way when you’re in a certain area for a day, you can hit up all the spots in one go versus having to go to the same area again just to get to that “one dream spot you can’t believe you missed the first time around.” The purple locations are where we actually went, the green house is where we stayed/our starting point when navigating each day, and the yellow stars are ones that I heard were great places and where I wanted to go but ran out of time. Enjoy and make sure to use my hashtags (#pinkparkfinds, #walkwithpinkpark) if you use this during your travels so I can see where you went!
See you in the next post!
