Day 3 Austin (ACL)

One of our favorite spots in Austin is the corner of Lamar and 6th. At the corner you'll find 24Diner, Waterloo Records, Book People, and Whole Foods. Sort of a perfect mix of things that Lola and I love. And while there's plenty of gentrification and Austin stupidity, this corner has stayed pretty stable over the last 10 years.

So this morning we invited our Austin-based friend, Adelle, to join us. Our first step was to hit up Waterloo Records, as we were waiting for a table at 24Diner and the two are in the same building. Didn't pick up any records, which is sort of shocking, but did pick up a set of vinyl dividers to help make sorting records a bit easier. We got our text saying the table was ready and we went to eat breakfast. Adelle came from across the street, she was reading at Book People.

Our meal was delicious. Lola fell in love with 24Diner while she was in college and we always make it a point to visit the spot when we're in town. All three of us had waffles (mine with fried chicken) and Adelle had a veggie bowl. The waitress was a bit aggressive and mocked Adelle for being vegan. It was super weird and we weren't cool with it. After we ate, we crossed the street to Book People. 

Book People is an Austin institution. One of the largest independent bookshops I've ever been in, it has a very organized and cooperate feel. But not in a bad way! It just feels very professional and clean. I'd compare it to Powell's in Portland, but more organized and less sprawling. Definitely a spot to hit up. We picked up a drawing book for Billie and some other odds and ends. 

As we left the bookshop, Adelle took off to her place (we'd meet up at the show later). We decided to stop at Whole Foods to buy some Liquid Death (a brand of sparkling water that is AMAZING). The parking lot was a bit of a mess to get into as Austin specializes in one ways. After getting the water, we headed to the apartment to relax for an hour or so until we headed to ACL. 

We decided to Uber down to ACL to save us the hassle of finding parking, driving in traffic, etc. Rates were great, just $15 to get down to Zilker Park. When we arrived, we followed the line of people over the bridge and down a long path to get into the festival.

If you've never been to ACL or a similar sized festival, the crowds can be a little overwhelming. Basically 100,000 people in a park, moving from stage to stage to see bands. It's a little wild. Because we brought Billie, we had to stay pretty far back from any stage for the sake of her ears. Honestly, with COVID, we're kind of used to avoiding crowds, so it comes natural.

Some of the best parts about a festival is people watching and this year did not disappoint. Tons of people to mock or ogle, it's a mixed bag of fun, but it's definitely fun. For the most part, in the first hour, we just stood around and chilled, having a beer or two, and texting friends to try and connect. Eventually, we ran into, in no specific order, Adelle, Rachel and Josh, and Dan Solomon. Some of Rachel and Josh's friends also joined our group off and on this evening.

As far as musical acts we saw, here's the list with a short review (from my perspective)

Arlo Parks - Ok, wasn't my cup of tea. Solomon was impressed, but eh.

James Blake - Epic. Great show, played all the hits, including some that were from way back. Really loved his set and glad we saw him.

Omar Apollo - Overrated. Dude seemed like a douche bag, but maybe that was the vibe for some people. Wasn't for me.

SZA - Only stayed for three of her songs. She was pretty good, sang from a lighthouse prop for the songs we saw. We enjoyed what we saw.

After the SZA songs, we walked back out of the park to the Uber drop off spot and picked up an Uber back to our apartment. Ride back was fine, and we brought Adelle back to our place so she wouldn't have to take any bus rides. When we got back our apartment, I drove Adelle to her apartment.

When I got back, Lola had a craving for P. Terrys. I volunteered to go pick up food, but then we decided to make it a full family trip. We hit the spot and P. Terrys does not disappoint. Burgers and fries for the win. Billie was about it. We were about it. Great ending to the night.

Day One Blog

Day Two Blog

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