Category: Fun

Au Revoir Austin

Although our official work week was over, it didn’t mean our education was complete.  Accordingly, we planned out a day that involved virtual exploration, actual exploration, and some adventurous food choices!

Bob Bullock Museum and National Parks

We began our morning with virtual exploration of the National Park system at the Bob Bullock Museum.  The Museum was presenting America Wild: National Parks Adventure.  It was narrated by Robert Redford, whom we had just seen in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Thursday, and it reinforced some of what we had learned when we brought Mark Burns to campus in March to exhibit his photos of the 59 national parks he had visited and photographed in Black and White.

The Documentary was created to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service.  Although Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and others had taken steps to preserve America’s most treasured lands, it was Woodrow Wilson who signed the legislation enabling the National Park System for generations of Americans to enjoy.

The documentary was in 3-D, so we put on our glasses, sat back, and enjoyed the show…

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…while reinforcing our appreciation of the National Parks in the United States.

The Bullock Museum also has a limited exhibit of photographs from the National Park System, and we were followed up the documentary with a viewing of the photographs.

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From Virtual Exploration to Actual Exploration

After seeing a high-adventure documentary, we chose to experience some of that adventure ourselves.  That evening, we headed off to the Rowing Dock to get in some kayaking.

It took Karla and me (Alex) a while to find our rowing rhythm, but once we did, we sped up to catch up with the others.

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Karla and Alex Begin Their Kayaking Adventure!

The river was full of kayakers, canoers, and paddle boarders rowing up and down the river and under the busy bridges. I admired the mix of city and nature as we paddled up the river.

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The Austin Skyline from a Kayak

It was a combination that I am not accustomed to seeing. After a while of paddling, we all gathered under a bridge that seemed to be making a strange sound. We stayed there for a while as Professor Yawn explained to us that the noise was being produced by bats! Apparently “South Congress” is known for its bat population that flies out at sunset every day.  We paddled along and saw a few more interesting water mechanisms; a swan boat, a Cambridge Racer…

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….and paddle boards with bicycles as the motor. But mostly we all just enjoyed the exercise…

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Beatriz and Kaitlyn Taking Off from the Rowing Dock

…the skyline…

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Stephanie and Megan Enjoy the River

…each other’s company…

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…the sunset…

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Alex and Karla Sail Into the Sunset

…actually, we enjoyed the sunset a lot…

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Kaitlyn and Beatriz Sail Into the Sunset

…and even the moonrise.

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In fact, we were so taken with the moon that we were a little late getting our kayaks back.

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Kaitlyn and Beatriz Pull in at Moonrise

It was a satisfying adventure all around.

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After learning about the bats under the bridge, we decided to get a look for ourselves.  Accordingly, we scurried off to the Congress Avenue Bridge, where hundreds of people gathered to watch for the 750,000 or so bats that begin coming out around sunset.

 

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We didn’t see 750,000 bats, but we saw a lot of them!  They are difficult to photograph, however, and we didn’t get any usable photographs, at least not of bats.  We did get a decent group shot, though:

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A Food Adventure

With more time than typical, we could explore our food tastes.  And explore we did!

For lunch we enjoyed Indian cuisine at Clay Pit, a place known not only for its food, but also for being housed in the Bertram historical building.  The Clay Pit offers a lunch buffet, giving us the chance to sample varieties of food.  Starting with crunchy fried veggies to the scrumptious Chicken Tikka Masala we stuffed ourselves with food in a classy environment filled with Indian music. Accompanied with these dishes were naan: some filled with melted cheese and jalapenos, while others had sweet cherries, nuts, and raisins. After our meal, we decided to get dessert which consisted of Chai Spice Creme Brulee and strangest of all,or at least not commonly heard of, Gajjhar Halwa. This is a dessert described as a “hot and cold love”.

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Interestingly, it consisted of cold vanilla ice cream and warm carrots, a dish recommended to us by SHAIP (Sam Houston Austin Internship Program) alumnus Shelby O’Brien. Everyone enjoyed this shockingly delicious dessert!

Despite the large lunch, our evening kayaking adventure whetted our appetite for a large dinner, which consisted of Ethiopian food.

Our appetizers were Sambusas, which are pastries filled with onion, green pepper, and beef accompanied by a spicy sauce.

While we waited for our food, we talked about our favorite experiences during our week in Austin. We all had different favorites, but we all agreed that we definitely learned a lot this past week. It was filled with fun and adventure, but also a lot of work and learning time; the best combination!

That learning and fun continued with the arrival of our entrees, presented in a large Ethiopian basket!

Our entrees consisted of the Habesha special meat combo that included Doro Wot, Siga Wot, Kitfo, Yebeg Tibs, Alicha Fitfit, Bozena Shiro, Gomen Besega, Habesha special tibs, and Ayib; thankfully we had a great waiter that could explain each one of these to us! We also ordered from the Poultry menu, the Doro Tibs, chicken breast cubes sautéed with slices of onions, herbs, and sauce. For the least adventurous, we ordered spaghetti with meat sauce. The food really seemed to be authentic Ethiopian food which was a great way to introduce this type of food to us first-timers.

Even as first-timers, we did our best to eat in the Ethiopian tradition, using the injera bread as utensils.  It was great food and a great way to wrap up our adventurous week in Austin.

We headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to hit the road the next morning. We were all thankful for the opportunity to intern at the Texas Capitol for the week. We were also thankful to meet extremely helpful people and eat really good food. Until next time, Austin!

From Baseball to Bowling: Striking Out for the Valley

After a morning of art and aquarium life in Corpus Christi, we set out for the Valley.  The night before, we went to a baseball game–Alex’s first.  Tonight, we stumbled upon a bowling alley next to our hotel in Weslaco, and decided to play a couple of rounds–our first in a very long time!

Beatriz Martinez, LEAP Ambassador and valley resident, joined us for the bowling game.

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It had been a while since any of us had bowled so we knew it would be…interesting. All of us bowled pretty well the first game, which Megan won the first game–showing exquisite form.

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Our second game, however, showed a marked dropoff among everyone except for Professor Yawn, who seemed energized by his loss to Chapa in game one.  In fact, he thinks he bowled his best game ever. He won after posting nine strikes (!)–while the rest of us spent significant time nursing sore arms from our efforts in game one.

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It was a fun time filled with both embarrassing and proud moments!

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Happy to say all of us made at least one strike!

For dinner we tried a highly recommended restaurant named Arturos.   We started off with Queso Flameado with tortillas and Avocado Pico de Gallo that we enjoyed while waiting for our meals. Megan ordered Tacos de la Calle, which she said had amazing fajita meat; I ordered something that I had never tried before, Enchiladas Suizas, which were chicken enchiladas topped with tomatillo sauce and oxaca cheese. Beatriz and Professor Yawn split the Special Mexican Plate that allowed them to taste a little bit of everything. We then had Tres Leches Cake and a Caramel Crepe for dessert.

With the bowling and the food, it was a sweet (and spicy!) way to begin our time in the Valley!

 

Corpus Christi in Six Hours

It’s not easy to prioritize your time in a City when you have just five hours to spend, but we did a pretty good job of it.

Our morning began by visiting The Texas State Aquarium. As a fish enthusiast, Megan was especially looking forward to this underwater adventure. We began with a shark exhibit…

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…before moving on to the Lion Fish and Electric Eels.  One of the highlights was seeing the Aquarium staff in full scuba gear feeding these fish.

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The Museum’s exhibits are well configured, giving you the opportunity to see them up close.  The jellyfish exhibit, for example, is in low light, highlighting the animals translucent tissue.

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The sea otters, crocodile, and bald eagle were outside, and they were in separate exhibits, again configured in such a way as to maximize human interaction with the animals.  In the case of the sharks and stingrays, we could even put our arms in the water and “lightly touch the animals with two fingers.”

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The true highlight of the aquarium are the dolphins.  The trainers brought out four dolphins, two of which were especially good at tricks.  Through mimicry, these dolphins learn to clap, jump out of the water, do flips, swim on their back, and even splash the audience!  Our favorite was a three-spin flip.

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Next door to the Aquarium is the city’s Art Museum of South Texas.  The museum is housed in a structure designed by Philip Johnson and made from shellcrete.

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The current exhibit in the Museum was of Texas Mixed Media, and my favorite artist represented was Mary McCleary, who is actually a Professor of Art at Stephen F. Austin University.  In her artist statement, she indicates she takes found objects and layers them onto paper in a way that “conveys an intensity which the viewer finds compelling.”  That was the case for me (Alex), and I’d like to see more of her work.

We also had a chance to see another Dale Chihuly, and I learned about the “Art Guys,” who have a work composed of clear glass tubes horizontally placed on the wall and filled with broken glass.

Megan, too, found a new artist she liked: Bill Meek.  A glass artist from Houston, his piece “Catharsis” is in a sun room overlooking a piece by Jesus Moroles outside the building.

Speaking of which, the exterior of the Museum is as intriguing as the interior.  The walkway to the building includes a large, ringed fountain.

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Off to the side is a large piece by James Surls, who graduated from Sam Houston State University.

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With all the art hitting close to home, we decided to stray outside the box for lunch.  Thus we went to a Vietnamese Restaurant (literally called “Vietnam Restaurant”) in Corpus Christi.  This seemed like an unlikely pairing, but the food was truly good.  I (Megan) ordered the Vietnam Fried Rice, which was delicious; Alex had the Vermicelli Noodles with grilled chicken; and Professor Yawn had the restaurant’s signature “Hot Pot” which, after being slow cooked for 25 minutes was, indeed, hot!  And very good.  It was our favorite restaurant thus far in the trip.

Before leaving Corpus, however, we felt somewhat compelled to visit “Mirador de la Flor,” which is a memorial to Selena, the Tejano singer.  Selena was shot at the age of 23 but she sold more than a million albums in her short career and paved the way for other Hispanic singers.

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And with that visit, we closed down our time in Corpus Christi.  Although “hooked” by the beaches, baseball, sea-life, and art, we had business in the Rio Grande Valley, so southward we roamed.

But not before getting drinks at Coffee Wave.  We cannot recommend this enough!  The coffee was good; the Mexican Hot Chocolate was excellent, even on a summer day; and the Chai Tea Latte was amazing!  And with that, we waved goodbye to Corpus Christi!

Valley Girls: LEAP Ambassadors take to the Rio Grande Valley

After enduring the journey of the LSAT two days prior, Megan and I were ready to go on a different type of journey, one that involves beaches, baseball and sun! We packed up the car and headed to the Lower Rio Grande Valley—with planned first-day excursions to Victoria and Corpus Christi along the way.

Arriving in Victoria, TX around noon, we drove through a beautiful neighborhood filled with mostly Spanish architecture before arriving at our lunch destination, “The Pumphouse,”a river-side restaurant.

We began our meal with Fried Jalapeno Mac and Cheese wrapped in bacon, along with Shrimp Kisses, fresh gulf shrimp stuffed with pepper jack cheese, a jalapeno strop, and also wrapped in bacon.

Our entrees were just a wonderful.  Professor Yawn enjoyed the fish tacos filled with mahi mahi;

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Megan adventurously tried the Monte Cristo, with grilled ham and cheese and roasted turkey on toasted brioche with melted cheese and a cinnamon burgundy drizzle.  I, on the other hand, went for the ribeye sandwich, which was very tasty.

The restaurant is notable not only for its food, but also for its history.  The property was originally owned by the Republic of Texas and was signed over to the City of Victoria by none other than Sam Houston, the President of the Republic.  The property remained in the City’s possession for some 170 years, serving as the “pumphouse” to the City.  In 2010 it was bought by its current owners and repurposed to a restaurant.  We are glad it worked out that way.

Corpus Christi is known for its seaside location, with beautiful beaches and the nation’s 5th largest port (in tonnage).  We learned about both in our brief time here.

We began our field trip with what we hoped would be a leisurely stroll to the beach.  Turns out, while we were 100 yards from the seashore, we were quite a distant to a swimmable beach.  When we realized the actual distance, we tried Uber—which showed no available drivers—and then successfully hailed a cab.  It was a pretty beach and the water was nice…

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…although after about 30 minutes of swimming, Alex felt something bump into her back.  The something was a jellyfish, and after that encounter, we noticed many, many more.  With that, we called it a day, and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the night’s activities.

Everyone knows summer in Corpus is beach-time, but it’s also baseball season.  Corpus serves as the Houston Astros’ AA affiliate, the Hooks.  The team plays at Whataburger Stadium—Corpus is home to the original Whataburger—which is very family friendly.  The stadium has a water park, a swimming pool, a rock-climbing wall, and a Whataburger restaurant.

Before the game began, we got a few pictures, one with the world’s largest statue of a baseball player…

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…and one with the team’s mascot!

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We also learned to keep “score.”  Keeping score is different than keeping up with what the score of the game is; it actually involves a series of notation identifying the play-by-play unfolding of the game. We learned the basics in the first three innings, watched the game and a spectacularly evolving sunset,

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at which point we were joined by Shelby O’Brien.  Ms. O’Brien is a former Austin Intern for the LEAP Center, and now works in the District for Representative Todd Hunter.  She educated us with interesting information about the area and offered us valuable advice for future internships.  It was a pleasure getting to her know her while also learning more about the community.

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As an added bonus, Derek Fisher hit a three-run home run in the 8th for the Hooks to win the game 6-3.

On the heels of victory, and eager to learn more about the legislative process—in the district and in Austin—we joined Shelby for dinner at a place she recommended: Water Street Oyster Bar.  It was as good as lunch!  We had Oysters Rockefeller and Shrimp Picayune for appetizers, and they were amazing!  The Picayune was interesting and confusing, mixing both cayenne pepper and brown sugar.  Professor Yawn ordered it at Shelby’s suggestion.  It was good to see Professor Yawn have the opportunity to try something new, since he is encourages us to try new things.  Apparently, he had also encouraged Shelby to try new things in Austin, as well, and now the tides had turned.

As for me (Alex), I enjoyed the Blackened Chicken Fettuccine filled with creole spices and topped with a garlic cream sauce, and Megan enjoyed fresh sushi.  Not only did we learn that Shelby had amazing taste in food, but she was a pleasure to talk to, and it was particularly nice that she accompanied us to dinner despite an intense and long day (beginning at 6am).

It was a long day for us, too.  But despite the late hour, we made our way by the original Whataburger for a quick photo of the only double-decker Whataburger in the world.

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