BETWEEN THE LINES: No place like Austin
When my wife and I married after she graduated from the University of Texas in 1978, we made Austin our home for the next 19 years. Many adjectives have been used to describe the city, such as eclectic, but clearly it is not Dallas, Houston or San Antonio.
Each of these Texas cities is vastly different. Big "D" is high society with creative architecture and sophistication. Houston, the state’s most populous city, is deemed an oil town where limited zoning laws created an architectural hodgepodge.
San Antonio has capitalized on being a tourist attraction. Starting with the Alamo, and with the later additions of the RiverWalk, Sea World San Antonio and Fiesta Texas, the city has successfully managed to market itself to the world. The South Texas town clearly has a Spanish and Southwestern flair and a long military history.
Next, we have the state capital. I first saw Austin in 1963 when I visited my brother, who was attending the University of Texas and playing in the Longhorn band. It was a memorable debut as I attended the Baylor game in late November. The Longhorns entered the contest undefeated with an 8-0 record. The Bears were led by two All-Americans — quarterback Don Trull and wide receiver Lawrence Elkins.
Sitting in the north end zone, I watched as Texas’ 7-0 lead in the fourth quarter was threatened as Baylor drove down the field late in the game. Safety Duke Carlisle, also the starting quarterback, intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve the win as the Longhorns went on to win the National Championship by defeating Navy and Roger Staubach in the Cotton Bowl 28-7.
My wife and I enjoyed those years in Austin because the town had so much to offer, especially when it came to cuisine. The city has a plethora of homegrown restaurants. Mexican food has been one of our favorites. Jorges, El Patio, El Matt’s, Fonda San Miguel, Trudy’s and El Arroyo were regular stops for us. Other favorites included Threadgill’s, Kirby Lane Café, Magnolia Café, Z-Tejas Grill, County Line, Green Pastures and Hudson on-the Bend. Two local sandwich shops, Thundercloud Subs and Schlotzsky’s, went national.
All of these memories surfaced as we ventured into Austin on March 25 to watch our oldest daughter compete in the ever-popular Capitol 10K, which celebrated its 35th anniversary. The race was her first, and she was pleased she beat her goal of running the 6.2-mile in under an hour. It was hard for me to imagine that I ran the race for 10 consecutive years in the 1980s. My wife still reminds me that a guy running in a wedding dress beat me.
The weather this year was spectacular, quite different from the year it sleeted just before the race.
As we headed toward home on Southwest Parkway to meet Texas 71, I was once again reminded how great it is to live in the Hill Country, especially during a wet winter that provided such an array of wildflowers. Austin’s laid-back atmosphere, numerous sports attractions and cultural diversity have provided my family with many hours of fun and frolic. We have never regretted our decision to live in Austin.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 13 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, email ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.