A Saturday in Austin

June 15, 2022 - Reading time: 8 minutes

Today’s fun included 3 rounds of Top Golf.  Two in the traditional sense and the final, a variation of Angry Birds.  I was no match for my three strapping golf mates and their ability to hit the ball quite far.  James outshined us all with distance and accuracy, but to be fair he was raised by a semi-pro.  I quite enjoyed the Angry Birds version of silly golf and my game improved a good bit after some practice and an entire pint of spiked pineapple punch.  I embraced the concept of “angry” as well by switching from a wedge club to a driver and just smacking the crap out of the ball.  It was cathartic.  

Afterwards we drove to an area in northwest Austin that is heavily influenced by Asian culture.  Our first stop was a cool little discount store with bargains galore.  This place had everything you never knew you needed such as a bamboo spatula with a smiley face carved right through the business end.  Doesn’t everyone need a spoon that is happy to see you?  Thank heavens their credit card machine was down or we would have shopped for extra luggage, too. 

Next we lingered in the Japanese bookstore where Preston purchased another Gundam model kit.  Assembling these little (and big!) guys have become a favorite hobby of his.  They have lots of movable parts and look just plain cool. 

Later we meandered through the enormous Asian supermarket and then settled into a booth for four at our final stop of the day.  It’s a foodie experience like no other and always a must-do on our trips to Austin:  conveyor belt sushi.  

The How-To:  Select your drinks from the screen above the table and a robot delivers them.  From that point forward, it’s an all out snatch and grab flurry of activity as attention turns to the selection of tapas-sized delicacies whizzing by for the taking on a conveyor belt next to your table.  Simply deposit each empty saucer into a slot beneath the conveyor.  With every 15 plates a prize ball rolls forth from a giant dispenser.  Think gumball machine.  The spoils of today’s meal were 3 tiny Puglie erasers attached to the end of bookmark paperclips.  Please don’t do the math.  We gorged on deliciousness and those boys can EAT. 

We went to bed that evening with food babies in our bellies.  Again.  If you leave Austin hungry, it’s your own fault.