Walk on the Weird Side

Weird: A strolling Black Bird was seen on South Congress Avenue in Austin's SoCo District.

You can spot signs and posters around Houston with the imperative, "Keep Austin Weird." Are the signs and posters warnings, or for recruitment of weird people?  I guess Austinites just like to think of themselves and their town as weird. Well, Tall Husband and I went to check it out. Here's what we discovered on a recent trip to Austin's SoCo District.

The patio at Hotel San Jose... looks pretty non-weird to us; however, these people are probably visitors from out of town.  So let's move on:

Jo's next door to Hotel San Jose is starting to look weird...is that Grandma Death out front there? (When my pillow decides that my hair needs to stand up and look wild, Tall Husband says, "Well, good morning, Grandma Death, " referring to a character in the psychothriller, Donnie Darko.)

At Luther's we found unique (translation: wild and weird) clothing for men and women and unique store props, like this car engine in the window, which Tall Husband immediately identified as a vintage Buick engine, then started talking cars with Luther's owner, Cory Moore who, as it turns out, owns a speed shop. Tall Husband, you're getting weird; how else would you have known all that stuff about old engines?

Blackmail, a boutique that sells black and more black, is definitely wonderfully weird. Uh-oh, I'm starting to think I would look good in that black leather strappy thing, playing that vintage Stratocaster...sort of Grandma Death goes heavy metal.

Crepes Mille

Crepes out of an Airstream...is that weird?

We ate here at Guero's Taco Bar and had great Tex Mex food and got in some people watching and we did see some weird ones there.

Kimber Modern, a boutique hotel is uber chic and modern. Not weird...until your spot that little silver trailer attached to their mailbox. Are they selling crepes too? Weird!

A wonderful bungalow in the Travis Heights neighborhood, just off Congress Avenue. My bunnies could be happy here. There is nothing weird here, except there isn't a bunny in sight.

Hotel Saint Cecilia is also in the SoCo area. Ditto: nothing weird here...

...until you see that albino peacock staring at you from the bar (and why do his feathers look like my hair?)

O.K. guys, you're weird. But Tall Husband and I love walking on the weird side with you!

Note: If you want to check out Austin's SoCo area for yourself, the first Thursday of each month is a good time to do so; just go to www.FirstThursday.info for details.