Gypsy Picnic

This weekend was pretty chill, and exactly what I needed. I slept (a lot), got back into my workout groove, cleaned the house, and ran some much needed errands. But we did manage to sneak a little fun into the weekend, too. Knowing that we may not live here forever (caution: big, scary life decisions ahead as we approach J's last semester of business school), I've been trying to make more of a conscious effort to get out and enjoy Austin and its distinctive quirkiness.

Airstream trailer dining is a big thing in Austin. Some of them roam freely around the city and some are parked in specific, permanent locations. They serve everything from tacos to Korean barbecue to Indian food to BBQ and good ol' Southern comfort food. Some try to provide an upscale trailer experience, like my favorite Indian place, G'Raj Mahal. G'Raj (pronounced Garage) has a nice tented patio with wrought iron chairs and tables and nice lighting. They wait on you at your table and, other than the fact that you're eating outside in a vacant lot near some dilapidated buildings, it feels like a decent restaurant. They don't have a liquor license, but who can complain about BYOB? Most people bring beer or a bottle of wine to enjoy with their food. (If you go, get the Saag. Mmmmmm.) Other trailers are unabashedly low rent (numerous taco trucks come to mind), but their food is equally delicious.

This past Saturday 30 different trailers gathered together at Auditorium Shores as part of the Gypsy Picnic. Admission was free and the idea was essentially to roam around and purchase small tastes (about $3-$5 each) from multiple different vendors. This being Austin, there was also a stage with numerous different live music acts throughout the afternoon and two beer gardens. Lines were long for most of the trailers, but we were impressed that the "tastes" were actually pretty substantial for $3. We tried tacos and homemade hot sauce from Royito's Hot Sauce Streamer and shrimp po'boy sandwiches from Turf N Surf Po'Boy.

After that we just kind of wandered around, chatted up some friends we ran into, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Of course all of this strenuous activity necessitated nap when we got home, but it was well worth the effort. ; )