An ‘Awesome’ Time in Austin With 11-Year-Old

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AUSTIN — We have returned to a familiar city to see it through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy — our nephew, Connor. This is his first trip to A-town. Connor is a bright, inquisitive boy possessed with an old soul in some ways. He talks slowly and seriously, adores his cousin Abbie, and loves spending time with us. He’s my chess opponent as well. Connor is inching closer to the time he will checkmate me. The last time we played, the game lasted more than an hour before I finally wore down his defenses and defeated him. His day of victory is coming.

As we pulled into town, we pointed out the Austin skyline, the UT tower in the distance. After dropping off our luggage and checking out the apartment we rented in West Campus through AirBnb, we headed to the state Capitol. Connor was first entranced with the DPS trooper stationed at the entrance with a semi-automatic rifle strapped over his shoulder. We led him into the rotunda and told him to look up. The five-point burnt-orange star with “TEXAS” spelled out between the points is at the peak. He was suitably impressed. “Let’s go up there,” he said and started up the wide stairs.

Connor stopped and read the inscription below every painting we passed —of former governors, famous battle scenes such as San Jacinto and the Alamo, Santa Anna’s surrender. We climbed to the second floor and went inside the Senate chambers (the House chamber is closed for renovation). A young man sat at a desk outside the senators’ desks, which were roped off in velvet. He was reading a paperback and casting an occasional eye at the visitors, making sure nobody did anything untoward.

“That has to be one of the most boring jobs in America,” my Beautiful Mystery Companion remarked. I agreed. We climbed to the third floor and looked down. Connor did so from a distance. Abbie had no intention, having a lifelong fear of heights. I leaned over and looked at the folks at the bottom taking cell phone photos upward.

As we left, Connor remarked, “Wow. That was awesome.”

Next stop on the essential Austin tour was dinner at Guero’s Taco Bar, a required stop on any visit to A-Town. I had assured Connor this would be the best Mexican food he had ever placed in his mouth. The pressure was on, and Guero’s delivered. Connor liked his cheese enchiladas so much we returned the next evening. He agreed Guero’s was considerably better than Taco Bell. I believe his exact word was, again, “Awesome.”

As the sun began to set, we headed to Congress Avenue to join several hundred folks gathered for the nightly bat show. On cue, the bats emerged from beneath the bridge over Lady Bird Lake and headed east quickly forming a thick cloud that drew shouts and cheers from the crowd. Connor busily snapped photos with his Nintendo — which I had no idea was possible. He turned and smiled at us. Seeing the bats fly was tops on his list of things to do while in Austin.

“The Star of Destiny” film at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum provides a tactile tour of the state’s history, with mist descending during a thunderstorm on screen and lightning flashing along the ceiling. When settlers encounter a nest of rattlesnakes, our seats poked up, causing Abbie to squeal and Connor to look more than a little alarmed. The museum also received an “awesome” rating.

At one point, he turned to my Beautiful Mystery Companion, who he calls Aunt Hiss (it’s a long story) and said, “You know, I’m not even missing home because I’m having so much fun.”

After brunch at Kerbey Lane, where Connor said the gingerbread pancake was like having “Christmas in your mouth,” we toured the Drag. Aunt Hiss bought him a “Keep Austin Weird” T-shirt and a junior-sized Longhorn basketball and we showed him part of the UT campus. We returned that night, after a second plate of cheese enchiladas at Gueros. One of the hidden treasures on the 40 acres is the observatory on top of Painter Hall, just north of the Tower.

In all the years I spent on campus, I had no idea it existed. The 9-inch telescope came from the University of Chicago and was installed in 1933. The observatory’s slot into the night sky is turned by hand-crank, and at one point the young astronomy student manning the telescope pressed me into action to rotate it.

Connor stepped up and first saw the moon, than Mars, and then the show-stopper — a highly detailed Saturn, with two rings visible.

“Awesome,” he said. My sentiments exactly.

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