Austin, Texas

            My journey to Texas began late Thursday morning. Instead of sticking solely to the interstates, I decided to traverse the state highways in eastern Texas because it was a more direct route than driving through Dallas.  On top of that, my timing would have landed me in the thick of the city at rush hour, and I had no desire to sit for hours in traffic. 

            Texas is one of the most geographically diverse states in the country, largely due to its size. In the northeastern part of the state, the vegetation was very green and lush, complemented by a vivid, brick-colored soil. Thick woods provided precious shade from the beating sun as I passed several tree farms interspersed among the cattle ranges. The road rolled over hills and plains, lending one spectacular view after another. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, and the sky was deeply blue and endless. Although I would not drive through the western half of Texas on this particular trip, I knew that it was a very different world from the green paradise of the east. West Texas is a desert with little vegetation, infrequent rain, and an unrelenting sun. I was thankful to be driving from Arkansas.

            I passed through countless towns as the day grew older. After several hours on the road, I found a Tex-Mex restaurant called Mercado’s in Tyler, so I decided to stop for dinner. When the restaurant came into view, there was no doubt in my mind that I had made the right choice. The entire building, inside and out, was thoroughly decorated with lights and streamers, but the large dining room itself was dimly lit and the music was a little loud.  I was seated immediately, and then chips and salsa arrived promptly afterward. My server was very friendly and one of the most talkative people in my travels to date. He explained that after several years working for the restaurant, a job he loved, he would soon be moving on to greener pastures. I told him briefly about the trip, making a mental note to write my website down on the check when it arrived. He made a recommendation for a particular burrito, so I decided to order it. When it arrived hot and steaming, I dug in, eager for the first real Tex-Mex that I’d had in several months. I surrendered long before I cleared my plate, lethargic but very satisfied. I left just as the huge orange sun was beginning to set.

            Many hours later, I finally arrived in Austin. It was the second weekend of the famous Austin City Limits music festival (ACL), and downtown was as lively as I’d ever seen it. Austin is ‘the live music capital of the world,’ meaning that there is more live music going on in Austin at any given point than anywhere else. That night certainly reinforced that claim; at each intersection I could hear the music of a different band, and the festival didn’t even start until tomorrow! Thinking that I couldn’t have received a warmer welcome to Austin, I made my way home to my Dad’s where my family was waiting to greet me.

            Over the next several days, I went to ACL to see some music, but I mostly spent time with my family. On Monday, I caught a plane home to New Jersey for ten days to spend some time with other relatives and catch up with friends before flying back to Austin. When I returned, I planned to spend a day with my grandmother, who was a docent at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, and used to be a guide at the Texas Capitol as well.

            First we went to the museum, where we explored the illustrious journey that Texas underwent to become a state. The first floor is mainly dedicated to Native Americans, pioneers, and early explorers of the land that is now Texas. The second floor is dedicated to the formation of the state of Texas, as we know it today. Texas is the only state to have been under the control of six different nations throughout the course of its history. Those countries are France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. You don’t have to spend too much time in Texas to appreciate which governing body holds the utmost loyalty of its inhabitants. By far, it is the Republic of Texas. Texas is one of the only places in the country where state loyalty far surpasses national loyalty. If you meet a Texan anywhere else in the world and ask where they are from, they will not say that they are from the U.S.; they will say that they are from Texas. It is an almost unheard of pride that borders on mild insanity. For instance, almost every overpass in Texas has the lone star emblazoned upon it. Buildings, businesses, and bridges all display the lone star throughout Texas. In fact, I soon found myself questioning whether the “lone star” was truly an accurate description, given how often it is displayed throughout Texas.

This kind of regional obsession is not only about the state of Texas, but about the cities as well. If you have been to Austin for any amount of time, then you are familiar with the phrase, “Keep Austin Weird.” This is a movement born from its loving citizens who are motivated to support local business. Indeed every place worth visiting in Austin is locally owned, and the undying love that Austinites have for their city makes it contagiously enjoyable. The passion leaks from the resident to the tourist, which is why Austin has experienced near-migration conditions for the past few years. Combined with an economy that is growing faster than the rest of the country, Austin’s “good vibes” have people coming back to stay.  

            Long before the Republic of Texas formed and the lone star mania had fully set in, French explorers and Spanish conquistadors journeyed through the land that is now Texas, usually in search of some kind of riches. The first explorer known to have landed in Texas and map the coastline was a Spaniard named Alonso Alvarez de Pineda who was traveling from Jamaica.

From 1540 to 1542, another Spanish explorer named Francisco Vasquez de Coronado searched for the famous SevenCities of Cibola, which was said to be a vast metropolis of gold. Friar Marcos de Niza told Coronado that he had seen the cities from afar in the land that is now New Mexico. Accompanied by hundreds of men and several Native American guides, the journey covered nearly 4,000 miles in what is now the American southwest, including a large portion of modern-day Texas. When they arrived to the hills that the friar had described, there was only a small adobe village that held no riches.  Severely in debt and empty handed, Coronado was forced to return to Mexico City with a damaged reputation. One theory about the failure is that de Niza saw the adobe villages in the afternoon sunlight, which may have made the buildings shimmer as if they were made of gold.

Over the next two hundred and fifty years, Spain remained in control of Texas. In many ways it served as a buffer between French settlements in Louisiana and the Spanish settlements in modern-day Mexico and American southwest. After the Louisiana Purchase, the US gained control of the area to the east and north of Texas, once again making Texas a buffer between the Spanish and a foreign territory. Two years before the purchase, Spain and France had signed a vague agreement with each other that failed to specifically draw the borders, and previous assessments were contradictory. Thomas Jefferson used this ambiguity to question whether or not Texas was truly their territory. Despite this, Texas remained in Spanish territory.

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810, Texas fell into Mexican control. Soon after, the Mexican Government passed the “General Colonization Law” which allowed any head of household to own land in Texas regardless of race or immigrant status. American colonizers began flooding in, and by 1830, Americans outnumbered Mexicans in the region by a considerable majority.

Samuel Houston is one of the most important people in the history of Texas. Born in Virginia on March 2, 1793, Houston spent the majority of his childhood playing with Cherokee Indians in the mountains of Tennessee. He enlisted in the army in the war of 1812 and rose to the position of 1st lieutenant. He resigned in 1818, and went back to Tennessee to become a lawyer. After practicing law for a few years, Houston became involved in state politics. He served in the U.S. Congress from 1823 to 1827, after which he was elected Governor of Tennessee by a significant majority. After a failed marriage, Houston resigned from Tennessee politics and moved to Texas with several friends. He quickly became involved in important Texas matters, undoubtedly because of his experience as a soldier, lawyer, and statesman. On the brink of the Texas Revolution, Houston was named commander-in-chief of the Texas forces. He led the Texans to victory when he defeated Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Houston was the first President of the Republic of Texas, and also served in its Congress for several years before being reelected to the Presidency. In 1845 it was clear that Texas could no longer fend off repeated attacks from the Mexican government, and they petitioned the United States Government to join the union. Houston served in the United States Congress as a Senator from the state of Texas, and also served as Governor of the state of Texas. In 1861, in the dawn of the Civil War, Houston vehemently opposed seceding from the union, but he remained in the extreme minority on this issue, and he was removed from his position. This decision ended Samuel Houston’s decades-long career in politics.

Another notable individual is also preserved in time by the name of one of Texas’ biggest cities, Stephen F.Austin. Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He began his career in state politics at age 21 in the Missouri legislature. His father, Moses Austin, received a land grant for colonization purposes in Texas, which was still under Spanish control at the time. He perished in 1821 before he could make full use of it, and the senior Austin bequeathed the land grant to his son. Because the Mexican Revolution happened during the time that his father was unable to make use of the land, there was a large amount of chaos in the Mexican government. After many years of delay, Stephen Austin moved to Tejas with 300 other settlers, which is what the land grant allowed. Austin was in charge of the colony because he was the person that the grant was given to, and it was the first legal American colony in Mexican-controlled Tejas. Tensions had been mounting for a long time between American settlers in Tejas and the Mexican government, largely due to corruption in the Mexican government. Austin was a passionate believer of a peaceful solution with Mexico, and vehemently opposed revolution in Tejas. He went on trips to Mexico City and acted as a sort of ambassador between the Tejans and the Mexican government. On one of his trips, Austin was sent to work out terms about the separation of Tejas from Coahuila, which were joined Mexican states at that time. He sent several letters home to Tejas, including one that urged citizens to begin declaring statehood without permission from the federal Mexican government. His letters were intercepted, and the Mexican government threw him in jail where he remained for a year and a half. He was never charged with any crime, and he never received a trial.

Ironically, Austin was one of the few Texans that supported a peaceful solution with Mexico. He was often in the minority on this matter at home, where tensions were mounting intensely. When Mexico threw him in jail, it was the final nail in the coffin for their relationship with Texas. By the time Austin was released in 1835, Austin no longer felt that the Mexican government would adequately protect the rights of his people, and he believed that independence was necessary.

            A pivotal point in Texas history was the battle of the Alamo. About 100 troops were stationed at the Alamo mission in 1836 when a Mexican army of 1500 soldiers marched into San Antonio. It was the first step by Mexican forces in a campaign to retake Texas, having been driven out previously by Texan forces. There were skirmishes on and off for ten days, with few casualties, though the Texans knew that they could not withstand a siege from a force that large for very long. Despite repeated requests for reinforcements, only about 100 arrived. On March 6th, Santa Anna and the Mexican troops advanced on the Alamo. All of the Texans were slaughtered. It has been estimated that anywhere from 180 to 250 Texans died, but most experts agree that around 600 Mexican soldiers were killed. It was the fierce desire for revenge that led the Texans to victory at the Battle of San Jacinto in April of 1836, hence the phrase, “Remember the Alamo!”

            The Alamo is the basis of Texan loyalty. When faced with a corrupt, turbulent, and ineffective government, the people of Texas rebelled and took matters into their own hands. In that way, Texas has possibly the most “American” origin of any state in the union. It is even more “American” that the people’s loyalty remains with the Republic of Texas, since that was the nation they went to war to create. Because of their fierce commitment to freedom and self-determination, it was only fitting that Texas was admitted into the union in 1845, when the Republic of Texas no longer had the forces to ward off attacks from the Mexican government. If Texas was going to be a part of any country, it would have to be a nation that was just as dedicated to personal liberty as the Texans themselves.

After learning about some of the most crucial parts of Texas history, I realized that along with state loyalty comes a passion for state history. The Bullock Texas State History Museum is one of the most extensive history museums that I have visited.  Furthermore, if you have ever spoken to a Texan historian about Texas history, you know that their eyes take on a rosy sheen as if they were speaking of the love of their life.

We walked a few blocks down the street to the State Capitol. My grandmother had also been a docent at the Texas Capitol, and every member of the staff greeted her with enthusiasm. One thing that I have noticed about Capitol buildings is that the tour guides know everyone, and they also know pretty much everything that is going on. In this way, docents can act as the common ground for everyone from the pages to the legislators. It is a very interesting place to be.

First we walked around the first floor, taking in the statues, paintings, and other decorations. Just off the main entranceway is the old state treasury, which no longer acts as such, but has been converted to offices instead. My grandmother took me inside to see the vault (which is now empty). The vault doors are painted beautifully on the outside, as well as functional.

We went upstairs to the House and Senate chambers, both of which are large and well lit. I have found that my favorite House and Senate chambers have large windows on either side, giving them an open and airy feeling.  Although I have found in other states that the House and Senate chambers are not generally the most impressive rooms in the building, the chambers in the Texas Capitol were exceptional. The House chamber is the largest room in the building, and the decorations in each of the rooms were similar. In the Senate chamber, there are two large paintings done by the artist Henry Arthur McArdle called “Dawn at the Alamo” and “The Battle of San Jacinto.” Neither of the paintings is supposed to portray precise historical fact, but rather they show an artist’s representation of the events. Both paintings instantly drew me in, and I felt the deep significance that they must hold for Texans.

            Although the Republic of Texas only officially lasted for ten years, its influence has stubbornly remained. The loyalty to the “Lone Star” is seen throughout the entire Capitol building. Almost every chair, doorknob and light fixture bears the Lone Star emblem. When you walk into any room, you can rest assured that there is going to be a Lone Star somewhere in that room. It is kind of ridiculous, but if one wanted to count all of the Lone Stars in the building, it would probably take them several days. Also, most Capitol buildings have their state seal directly below the dome on the floor of the rotunda, but the Texas Capitol had the seal of the Republic of Texas. If that isn’t a symbolic gesture of loyalty, I don’t know what is.

            We also explored the Governor’s reception room, the Supreme Court chamber, and the Law Library. There were a few items of interest in the Governor’s public reception room. One piece of furniture was called a “courting chair.” It consisted of two seats facing each other that are joined by an armrest in the middle. The reason why it is a courting chair is that it was used a long time ago for young men and women who were interested in each other. The armrest in the middle was there so that they would be separated adequately from each other.

The Supreme Court Chamber no longer serves its original purpose. The room was used as a courtroom until 1959, when the Supreme Court moved to its own building near the Capitol. Now, like in so many other Capitols, the room is now used for congressional committee meetings. We took a peek into the Law Library, but it is not terribly interesting. It is available as a reference for legislators and other government officials, but it is no more than practical.

            After seeing the original building, we went downstairs to the underground extension, which was completed in 1995. Though many other Capitols have tried something similar, none of them did it as well as Texas. The extension massive, and along with offices and other official rooms, it also contains a cafeteria and gift shop. The hallways have skylights at street level that make the area feel inviting, and if you are at the right spot, you can look up through one of the skylights and see the Capitol dome.

            After a long afternoon, we went to lunch at an iconic Austin company, Whole Foods. Whole foods has changed the game for grocery stores. Not only do they provide organic, cage-free, grass-fed, non-GMO, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options, but they also have some of the highest quality goods around. The big catch, however, is a price tag that can make even the most financially comfortable cringe. Nonetheless, Whole Foods has played a major part in the animal rights movement and the natural food market. It has a range of options, 1 to 5, for the level of food-conscious that you are. The basic is cage-free with no antibiotics, but it goes all the way up to completely grass-fed and free-range. The price is comparable to the level of care, but simply given the option of how one’s food is raised before it is killed is a big step toward becoming closer to what we eat. In the past century, Americans have gotten farther and farther from the source of their food, and Whole Foods is helping to reverse that trend.

            There are a number of other Austin eateries that are worth mentioning. Because I travel to Austin fairly frequently to visit family, I have become acquainted with a much larger range of restaurants in this capital city than I have in other states. One permanent fixture in Austin food culture is Austin Java, the locally owned coffee house. There are locations all around the city, and it has the popularity in Austin that Starbucks has in other places. To be honest, I think it is much better than Starbucks. Not only is the coffee better (and cheaper), but also the food is leaps and bounds above what most coffee places ever have to offer. Mainly, it’s all about the breakfast tacos.

            There are a few other places that come to mind. Kerbey Lane Café and Magnolia Café are good for breakfast, but only Magnolia Café is open 24 hours a day. Chuy’s is a good stop for any Tex-Mex craving. Another iconic Austin stop is Gordough’s, which has a donut-based menu. Imagine anything that you could put on a donut, and you can find it at Gordough’s. If the name doesn’t tell you first [Gordo means fat in Spanish], this is not exactly a low-calorie stop. It is delicious and oh, so Austin.

            Austin has charmed me, as it has so many others. The Texas enthusiasm, the delicious food, and the live music make Austin a wonderful place to be. Austin was so in love with itself that it was hard not to become similarly enthralled. People who have claimed the land of Texas to be their own seem to feel very strongly about how awesome it is, more so than almost any other place I have ever been to. Texas history plays a major part in the cultural mentality of Texas, which claimed independence before joining the United States. If there were one defining fact that puts Texas in a category of its own, it would be its revolution and the Republic of Texas.