2019 SXSW, Part IV: Circuit of the Americas

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is one of only two Formula 1 racetracks in North America, with the other in Montreal, Canada (stay tuned!) and is located about 25 km (15 miles) southeast of Austin.

Unfortunately, there is not much too see. The grandstand where I took the videos and the gift shop were open. It would have been cool to see more of the inner workings the racetrack. At least I had made it to the track, watched Ferraris race down the front stretch, and went karting.

There were 2 Audi R8s in front. Both with the wrong transmission.

Underneath the grandstand, I found 3 more R8s, all with the wrong transmission.

I don't think these Ferraris were actually racing as their were no spectators in the stands. Anyway, it was a thrill to watch them blow by at 265 kph (165 mph).

I paid for 2 sessions of go-karting. My best lap time was just under a minute.

2019 SXSW, Part I: Exploring Austin

After leaving Atlanta we roll into Austin, Texas.

The Texas State Capitol 

The infamous tower at the University of Texas.

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman killed 14 people and wounded 31 from the 28th floor observation deck. The flat stone in the foreground lists the names of the people in the shooting. 

The LBJ Library and Museum

Since I have visited JFK's Presidential Library, I have now visited consecutive President of United States of America libraries.

Several important items are preserved which took on historical importance because of the assassination of JFK.

The Oval Office during Johnson's administration.

Johnson's Presidential limousine.

Downtown Austin

Texas State Cemetery

Most of the people interred here were in state politics, some Confederate officers, Texas Rangers, and anyone noteworthy from the Lone Star State. 

Remains of one of the Twin Towers

During the credits of, "American Sniper", there is footage of the funeral procession entering The Texas State Cemetery.

A statue of Willie Nelson commemorating his contributions to music and Austin City Lights.

Tease!

When I told a friend I was going to Austin, they told me to avoid and stay away from 6th Street. Ok, thanks for the advise. The first place I went to check out was "Dirty" 6th Street. Originally named Pecan, 6th Street is lined with bars, lounges, eateries, and tattoo parlors. This is where everyone goes to party and get into trouble. Since SXSW was in town, it was packed with thousands of people from the festival every night.

The Jenga Building

Austin Central Library

The Austin Central Library is a product of forward vision and fulfills the desire of its patrons to converge, learn, ponder, create, and interact.

Perhaps, since I have not been in a modern library in a very long time, I am not up to speed on what it can offer. Just quickly looking around I saw, a public 3D printer, a display with hundreds of board games, a kiosk that dispensed laptops (!), an outdoor garden, a Virtual Reality set-up, and a life-sized chess board. I almost asked for a job application!

I made it a point to visit this library because of its inclusion in Time Magazine's  The World's Greatest Places of 2018.

Off to Atlanta

My wife applied for a media pass to cover movies at SXSW. Her application was accepted so she  booked the hotel and flight.

In the process of planning the trip, she suggested we stopover in Atlanta. She has a online friend who lives there who she has never met. Her and her boyfriend were simply the best hosts and were cool to hang out with.

Perfect! I have always wanted to visit Atlanta. Unfortunately, we were there for only two days and it was brutally cold!

She picked us up from Hatfield International and got us settled into our room. We then ate lunch at Grub Kitchen and Bar. I appreciate this establishment posts the calories for all its food and drinks, but I don't appreciate all the calories in their tasty food. I went right past my daily 2000 calorie max in one meal!

Boozy Minty Chocolate Chip Brownie milkshake with creme de menth.

Wagyu burger (medium) with the fixins'

Erin and Dalvin took us to one of their hangouts, Tiki Tango Hideaway Oasis.

We ate dinner at an Irish pub, Ri Ra. Let me tell you, I thought I was in Southie! This Guinness Beef Stew with a dollop of mashed potatoes was como a avon o fixo.

While in Atlanta one must experience Waffle House. Mutual friend Jessica joined us for breakfast and we also were able to see Jill, another mutual friend who lives in the Atlanta area. She was kind enough to invite us to to her home. I got to meet her daughter and their adorable dog, Sugar. Jill also has an amazing library on the subject of cinema. I am guessing her collection runs 600 books. 

I was walking towards the MLK when I nearly tripped on something on the sidewalk. After I righted myself, I happen to look up and saw this garage. It looked so familiar! I then remembered it was featured on Chasing Classic Cars (season 5, episode 20) and there was a yellow Ferrari involved. 

1992 Porsche 911 Turbo Whaletail

1988 BMW M5 (E28), first generation.

Martin Luther King, Jr National Historical Park

While I did not have a lot of time in Atlanta, the one place I had to visit was the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The museum was well organized and filled with interesting exhibits. I really didn't want to be disrespectful by taking a 1000 photos. I didn't spend much time here as the entire experience just made me very sad. 

The wagon used to transport his body from the Ebenezer Church to Morehouse College.

Rest in Peace.

Ebenezer Baptist Church

The church where MLK was baptized, attended services, and was ordained a minister.

The home MLK was born in and grew up in.

I wanted to squeeze in a tour of the Delta Flight Museum while in Atlanta. I was in Atlanta for one day on a Wednesday. The one day during the week they are closed is...Wednesday. 

Once I knew I was going to visit Atlanta, I purchased tickets for Dalvin and I to attend a Hawks game. This was the first NBA game outside of Boston I have attended.

The site of Super Bowl LIII. The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.