Austin Segway tour and Downtown

Today, to continue my Dad's ongoing birthday celebration, my family set off on a Segway tour around downtown Austin and it was quite the unique experience. Getting a feel for the way a Segway handles was a tad intimidating at first, but they are intuitive machines and are receptive to your every movement, making them a blast to ride. (Or, as dad said, "A kick in the pants") They turn on a dime and the speed is excessively controllable. I'm halfway tempted to forget getting a drivers license and just get myself one of these bad boys. Couldn't you just see me zooming down the street to school, keeping my helmeted head held high? On the bright side, I only have 42 more hours of driving before I can apply for my drivers license!
We zoomed around the Capitol, Congress Street, Ladybird lake, and more!

During our tour I spotted 2 people wearing Eureka Burger shirts, and then as we approached the corner we discovered a Eureka Burger Restaurant and we were ecstatic. You see, Eureka was one of our favorite restaurants back in California, but when we moved there weren't any in Austin. We returned to the restaurant after our Segway tour and in talking to the manager we discovered that they just opened their Austin location 5 weeks ago. The food was wonderful and the wait staff was kind and friendly.

Once we'd had our fill of Eureka we made our way across the street to the historic Driskill Hotel, which was built in 1886. It is magnificent on the inside, and the outside as well. The owner, Jesse Driskill spent a small fortune on the hotel, but ran his business in to the ground in 5 months due to bad management. Through a turn of drunken gambling events his brother-in-law came to own the hotel. As Jesse's health declined the brother-in-law provided him a room in the Driskill, where he died and angry and poor man 6 months later. The Driskill is now regarded as the 2nd most haunted hotel in the world.

They've been using the same recipe for their famed cinnamon rolls since they opened and so we purchased one to share later. Upon paying for our roll we were told that they were half price today because they aren't as big as they usually are. I guess everything is bigger in Texas!

We just enjoyed this monstrosity, and it was wonderfully. It was very flaky, almost like a cross between a croissant and a sweet bun. And yes, we stuck a candle in it for Dad. Also, have you seen Downton Abbey? Because my dad is actually Mr. Bates. 

P.S.

As we were driving out of downtown I spotted this mural and I was able to snap a quick photo.

It is kinda UP-esque is it not? The pudgy little puppy with it's floppy tongue. It's just so happy!