I'm back

I'm back. Took a couple of days off. Went on a short road trip to Austin -- to The Blanton Museum to see a neat show - "From Turner To Impressionism". Also saw much of the rest of that museum. Quite impressive, worth another look.

We used Priceline to book a good but cheap hotel room. To my utter astonishment, it actually WORKS! In addition to finding a really good place, they also give you a choice of areas to bid on. So, if you need a place downtown -- you just might find it.

Staying downtown allowed us to experience the CITY of Austin. I'd been there before, but stayed out in the suburbs (in an attempt to find a cheap room). The CITY is much cooler.

ALL SUBURBS ARE THE SAME (almost). Granted Long Island N.Y., being an older suburb has greater variation - communities actually have character there. They differ from one another.

Once you get to the newer suburbs, by golly, they seem like "Anywhere America". "Planned communities", Malls, lots of parking, and -- Chili's, TGIFridays, Olive Garden, McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Starbucks, etc., etc., etc., etc.

The same stores, the same malls -- they are interchangeable. I remember the first time I came to Texas -- I was at a motel in Carrollton, on a main road -- the morning after my first night there, I looked out my window and realized I could have been ANYWHERE in the USA. It was a busy main road -- in fact, it looked just like Jericho Tpke. (Route 25) on Long Island.

We'd become homogenized. Austin, the city, is different. Not everything is a chain. We had some good, reasonable food, some good conversation. It looks more and more like a place I'd like to live some day.

Anyway, I'm back -- posting will resume.

Perhaps some music early tomorrow.