November 26, 2012 - Austin (YRE)

Starting at Extended Stay America in South Austin, we walked across the Congress Avenue Bridge. The views of the Austin skyline were wonderful. As we were crossing the bridge, I saw some turtles in the river. From March to November this bridge is the home of the largest urban bat colony in North America.

The Driskill

Upon reaching the other side of the river, we entered the historic Congress Avenue District. Almost every building had a historical plaque. The ones that didn't were either Art Deco classics or stunning modern skyscrapers. One of the most striking buildings was the Driskill Hotel, built in 1886. This opulent Romanesque edifice recalls the age of the Cattle Barons.

Almost since the beginning of the walk, the State Capitol building, located on a hilltop, was looming over us, and we finally approached it. First we stopped at the Capitol Visitor's Center in a building that was originally the General Land Office. We obtained printed guides to the Capitol Building and the Capitol Grounds and visited the gift shop.

The Capitol Building

Leaving the Visitor's Center, we headed toward the stately red granite Capitol. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and its rotunda and dome resemble many other state capitol buildings. But the color of this building is unique and it is one of the more beautiful state capitols. If you look closely you will see six circles in the pediment. Each one represents one of the six flags that has flown over Texas.

The six flags: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, the U.S.

Portraits of all the Governors of Texas hung inside the rotunda on four different levels. I was surprised to learn that the first woman Governor of Texas was Miriam "Ma" Ferguson from 1925 to 1927. Ma Ferguson married a lawyer, James Ferguson, when she was 24. James Ferguson, also known as "Pa" Ferguson served as Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917. He was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. He was not allowed to hold state office in Texas again.

The Texas State History Museum

Ma Ferguson told voters she would follow the advice of her husband. During her first administration she averaged over 100 pardons a month, and accusations of both bribes and kickbacks overshadowed her term, resulting in unsuccessful attempts to impeach her. This led to her defeat in the primaries of both 1926 and 1930, but she was re-elected in 1932.

The nosebleed seats at UT Stadium

After the Capitol, our route passed the Texas State History Museum and the Blanton Museum of Art before reaching the campus of the University of Texas. Like much in Texas, UT Austin is super-sized, with over 50,000 students and 24,000 faculty and staff. We walked past a number of large academic buildings and then we passed the UT Stadium (capacity 100,119), Concert Hall and Performing Arts Center.

LBJ and me

The UT campus is also home to the LBJ Library and Museum. Unfortunately for us, the Library is in the middle of extensive renovations and most of the exhibits were closed. All we got to see was a replica of the Oval Office, the Presidential limousine, and two display cases containing Presidential gifts. I have it on good authority that there is a lot more to see at the LBJ Library, and I'm sorry I missed out.

The infamous Clock Tower

Our next destination was the UT Clock Tower, built by the WPA in 1937. Yes, it's THAT clock tower - the one where Charles Whitman barricaded himself in 1966 with rifles and a sawed-off shotgun and killed 14 people and wounded 32. Whitman terrorized the UT campus for nearly two hours until he was shot and killed by responding police officers.

After heading back toward the Capitol, we passed the Art Deco Federal Courthouse and arrived at the historic Bremond Block, a well-preserved Victorian neighborhood built between 1850 and 1898.

Next we were supposed to cross diagonally through Republic Square Park, but there were so many creepy homeless men there, we went around the park. We soon arrived in an area full of new high-rise residential buildings, restaurants and boutiques. The new City Hall is located here and has some terrific modern art pieces in the lobby. From here we returned to the start point via the South 1st Street Bridge.

Walk Route: A

Walk Instructions: B