Subtitle:  San and Frank go back to Austin

We did something last weekend that we very rarely do:  we went back to somewhere we had been and did something again.  Now I know that there are lots of people for whom the familiarity of the known is a great comfort but we have never been in that group. Our bucket list is long and time is short so we rarely visit the same place twice.  Last year, however, we had such a good time at the US Grand Prix in Austin, we decided to do it again this year.

And were reminded why we rarely repeat a performance. It’s not that we didn’t have a good time; we most certainly did.  But it wasn’t *quite* as good as it should have been given our experience last year.  The hotel was in a more convenient location and the air conditioner worked – both pluses relative to last year.  But the crowd was smaller, the atmosphere less festive, and everything had an slight tinge of disappointment.

We did make a conscious effort to try new things:  all new restaurants, some of which were fabulous; new wineries (yes Texas too has wineries and some were very good – we had to check a bag to accommodate unenjoyed purchases!) and new routes through the city to explore.  And yet, there was something missing.

Example:  last year, we hit Sixth Street on Sunday night after the race and in one bar stumbled onto a fabulous trio (The Red Lady Band).  They were playing to a packed crowd in the Chugging Monkey (love that name – bought some Tshirts!) and the atmosphere was alive.  So we thought we’d try to find them again this year.  I scouted the website but couldn’t see where they might be playing that we could get to.  So we wandered along to Darwin’s pub where we could sit and have a drink and watch the world go by.  There we met a few street artists, one of whom sketched us on cardboard with a sharpie and captured us in a way that no photograph could.  We were feeling pretty high on life and wandered out of that pub to head back toward the hotel when we heard the riff of some serious blues guitar from a bar across the street and sure enough, it was the band we had been seeking.  Playing from 4-6:30… to a fairly empty bar… we should have been elated:  we were sitting up close, joking with the band, getting all our requests played, drinking cheap kamikazes.  And while the music was still fabulous, it just wasn’t “as good as we remembered”.

Even the race had that quality.  We ordered tickets for the exact same seats as last year because they were along the railing that overlooked an entranceway to the handicapped seating.  It was perfect because no one could sit in front of us.  We got to those seats this year and there was no railing but there were lots of bleachers.  They had changed the configuration of the stands. [Aside:  apparently no one told the sales staff because when race day came, the seats in front of us were still empty.  I suspect that the computer didn’t know they had put seats there!] Even on the track, things were off: the top two podium spots were predictable – but we did get to see Hamilton pass Rosberg to take the lead – and all the action was in the battle for 9th and 10th place.

And halfway through the weekend, the clocks went back.  Theoretically this should have been great because it meant we got an extra hour in Austin but what it really meant was we had an extra hour of darkness during which we got to stand in a much longer line for the more expensive bus back into town.

I certainly don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining – okay maybe just a little.  But it’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with Austin or the F1 race; more that it was hard to be presented with evidence of the oft quoted but not always understood adage that “you can’t go back again”.

On the plus side, we ate some fabulous food; walked about 40 miles (really!  we did about 23K steps a day); managed to catch four different bands (two local, plus Joan Jett and Kid Rock!) and bought our first real cowboy boots (Frank’s are hand made ostrich leg!) But although we had originally thought to make this an annual pilgrimage, we have had a change of heart. It’s time to move on or at least take a break.

So next year, it the British Grand Prix for us – anybody want to meet us at Silverstone on 5 July 2015?  We’ve never been there….