One thing you’ve got to know about Sean: he’s a Texas boy. I’m pretty sure his heart is just one big cast iron star. If you sang “the stars at night, are big and bright,” he’d probably clap four times in his sleep. As soon as we passed the sign welcoming us to the “Drive Friendly” state (which mostly means your fellow drivers will wave as they cut you off), he was in seventh heaven.

As evidenced by the surreptitious marketing above, (feel free to sponsor us now, @GuerosTacoBar!) we have indeed been eating a truly impressive amount of tacos. I think it may be a state law that every block in Austin have at least four taco stands. Every imaginable name describing an establishment that serves Tex Mex has been used: Taco Palace! Burrito Canyon! Tamale Wigwam! Nacho Gazebo!

We spent most of our time in Austin bouncing happily from one beer dispensary to the next with various combinations of friends, braving the heat to take in some local art and scenic views.

Sean and I also spent some time exploring on our own. We passed a morning sunbathing at Barton Springs, a gorgeous spring-fed swimming pool where Robert Redford apparently learned to swim as a child.

We also checked out (get it?) the Austin Central Library in the Market District. As a wandering introvert, I consider myself something of a connoisseur of libraries, and this one topped the charts. Art galleries, tech rentals, work rooms, 3-d printers, a literary puppet exhibit, a rooftop garden, even a cafe and bar. (If you get drunk at a library, it’s still automatically classy, right?)

I’m pretty sure Sean and I could never afford to live in Austin unless we a) won the lottery or b) became sewer people, but it’s nice knowing we’ve got so many good people in such a fascinating and progressive place.