Transportation Two-Step

Recently, I explored Austin’s transportation options beyond my customary round-trip, tracing a triangle between three major points — Central Austin, East Austin, and South Congress.

Transportation Two-Step Triangle Across Austin

I have written before about the need to plan ahead when choosing bus service to move around Austin — because frequency varies greatly from one route to the next; and, traveling by bus can be frustrating if the bus route is ahead or behind schedule (Capital Metro does not broadcast a live feed of buses’ locations).

A more complex itinerary requires both planning and flexibility, so that you are prepared to jump from one transportation option to the next if you miss a connection. For example I played a bit of Russian roulette with Car2Go. I took the bus to South Congress, betting that I would find a Car2Go there that could take me the final leg to my friend’s house, which is located in a residential neighborhood. I then bet with myself that the car would still be there after dinner to drive home. Luckily, it was. But, I lined up a ride home as plan B, just in case.

Even though I was ready for the day’s “transportation two-step,” I still ran into the customary gaps in service — like the 15 minutes I waited at 6th and Congress for my connection to the South Congress neighborhood. But, on the plus side, I discovered some new things:

• On my way to dinner, I picked up wine for the first time at a wine store, East End Wines, near my coworking space, Conjunctured.  

East End Wines

• My walk took me past the Texas State Cemetery and, for the first time, I really looked at it. When you drive by at 30-40 mph, it is hard to see how beautiful it is. Now I can’t wait to return to explore it.  

Texas State Cemetery

• I also discovered a purple flower I had never seen before growing across the street from the cemetery. I have since learned that it is called Passiflora “Incense” and that it is a great plant to include in a butterfly garden.

Passiflora "Incense"

• Rather than returning home after work or driving directly to my dinner engagement, I took advantage of the irregular bus schedule to spend an hour decompressing on the Hotel San José patio. It’s also a great place for people watching. Every time I visit, I see someone interesting. This time, it was a college-age guy dressed in rolled up white shorts and a rainbow colored bathrobe.

Patio at Hotel San José

All in all, I found that the combination of planning, a flexible attitude, and a little luck turned a complicated, multi-leg trip from an ordeal into a day of reduced stress (thanks to the Hotel San José) punctuated by discoveries along the way.