Scooter Ridin'
Hey everyone! I had such an incredible time in Austin that I need to update about, including hanging out with damnitnicole, but I just have SOOO much to say that I decided to split it up. This first entry is about my www.Guidehop.com tour, an awesome website if you haven't checked it out yet!
Even in January, Austin is full of warm sunsets and landscapes that look like they're carved out of a painting. The best way to discover this, I've found, is to feel them by way of local knowledge and scooters.
I'd never been to Texas before, but I was craving warmth, both literally and figuratively. I work in a busy non-profit theatre in snowy Bucks County, PA and although it's rewarding, the job is also very stressful. After 6 weeks of a 28-member cast performing Gypsy, I knew I'd want to hit someplace warm and stress-free in mid-January.
Even though lounging around in the sun was a plus, my first reason for picking Austin was to see the sights of a state I've never been to before. I signed up for a bus tour, standard fare, something that seemed easy. And it was. The 90-minute tour was typical and historical, pointing out old buildings and structures and road after road of limestone. I struggled to capture pictures, and they turned out blurry. I left the tour with a textbook definition of the city, but not much of a sense of what made Austin's heart flow.
I was staying at a hostel, an environment that was helpful and casual, not to mention cheap. I saw a bright, inviting poster mentioning local guides, and I perked up. After my bus tour, I was somewhat bored and wanting some adventure. Guidehop did just that. The photo of cliff diving and trailer food tours sent electric spice through my veins, and I instantly swiped one of the business cards pinned up next to the poster.
The website was equally inviting and very easy to navigate. After checking my cluttered facebook account, the streamlined www.Guidehop.com put my eyes and mind at ease. The three main navigation buttons, "Join," "Log In," and "How it Works," made it simple. I excitedly clicked through the tours available, as well as the cities featured. Right away, "Ride with a Scooter Gang," caught my interest. I emailed the guide, Aaron, right away and got a response within the hour. Sure, he'd take me around on a scooter. I mentioned I didn't like the bus system; he'd be happy to pick me up. And the sunset I'd heard so much about from the locals? We could definitely cruise up there.
Aaron arrived right on time and took me to meet his scooter. He described how it worked and offered me use of a helmet and protective gear. Since I had never actually ridden on a scooter before, this was comforting, even though my excitement was ruling at this point. His friend, a new local, joined us on the ride on his own 50cc scooter.
What gave me the most joy at the beginning of the scooter tour was revisiting some of the sites I had seen earlier on the somewhat dull bus tour. Instead of facts and figures, Aaron gave me an idea of the local feel of the town. He told me about the "bat bridge" that ran the length of congress street, and how kayaking under it during summer months was quite a thrill. I learned how Aaron could get from one side of Lady Bird Lake (really a river) to the other without having to ever set tire on a street--the pedestrian and cyclist routes and accessibility were incredible. We rode through three different downtown districts--the Warehouse, 6th Street Music District and 2nd Street Shopping District--as Aaron pointed out various attractions, along with personal anecdotes about his experiences during SXSW. We slid through the Barton Springs neighborhood (something that was simply mentioned briefly in the bus tour, I might add--up close and personal was definitely more my style with this gorgeous area) that had year round 72 degree water, before heading to dinner and ping pong at a local food trailer establishment. This last part was above and beyond the description of the tour, but Aaron asked if I had anything else in mind that I hadn't yet checked out in Austin and I immediately thought of the dozens of food trailers I had seen around town.
The best part of it all, though, was the ride up Mt. Bonnell to check out the sunset. I heard amazing things about this from my googlizing before my trip, and I had resigned myself to not being able to go because of my disappointment in the public transportation system. Guidehop fixed that. We rode up and through the hills before reaching the peak and climbing up the stairs to reach the summit. By this point, I had convinced myself to buy a scooter someday and Aaron was telling me some of the basics. When we got to the top, Aaron and his friend helped me and several other clumsy ladies reach the top of the terrace--the best view to see the sunset. I started snapping away, uninterrupted now, before posing for a few shots myself. The view of Austin was breathtaking and something I never would have been able to appreciate fully without the air breezing past me on the scooter ride through the hills and the incredible local knowledge of the city provided by Guidehop and Aaron. I definitely did not feel like a tourist at this point. I felt liberated from stress and from dullness.
After the tour, Aaron gave me a free tshirt from Guidehop--something I wasn't expecting and an offer to use one of his bikes for the rest of my stay (Again, remembering my hatred of the public transit system)--something I definitely wasn't expecting. By the end of the tour, I didn't feel like I had been on a tour that happens from a memorized script and shameless self promotion to buy merchandise in a gift shop. I felt truly guided through a city I had never been to, and felt the warmth and courtesy of local culture. My only regret is not staying longer to experience more Guidehop tours. Who knows, I hear bats come out in the warmer months--maybe they can guide me back.
That eye-catching poster! =)
On top of the terrace at Mt. Bonnell!
City landscape in the background!
Just beautiful
Unfortunately, I can't do the sunset justice with my photography skills, though I sure tried!!
My free guidehop tshirt and generously lent bike, as Aaron dropped me back off at the hostel!
Even in January, Austin is full of warm sunsets and landscapes that look like they're carved out of a painting. The best way to discover this, I've found, is to feel them by way of local knowledge and scooters.
I'd never been to Texas before, but I was craving warmth, both literally and figuratively. I work in a busy non-profit theatre in snowy Bucks County, PA and although it's rewarding, the job is also very stressful. After 6 weeks of a 28-member cast performing Gypsy, I knew I'd want to hit someplace warm and stress-free in mid-January.
Even though lounging around in the sun was a plus, my first reason for picking Austin was to see the sights of a state I've never been to before. I signed up for a bus tour, standard fare, something that seemed easy. And it was. The 90-minute tour was typical and historical, pointing out old buildings and structures and road after road of limestone. I struggled to capture pictures, and they turned out blurry. I left the tour with a textbook definition of the city, but not much of a sense of what made Austin's heart flow.
I was staying at a hostel, an environment that was helpful and casual, not to mention cheap. I saw a bright, inviting poster mentioning local guides, and I perked up. After my bus tour, I was somewhat bored and wanting some adventure. Guidehop did just that. The photo of cliff diving and trailer food tours sent electric spice through my veins, and I instantly swiped one of the business cards pinned up next to the poster.
The website was equally inviting and very easy to navigate. After checking my cluttered facebook account, the streamlined www.Guidehop.com put my eyes and mind at ease. The three main navigation buttons, "Join," "Log In," and "How it Works," made it simple. I excitedly clicked through the tours available, as well as the cities featured. Right away, "Ride with a Scooter Gang," caught my interest. I emailed the guide, Aaron, right away and got a response within the hour. Sure, he'd take me around on a scooter. I mentioned I didn't like the bus system; he'd be happy to pick me up. And the sunset I'd heard so much about from the locals? We could definitely cruise up there.
Aaron arrived right on time and took me to meet his scooter. He described how it worked and offered me use of a helmet and protective gear. Since I had never actually ridden on a scooter before, this was comforting, even though my excitement was ruling at this point. His friend, a new local, joined us on the ride on his own 50cc scooter.
What gave me the most joy at the beginning of the scooter tour was revisiting some of the sites I had seen earlier on the somewhat dull bus tour. Instead of facts and figures, Aaron gave me an idea of the local feel of the town. He told me about the "bat bridge" that ran the length of congress street, and how kayaking under it during summer months was quite a thrill. I learned how Aaron could get from one side of Lady Bird Lake (really a river) to the other without having to ever set tire on a street--the pedestrian and cyclist routes and accessibility were incredible. We rode through three different downtown districts--the Warehouse, 6th Street Music District and 2nd Street Shopping District--as Aaron pointed out various attractions, along with personal anecdotes about his experiences during SXSW. We slid through the Barton Springs neighborhood (something that was simply mentioned briefly in the bus tour, I might add--up close and personal was definitely more my style with this gorgeous area) that had year round 72 degree water, before heading to dinner and ping pong at a local food trailer establishment. This last part was above and beyond the description of the tour, but Aaron asked if I had anything else in mind that I hadn't yet checked out in Austin and I immediately thought of the dozens of food trailers I had seen around town.
The best part of it all, though, was the ride up Mt. Bonnell to check out the sunset. I heard amazing things about this from my googlizing before my trip, and I had resigned myself to not being able to go because of my disappointment in the public transportation system. Guidehop fixed that. We rode up and through the hills before reaching the peak and climbing up the stairs to reach the summit. By this point, I had convinced myself to buy a scooter someday and Aaron was telling me some of the basics. When we got to the top, Aaron and his friend helped me and several other clumsy ladies reach the top of the terrace--the best view to see the sunset. I started snapping away, uninterrupted now, before posing for a few shots myself. The view of Austin was breathtaking and something I never would have been able to appreciate fully without the air breezing past me on the scooter ride through the hills and the incredible local knowledge of the city provided by Guidehop and Aaron. I definitely did not feel like a tourist at this point. I felt liberated from stress and from dullness.
After the tour, Aaron gave me a free tshirt from Guidehop--something I wasn't expecting and an offer to use one of his bikes for the rest of my stay (Again, remembering my hatred of the public transit system)--something I definitely wasn't expecting. By the end of the tour, I didn't feel like I had been on a tour that happens from a memorized script and shameless self promotion to buy merchandise in a gift shop. I felt truly guided through a city I had never been to, and felt the warmth and courtesy of local culture. My only regret is not staying longer to experience more Guidehop tours. Who knows, I hear bats come out in the warmer months--maybe they can guide me back.
That eye-catching poster! =)
On top of the terrace at Mt. Bonnell!
City landscape in the background!
Just beautiful
Unfortunately, I can't do the sunset justice with my photography skills, though I sure tried!!
My free guidehop tshirt and generously lent bike, as Aaron dropped me back off at the hostel!