Austin, TX
by david daly on 10/06/10
As i walked up to my hotel at sunset on Ceasar Chavez street I noticed a crowd of people gathering on the South Congress Ave bridge next to the hotel. I had read something about this nightly gathering and was delighted to realize I had arrived at the perfect time to witness the "flying of the bats" which take flight every night at dusk from their sleeping quarters upside down under the bridge.
I pulled my suitcase up to spot along the railing- and sure enough as the sky grew dark, an unending stream of 1.5 million bats pourred out from under the bridge into the night sky for their dinner of insects and moths.
This was my greeting in Austin, where the best selling souvenir is a t shirt that declares "KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD"
As the capital of both Texas and live music, it is quite a unique little city where everywhere you walk you can hear live bands!