Say Hello to Waco (and Austin)

I always wonder if things will live up to my expectations. So often, I have these huge expectations and I’m often let down. I’ve learned to manage my expectations, while still remaining hopeful that things can be as good as I imagine.

Waco itself didn’t live up to my expectations: the town felt sleepy and underdeveloped, but the Silos (and every other Magnolia entity) exceeded them. Everything from the customer service to the tile on the restaurant’s floor was done with excellence. After shopping the Silos and ordering sweet tea from one of the many food trucks, we enjoyed just hanging out on the beanbags overlooking the turf. While not as expansive as I’d visualized, the campus still has a myriad of things to do and see.

We had three meals at Magnolia Table and each was delicious. They’re closed for dinner, though, so one night we opted for this food hall in Waco. We were blown away by the quality of the food (pizza and curry!) and I’d go there again in a heartbeat.

I visited with my sister and my cousin and we all agreed we’d come back to Waco, but not for more than two days. By our third day, we weren’t sure how to spend our time. We ended up stopping into Fabled Bookshop, which was one of the best local bookstores I’ve ever visited. They had a great assortment of classics with unique cover art, which I really appreciated.

Our AirBnB was spacious and within close proximity to the Silos. It was nice to wander around all day and then lay low at night with snacks and Friday Night Lights reruns. For some reason, I never remember how my appetite fluctuates on trips and on the first night, we went to Target and I spent like $50.00 on snacks and beverages….and barely touched any of them. Hopefully if I write about this, I’ll remember to not repeat the same mistake.

After Waco, we drove our rental back up to Austin and explored for the day. We loved this place for BBQ and I had a wonderful iced latte with orange zest at the coffee shop attached to Carpenter Hall. We also visited Barton Springs Pool, but we stuck out like sore thumbs because we didn’t have swimsuits. I assumed we could relax on the lawn, but that wasn’t the vibe at all and we didn’t stay longer than an hour.

I really admired how pedestrian Austin was as a whole. There were always people walking around (or riding those scooters) and it all felt very lively. It was also nice to step into physical stores, like Zara and Everlane. Des Moines just recently opened an H&M, so we’re way behind other cities when it comes to shopping in-person. All my shopping is done online and it was refreshing to see and feel items before purchasing.

Two flight delays later, we were back on a plane to Iowa where the high was a crisp fifty-three. Until next time, Texas!