The purpose of this trip was to attend the "Dreaming Beyond Weekend" hosted by Hope International. Similar events were held in 2021 and 2023. Altogether about 200 staff and supporters were at the event. Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort, at a negotiated rate of over $300 per night, was a bit steep for my taste, so we used our Marriott points for a TownePlace hotel located south of Austin. And were upgraded to a 1-bedroom suite.
Wed 4/2. Our Austin flight left from Terminal A. The 20 minutes it took to clear security (with precheck) confirmed why I preferred Terminal C. The sign at the entrance said 10 minutes, which was longer than the 5 minutes for the non-precheck line. I made the decision to go precheck as the process would be simpler (shoes, etc). I skipped CLEAR, which seemed to be moving faster today. So perhaps I made two wrong decisions. To cement why Terminal C is better, there is no touchless ID at this terminal.
We bought something to eat before we boarded. (I also got this free meal on board, as a 1K member.) The flight was packed, and I discovered to my dismay that the seats I picked didn't recline as they were in front of an exit row. While the flight experience was generally okay, I got the feeling that people shouldn't have to travel like this. But can't beat the fare. During the flight I noticed the we were upgraded on the IAH-EWR segment on our return.
I watched a few more episodes of the TV series "The Old Man." I would complete the seven episodes on the return trip, and - spoiler alert - the story isn't wrapped up!
Joe Tang landed before us and waited around. After checking into the hotel we drove to the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch for these bats that come out every night to feed. These Mexican free-tailed bats stay in the area from mid-March to October. Sure enough, they came out soon after sunset. Even though they emerge from the span right beneath us, they were a bit difficult to see because of the lighting. Eventually they appeared as groups against the (still) blue sky. And the smell. Joe T remarked that he felt he needed to wash up even though we didn't touch any.
People watch for bats from three locations: from the river (turns out it's the Colorado), the bat viewing area at the Bat Observation Center, and the Congress Avenue Bridge (where we were).
A snap shot from the video I took of the bats flying off to their feeding grounds. The light bands at the top were indeed bats.
We had dinner at Texas Land and Cattle by the hotel, then drove Joe T to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort. Joe claimed he saw an armadillo; Anne and I weren't so sure. I did see one clearly the next evening, so they do live in the area.
Accommodations: TownePlace South Austin (3 nights).
Thu 4/3. Breakfast at hotel. Drove to Congress Avenue Bridge and walked below the bridge. Drove by State Capital. Visited Blanton Museum of Art. Installation: Austin by Ellsworth Kelly. $18 million to build and endow fund for maintenance.
Up to 1.5 million bats live in these crevices under the bridge. The number in April is probably smaller as pups haven't been born yet. The bats started moving into this area after the bridge was built.
The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kelp hanging in the atrium. The marble tiles represent the ocean.
The museum guide highlights several of the pieces being displayed in the museum. (Not sure whether this belongs to the list, I don't remember.)
These figures were done by a mother-daughter duo (Nora Naranjo Morse and Eliza Naranjo Morse).
St. Cecilia by Simon Vouet.
Rite of Spring by Marguerite Zorach.
Missao/Missoes by Cildo Meireles. 2000 cattle bones suspended on the ceiling; 800 communion wafers; and 600,000 pennies on the floor.
Inside the building "Austin" by Ellsworth Kelly. During the right time of the day/year, the openings cast interesting patterns on the floor (don't they have to at some point?).
These are the first stations of the cross. From the left: Jesus is condemned to death; Jesus takes up his cross; Jesus falls the first time.
Stations 12 to 14: Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is taken down from the cross; Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Drove to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort for Hope International Dreaming Beyond Weekend.
This coffee-encrusted steak is quite an interesting dish, tastes good also. Some complained that some coffee grounds were left on their teeth after the meal.
Dzaleka Refugee Camp is located in Malawi. It was designed to house 12,000, and now has a populatio of over 50,000.
Fri 4/4. All day Hope meeting. We did duck out between 2 pm and 6 pm to head back to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest.
Various animals are kept on the grounds of the resort. It is obvious how Long Horns get their name.
Raining on the way back, made driving a bit difficult for me.
Sat 4/5. The Hope Dreaming Beyond Weekend concluded this morning. We had lunch and then drove to the airport. Joe T rode with us as he was renting a car at AUS. The line for AVIS check-in was surprisingly long.
Yesterday United sent a message saying weather might affect flight operations at Houston, and offered changes for no fee. When I looked at the APP, the only viable alternative was AUS-EWR non-stop. I didn't book that because it was quite a bit cheaper, and that option would cost $300 to $200 (the two times I checked) per person. Weather forecasts indicated the chance of rain/storm was less than 50%. So I decided not to make any changes. And we were upgraded to F on the IAH-EWR leg a few days ago. All in all a chance worth taking.
I had not been using CLEAR for a while. Today the CLEAR line at AUS looked considerably shorter, so we gave it a try. They have new looking terminals. I got through readily. The system recognized Anne quickly, but asked her ID be rescanned, which took a while. Improvement, yes, but still a ways to go.
We sighted a couple of armadillos while driving at night on Lost Pines Road. This was on display at the Austin Airport.
The AUS-IAH leg went without a hitch. The coach section was quite empty, Anne and I had an empty seat between us on the 1 hour flight. The in-bound plane for our IAH-EWR arrived on time, and we boarded on time. Then the wait started. After about 45 minutes the we were told we could deplane if we wanted to, as they weren't sure how long the weather hold would be. I went out for a bit and returned. All said and done, the flight took off about 2 hours late. As bad weather goes, this wasn't so bad. (Our Frankfurt flight last August was delayed by more than 5 hours.) There were passengers connecting to Europe, and if the assigned gate had been in Terminal C, there was a chance some would have made it. Alas, it was Terminal A, so the plane - which landed on Runway 4 - had to taxi the length of the runway, and no international flights leave from Term A anyway. I could feel the frustration of those passengers. For those seated in First Class, the flight attendant got United to issue a travel voucher (Anne and I each got $100).
A decent meal of creole shrimp over rice served on the IAH-EWR flight.
As I suspected, Terminal A wasn't ready for disruptions. All the restaurants were closed. We took an Uber home. The driver suggested we wait at the Lyft stops as Uber drivers have to contend with more traffic. Which won't happen with a better-designed terminal.
Our frig was quite empty, so Anne and I had instant noodles.
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