Sponsored by

Table of Contents

Hi friends!

Back, back, back again. I just have to finish this out. Sorry to be a day late; I had to hit a pickleball way too hard a bunch of times.

Buzzfeed showed us that we like listicles, right? This is truer to how I write anyway. I take bulleted notes on my phone for every trip I take that I want to write about. I would copy and paste the whole thing here, but a lot of the notes wouldn’t make sense to you without me elaborating (examples: Ducks or Dakota slomw doppel).

I am finding my way back to my axis, but this relaxing trip did not yield a relaxing week back. My mom came for part of the week, and we had a ball. But again, not like my routine, and I certainly wasn’t sticking to them on the other days. I came back from Austin and had no desire to learn anything. I listened to a lot of music and slept, even taking a nap that somehow didn’t make me mad. Now, I’m catching back up on my podcasts and reading again. Sending this will seal that I am back on the saddle.

Day 3: Gay Guy Music Video Night

  • Easily the chillest day

    • Noor x Syd cozy time

    • Maximize the Airbnb

    • Eat and vibe

  • Another day started at thee University of Texas at Austin

    • Very cool coffee shop/bar called Amity Coffee

      • Reminded me of The Johnsons in Bushwick

      • Had a raspberry matcha :D

      • Lots of great convos with Noor

        • College in general and how we perceive those experiences a few years out

        • Dealing with everyone wanting our attention all the time

        • Being woke

          • Two of my woke-ist wokeisms

    • Took advantage of being in one of the most important food intersections in the nation

      • In-N-Out a block from Whataburger

        • Taste test time (another late lunch!)

          • Whataburger

            • Jalapeño cheeseburger

            • Fries

            • Sweet honey sauce and chipotle mayo situation

            • Chocolate malt

              • Different than a milkshake, which you can also get

          • In-N-Out

            • Regular cheeseburger

            • Animal fries

            • Sweet tea

        • Test results

          • A wash. We got totally different things from both places

            • Noor still thinks In-N-Out wins

            • I’m inclined to agree but cannot feel confident there

  • Got home before 4 p.m. and stayed inside for the rest of the day!

    • Unintentional and beautiful

    • Needed restoration before festival craziness

  • Gay Guy Music Video Night

    • The phenomenon of gays (I am appropriating it to women, as well) sitting around a TV and watching music videos together as a cozy activity either before going out, after going out, or replacing going out

    • I usually hate GGMVN and couldn’t pinpoint why, but Noor and I had such an incredible time that I have cracked the code

      • Why it usually sucks

        • Feels like a replacement for talking

        • Something to do when no one takes initiative to know what to do

        • Sometimes the videos are ones that bore you

          • Or that you’ve seen a million times

        • You are not in control

          • The whole point of it is that you don’t have control over your night so you might as well watch videos

          • Other people are picking videos and they might be whatever

            • Or even worse, yours might be whatever

        • Also

          • I’m just not a music video girl

            • Not that I don’t like them! I like many

              • I just don’t think to watch them

      • How Noor and I cracked it

        • Unintentional

          • Started with watching the new Taylor Swift video

            • For anthropological purposes

              • It was actually an awesome video. So many fun sets and costumes

          • Then each video inspired us to watch more things

          • A true collaboration

            • We really volleyed back and forth in such a natural way

          • Range of

            • Emotions

            • Quality

            • Vibes

            • Eras

          • Some things we had both seen before, others we showed each other, and others that were new to both of us

          • Lots of discussion

          • Authentic

            • Not trying to particularly impress the other person or make time pass

              • Just genuinely wanted to share these with each other

    • We can leave the house whenever

      • (So we did not leave the house)

      • Did laundry!

        • Was actually so fun and made me so happy

        • Laundry in the building uses the same payment app as the one in my building in NY!

      • Noor showed me the new CDs she bought

        • She is a collector

          • It’s fun to watch her geek out

      • The frat across the street had line dancing going for a while in their backyard

      • Ordered Indian food from Doordash

        • Got the job done

      • Watched Mississippi Masala together

        • Fabulous movie

        • Noor took a video of me without my knowledge of my mouth agape watching the sex scene and sent it to our friends

  • Great last day in the Airbnb. Zzz

Day 4: The Stillness of the Heron

  • Bye Airbnb! Hello hotel. But how do we get there?

    • Waymo

      • These self-driving cars are EVERYWHERE in Austin!

        • It feels like another world!

        • Noor and I debate if and how they communicate to each other when they pass by one of their own

      • Can order an Uber and it says oop it’s gonna be a Waymo!

      • My experience

        • The car pulls up and has Noor’s initials on a sensor(?) at the top of the car

        • We sit in the back seat and press a button on a screen to start the ride

          • We use the same screen to play pop songs

            • Why can’t you hook up Bluetooth?

          • There’s a button to press if something happens and you need assistance

        • Was actually really fun and cool although obviously dystopian and scary

          • Weirdly felt safe

            • Except that there was a time the car slowed down as a road naturally bent, assuming that there was a turn instead

        • Listen to “Waymo” by Aluna

          • It’s about hooking up in the back of one

    • Hellooooo nice hotel!

      • Shoutout to Noor’s job

      • The Line Austin is right downtown

        • Walking distance to a bunch of stuff

          • Jo’s Coffee

            • Local coffee chain

              • Literally so good and easy place to work

                • Or have therapy

                  • Apparently I need to try meditating

              • Iced Turbo is their batch chocolatey caramely iced coffee

              • Had special ACL menu

                • I got the Hot Fuzz, which was like a sweet, spicy cayenne cinnamon latte

          • Hotel is next to the Congress Avenue Bridge

            • Known for bat migrations at sunset that all tourists try to see

              • Tried that night and failed to see anything

              • Noor watched from our room, which was definitely the better choice

      • Hotel amenities

        • Multiple restaurants

          • For lunch that day

            • Veracruz All Natural

              • Local taco chain that slaps in an almost criminal way

              • Tacos are MTO

                • I got a breakfast taco and a mole one, too

                • Huge mango fresca (Noor choice)

          • For dinner later

            • Arlo Grey

              • I usually don’t fall for expensive hotel dining or celebrity restaurants, but this is Kristen Kish’s restaurant

                • Hot lesbian winner and now host of Top Chef

              • Drank cocktails and ate pasta dishes

                • Good but not worth going back

                  • Had too much good food in this town that my standards raised

        • Sweeping lobby

          • Good people watching

        • Gym

          • Went this day after work and had a nice upper body day

            • Starting a trend of sore arm days

            • Learned how to use one of those big cable machines better because they had a bunch of exercises listed on the side

            • A guy was in the gym at first but then I was alone

            • There is no greater luxury than getting to play music aloud — and sing along to it

          • Lots of great cardio machines but I decided to take a long walk outside

            • One of many nature trails along the river

              • Walked down them every day and was probably my favorite part of the trip

            • Great people watching, mostly people working out

            • Passed by a kayak rental place…hmm

              • Plus a few bushes nearby with tons of monarch butterflies flying, some entwined

                • Saw a lot of bug sex this trip

            • Information boards about Austin’s bats

              • Did you know they were introduced to the environment to help get rid of malaria?

                • Although they weren’t 100% confirmed to have done it, malaria went away and the guy who had this idea got the Nobel Prize

            • Trail got quieter as I continued

            • An especially beautiful scene

              • Looking out from a small footbridge, I saw a bunch of plants coming out of the water, but even cooler…

              • A heron

                • Completely still

                • I sat and stared at it for multiple minutes and it did not move

                • Beautiful

                • The stillness inspired me

                • I want to learn from the heron

                  • Poise

                  • Calm

                  • Patience

                • All great lessons as I spent a lot of this day (and the coming days) alone while Noor worked or rested

        • Pool

          • My perfect solo evening cooldown post-gym and walk

            • Cold pool

              • Good because Austin is hot

            • Infinity

            • Cozy chairs

            • Oddly great soundtrack

              • Sort of sensual

                • Do you know “Move” by Milo Greene? Got it from the You soundtrack

            • Restaurant bar with a counter out at the pool

              • Got an elevated piña colada

            • Eater magazine

            • I literally feel the most amazing a person can feel

              • Until I started getting mosquito bites

                • Got some bites in annoying locations that would rub on where my shorts would hit my waist and thighs

                • I guess New York isn’t the only place I get bit

      • Our room

        • Awesome

        • Huge

          • Couch area when you walk in

          • Big bathroom with mirror that swoops into the shower!

          • We are 2/2 for cozy, big beds on this trip! I slept so well almost every night

          • Incredible view of the river and part of the skyline

          • Small dumb thing I loved

            • Foam roller and yoga mat included to advertise their Saturday morning yoga class by the pool

              • Never went to that obviously

      • Our night after dinner

        • Walk along the bridge and down South Congress

          • Commercial street

          • We just got ice cream though

            • Amy’s Ice Cream is a local chain and very much worth your patronage

            • Could get a free topping if we guessed our cashier’s zodiac sign

              • Noor guessed wrong but was given a second guess. Also wrong

                • Then I guessed and got it right

                  • I gave her my topping. I was content with my mint chip

        • Sat on a bench munching and chatting

          • Whitelanta: Austin or Boston?

            • Atlanta for white people

              • Don’t overthink it

            • Noor thinks it’s Austin and I think it’s Boston

          • T-shirt ideas based on too dumb for NY, too ugly for LA

            • Too smart for NY, too hot for LA

            • New York is the only city that deserves me

        • Took Liz’s top recommendation: Ego’s

          • Karaoke bar that’s apparently the hottest place in Austin, like get there before 11 so you have a spot. Celebs go there.

          • Country bar

          • Got rowdier as the night went on

            • More people

              • Some doing partner dancing eventually

          • Felt like the place with the most people that actually live in Austin

            • Kind of hard for me to tell throughout the trip who is a tourist vs. a transplant from far away vs. a transplant from elsewhere in Texas vs. a native

          • Drank some beer

          • Karaoke host lady was awesome

            • Rugged late-30s woman hitting her vape and singing along to herself

          • Characters

            • Obnoxious (derogatory) guy trying to dance with everyone

            • Obnoxious (complimentary) girl swiveling around in her chair

            • Bartender we tried figuring out if she was gay

              • Probably. But she didn’t seem attracted to Noor or I when we walked up to order a drink, which is odd for a lesbian

            • A guy that looked like an actual cowboy

              • Hat

              • Fit

              • Stache n beard

              • Noor loved him and I hated him

          • Notable songs

            • Big group doing Golden from KPop Demon Hunters

            • “My Way” by Frank Sinatra by someone arguably more southern than the wannabe cowboy

              • Incredible voice

              • Got everyone up and hollerin’

              • “This exact thing is happening right now in South Jersey” — Noor

          • I sang

            • “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt

              • My favorite song, I had no choice

            • “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees

              • Everyone was singing along

              • I got lots of positive feedback and felt like a superstar

  • There are so many cockroaches in Austin

    • Like almost feels like more than NY

    • And they’re huge

Day 5: Solo-makase

  • Big fun day spent mostly alone

    • Noor was up early and had to be at Austin City Limits (ACL) for the first day

  • My festival objective for day 1

    • Go late because the lineup sucks

      • The only person I wanted to see was MJ Lenderman

    • Do something fun outside in the morning and maybe get some brunch

  • Barton Springs Pool

    • This is a pool in Zilker Park

      • Austin’s version of Central Park because of location and size

      • ACL is also in this park but far from the pool

    • Is an actual spring

    • Touristy thing to do here but also locals seem to enjoy, too

    • Definitely worth going

    • Walked along trails from the hotel

      • Listened to 80s and 90s Tejano music

      • Endless clusters of gnats (not annoying)

      • Lots of ducks

      • Feeling whole

    • Hack I coincidentally cracked

      • Go to the pool in the morning of the festival to hear the headliners do sound checks

      • Also, they play the Star Wars theme at noon when the festival opens as superfans run to secure their spots in front of stages

    • Loved the pool

      • $9 for non-resident adult

      • The ground is algae and slippery rocks

        • I slowly walked (then stumbled) from the shallowest part to the middle

          • So I could just stand with everything but my head submerged

          • Channeling the heron in my stillness

      • Watched cute daddy daughter duo try faking each other out jumping in

      • Watched old woman do the same thing I’m doing a.k.a. standing alone and contemplating

        • We are herons

  • Time to eat

    • Why did I choose to walk an hour and a half to East Austin for food?

    • FaceTimed Meera for an hour but the last half hour after that felt brutal

    • I love the simple chicness of Texas license plates, just black and white

    • Passed by

      • Huge demolition site

      • Highway access road

        • The Eyes of Texas are upon you. Drive friendly

        • Be safer. Not sooner. Hook ‘em horns

          • UT was facing the Oklahoma Sooners that weekend

      • Shadier path into East Austin

        • Franklin BBQ

          • Need to go there next time

        • Sign for $3 mimosas

        • Signs for Austin’s Black Cultural District

          • WHERE?

          • Only saw white people here

        • Public art: What do you miss about East Austin?

          • Someone responded: Brown people “mi gente”

        • Bar masquerading as Moe’s pub from The Simpsons

          • I need to get the hell out of here

      • Finally, brunch at Paperboy

        • Had to wait 10 minutes, so I got an incredible local kombucha from a store across the street

          • Austin doesn’t have bodegas but does have their own tiny local grocers

        • Sat at the counter and read my Eater mag as I ate

          • The equivalent to watching porn while jacking off

        • Lil remi

          • Blended iced caramel cappuccino

        • Texas Hash

          • The best thing I ate the whole trip

            • Roasted pork

            • Sweet potatoes

            • Onion

            • Kale

            • Poached egg

            • Pecan mole

            • Paid extra for avo

          • Mixed it all together and shoveled slop into my mouth like a pig

          • So worth the journey

            • But the journey is also what made it so yummy

  • Took the bus home

    • Austin has a great, underutilized bus system

    • The downtown fixtures I see

      • ACLU lady at the same corner all day every day

      • Bored rickshaw drivers parked outside of the hotel and random other places

    • Changed and got ready for the festival

  • Ubered as close as I could get to the park

    • Which wasn’t very close

    • Had to walk down a long street with a ton of random vendors along the side selling their wares to festivalgoers

      • Including a guy selling weed that said smoking it would make you [r-word]

        • I can say that word. I’m a social worker

          • Scary

    • Hot, dusty ACL

      • Great people watching yet again

      • Surprised at no keffiyehs because if this was NY they would be everywhere

        • But I guess bandanas make more sense culturally

      • So lucky to have VIP access

        • My own bathrooms and places to get food and drinks

        • Got a beatbox and went over to the set

    • MJ Lenderman

      • He is so obnoxious

        • I hate his performance style

          • Didn’t move and wore big sunglasses

          • His band was fun, though

      • Crowd was way smaller than it would have been in NY

      • Befriended girl next to me who had the same opinions as I did

      • Love his songs, though

        • Not very me music to like but it’s good hangover music

      • I don’t need to dance to feel joy

        • Happy to stand and take it all in

      • I’m so happy I’m not straight

        • MJ and all his lookalike fans

        • Music only a boyfriend can show you for you to love

      • Old men at this set remind me that dudes are always horny and young in their mind

    • Found Noor in VIP risers during Role Model

      • I cannot be bothered to care about him

      • Saw Nick from an early season of Netflix’s The Circle

      • Noor had to work way more than she thought she did

      • We Ubered home and she went straight to coziness

        • I still had a lot of energy left

  • Sushi splurge

    • Wanted to see if I could get into Austin’s premier omakase spot, Craft

      • I could not

      • But the server told me to go to Uchiko down the block

        • Austin apparently has a lot of good sushi

    • I really enjoyed this meal but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to others because I’ve definitely had better in NY

      • Cons

        • Sort of felt like Outback Steakhouse even though this is an allegedly upscale restaurant

        • Had to wait for long periods between courses

          • Spent over 2 hours at this meal

        • A lot of the courses weren’t even sushi

      • Pros

        • Kind servers at the counter

        • Courses got better as they went on

        • Got free dessert because I’m fun

        • Server asked if I had dined with them before because apparently only regulars get omakase

          • I told her that in NY, if you step outside you pass by 15 omakase spots

    • Had a yummy lychee cocktail

      • The beatbox earlier must have been a sleeper agent because this got me quite drunk

    • Read the entirety of the week’s NY mag on my phone

      • Decided I really need to brush up on the NY mayor lineage from the 50s to Bloomberg

      • I know so little about fashion

      • Great quote

        • Courage lies behind many of our strongest emotional attachments, to people as well as brands

      • Wished I had a physical issue because it would make me look less antisocial

        • This really was a week of falling back in love with my magazines

          • As if I needed that!

    • Nothing better than a hook under a bar counter to hang stuff on

  • Here’s how I described each course

    • Fish on a melon

    • Oysters from New Brunswick with some Japanese twist

    • “Salad” with crispy leaves unless wet with salmon or fruit. Not a fan

    • Okay then i got this fried squash(?) thing w a green sauce. Fire

    • Three nigiri all fire especially the 2nd

    • Pork belly (maybe fave? Melts in mouth within crunch)

    • Roe? Scallop? Whatever with the chili in the shell. Amazing

    • 72-hour wagu on rice. Goat

    • Free sophisticated smores dessert life changing

  • Was originally planning on going out after but was too sleepy

  • This dinner and whole day showed me that I actually would really love solo travel and should do it

    • I’ve never wanted to do it before because I think it’s always fun to share things with others

      • But that doesn’t mean that being alone isn’t fun :)

  • Post-meal notes

    • Heard a girl at another table going Tire marks, tire marks

    • Was on Do Not Disturb the whole meal. Fun

    • Saw car that said We heart toxicas on the side. Don’t we all!

    • Uber driver home talked to me the whole time and told me that I would love Seoul (New York but with greenery coming from all the buildings)

    • Scrolled Instagram. What kind of life do I have that two different people I know are in Osaka at the same time?

Day 6: Gauntlet

  • Worst night of sleep

    • Tossed and turned around 4 a.m.

    • Very beautiful sunrises and sunsets at this hotel, though

  • This was my BIG festival day, starting at 1:45 and ending with the headliner’s finish

  • Fit for the day

    • Jorts

    • Wifebeater/wifepleaser depending on your wokeness

    • Cool vest I can take off and sit on if needed

    • Bandana to protect me from the dust or sweat

  • Started the day sitting by the pool and staring at the day moon

  • Walked to another brunch: Suerte

    • Mexican restaurant a slightly less grueling walk from my hotel than Paperboy

    • Walked by Austin’s tiny train public transit

      • Literally there is a wrong side of the tracks. One is gentrified and the other is probably a few years off from it

    • Suerte has cool neon and a No guns sign

    • Enjoyed my food but nothing could top Paperboy

      • Brisket suadero tacos

      • Their version of the hash was prettier

        • Just not as fun when mixed all together

        • But I love brisket

      • Would love to go back here for dinner

    • Heard teenage girl in bathroom crying on the phone after fighting with her friend

      • I would never do that to you bro! I know I fucked up but I would never do that!

      • I said It will get better! as I left, which was probably annoying. But she needed to know

    • Saw a doppelganger of Dakota from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives so accurate I had to look up his IG to see if he was in Austin

  • Walked a different path to the festival. So excited!

  • Syd’s festival survival guide

    • Drink so so so much water especially at the beginning

      • Mix it in with electrolyte packages. This is the key

    • Time out your bathroom breaks

    • Frontload your consumption as much as possible

    • Bring a light outer layer that fits in your backpack that you can wear or sit on when your feet get tired between sets

  • Here was my day!

    • Alemeda

      • Small artist who has one of my favorite songs of all time, “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows”

        • My New Hampshire friends know this one!

      • She has a beautiful voice, even better live

      • Very pretty

      • Lacked stage presence in a way that just seemed inexperienced

        • She will improve

      • Didn’t know how to transition between songs

      • Had a cool band

      • Very small crowd so I was belting her songs when I could

      • She played some unreleased songs that sound fun and sad

      • Most of her songs are about being scorned

      • Noor came for part of the set but had to leave again for work

    • Olivia Dean

      • Immediately after Alemeda

        • I ran to the stage she was on, which is where I’d camp out for the rest of the day

      • What an incredible artist

        • A consummate professional

          • Charming

          • Soulful

          • Sunshiney

          • Well-oiled machine of a set

        • Everyone will know her within the year

        • Only con was all-male band

        • Noor reappeared

    • Marina

      • Interim

        • Now the rest of the artists that I saw came out an hour after each other, so Olivia finished, an hour passed, then Marina came on

        • Noor learned a hack from a coworker that the best place to be at ACL is in front of the soundstage barrier because you’ll be spared when people rush the stage

        • We had a system for getting bathroom breaks and drinks

        • ACL sold these bags with two huge liquid deaths and two huge topo chico margs that Noor got

        • It’s so hot out

          • But EVERYONE here has those water-drinker backpacks

        • Saw the craziest man ever that looked like a video game supervillain

          • Super buff

          • Leather pants in this heat

          • Pink shirt with a cutout on the chest to reveal a pink tattoo of the Batman logo across his chest

          • Me and another woman turned around to watch him walk away then commiserated

        • A very cute little girl was walking around (parent assumably close behind?) asking people for their trash so she could throw it away

        • Went to the bathroom for the last time

          • Laughed with some girls in there because of another girl trapping me between a door and seemingly not noticing

      • Actual set

        • So fun

        • Cool to see how each stage design gets more and more intricate with each act

        • Hot band

        • Good that we had GGMVN so I could reacquaint myself with her music

        • She uses a fun phrase: unfamiliar heavens and unfamiliar hells

        • She sang well but had a sore throat you could hear when she spoke

        • Was very seductive with an umbrella to protect her from the sun

        • None of the artists were prepared for the heat

        • Went crazy at “Cuntissimo”

    • Doechii

      • Interim

        • Noor had to leave and we unfortunately could not reunite for the rest of the show so I was alone

          • I was way too far in

        • Was now really crowded from the Sabrina Carpenter (she is the headliner!) fans rushing to the front

          • And they didn’t really know who Doechii is!

            • And I hear Doechii’s amazing!

            • Would have been totally different in NY

        • Sat on my vest for a while and some gay taking too much space kept stepping on it or my leg

        • I can deal with the heat. Now, the need to pee…

        • Someone at the front has a Thunder Down Under flag (look it up on a personal device), which I hate

        • Dragonflies everywhere :)

      • Actual set

        • The bass is insane

        • She is so much fun

          • Like feels like if your friend made it big

        • Most of the crowd didn’t know her songs, which is crazy

          • But it seems like she adjusted her set to be that way

          • A big dance party with audience participation

        • She had a DJ that she volleyed back and forth with the entire time

          • DJ Bismillah. LOL!

          • Felt almost like a duo performance

          • She was so hyped and had these long, red braids she would lasso around like a cartoon character

        • Lots of little malfunctions with earrings and earbuds and stuff

          • But Bismillah would keep the party going while Doechii was tended to

        • Bismillah asked at one point Who here is from Texas? and it felt like I was the only person that didn’t scream!

        • “Anxiety” is a great song when it has a different instrumental instead of the Gotye sample

    • Sabrina Carpenter

      • Interim

        • Okay now it’s really uncomfortable

        • We are smooshed together

        • Tons of high schoolers and college students around me and complaining that they can’t see

        • I befriend three girls, giving them Noor’s tallboy she’ll never drink

          • I drink mine during Sabrina’s set so I can pee once I’m done

          • Girls are really nice and gave me their fan a bunch

        • Staff forced everyone to take five steps back

          • This was TERRIBLE for where we were near the soundstage barrier

          • We got even more smooshed

        • Forgot to say that at every interim there are staffers spraying us with hoses and passing out water cartons

        • SO MANY PEOPLE! And I really am in front of most of them!

      • Actual set

        • God, she just has that thing! What a pro! And so beautiful, too

        • Intricate moving set, fun clips between songs of fake commercials

          • 1-800-BED-CHEM

        • Sabrina is the master of having a segment of her concert that’s different for every show that people want to share on socials

          • For this tour she “arrests” a celebrity every night for being too hot

            • The girls in front of me thought it would be Glen Powell…but I was happy with who it ended up being: Olivia Dean

        • The Chicks came out! Everyone went crazy

          • They did “Wide Open Spaces” and “Please, Please, Please” all together. So fun

        • I think she would be really fun to see in concert forreal. Which I can say the same about everyone today

  • Time to go home

    • Took forever and they already closed down the bathrooms!

    • Had to walk through the trails along the water at night with tons of other people. Felt kind of surreal

    • Last nighttime bridge cross

    • I have never been stinkier

    • Doordashed burger from P. Terry’s, Austin’s local burger chain

      • Arrived at the hotel right as I walked up from the festival :)

        • Pretty terrible food. I missed 7th Street Burger

    • Noor didn’t even get to see Sabrina! Working is evil

    • Life-changing shower then zzz

Day 7: Riding off into the Sunset

  • Awake and ready to tackle the last day of the festival

    • Kayak

    • Some other fun food place

    • Enjoy the last day of the festival

      • The only artist I wanted to see was Feid (reggaetonero and boyfriend of Karol G)

      • But I wanted to be at the festival for most of the day anyway

        • Putzing around

        • Discovering new artists

        • Getting merch

        • Enjoying the VIP

        • Generally taking in the last day

      • Too bad I wouldn’t end up making it :/

  • I have only kayaked twice before

    • First time was hellacious

      • I guess it was technically canoeing?

      • My family used to insist on these physical activities for our very nonphysical crew and we would just fight

      • One day in middle school, we got up super early in the morning to kayak down the Youghiogheny River for four hours

        • Which started with a very nauseating bus ride up hills with other sleepy people

      • Was just terrible

        • Hot

        • Uncomfortable

        • Physically taxing

        • Eating lunch on the side of the river

          • I’m more diva-ish at this point, so this was a true con at the time

      • I told myself I would never kayak again

    • Second time was way more fun

      • Went kayaking at night in a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico with Meera

      • I was SO NERVOUS because of how last time was

        • Even though I was at least 10 years older

        • And this was part of a big tour group

          • But then again, what if I couldn’t keep up?

        • And there were tons of kids and families

        • And this was not going to take 4 hours

      • Obviously I had a ball

        • Mangroves

        • Water would glow blue when my paddle would hit it

        • Learning

        • Hanging with Meera

        • Realized that this doesn’t have to be hard or scary

  • I was still nervous this time because I was going alone in the middle of a river

    • What if I got stuck or the current was too strong?

  • But it ended up being the perfect way to spend the day

    • Tranquil

    • Alone

    • Playing oldies

    • Can go at my own pace because I have no one to keep up with

      • Would go hard at some points and stop at others

        • Whenever I wanted!

    • Dragonflies fornicating

    • Water plants

    • Different view of skyline and bridges

    • People nearby in other kayaks or fishing boats

    • Felt fully in control and calm

    • This would be fun with others, sure, but I was so happy to do this alone

      • Felt like a great culmination of all the other alonetivities I did this week

  • A memory to cite

    • March 11, 2020

      • I am studying abroad in London and having the best time

      • Saw Waitress in the West End with Sara Bareilles x Gavin Creel

      • Had a great night

      • Read some headlines about that new flu thing. Whatever. I won’t let anything take me from London

      • Went to sleep

    • March 12, 2020

      • I wake up to messages from my parents saying they booked my flight home

      • I proceed to have a great day…but UGH! The bliss of March 11

    • A really tiny version of this happens again

      • I get off of my blissful kayak to read a text from Noor

        • Apparently there is a Nor’easter and her airline will let her switch her flight for free if she leaves today

        • Mine does the same

          • Ugh! I’m having so much fun though!

        • Call Meera

          • See her face and remember how nice it would be to wake up in my bed the next morning and do my relaxing Monday rituals

          • Don’t have to miss a morning of work like I was planning

          • Also what if I get a ton of delays or a super turbulent Monday flight? That would be horrible

      • The only available flight leaves at 3 p.m. It is noon right now

  • Alright! Let’s run back to the hotel

    • Tried getting Desnudo Coffee for a final treat but line was insane

      • Noor picked up a coffee for me from Jo’s

    • Showered real quick

      • Mentioned because I found an INSANE shorts tan from sitting in the kayak in the sun

    • Blasted music

    • Shoved everything into my suitcase

    • Noor returned and we reflected on our very different weeks

      • Her flight would leave at like 7 p.m. that day

      • Said goodbye as she had to stop by the festival one last time

  • Time to go home

    • Had the most charming Lyft driver

      • Old Texas man who has been living here for 5 years after being overseas in the Army for 46

      • I convinced him that the New York subways are, in fact, safe

        • The argument that always convinces people is the truth:

          • I feel safer here than when I lived in New Hampshire!

            • Going home at night surrounded by people vs. being almost all alone

      • Learned he used to be an avid Army Times reader

        • One of the magazines I work on

      • He was obviously very taken by me and told me how much fun he had talking to me

        • And that most people are miserable so it’s fun to talk to someone so positive

      • Can I ask you a personal question?

        • I’m on the edge of my seat

        • Are you married?

          • I had to tell him that very few 26-year-olds in NY are married

            • He was shocked

            • Memories are better when shared with someone else, especially someone you love

              • And what a way to wrap up this theme of alone time this weekend!

              • For the most part, I agree with him

              • But that doesn’t mean that memories aren’t incredible when they’re just yours

                • A different kind of special

    • Arrived back at Austin’s lovely airport

      • Ate the best airport food I’ve maybe ever had

        • Chopped brisket sandwich, BBQ sauce, and beans from The Salt Lick

      • Saw someone wearing a Domo with nerd glasses tee in the year 2025

      • Flight ended up getting delayed multiple times

        • Drank a glass of prosecco and read my Eater mag

        • Noor even appeared

          • Sat with her while she ate a behemoth of a baked potato from Salt Lick

          • I assumed my flight would be delayed again because this kept happening a minute before our check-in time

            • But Noor told me I should go check it out anyway

              • She was right

    • Boarded the plane and got delayed another 40 minutes once we sat down

      • Air traffic controller shortage

      • At least this time I had an aisle seat and the ability to recline

    • Pilot said there would be a lot of turbulence and that the flight attendants would be seated for the descent

      • I am immediately so anxious

      • Like the plane hasn’t even taken off yet and I am already having to focus on my breathing

      • The idea of having to wait, like 4 hours for the worst of it felt so terrible

        • The finale of my alone time, I guess

    • Flight wasn’t super bad

      • There was turbulence that probably would have been fine for normal people

        • But each bump freaked me out enough that I would mentally have to talk myself down

      • Finished Selena biopic

        • Literally so good

        • J Lo was just meant to act

        • I teared up at the end

          • How could you not

        • I know that this movie is an essential text and am happy I finally saw it

        • Favorite part

          • When Selena and Chris are driving on the highway listening to the radio after eloping and the radio host blows their cover, Chris is driving and about to make the Corpus Christi exit

            • Where her whole family that she assumes will be disappointed is

          • She is obviously distraught and does not want to stop somewhere that she could be seen, so she goes

            • ANYWHERE BUT CORPUS!

              • The drama she evokes…it’s just hilarious. I love it. You’d have to hear it to get it

      • It’s almost time to descend and I am so nervous

        • Aimee taught me during one of her yoga classes about this breathing method

          • Cover one nostril while breathing through the other

          • Cover both to hold the breath

          • Switch by uncovering the previously covered nostril and exhale

          • Inhale while covering up the original nostril you breathed in

          • Repeat

        • I started doing this at different points of the flight, but for this last turbulent half hour, I did it the whole time

        • Lol

        • Turned on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives because I wanted something mindless to distract me

          • And with food!

        • The breathing method worked so well

          • Really calmed me down

          • Didn’t feel like I needed to do it for the whole half hour but wanted to challenge myself anyway in case things got worse

        • I looked out the window to see where in the sky we were

          • Assumed we still had a while to go

            • We were five seconds from the ground

              • Life rocks

    • I landed and moved through JFK

      • Found a truffle vending machine

      • And an Olivia Colman Burberry ad that was wayyy too stretched out for the screen it was on

        • Felt like a meme but the ad changed over once I got my phone out

    • Ubered home

Reflections

  • I will take a solo trip at some point

    • Domestically

  • A perfect day is some sun, an upper body workout, and a great meal

  • Noor is one of the few people that gets cooler the more I know her

  • Of course everyone wants to co-opt country aesthetics: the country is fun. And beautiful

    • But like is Austin the country…like no

      • But also like yes

  • Austin is super liberal

    • Only conservative thing I saw was the one cybertruck I saw

      • Decaled out with Kekius Maximus and Pepe the Frog and Elon gold coin designs

  • I would never choose to live in Austin, but if I was forced to, I would be happy

  • Great place to visit and everyone should

    • Not just for a bachelorette party

      • Although I see why it’s such a fun place for them

  • I enjoyed being at the festival and hope that VIP didn’t corrupt me the way Business Class corrupts frequent fliers

  • Brisket

This week’s photo is from on one of my favorite parks: Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side. You can’t see my view, which is a bunch of dogs and their owners milling about on a path in front of the East River with Roosevelt Island and Queens behind it. I had some time to kill before a birthday party in Central Park, so I took myself out on a date with my big book in my bag, provisions from a bakery I’ve wanted to go to in my hand, and Current Fixation’s artist in my ears. I had no choice but to capture the wholeness.

A W-2, a Laundromat Owner, & a Billionaire Walk Into a Room…

NOVEMBER 2-4 | AUSTIN, TX

At Main Street Over Wall Street 2025, you’ll learn the exact playbook we’ve used to help thousands of “normal” people find, fund, negotiate, and buy profitable businesses that cash flow.

Use code BHP500 to save $500 on your ticket today (this event WILL sell out).

Click here to get your ticket, see the speaker list, schedule, and more.

Current fixations I want to mention

Food & Drink

My most anticipated restaurant since moving here has been Thai Diner, and I finally got to go. Anaïs got us a table at the no-reservations spot for her birthday, and I wish I was less engrossed in the story I was telling (and wasn’t as drunk) so that I could enjoy it fully. I need to go back, preferably not right after coming back from a legendary food trip. If you want to not be like me, don’t agree with your friends in ordering the Muay Thai Punch Bowl. The four of us barely finished this behemoth, which comes aflame and represents what your conversations will start feeling like. We ordered a bunch and shared it all, starting with the som tum salad. A papaya salad isn’t really my kind of food, but it was a refreshing start to a meaty meal. The coconut chicken tasted like Shabbat dinner, the pad thai was everything you want when you think of it, and the crispy snapper was fried to perfection. Everyone’s favorite thing was a recommendation I got from my friend Adrian’s Beli review: panang neuh, beef short rib in curry coconutty sexiness. All in all, a place with expectations this high could easily let me down, but I just want more — preferably the breakfast menu.

Music

I love Olivia Dean! I loved her before seeing her at ACL and love her even more now. She has such poise, and it’s not just because she’s British. The more I listen, the more I realize her music is for romanticizing situationships. She captures the wannabe balancing act of unfettered vulnerability with self-imposed isolation, the overthinking we all do. “Nice To Each Other” is a hit for a reason and is my favorite. Her music shines even better in the fall. I listened to her while walking through the Upper East Side this fall-y Saturday afternoon, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” indeed.

Internet & Pop Culture

I haven’t been a great internet consumer this week. The only thing I can remember is a TikToker who makes video game animations of songs with corresponding instrumental covers. I like the Katseye ones, especially “Gabriela.” Nice to have on in the background while finishing up in the bathroom.

Television & Maybe Movies

I feel like every few episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has people saying This is one of the best episodes ever. This week’s episode was no different. Angie K mother always. I support her incessant poking. Her and Lisa keep the show interesting. It’s fascinating to watch all the other women just want them to stop fighting instead of picking sides. Need Angie and Mary to get back to normal next week. Love that Whitney always hires these random gays to advance her plots (Trixie Mattel, the psychic guy for this episode) and I hope she feels more like herself soon.

Journalism & Literature

Although my readership spans a few generations, I think almost all of you can relate to The Cut’s “The ‘Six Seven’ Panic” about adults trying to understand the latest slang, the nonsensical Six Seven. The article starts as a search into the actual meaning of this phrase and dives into how children build communal language to distinguish themselves — and why this era’s slang is sounding the way it does.

Something I Saw in the Wild

My mom and I walked by a diner on the Upper West Side around 8 p.m. and saw an old couple sitting across from each other in a booth while wearing almost matching busboy hats. We laughed about them for 30 seconds.

Reply

Avatar

or to participate

Keep Reading

Read more
caret-right
© 2026 Gentrifier Olympics.
beehiivPowered by beehiiv