Another Reason to Visit Austin: International Flights on the Dreamliner

Need another reason to visit Austin? How about international flights on the dreamliner

By VGP Blogger, Rachel B 

British Airways started flights this Monday from Austin to London, giving the Texas capital its first-ever regular service to Europe. Austin will be one of he smallest airports to fly the Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners.

I was in Austin this fall and had a wonderful visit staying at the Hilton on East 4th street. The highlights of my trip were by far the food and just browsing the eclectic shopping on South Congress Avenue.

We arrived hungry and immediately went just outside of the main downtown to Contigo.

Contigo is modeled after the original Contigo Ranch in South Texas. The restaurant is almost all outdoors and is simply casual, fresh, delicious Texas food.  Everything we ate was amazing and my favorite was the hearty cactus salsa.

My other favorite meal was at Freedmen’s where we ate inside the dimly lit historic Austin building and ate what else but barbeque. The barbeque is pretty traditional, served on silver trays with brown paper- but the vibe is cool and speak easy and anything but traditional Texas. The lounge was a laid back perfect spot for enjoying one of their retro-style cocktails.

Walking down South Congress Avenue is the best way to explore the “weird” side of Austin. There are many vintage and antique stores as well as some mid to high end clothing shops.

Allens Boots is a must see on South Congress for its rows and rows of very high quality leather boots. The smell of leather sucks you in and even if you aren’t in the market for purchasing, you can appreciate the genuine artistry that goes into making these well -crafted boots.

If you are downtown, be sure to take a stroll to the State Capital as well.