larry kubin

September 14-16 was a great weekend for live music, hanging out with friends, and drinking Sweet Leaf Tea. Kevin was in town from Birmingham and Jason came into town from Dallas for the weekend. A plethora of great bands performed, including Regina Spektor, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Cold War Kids, Arctic Monkeys, Ghostland Observatory, and Bob Dylan (who was the worst show of the weekend, sorry Bob). While many people complain about the heat and the high prices, I still consider ACL to be a blast and it is worth every penny.

Memphis wasn’t originally part of the trip, but after hearing some good things about the city when we talked to Sara’s brother in Nashville, we decided to make Memphis our last stop. This meant we would need to drive from Memphis to Austin in one day, but we would worry about that later. We quickly made reservations to stay at the Hampton Inn on Beale Street, which is where all of the blues clubs are.

Upon arriving, we went over to a barbecue joint that was recommended to us — Rendezvous. The place was hidden in a back alley basement. Winner of many awards, it is one of Esquire’s “Top 5 Best BBQ Joints in America” (not that I read Esquire). We had the “World-Famous Rendezvous Charcoal-Broiled Pork Ribs” and the lamb. Five stars.

Afterwards we went over the the South Main Art District, where we walked around and checked out the various shops and picked up some caffeine at Bluff City Coffee. The baristas there were cool and gave us some advice on a few places we should visit. They suggested we head over to Cooper-Young, which is described as “an electic neighborhood and historic district in the Midtown section of Memphis”. So, it’s sort of like Hyde Park here in Austin.

We caught a cab over to Cooper-Young. The taxi driver told the craziest stories we’ve ever heard and shared many “taxicab confessions” within minutes of meeting us. We doubted the truthfulness of most of what he said and figured he was just trying to make his life seem more exciting. The awkward yet hilarious ride ended when we arrived at Celtic Crossing, an Irish pub on Cooper St.

At Celtic Crossing, we had a few beers and watched a band play a few covers, including a performance of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. We explored other parts of the neighborhood and walked by the many restaurants and shops, including a shop called the House of Mews, which had dozens of cats sleeping inside. Afterwards, we headed back downtown.

We concluded the night on Beale Street, which is probably the cleanest entertainment street I’ve ever seen. We bounced around from place to place, listening to music until late in the night. Our trip would soon be over, and the next morning we would begin our long drive back to Austin.

The next stop on our tour of the South is Nashville — capital of Tennessee and “home of country music”. We stayed at the Hilton, which is located by the Country Music Hall of Fame and many of the restaurants and bars. After checking in, we walk around downtown looking to grab a cup of coffee and relax for a bit. This takes longer than you would think. Apparently, there aren’t many coffee shops in the downtown area other than Starbucks — we walked for a long time before we found a good place.

After a quick stop at Jack’s BBQ, we walk around the town some more and take some pictures. Here is one of Mike and I standing on a bridge by the stadium where the Tennessee Titans play. Go Vince.

Later we meet with Sara’s brother and his girlfriend, both of whom live in Nashville and are cool as hell. We have some drinks with them on the roof of some place-whose-name-I-can’t-remember, then head over to the “World Famous” Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, which is really packed for a weeknight. We watch a couple of bands play and have a few drinks. Unfortunately, the bands aren’t particularly great, but hearing a cover of “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is always good for a laugh.

Later we hang out at a bunch of clubs, including BB King’s Blues Club, where a guy named Stacy Mitchhart is really tearing it up on guitar.

We probably had more fun in Nashville than in any other city on the trip (no offense Kevin). The city was very lively, even on a random weeknight, and everyone was up having a good time even at 3 in the morning. Sometimes that is a good measure of how much you like a city — when you are having so much fun that you don’t want to go to sleep.

We get into Alabama a little after 10, but then we get stuck in Tuscaloosa traffic because the University of Alabama has just finished playing their first football game of the season. There are college football fans everywhere, and they all have huge BAMA stickers and flags all over their vehicles. There are also an absurd number of fans sporting vanity license plates with Alabama football related letters such as “ROLL TD” and “GO BAMA”. This seriously hinders our progress and is pretty annoying, but we finally make it to Birmingham.

We book a suite at the Drury Inn, where Kevin meets us. We hang out for a bit before we decide to go out. It’s getting pretty late, so there aren’t many places open, except for a really sleazy 80’s place called BellBottoms. It turns out you have to fill out a form to go in. Once you do that, they ask for your ID, and they scan it into their computer before you realize what they are doing. I mean, I’m just trying to get a beer here, not applying for a job. So the place is extremely cheesy and people are dancing around to 80’s hits such as “100% Pure Love”, “Take On Me”, and “Hungry Like the Wolf”. The guys there are like cavemen and start fighting over girls, which makes for great entertainment. I looked it up later, and it turns out they even have a “Fight Night”. It’s not our typical type of place to hang out, but we had a good time nonetheless.

The next day we go to a place called the Cajun Steamer to grab some seafood. Afterwards, we stop at a place called Cambridge Coffee, where we meet a girl in line named Jenny, who also happened to graduate from UT-Austin. It turns out you can meet a lot of people on a trip by simply wearing a UT shirt. Either you will run into someone from Austin who is happy to see you or locals will give you advice on where to go and what to do. Jenny just graduated and is living in Birmingham where she teaches the fiddle. She gives cards to a couple of us and is on her way. Be sure to check out her MySpace page and take some fiddle lessons. After coffee, we do a bit of shopping. Yeah, I said it. After coffee, us four guys went shopping. I got some socks.

We head back to Kevin’s and decide to go hiking around the area behind his place. There are a bunch of trees and rocks and water back there. And any time there are rocks, trees, and water, you have to have a rock throwing contest.

Later we chill and listen to some music, including the new Spoon album and the National (a band that everyone loves, but Mike and I happen to find extremely boring). Then Mindy, Kevin’s roommate, and his girlfriend come over for a cookout. We have some food and chat, then head out.

We went to Dave’s Pub to grab a few beers and hang out. They had a band inside that played some original songs and some covers. The only thing I remember is they played “Wish You Were Here” while we were at the table inside. We thought this was pretty fun to sing along to, but then when we went outside and hung out for a while longer, we heard them playing it again. I think there’s a rule where you can’t play the same song twice, but I’ve seen this happen once before. Wang Chung was playing a free show at Waterloo Park, and of course they had to play “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight” twice, since it was voted the third worst song of all time by Blender Magazine.

Dave’s Pub has a patio that almost forces people to talk to each other. We end up talking to a woman who keeps showing off about the fact that she has her doctorate from University of Kentucky. I mean, it’s okay to mention you have a doctorate, but when it comes up in the conversation the fifth time, it starts to get annoying. Plus, it was from Kentucky, come on. The guy she’s with is equally pretentious and they continue talking about themselves and how they are “on business” doing “important stuff”, while we sit there and nod.

Our last day was pretty laid back. All I seem to remember about it was that we had some really tasty sushi and I have this picture of it. We’ll leave it at that.

We just finished a week long road trip to visit our friend Kevin, who recently moved to Birmingham, Alabama. The trip started in Austin, TX and spanned several southeastern states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The trip was flawlessly executed and well-documented, thanks to the infinite utility of the iPhone, the high quality pictures and videos provided by the Sony Cybershot DSC-T20, the fuel efficiency of the Kia Rio, and the sheer buying power provided by the American Express Clear Card. We drove over 1800 miles (and by “we”, I mean Mike) and stayed in 4 different cities over the course of 7 days. From the Shreveport casinos to the blues clubs of Memphis, each city offered unique experiences and unforgettable memories. What follows is my personal account of the trip, complete with photos and videos.

The Trip Map

First, some barbecue

We left Austin at around 10am and made our first stop at Louis Mueller’s Barbecue in Taylor, Texas shortly thereafter. Started in 1949, Louis Mueller is listed as one of the top 25 barbecue restaurants in the world. Yes, in the world. Not only did the food complement our low-carb diets, it was damn good too. Over the course of the trip, we ate barbecue in five different cities, and Louis Mueller’s was definitely among the best — thanks to the fatty brisket and 100% beef sausage.

Picked up the cash flow

After filling our bellies to capacity, we drove to Shreveport, Louisiana, where we would meet up with Jason for a night of gambling at the El Dorado Hotel and Casino. We spent about an hour playing blackjack waiting for Jason to arrive from Dallas. Once Jason showed up, we went to the craps table and didn’t leave for 7 hours. Things were going well. There were several rollers who were hot for a while, including “G Money”, a young fratty looking guy with a backwards baseball cap, a couple of older black men, and even yours truly. The Jack and Cokes and Absolut on the rocks were flowing smoothly and the waitress kept queueing them up while we played. After an uncountable number of high fives and cheers, we were officially having a great time. Jason and Mike won the most money, as they pressed big on the 6’s and 8’s when the going was good. As a group, we finished about $1500 ahead. Couple this with free drinks and food, and we had a very nice paid vacation.

So we wake up the next day feeling crappy but happy. Mike and Louis talk to the pit boss to get our meals comped. After brunch, we buy in at the craps table again and everyone wins some more money. At this point, we are way behind schedule. We are supposed to be in Birmingham, Alabama that afternoon, and here we are at a craps table, barely in Louisiana. Everyone decides to cash out and call it a day. We say goodbye to Jason and continue our trip.

Mighty Mississippi

On the way to Birmingham, we stop in Vicksburg, Mississippi to take some pictures of the Mississippi River, explore the town, and of course, eat some more barbecue. Our first thought when we reach the border between Louisiana and Misssissippi is: “what’s up with all of the confederate flags?”. They are everywhere, and have many different connotations, depending on who you are. We park on a street in Vicksburg and walk around for a while to see what our options are. There are some pretty cool murals near a riverboat casino, so we stop to take some photos before it starts raining. We rush over to some barbecue place whose name I don’t remember and have some pulled pork and sausage. The food was forgettable, but we did get some good laughs by simply listening to the locals talk. For some reason, we couldn’t help but laugh hysterically when we heard the Southern Twang of everyone in the restaurant. Some lady is showing off about winning a hula hoop contest and we just lose it.

After eating, Mike and Louis stop in some swanky bar to grab a couple of drinks. The place is so posh and out of place in such a small Mississippi town — it looked like a place you would see in LA, except completely void of customers. The bartender immediately knows that we aren’t from Vicksburg, since everyone in town knows each other. She’s a nice lady and makes some smalltalk with us. She also allows us to check on the Texas-Arkansas State score, since the game is starting and we are missing it. We hang out for a little while, then ask for the check. Since the bartender knows we are just passing through, she completely jacks us on the price when we close out our tab. While we can’t prove that she ripped us off, this was the most any of us has ever spent on two drinks — and this is just a small town in Mississippi. So it goes.

We continued our drive to Birmingham and were making great time until we arrived in Tuscaloosa……