So I often tell people that I never really SAW downtown Austin until I began training to drive carriages. For nearly two years, I worked at a restaurant on 6th Street where carriages frequently parked.
Having fallen in love with one of the horses, I began to train as a Coachwoman. It was during this time that I first began to SEE the city of Austin.
The first European settlers moved to the area in 1831. By the 1860's, the little metropolis had become the capital of Texas. One decade later the railroad brought on a boom in construction that is still evident today.
Many of those grand old buildings have been preserved and stand proudly amid the modern skyscrapers and contemporary condos of downtown Austin. The juxtaposition of these combined structures still intrigues me.
The attention to detail in the unique facades of the older edifices is beautiful next to the clean reflective lines of new buildings.
I also love driving the carriage down the street and knowing that in some ways things are still just as they were a hundred years ago. Austin is both bustling and romantic, a charming must see combination.
