Saturday, November 21, 2015

Austin: November 21, 2015; LBJ Library, pics of buildings

It only got to 14 degrees celsius today.  That would be warm for Toronto this time of year, but after having mid-20s my first two days, it felt like winter.  It literally made me want to cry.  I didn't pack for this weather, so I guess tomorrow I'll be buying something to keep me warm, hopefully something that says "Don't mess with Texas" or something.

Those of you who know me, (which by my estimate, is probably anyone who is reading this), know that I love presidential libraries.  I often wonder how Americans feel about them, because I think being Canadian gives a bit of distance on the whole thing.  I don't know what my point is, other than Presidential Libraries are awesome!

LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. 
Detail of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.  Now some people say it's ugly but I rather like it.  You decide....

I spent more than two hours touring the Museum.  Here are the "best" parts.

This is the animatronic LBJ.  If you push a button, it starts telling jokes--that is, real recordings of LBJ telling jokes start playing and the animatronic LBJ starts moving its mouth.  I am not making this up.  You can hear the machinery creaking.  Does this even look like Lyndon Johnson??  Not a good shot here, but its hands are also creepy.
I am animatronic Lyndon B. Johnson.  I will haunt your dreams and the dreams of your ancestors.  You cannot un-see me!

The red boxes contain LBJ's papers.  I just thought it was pretty.

For some reason, the LBJ Library has a temporary exhibit that changes regularly.  Today, it was a Beatles exhibit.  (Beatles and Johnson were both from the 60s--I guess that's the relationship).  There's a clip in the exhibit of a James Brown performance.  

While I was watching the James Brown clip, a man and woman were in front of me.  The woman (who looked old enough to remember James Brown and the Beatles when they were new artists) turned to the man and, referring to the clip, asked him, "Is that Little Richard?"

I was able to hold my tongue, but I had to walk away to do it.

This is the Driskill Hotel, right in the big party section of E 6th St.  Some say it's beautiful, some say it's haunted, I say it reminds me of the Overlook from the Shining.  I could be completely off.

The Driskill Hotel
Detail of one of the Driskill's gargoyle.