Aimless in Austin, Day 4: Antique Marketplace, Houndstooth Coffee, Tigress Pub, and Odd Duck

The places we visited yesterday were a little less to my liking (smaller stores, and a lot more vintage). I’ve found that I seem to prefer the larger antique “malls,” where there are a multitude of vendors – all sharing the same space.

So today we went to Antique Marketplace, which was pretty large (though not quite as big as Austin Antique Mall).

Liz spotted a Singer Sew Handy. The price tag was a bit hard to see, but she got excited thinking it was $35. The actual price ended up being $350 (which in our opinion was too much).

“Fonzie’s Real Cool Game.”

Is it me, or does Richie look like Alfred E. Neuman and Potsie looks a bit like Joe Piscopo?

This would have paired really well with that Welcome Back, Kotter board game I saw back in 2013.

A disguise kit. I shared this on Instagram and Facebook, and it was by far one of the most popular things I posted while in Austin.

I’m a big John Irving fan, and loved Garp (though I loved “A Prayer for Owen Meany” more). But still not sure a first edition is worth $115.

The fun thing about antique mall booths: there are hidden gems everywhere. At a glance, this room is something I’d totally skip over. But tucked away in the far corner…

I spotted a few “Goonies” coloring books, on the bookshelf.

This thing is awesome! Reminded me of the time I found that Bionic Woman Goodtime Coloring Book a few years ago.

I ended up taking photos of the entire book – I’ll be posting that soon.

Liz spotted this cool cabinet.

On opening it up, the inside was amazing. It was a “Vintage Medical Sterilization” cabinet, selling for $4,000.

I don’t know what Art is, but I know it when I see it.

I was drawn to the art supplies at first, and then as I slowly looked up… I saw this painting. There is a kind of terrifying awesomeness to this thing, whatever it is.

An old scrap book that Liz found.

Inside, lots of clippings from various newspapers and magazines.

This thing was incredibly fragile, as a cough could snap the book in half. Liz ended up purchasing this thing!

An old ration book.

Numerous family members were listed, each with info regarding their age, height, etc.

Ration coupons.

It’s partly the rum, partly the pantaloons, but mostly what draws me to a pirate’s life is how roomy the blouses are!

Again with the Star Trek.

Finally.

Humphreys’ Specifics. Guessing this was Frederick K. Humphreys?

Liz spotted this again, another cabinet that when opened… showed how amazing it was.

Sufferin’ Succotash

Poor Aquaman, always in back.

I feel like the author ran out of steam when he finished the book, and just threw the title together and shipped it off.

M/R Professional Account Executive
Dan Stahly, November 1980

Houdini

A totally gaudy yet seemingly appropriate Dali umbrella.

I am a sucker for old library cart catalogs. Too bad they’re all super expensive.

Some odd oil lamps that I thought were neat.

Amazingly, this is not the first time I’ve seen this squirrel nutcracker. Let me take you way, way back to 2004.

I had trouble finding the original post on my phone, but I was reminded online that this was a gift from Kent to Dave. And its name is “Davey Crackit.”

Trick Dog. Wish this was actualy working, and that I could see it in action. It seemed a little stuck, and I didn’t want to force it.

Vintage glove molds. Just now realizing that they are of the same hand.

Interlux.

An old fashioned apple-peeler.

The Old Gold Book (42)

Cecile Perry
– Junior –
1942

Yearbook page.

Cecile’s photo (middle).

Whenever I find old yearbooks, I like seeing if I can track down the owner’s photo.

An old Ambassador record player.

Taking another break at a coffee shop – Houndstooth Coffee. While Liz was knitting, I ended up processing a bunch of photos from the past few days – and uploaded them to the site.

Post-shopping, pre-dinner drinks at The Tigress.

We were pretty early (around 4:30 PM), so the place hadn’t filled up yet.

Back room.

Outside patio.

We had this place to ourselves.

On the left, I had the Carver (Del Maguey Mezcal, Averna amaro, sweet vermouth, Ancho Reyes chili liqueur, chocolate bitters). Can’t recall what Liz ordered offhand.

Check out that planter/sculpture in the background!

Again, such polite graffiti.

For dinner, we found ourselves at Odd Duck and sitting at the bar.

We didn’t quite realize this place was primarily small plates, but it looked great and we settled in.

Liz ordered a Draft Paloma (Tequila blanco, grapefruit, tarragon, ginger, salt foam).

Food: Goat cheese spring onion spread, seeded cracker, pickled strawberry.

My drink: the Cold Shoulder (Monkey Shoulder scotch, espresso, toasted almond).

L to R: Grilled redfish, pork posole verde, tortilla chips, sour cream; Duck fat fried rice, soft egg, ez cheese, brussels, chile.

We had a neat view of the kitchen, and were in awe of this particular chef managing multiple, small frying pans at once.

Much later in the evening, closer to 10:30 PM… I got Liz to venture out with me one more time, to the hotel bar for a last drink in Austin, before departing.

The view from our table.

What I loved about this bar is how close it was to our room. We were far enough away that the noise wasn’t a bother, but we were close enough to where I could easily pop over for a drink.

It’s the ideal setup for introverted people who want small moments of social activity, and then want to run away to the safety of their rooms. I was always a few steps away from a glass of wine and people, but could easily disappear at a moment’s notice.

Related:
Aimless in Austin, Day 1: Driving from Houston, Stopping at Buc-ee’s, and Arriving at the Hotel San Jose
Aimless in Austin, Day 2: Gordough’s Donuts, Austin Antique Mall, and Dinner at Contigo
Aimless in Austin, Day 3: Driskill Hotel, Gypsies Antiques, Cenote, Whisler’s, and Ramen Tatsu-Ya