when a small town becomes a really, really big city

I visited Austin, Texas, for the first time ever this past weekend. It doesn't usually rain there, but it poured for the majority of my stay. My husband accompanied me on the first half of the trip - the second half and my initial reason for going was for a conference focused on the donor database I use each and every day for work. Austin is very cool and happens to be growing at a very fast pace. I am glad I was able to see it now, as I think there will be major differences even within the next six months. We spent our time eating our way through the city (the food is delicious, but very heavy), viewing art, having a mini spa day, and seeing some of the historic structures Austin is well-known for. We covered all of the major food bases and ate a Mexican-style brunch, a farm-to-table dinner, and a barbecue brunch. I ate more meat in the last few days than I've eaten in the last two months. Notable dishes include buffalo ceviche (not sure what got into me, but I literally ate raw buffalo meat with charred radish, onion, chilies, key lime, cilantro, and sweet potato chips), brisket, and sausage (andouille, turducken, and boar). Most of the art was modern art, which really tickled my fancy. I wish we were able to catch some live music, but instead we were only able to fit in a pop-music dance party at one of the bars on Rainey Street. I was thrilled with it; I'm not sure my husband felt the same way. Would I rush back there in a heartbeat, no, probably not, but I would visit again and next time I would stop at one of the hat stores we passed and pick out something to adorn my noggin.