Lev Lazinskiy

Lunch at the Driskill Hotel

The historic Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin is the oldest operating hotel in Austin Texas. Completed in 1886, this Romanesque Revival style hotel is one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Austin. The luxurious interior lobby and lounges are finely decorated and celebrate Texan themes. Paintings of prairies, lone stars in most tiles, and naturally a steer head mounted on the wall. I had the pleasure of stopping by for lunch during my visit to Austin.

The restaurant was not yet opened, so I sat down at the bar. Since I was still recovering from my massive burger from the night before, I ordered a healthy(ish) lunch of split pea soup and a salad filled with all sorts of goodies.

There was a business man, who appeared to be a regular, day drinking there. We talked for a while about the city, politics, and life. He shared an interesting perspective on the pros and cons of not having a state income tax. Texas, is one of the few states that does not have income tax. This seems very appealing at first, but the money has to come from somewhere. In addition, lack of funding can have some detrimental effects on the infrastructure of the entire state.

There is something special about the feeling that you get sitting at a bar at such a historic place. Its hard to imagine how many countless people of varying “importance” sat in the very same place over the last hundred years. If the walls could talk I am certain that they would share stories that you would never be able to find in the local history books.