It occurred to me yesterday while I was stuck in a quagmire of traffic on MoPac that this is the week of SXSW. If that doesn't strike a chord with you, perhaps you are as out of sync with the Austin experience as I am. Honestly, when we moved to Austin in the mid-1970s, Austin was a big country town. In fact, from any direction coming into town, it wasn't difficult to spot the State Capitol. The city certainly wasn't crowded with folks attending SXSW.
Of course, we moved to Austin from West Texas, known for its friendly people and its unhindered view of the sky at night. One of my favorite billboards years later was near the Midland/Odessa Airport. It was advertising The Hilton Hotel. The message read: "People keep coming back - It ain't for the view". I suspect it was a subtle attempt to suggest that the Permian Basin is flat and ugly, but that a stay at the Hilton could be a welcomed and pleasant distraction.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I would not describe my hometown as ugly. Of course, after moving to Austin, we found that in terms of location, friendly people are generally fourth on the list following hills, water, and trees.
You're probably thinking, "What does any of that have to do with SXSW?" Because of its proximity to hills, water, trees, and friendly people, Austin is a destination of choice and a perfect fit for a film, interactive media, and music venue. It takes over the city or at least serves as a reminder for common everyday people like myself who would be like a fish out of water rubbing shoulders with celebrities, to just stay home.
Coincidentally, SXSW sometimes coincides with spring break. If you put on your trousers one leg at a time the way I do, spring break is also out of context with your spring experience.
From my memory, schools didn't close for a week around Easter producing an exodus of college students and families on vacation. Perhaps it fell the lot of the working man to punch the time clock and show up for work. Actually, I don't recall ever punching a time clock. Call it the luck of the draw, I never had a job that paid for overtime. I also don't remember going on vacation over spring break.
This morning I awakened with thoughts of spring break. My grandchildren are out of school this week, and as luck would have it, they are enjoying part of it on the beach at Surfside.
When I was in college, I don't recall that we took off a week around Easter. Out of curiosity, I looked up the origin of spring break. I was surprised to discover that it dates back to the 1930s.
Reportedly in the mid-1930s, a swimming coach from Colgate University decided to take his team down to Florida for some early training at a brand-new Olympic-size pool in sunny Fort Lauderdale. The idea clicked with other college swim coaches, and soon the spring training migration became an annual tradition for swimmers nationwide.
By around 1960, however, students had begun to come to the town in great numbers, and local businesses took advantage of this influx by offering specials such as all-you-can-drink beer for $1.50. Eventually, the town gained the nickname "Ft. Liquordale" and became the primary destination for students interested in partying during spring break for years to come.
This is one of those years where spring break at the University of Texas coincides with SXSW. I'd like to thihk that none of that will have an impact on me. I'd call that magical thinking. I'm scheduled to fly to D.C. early on Monday morning. I anticipate parking lots filled at the airport and long lines of people inside the terminal attempting to get back to their everyday lives in some faraway place.
All My Best!
Don
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