We left the ranch on January 17, 2023.
We left the Austin area, the place that Mike and I retreated to during the pandemic. The city where we got married (2020), bought our first home together (2021), and had our son Han (2021). Lincoln joined our family living in our little South Congress condo (2021). Austin is where I chose to make a new start for myself. Buying a house by myself for the first time and making more choices for myself. This beautiful slice of central Texas is home to big and small milestones for my family.
It’s bittersweet, but it feels like the time to close our chapter in that spot. Austin is a city that served us well, where we found joy and learned more about ourselves. Our time in central Texas helped us become more firmly rooted in who we are and what we value. I wanted to share some of the places that grew to have meaning to us. Some will be places that you see for yourselves and figure out if they give you joy too. If you’re in Austin, maybe you’ll think of us in these places.
A long time favorite! They used to have a location that we would visit that was close to Dell Children’s Hospital. We purchased our dining room table from that location when they closed that location. Sa-Ten’s other location at Canopy continued to be a favorite meeting place. We would often stop here when friends flew into town - our favorite way to sneak in time was to pick friends up at the airport
We would let Han free range after lunch around the Canopy arts complex. Pinballz
For Mike’s first birthday after Han was born, we went for Korean BBQ and Pinballz with Mimi and our nephew Jermey. Han was so young then and all the flashing lights were beyond comprehension. We did a toy crane and Han got a duck. We did the photo booth as a family. During the chaos of my MS diagnosis, I made a scheduling mistake that I didn’t realize until we were already in Austin. Instead of getting flustered, Mike pivoted and drove Han and I to Pinballz to get some play time in. Han was older, walking and got more out of the experience. He loved skeeball.
After Han’s death, Mike and I visited Pinballz at their original location. We found ourselves with far too much time and very few things that felt good. Pinball became a thing that brought us joy - I found out that I am actually pretty good at Pinball and we had a lot of consuming, competitive games together that distracted us from our grief. As part of Han’s birthday festivities, we invited family and friends to join us at Pinballz for a couple hours. My Uncle Joe and cousin Adam joined us at the arcade.
Dell Children’s Hospital
This is a tough addition to the list - I hold a lot of fondness for the things the people in this place did for my son. It’s as beautiful and lovely as a hospital can be, but it’s home to some of the darker days of my life. I am so glad that the city of Austin has this resource for families and the work that they are doing is life changing. Through the duration of our relationship with this institution we got some insights into the politics that make this place less than perfect, but the people here gave me the year and a half with Han and I would recommend their cardiac team without hesitation.
Testing Han’s Development at 6 Months in the Dell Children’s Specialty Pavilion. Radio Coffee
A spot we enjoyed during my pregnancy that we loved taking Han to as well. They have nice coffee and great tacos. Lots of outdoor seating. Lots of little families getting together. Kids bopping around picnic tables. Dogs barking. People working. The taco truck on site is Veracruz Tacos. Their guacamole and shrimp tacos are at the very top of both Mike and I favorite foods list. They used to have a truck near Dell Children’s Hospital that we frequented when Han was in the hospital. When I was pregnant, I had a meltdown at Cosmic Coffee because I didn’t realize that you had to order your chips with your guacamole, so I just had guac, no chips. Heartbreaking.Cosmic Coffee
This spot was so close to our place in South Congress. The vibe was always great, so fun for either drinks or coffee. We mostly went for coffee and lunch with Lincoln, or Lincoln and Han, or really anyone visiting Austin. Some of our favorite barbecue in the city is from the food truck Leroy & Lewis which was parked there. Everything we’ve ever had from there is amazing - the seasonal sausages are awesome. The Barbacado is delicious. The burger is tasty. Cannot go wrong. Super dog and kid friendly - they have chickens!Monument Cafe
Mike, Han, and I visited here for the first time on New Year’s Eve. He had just started walking and was just starting to make sounds that really sounded like words. I remember walking through the parking lot together - Han wanting to walk towards trucks that were not our truck.
We had such a lovely time, we planned a family Valentine’s Day outing. We brought my mom, dad, and Mike’s mom Bonnie with us. It was a fun, special meal. We ordered Han his very own biscuit and it was sweet and amusing to watch him try to figure out how to contend with it. After our Valentine’s Day brunch, we went to the all abilities park in North Austin and goofed around until we were all tired.Alamo Drafthouse
Maybe the least interesting recommendation on the list, but Mike and I loved going to movies for day dates while Bonnie watched Han. A move we enjoyed was going out for drinks at Tiki Tatsuya and then walking over to the Alamo on South Lamar for a movie before driving home. After we came back from our European travels, we got a membership and saw way more movies than we have in ages
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Tiki Tatsuya
Ya’ll know that Mike and I love tiki drinks. This place was so much fun to visit together, with friends, and with family. The large format drinks aren’t my favorite, but I find the cocktails really fun, creative, and delicious. We took our moms to Ramen Tatsuya with Han upstairs, and then sent them downstairs for cocktails on their own. They met a magician while we walked around and looked at murals with Han. The food is also incredible - the wings. Omg. The spam musubi? omg!
A rare night out in Austin! Ramen Tatsuya
One of Mike’s favorites and a place that we loved to take Han. He loved to try to slurp on noodles or eat rice. He would happily try mushrooms and other tidbits from Mike and I’s bowls. We loved feeding that baby and he loved eating.We love the Farmer’s Market. Mueller is so much fun with kids, both Lakeline and Mueller have great selections. We love Yapa Empanadas, we love Tamale Addiction, we love the BBQ, and we love the ATX Beef Jerky. We love food.
One of our chance Easy Tiger meetings with the unforgettable Sam Bastin. Easy Tiger was a fixture of my pregnancy. Han was at least 5% Easy Tiger French Toast and BLTs when he was born. We visited all the locations with Han, often meeting up with friends in town visiting. Their costs went up and quality went down and we stopped visiting as much. But Easy Tiger gave us one of our greatest gifts, their sourdough starter! I learned how to bake from their easy bake sourdough recipe. It was one of Han’s very favorite foods.
One of many, many visits to Easy Tiger. On this trip my Dad gifted us Sourdough Starter! Tacos Los Mamis
Family run Birria taco spot - it’s amazing. Nothing is bad and everything is good. Han LOVED these tortillas. The first time we took him here he was given a free handmade corn tortilla to munch on and he was in absolutely carbohydrate heaven. Mike and I both loved this place. It was one of our first dates after Han was born. Mike took me out for national taco day for a special and memorable outing.Costco
Don’t hate! I’m a Costco devotee. During my pregnancy we would visit during the last 30 minutes it was open and walk every aisle, milking every minute they would stay open for the 30 minutes after closing time. It was the least busy hour we could find during pandemic times!
And we took Han here many times. It was so fun to be one of the many young, little families walking the aisles. Navigating the chaos of feeding little people. I loved pushing him in a cart or trying to herd him down the aisles once he was walking. Beautiful chaos.
Took one of my favorite vegetarians and her carnivore out for BBQ. Great BBQ with great vegetarian and vegan friendly sides. This place isn’t too far from the ranch and was at the top of the Texas Monthly BBQ list the year we moved out to the ranch. We took everyone here and waited in line to feast.
Austin Bergstrom Airport Playground
It’s great. As mentioned previously, one of our favorite hacks for seeing people was picking them up at the airport and taking them out to lunch and then on to their final destination. We spent lots of happy moments at this playground with the Hanimal. It’s a place filled with joy for us that is also very convenient for picking up others at the airport.Soup Peddler
I love soup. Great soup and smoothies. Han’s first smoothie was from Soup Peddler! He loved it. It was mostly watermelon. It was a safe bet when we were running around that we all enjoyed. Han would happily share a soup with me, eating lentils or chicken or beans or carrots or whatever was hot, soft, and tasty.Mum Foods
We love this place, partially because the owner was eavesdropping on our conversation about BBQ while out to dinner. We were hyping Interstellar, and he told us that we had to try his BBQ because he was making the best pastrami style brisket in Texas. He wasn’t exaggerating. We went and picked up some of his product at the farmer’s market and had it for Thanksgiving the day before Han was born. They now have a physical location that is also delicious. How many BBQ places is too many?Nancy’s Sky Garden
Was it my gallbladder or was it us embracing a healthy lifestyle? So many of the places on this list are packed with good-for-you options. Nancy’s Sky Garden makes a banging baked sweet potato. Everything I’ve ever had is great. They do a lovely lentil soup. They have great noodle bowls with vegetables that make you feel so full and never feel gross. There are always ladies having lunch dates here. Once we brought Han here and a little girl came over and helped him play with his toys. It’s a lovely wholesome place with lots of plants.
HMart
Okay, yes the grocery store is great but the food court. There is a great katsu place, Korean hot dog place, bakery, and all kinds of stuff to satisfy all kinds of appetites. It’s laid back - easy to bring a cranky baby or toddler to without bothering anyone. And you get to eat something very tasty. The cakes the bakery makes are so beautiful and delicious! My only complaint is the lack of good coffee options.
Bubble Tea spot right by HMart. Instill Coffee
Which is never an issue at Instill Coffee! We started visiting when they just had a little food truck outside a daycare. Great coffee with fun options. The avocado toast is also amazing. They opened a brick and mortar that is beautiful. The last few times we visited we were a little disappointed because the prices went up a bit and they had issues with one of our coffees. They also rolled back their loyalty program. :( But I have fond memories sitting in a yard outside of a daycare drinking our coffee and watching Han, watch vrooms.Elizabeth Street Cafe
This is a place that I have loved since I moved to Austin in 2018. They have amazing food - the bowls are great and the Singapore noodles are some of the best that I have ever had. Mike and I came here with Han when he was very small. I was in the throes of postpartum hormonal imbalance and I remember getting really emotional. I also met my friend Jen and Chelsea here for lunch when Han was a baby. It was special to introduce him to some powerful ladies and watch them delight in his chubby baby smiles.
Early exposure to very powerful women.
And gosh there gotta be so many more places that deserve a mention that I cannot remember. We loved taking Han places and he was always a good sport. He loved people watching, he loved eating, and he made people smile. He was beautiful and joyful, very rarely upset when out in the world. He was just tickled to be experiencing the world - he loved new places, people, and things. My mind is full to the brim with happy memories of Han engaging with strangers. I wish that we could be making those memories. I’m sitting in Tryst, a coffee shop that I visited as a college student. I would love to have Han perched next to me in a high chair, sipping a babycino and chomping on a muffin.
It’s bittersweet to be in DC. I think that’s about the best that life can offer me right now as we work hard to navigate the world without Han. There are things that bring joy but they feel hollow. I’m hoping that with time the good things in our life won’t feel so empty.
Thank you for reading along - thank you for sharing last week’s post about the life saving potential of an AED if you did. I did a full court press on my end to get the word out too and right now? Over 4,000 people have read that essay vs. the usually 400-700 views I’m usually getting here on Substack. I don’t know if it will make an impact on anyone but all I can do is share our experience in the hope that it opens the eyes of a family who it may help.
Thank you Soomin and CJMommy for joining the paid group. I’m due to share something new with you all, but for those of you that are newer paid subscribers I encourage you to check out some of my past posts - one of my favorites so far is Hanimal Go! The origin story of the nickname Hanimal. Thank you everyone for reading and being part of my community! I’m feeling the love.
Suuuuuch a great list. Missing y’all out here 🫶🏻