The Alamo Drafthouse, Austin

After two pretty awful bus journeys I decided to take the train from Norman south to Austin, Texas. Thankfully the line had been reopened after flooding. Although the second train of the day was four hours late leaving Fort Worth, I still prefer to travel via Amtrak. The trains here are very spacious, some have observation rooms, with glass ceiling and restaurant cars and no one boards in pyjamas.
I knew the journey to Austin had been long as I finished reading my second novel of the day.

The Sleeper Train

I came to Austin because it has a great film and music scene. In particular I wanted to check out one of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. This is a small chain of cinemas in Austin, what sets them apart from all the large chain cinemas, is that you can order a meal and beverages from your seat. The seating is like any other cinema but there is a plank style table running along each row, this is were a waitress serves food and drinks. Under the table is a small light so you can write down your order and then put it on a magnetic strip to get a waitresses attention. The menu is as big as any restaurant and there is a wide selection of alcoholic drinks on offer.

Austin's Capitol Building, some 15ft taller than the one in D.C.

The cinema also sets itself apart by having a special pre-film show. For Transformers they showed the original TV series and cut in some 1980's adverts for the toys. They also have special screening of older movies, for instance they are showing Conan the Barbarian in a few weeks and showed an alternate trailer. It was similar to the Mary Poppins, Scary Mary cut.
They also show films and change the menu to the theme of the film. It's surprisingly isn't distracting watching a film and eating or while others eat. I guess eating a burger is a lot quieter than eating popcorn. It was a great way to see a film. I guess they also choose films that suit that kind of environment. I'll be disappointed next time I go to a cinema and can't order a beer and a some fries. Gaz for the state of your bank balance I'm glad this isn't available in the UK.