Leslie and Halcyon

It looks like today will be another twofer and this was completely by accident. I wish I had a picture to share, but alas, it all happened so fast that I was unable to get a shot. As I walked down 6th street on my way to Halcyon with friends, a stranger looked at us and wished us a happy new year. We all said happy new year to him and it took me about two seconds to realize that the person who greeted us was none other than Leslie. Yes, Leslie, the cross-dressing Austin icon whom all people hear about but few randomly bump into. I last saw him at a festival in 2009 when he was posing for a picture with a couple of guys on the Congress Avenue bridge. After Leslie walked away, one of the guys laughed and said, "I think I'm gonna need a drink after this."



So yes, Halcyon - it's a self-described coffeehouse, bar, and lounge on the corner of 4th and Lavaca. Given the name of my blog, it should come as no surprise that I frequent places that serve coffee, meaning that you can expect to see a lot more coffee on here. The cappuccinos here are so good that I had two tonight. There's nothing like that delicious, foamy goodness on a chilly winter evening. Between the four of us, my friends and I ordered cappuccinos, mexican hot chocolate, peanut butter hot chocolate, a bananas foster crêpe, and a panini (I think it was the chicken parmesan?). I tasted the peanut butter hot chocolate and it was amazing: as my friend described it, a liquid Reese's peanut butter cup. The bananas foster crêpe was also delicious and had a hint of rum.



Halcyon as a physical space is inviting and I imagine that the atmosphere is rather different during the day. They do offer free wi-fi and there's plenty of seating on the outside for folks who just want to sit there with their laptops, with a book, and/or with friends. The wall art is...interesting. Some of it is appealing but there are a lot of half-naked women on the walls for my liking. I prefer one of the pieces that has a red background and a line of birds perched on a tree limb with the moon shining in the background. Regardless of the art, I would like to come back and try something else on the menu.


Halcyon
218 West 4th Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 472-9637