It's bigger (and greener) in Texas...

I expected big, but I couldn't foresee the green grandeur that is Austin in spring. While we were there, the sun shone big, it rained big, it wind(ed) big, we ate and drank big. The prices were big, the rules were big* and the waste was big**- all this from a state that I had expected to be desolate, dry sunshine and with all the rights and freedoms that America has to offer. I think I found big capitalism, instead.

It's definitely a pay-to-play race weekend, feeling more like an amusement park where you'll be ticketed and you'll stand in long lines to await entirely mediocre foods at three times the price. But what the experience will afford you is unlimited access to the race teams in the wild. It's impossible for a fan to enjoy their evening dinner, because racers, team managers and all the support crews are wandering past your table. And they are happy to be there- because in America very few people know who they are. In downtown, they explore freely uninterrupted and will give you a high-five in passing, which is far better than paying for a paddock pass.

So go to COTA... knowing that it's a race land with endless tall boys on offer, that your night-time experience will far surpass anything you've ever dreamed of- being able to support your favorite racers and teams with a kind word (and perhaps a photo or two). This unique one-on-one opportunity is only made better, and bigger, by the incredible ambiance and the delectable dishes that Austin has to offer.