Austin's Best Kept Secret

It's not a burger, a Bar-B-Que place, or a restaurant that's Austin's best kept secret. Nor is it a band, an indie movie studio, or the fact that celebs Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Shawn Colvin, Willie (no last name needed), Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, and Lance Armstrong call Austin home (at least some part of the year). And yeah, that cool show- Austin City Limits-is recorded here too, but that's not exactly a secret either.

Nor is it a secret that Austin loves its natural environment-a verdant, hilly landscape with over 300 days of annual sunlight. We've got natural springs, some nice lakes, and an amazing, centrally-located hike and bike trail that is, quite literally, downtown. To outsiders, it may be a secret that the largest urban colony of Mexican Free-Tail bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge, named for the former governor and Texas spitfire, Ann Richards, in 2006. For sure, God smiles on the Lonestar state's Capitol City.

But in addition to our bands, our music festivals, our food, and our low-key celebrities, Austinites love their cars. As evidence, we have our fair share of art cars and auto clubs. Check out the Lonestar Model-T club or the Longhorn Cruisers. Into art cars? Check out the Austin Art Car site. Need further evidence? Within a few miles of Hyde Park (a central Austin neighborhood) are not one, but two, shops that repair and restore old Volkswagens.

What's any of this have to do with Austin's best kept secret? For starters-like every other city in the U.S.-drivers need a drivers' license. This can mean standing in line for the coveted card when renewal time rolls around, unless one knows the best kept Austin secret. A tiny Department of Public Safety (DPS) office sits quietly ticking along at 1500 North Congress Avenue near the Capitol. It shares building space with the Texas Rangers, also known as the state police. The 15 minute visitor parking and only three or four parking spaces, provides the first clue that something has gone seriously awry in the normally torturous drivers' license renewal and replacement system.

I've lost my license twice, and both times, I went to this location, which was revealed to me by a sympathetic co-worker. I was in and out of this government office in less than 15 minutes. The second time, I beat my original time by 5 minutes. Pinch me, I thought, I can't be in a drivers' license bureau. To make matters more bizarre, the clerk was friendly and polite. Now, when I hear people relaying how they spent an hour or more in a cattle call line, I feel guilty.

Good burgers and Bar-B-Que are great, but a fast, efficient government service that doesn't eat your day like a rabid University of Texas Co-ed after an all-night beer bust is better. Plus it leaves more time to kick back with friends, drink a margarita at Polvos, listen to music, or take a dip in one of our many fine swimming holes. Who knows? Maybe you'll see Willie drive up in a '69 Westfalia.