Friday evening was actually cool! When I walked out of my house with my bicycle, I considered taking a jacket. 86 is cool in August in Texas. Yet, I'm still a girl going to a bar on my bike; and, I decided against carrying around one more thing all evening.
The cruise down 12th street was pleasant until the sidewalk suddenly ended in stairs. I stopped in time. However, my bike light and bicycle chain fell off. It was time to get dirty, as I flipped the bike over to get the chain back on. My hands and arms were covered in grease. I rubbed them against the brown grass in the dirt along the sidewalk--slightly better. Just a few more blocks to the Mohawk.
Upon arrival at the Mohawk, a terrible band was playing. We verified with the bouncer that the band was not Grupo Fantasma. It was a bit painful to pay $17 cover with the awful noise. We walked outside to check out the crowd and search for a few friends. The outdoor venue is spacious. A raised area looks down on the stage from the right; and, a balcony over the entrance faces the stage. There are at least four bar areas - one inside and three outside (main level, raised area and balcony). Beside the great views from all the different levels, there is seating! On the ground level, a bench stretches across the fence bordering Red River. The raised area and balconies have numerous plastic chairs.
Our friends had sweet spots along the railing on the raised area to the right of the stage. We squeezed in and watched Grupo set up below us. Soon, we were enjoying the invigorating sounds of Grupo Fantasma. Cumbia is their specialty; but, every song makes you want to move. With such a great cumbia band, I expected to see more salseros in the crowd. Yet, the majority of the crowd were non-dancers moving to the energizing music. Along with a lead singer, drums and guitars, Grupo boasts a tight trio of trumpet, trombone and saxophone.
It's tough to be still with Grupo's lively music. We put the open space to good use, dancing our hearts out - cumbia, merengue, cha-cha. We danced them all, stopping to rest only after near disastrous spins. Yet, jumping up again as soon as we regained our breath and downed some water.
My only regret, I forgot to take a picture to post!
You have some serious courage riding the bike to the bar! :D I commend you! You make me miss Austin.. love it.
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