As William Faulkner said (sort of), the past is never behind us; it isn't even past. But don't take our word for it; go see for yourself at the Austin History Center, where you'll find the outlines of today's megamalls and sprawling suburbs in the blueprints of a simpler past. Sigh in wistful longing for the days when the city began and ended at Lamar. Close your eyes and recall a time when the Capitol was still made of charming (and flammable) wood. Shift your gaze to the horizon, where the insane asylum - still known as the State Lunatic Asylum until 1925 - belches smoke into the clear Texas sky. After an hour meandering down these quiet boulevards, you'll think nothing of plunking down 10 bucks for an old Austin map. We did.
