Texas
Gabriel Luna's weekend guide to Austin, Texas
Entertainment 360Since attending the 2016 US Grand Prix, Austin’s own Gabriel Luna is a huge F1 fan. Ahead of the 2024 race, the actor shares his Bat City picks, from live music to breakfast tacos.
Austin, Texas, is known for its barbecue, cowboy culture, breakfast tacos, rollicking music scene and its defiant slogan: “Keep Austin Weird.”
The SpeciaList
Gabriel Luna is an actor who was born and raised in Austin, and studied at the city’s St Edward’s University. He rose to prominence with his role as Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, before appearing as the villainous Rev-9 in Terminator: Dark Fate. Luna currently portrays Tommy Miller in the critically acclaimed HBO series The Last Of Us opposite Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Actor Gabriel Luna fell in love with the sport when he was invited to the 2016 United States Grand Prix. “Just the speed, the sounds, meeting all of the drivers. It was really exciting,” says Luna.
After striking up a friendship with the Haas F1 team, Luna has since attended races in Budapest, Monza and Montreal. He’s also returned to his home city of Austin, where he was born, raised and attended university, to watch the United States Grand Prix live on three more occasions.
“I just fell in love with the sport. I’ve seen it grow exponentially year after year,” says Luna, who credits the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive for bringing more US attention to the sport. While Miami and Las Vegas now host their own races, Luna believes that Austin’s distinctive free-wheeling spirit and party atmosphere make it the best place to watch Formula One in the US.
“Having the race in Austin is a great way to show off the city,” he says. “It’s a truly beautiful part of the country. But also the city is built on music, food and enjoying life. We attract a lot of bon vivants who just want to live a good life and they can get that in Austin.”
Here are Luna’s favourite ways to experience his hometown.
Alamy1. Best way to experience everyday life: Barton Springs Pool
Located within Austin’s bustling Zilker Metropolitan Park is the scenic Barton Springs Pool, where for just a small fee, visitors can relax on the grass and jump into its water all year-round. For Luna, this three-acre pool fed by underground springs is the “centre of culture and life” in Austin. “You get to see Austin’s youth, its old-timers, its hippies doing their yoga, people playing guitar. Everyone is just jumping into the water, which is perpetually 68 degrees.”
When Luna is home in the summer months, he loves relaxing by the water, jumping in, drying off and jumping back in – on repeat. “You can just lay out on the hill on the far side of Barton Springs and see the whole city. It’s the heart of the town.”
Alamy2. Best cultural experience: Emma S Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center
While Austin is renowned for its food, booze and music scenes, it also has a bevy of fantastic museums. Luna’s favourite is the Emma S Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, located in Rainey Street Historic District right by Lady Bird Lake. “It’s in this beautiful building, which itself is a work of art,” says Luna, whose parents were both of Mexican descent. “But it also has a theatre, a gallery and their rotating exhibits celebrate Mexican American arts and heritage.”
Luna also points visitors to The Blanton Museum of Art at the Austin chapter of the University of Texas, which has more than 21,000 works of modern and contemporary art from Europe, the United States and Latin America. It’s also home to renowned American artist Ellsworth Kelly‘s immersive art building Austin; famed for its natural depiction of light and colour.
Alamy3. Best for live music: Broken Spoke
Austin, which bills itself as the “live music capital of the world“, has a wildly diverse music scene rivalling those of Nashville, Memphis and even New Orleans. “Culturally in Austin, it’s all about the music. You just have to get out there, catch a band and listen to the music,” says Luna.
Insider tip
Austin – aka Bat City – is home to around 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats, who roost under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Between early March and late October, people gather at the bridge an hour before sundown to watch the bats swarm away for the night’s prowl.
Luna’s bat watching tip: head to The Four Seasons. “The Four Seasons on [Lake Austin] is always beautiful. But you also get a great view of the bats when they come out from under the bridge on South Congress. You can just sit on the back lawn and watch them fly off.”
The actor and sometimes musician loves Broken Spoke, an old-school spot that’s been serving beer and chicken-fried steak and hosting bands since 1964. “It’s protected by the National Registry and is an incredible little honky-tonk bar that can’t be touched,” says Luna. “The community gathered together to acquire enough signatures to stop it from being purchased.”
Another venue Luna calls his “personal headquarters” is Antone’s; one of Austin’s most iconic blues venues. Antone’s, now found on Fifth Street, might have moved locations a few times since the original location opened in 1975, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Ray Charles, James Brown, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan from playing its stages. “It’s really home for me when I’m back in Austin.”
For even more live music, Luna also suggests The Continental Club and the juke joint C-Boy’s Heart & Soul, both found on Congress Street; one of downtown Austin’s premier shopping and entertainment districts.
Erin Holsonback4. Best place for breakfast tacos: Juan in a Million
Luna can’t help but get nostalgic when asked about breakfast tacos; a Tex-Mex dish of scrambled eggs, cheeses, veg and meat wrapped in a tortilla that’s become known as an Austin specialty. He laments a number of places which have closed, in particular Maria’s Taco Express on South Lamar Boulevard, which shut its doors in September 2020. Luna also insists that the best breakfast tacos in Austin are at his grandmother’s house, which he ate every morning for 12 years before school.
Rather than badgering her for them, Luna heads to Juan in A Million in East Austin. “It’s a great Mexican restaurant that has fantastic breakfast tacos,” he says. Juan in a Million’s menu features a full array of breakfast taco choices, from chorizo (sausage) to migas-style (with soft scrambled eggs and crispy fried tortilla strips). If you’re in the north of the city, Luna suggests Tierra Linda Taqueria, a wonderful no-frills eatery located in a gas station serving huge orders.
Alamy5. Best for BBQ: Franklin Barbecue
The great state of Texas is barbecue country, and Austin takes the craft very seriously. For great central Texas-style barbecue, Luna says visitors can never go wrong at Austin cult favourite Franklin Barbecue; a turquoise-and-white roadside stop on 11th Street instantly recognisable by its massive queue. Founded in 2009 by Aaron Franklin, the spot was named the best barbecue in the country by Bon Appétit in 2011. “Aaron is a legend who has created an incredible legacy for himself,” says Luna. “I’ve lived in Los Angeles since 2011 and I always get his [barbecued beef] brisket shipped out for my Super Bowl parties.”
Luna also recommends Black’s Barbecue, founded in 1932 and located in Lockhart; a 30-minute drive from Austin. But he quickly adds that Terry Black’s BBQ is also worth a visit; explaining that the two restaurants have been engulfed in a family rivalry since the latter was opened by twin brothers Mike and Mark when they didn’t approve of their Uncle Kent’s cooking techniques at Black’s. “They’re both great,” says Luna. “The brisket in particular at Black’s is fantastic.”
Ultimately, Luna says, “There’s lots of great barbecue across Austin. At a certain point it’s a little but like splitting hairs because so much of it tastes so good.”
Courtesy of Magnolia Café6. Best casual and fancy bites: Magnolia Café, Uchi and more
When to visit
South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin is a massive nine-day festival celebrating culture, film, music and technology that brings the city to chaotic fever pitch each March. Luna believes the best time of the year to visit Austin is a few weeks afterwards: “The weather is getting great. Everyone is getting back to normal.” He also suggests asking around for where the next party is. “The party doesn’t end when the bars close. There’s a lot going on in town. You just need to ask around, find the right people, and you’ll find some really cool stuff.”
One Austin dish that Luna thinks is underrated is a good bowl of queso; a creamy dip made of melted cheese. “People do it in a really artful way,” he says. “Then you just get some tortilla chips and dip them in there. It’s like a fondue.” Luna calls Magnolia Café – a vintage Tex Mex-influenced diner on Congress Street – the best place to eat queso in Austin, as they mix in avocado, beef, salsa, pico de gallo, black beans and jalapeño to create their own signature take on the dish. “It’s the perfect thing to eat after a long night of drinking and when you’re really drunk,” he says.
Noah Chang7. Best bar: Whisler’s
Austin’s Sixth Street is renowned for its long stretch of bars, which Luna says you can stumble between with ease: “They all have different personalities. You can pop into The Jackalope [a dive] or Maggie Mae’s [massive event space]”.
Nowadays Luna prefers a more laid-back vibe, which is what you get when you head farther east on Sixth Street to his favourite watering hole: Whisler‘s. “It’s got a really cool little secret Mezcal bar,” he says. “You go up this little spiral staircase and there’s a very small room and a tiny bar. They have a fine collection of mezcals up there.” The nearby White Horse honky-tonk plays great country music, and Luna also suggests the Uptown Sports Club for a classy yet still casual ambience.
BBC Travel’s The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.
The pitching woes continued for Texas A&M in its 18-11 series-opening loss to Mississippi State at Blue Bell Park on Thursday night.
Typically, scoring 11 runs in an SEC contest equates to a win, but not for the Aggies. Jason Kelly’s pitching staff gave up the most runs in a single inning since Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. To make matters worse, the loss was tied for the most runs allowed this season, which came in an 18-5 run-rule loss to Auburn on May 2.
Needless to say, the bullpen has much work to do moving forward. With postseason play right around the corner, it is make-or-break for the pitchers on the roster to step up and provide consistency on the mound for the Aggies. If Texas A&M drops the series to the Bulldogs on Friday, it will be the end of the team’s hopes of being a national seed.
The Aggies will aim to avoid dropping their third straight SEC series, as they face Mississippi State in Game 2 at Blue Bell Park on Friday. First pitch against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
Here are some of the best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s loss to Mississippi State in Game 1:
Final score from Blue Bell Park
18 runs… yes, you read that correctly
Statistics from the series-opening loss
Mississippi State takes down No. 10 in Game 1
Texas A&M drops in the league standings
That one stings a little
Poor night for A&M on the mound
Kellner’s mask was a sight to see
A closer look at Kellner’s mask guarding his eye
Grahovac’s lead-off solo home run
Hacopian’s solo home run in the first
RPI update
Weston Moss slated to start in Game 2
The formula for success wasn’t there for the Aggies in the series opener
Frustrating night on the bump for Texas A&M
The Aggies must find an answer to the lack of consistent performances on the mound
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
Texas A&M football and basketball may be in the quiet stretch of their calendars, but the offseason doesn’t mean the work slows down. This is the time for coaches to hit the road, meet with Aggie clubs, and lay out the vision for the months ahead. One of the first stops each summer is the Dallas Aggies Coaches Night.
Hosted annually by the Dallas A&M Club, the event brings together several Texas A&M head coaches. This year, first‑year basketball coach Bucky McMillan joined football coach Mike Elko. Before the program began, both coaches met with the media and offered updates on their teams. And while football naturally draws the biggest spotlight, McMillan delivered plenty of insight into his first year in Aggieland and the foundation he’s building.
Below are some of the most notable quotes from Coach Bucky’s appearance at Coaches Night.
Texas A&M head basketball coach Bucky McMillan speaks on attending his first Dallas A&M Club event
“We didn’t have a roster. We didn’t have any coaches… It was wild, but since then I have gotten to meet so many great people and so many I have made friends with.”
Coach Bucky McMillan on the support they team received
“We have great support, and you did it with a coach you didn’t know very well. We broke a lot of records last year… We broke 15 A&M records. We are going to break all those again next year. I was proud of our defense, as small as we were.”
Coach Bucky McMillan discusses what being in Aggieland has meant to him
“Aggies love Aggies and A&M. I am from SEC country in the middle of Alabama. I tell my friends, the honor and tradition of being an Aggie is something I don’t take lightly. The honor of the people, it’s truly awesome. It makes me proud to wear this on my shirt.”
Coach Bucky McMillan on Mike Elko
“The football coach has to deal with a lot more things than I do… We lose a game, and most of y’all know about it, but everybody knows if he loses a game.” “The one thing I know is there could not better coach for Texas A&M than Mike Elko.”
Coach Bucky McMillan on the 2026-27 basketball season
“We are going to take that next step. We were a game away from the Sweet 16 this year, and we are going to be in that second weekend next year, trying to get the Final Four.”
Here’s a look at the impact the Dallas A&M Club has had since its founding.
Established in 1902, the Dallas A&M Club has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Dallas-area students attending Texas A&M – with 29 Aggie fish and sophomores currently benefiting from our $6,000 scholarship awards.
As the chartered A&M Club for all of Dallas County, the DAMC has also generously given back to The Association of Former Students by contributing to the following: Aggie Park, Endowed Aggie Ring Scholarship (4), Endowed Diamond Century Club, Endowed Scholarship Fund, Corregidor Muster Memorial Fund, Building Enhancement Campaign, and The Association’s Annual Fund.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Texas is planning its grid around an unprecedented wave of AI-driven power demand that the state’s energy regulator says may not fully materialize on projected timelines.
In a recent filing to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) projected statewide power demand could surge to nearly 368 GW by 2032 – more than four times the state’s current peak demand record of 85.5 GW. But the filing also contains an unusual warning from the grid operator itself.
“ERCOT has concerns with using the preliminary load forecast values for the Reliability Assessment and any other transmission and resource adequacy analysis,” the organization wrote in its April 2026 long-term load forecast filing.
The organization added that it may seek adjustments to the forecast based on “actual historical realization rates or other objective, credible, independent information.”
ERCOT has already begun adjusting for realization risk internally. In its 2025 long-term load forecast report, the grid operator said the “average peak consumption per site was 49.8% of the requested MW” and applied that factor to projected non-crypto data center load additions in some planning models.
ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said the forecast reflects “higher-than-expected future load growth” tied to changing large-load planning dynamics.
Texas has emerged as a hotspot for data center growth, with numerous new projects reshaping the energy market and challenging grid capacity. (Image: Alamy)
Texas Developers Race Ahead of Grid Capacity
Texas has emerged as a key data center market, driven by its abundant land, competitive energy prices, and favorable regulatory environment. This combination has positioned the state as a magnet for hyperscale operators and AI infrastructure investments. The state is estimated to account for around 15% of all data center connectivity in the US.
Recent and proposed AI data center campuses tied to OpenAI, Oracle, Meta, Crusoe, CoreWeave, Soluna, and other hyperscale operators are reshaping Texas grid planning. Developers have proposed large campuses across North Texas, Abilene, West Texas, and the Houston corridor, many requiring hundreds of megawatts of capacity and, in some cases, dedicated onsite generation to bypass interconnection delays. That buildout pushed ERCOT’s non-crypto data center forecast above 228 GW by 2032.
Developers are continuing to pursue Texas aggressively because ERCOT still offers faster timelines and more flexible market structures than many competing regions. Several proposed campuses pair AI infrastructure with onsite gas generation, colocated power assets, or flexible-load arrangements to navigate mounting transmission constraints.
Utilities across the US are grappling with AI-driven electricity growth, but ERCOT’s projections stand apart for both scale and uncertainty. PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator, expects summer peak demand to climb above 241 GW over the next 15 years as data centers and electrification expand. ERCOT, by contrast, projects demand potentially reaching nearly 368 GW by 2032, driven largely by proposed non-crypto data center loads. At the same time, the grid operator openly questions how much of that demand will materialize on schedule.
Bigger Than Texas
Similar pressures are emerging elsewhere. In California, CAISO’s latest transmission plan cited “data center load growth” as a driver of major grid upgrades and described interconnection volumes as “unmanageable” before recent queue reforms.
A recent Grid Strategies report reached a similar conclusion nationally, warning that the “data center portion of utility load forecasts is likely overstated by roughly 25 GW” compared with market-based deployment estimates.
Ihab Osman, an independent strategist specializing in data center and other mission-critical infrastructure, said the distinction is less about “real” versus “fake” AI demand and more about “announced versus deliverable demand.”
“A large share of the current AI/data center planned load should be treated as paper megawatts until it is validated through physical gates,” Osman said, citing factors including site control, transmission deliverability, generation availability, turbine and transformer supply, permitting, financing, and credible energization schedules.
Osman said ERCOT’s forecast is best understood as “a stress-test map, not as a fait accompli build map.”
Separating ’Paper Megawatts’ From Real Demand
The filing shows Texas regulators and grid planners struggling to distinguish operating AI infrastructure from a rapidly expanding pipeline of proposed projects.
“The vast majority” of ERCOT’s projected load growth comes from submissions provided by transmission and distribution utilities, according to the filing. Those requests include hyperscale AI campuses, GPU clusters, and other large industrial loads seeking future grid capacity reservations.
Alison Silverstein, a former senior adviser to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said “a large proportion” of projects in ERCOT’s large-load interconnection queue have already been canceled, particularly among smaller developers facing long interconnection delays and high turbine and transformer costs.
Forecasts Collide With Physical Infrastructure Limits
ERCOT has also signaled that many projects may not materialize on the timelines shaping transmission planning.
The grid operator said summer 2026 peak demand is likely to land between roughly 90.5 GW and 98 GW – far below the preliminary 112 GW figure embedded in the long-term forecast. ERCOT said it appears “unlikely” that new large-load projects and existing site expansions will ramp quickly enough to push demand that high this year.
The filing suggests uncertainty around AI-related load growth is beginning to influence broader infrastructure planning assumptions. By 2032, ERCOT projects non-crypto data centers reaching 228 GW of demand, compared with just 9 GW from cryptocurrency mining and roughly 3 GW each from hydrogen/e-fuels and oil-and-gas-related industrial growth.
The move also suggests the regulator is no longer simply forecasting AI-driven growth, but also working to determine how much of the proposed boom can actually be financed, supplied, interconnected, and energized before utilities commit billions to long-lived infrastructure.
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