Thread by @Humble_Analysis

I spent Spring Break in Texas with my family last week and I can report that Team Apocalypse has lost the war.

Flights were 100% full with many families. In-flight food and drinks have returned. Airports packed on both ends - a world of difference from just a few months ago.

Everything is open in Texas and (outside of Austin), you'd be hard pressed to recall the "pandemic". Restaurants are crowded, people were friendly, there's live music, tourist areas are packed, there's no sanitation theater, and masks are rare.

Even in places that ostensibly require masks (Walmart, H-E-B), less than 20% of people were actually wearing a mask - and no one made a big deal about it, either way.

In fact, I never wore a mask for a single second outside of the Austin airport.

Outdoors, no one wears a mask in Texas (a world of difference from Washington). The parks are so popular that they have a reservation system and most are booked solid through May.

We also visited multiple museums, a zoo, the Riverwalk and the Alamo - fully open and maskless.

Overall, people are much friendlier in Texas. In Seattle, it is common to see people jump into the bushes and turn their backs on my family. In Texas, strangers started conversations with us every single day and no one was afraid of children.

Finally, I have to say that Texans sure love Texas.

I've never seen so many state flags; it seems like every home flies the Texas flag.

Texas was vibrant, alive - happy. A far cry from the tangible feeling of despair and the fear evident in Seattle (and other blue cities).