Austin Texas RFI

What do you like to eat, do, etc.?

Stuff to do: we like beers, I understand there are some microbreweries in Austin; we like comedy, obviously Austin is well known for this; we like museums, art galleries; we like music, r'n'b to minimal house; we like shopping, clothes - and considering the time of year, probably Christmas presents that we can't get in the UK for less.

We also like to stay in areas which have places to eat, do stuff, and are also value for money.

I'm always happy to meet iLX0rs and show them around!

There are indeed a good number of brewpubs around, including the esteemed Lovejoy's, which is pretty funky. A tonier choice would be The Bitter End. Austin is kinda tough for art lovers. There are galleries and musea, most especially the AMOA (Austin Museum of Art) and the Jones Center. Sadly, UT's most notable space, The Blanton Museum of Art will be closed down while you are here due to a move. There will probably be something worth seeing at the Harry Ransom Center, though. Also, Women and Their Work, the d berman gallery, etc. http://www.inthegalleriesaustin.com/

Musically, Austin tends toward good ol' fashioned honky tonkin and college hipster stuff. In the former category, definitely check out Haybale Sunday night at the Continental Club, and whatever's happening at the Broken Spoke and Ginny's Little Longhorn. In the latter category, I'm kinda outta touch.

The Austin Motel is a great suggestion, but will probably be hard to book. If you feel like spending a lot of money, the Driskill, on 6th street is a pretty gorgeous and historic place. There are also numerous BnB's if that's more your thing.

anyway, were you thinking of renting a car?

I would like to second and perhaps third all of these claims. Does Ararat still have the lamb with hibiscus flowers? And Curra's is especially good for breakfast. Have a breakfast taco with spinach and black beans. And the chopped beef sandwich at Ruby's is... well, you could live off of them. I have.

(I have been out of a job for a month and a half, so no, I ain't doing anything that costs money these days)

$350 a NIGHT for rent during ACL fest 2007!

http://austin.craigslist.org/apa/408386789.html

If G. wasn't so paranoid about people being in our house, I would seriously considering renting my place out.

No shit, just talked about this with my fellow as well.

OK, March 2, 10pm, 72F, and humidity out the wazoo. This is what defines "froggy".

yeah wtf was up with the weather today.

fucking rain already.

Maybe I will stay at the vaunted Double-Tree next time I am in Austin because honestly the Sheraton is a little ghetto. Not even a fridge in the room, let alone a bar. Weirdos inviting me to drive down alleys and then crazy punks spilling out of Built to Spill down the street WTF with that dude???

Ha well dude that's downtown for you. Can't say we're much better in the weirdo dept, but we do have a bar and fridges and a restaurant and shit. Just remodeled too.

I can't afford to stay here at the regular rate, but ay you (or anybody else!) hit me up if you're coming into town, I can hook a dude up like $79/night.

"Friends & Family Rates" are a wonderful thing.

This is all business trip shit and I don't really give a fuck what my company's paying, but the "negotiated rate" is $210/night and this is definitely not a $210/night hotel. For 1/2 that in LA I get a minibar and snacks which are v. important traveling amenities.

Damn skippy.

btw

fucking rain already.

-- BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, March 3, 2008 5:33 AM

I TAKE IT ALL BACK OH GOD

I'm an hour NW of Austin now, and can't work because the wind is blowing 50mph. This shithole little town has nothing to do, and I can't even buy episodes of the Wire on iTunes.

Trying to decide whether I want to learn to love Lost or One Tree Hill.

out in the burbs?

ps only go lost if you are willing to invest a bunch of time

only go one tree hill if you want to watch something terrible

one tree hill goes better with drinking alone.

rural - building a lodge on the Llano River (near... Llano)

Georgetown/Round Rock might be South Dallas... but I would gleefully take either of them over this area

STAY AT HOOS'S HOTEL

This winter has been so awful in Chicago. I am thinking of taking a schoolbus to Austin and spending a few days writing in my journal at a table outside the Taco Cabana on south Lamar, surrounded by grackles.

doooo it

TACO CABANA? you're better off at Hoos's hotel's hot breakfast buffet.

So, the gf and I find ourselves in Austin until Sunday. In addition to the fine suggestions found upthread, anything particularly unmissable going on this week Austin ilxors would suggest?

i hear good things about the doubletree hotel

^ lyar

nothin real big happening that i'm up on, just regular stuff. good jazz @ the elephant room. whereabouts you at?

I don't know of anything super-special happening this week either. I can't even say offhand if the bats are back from Mexico or if Barton Springs is open.

If you have the time on Sunday afternoon you should def. visit Ginny's Little Longhorn for honky-tonk music and Chicken Shit Bingo.

We're at the Crowne Plaza on I-35, thanks to hotwire and very last minute planning.

We ate at Polvo's last night. I dug it, the better half not so much.

Oh, and wtf is with your buses being so cheap? Paying fifty cents feels like I'm in a magical time warp. Or Pleasantville.

Yeah it's a beautiful thing dude. A buck and you ride all day!

drove into SW Austin looking for a guitar store (and/or because I was bored)

The 71/290/1/360 highway cluster is a fucking disaster.

yessir

I'm in you, Austin.

That sounded dirtier than I intended.

Anyone up for an Austin fap tomorrow night? Moodles?

I wish I was feeling better. I'd come down from Dallas but you all don't need my respiratory death virus.

No, but, shit, I'd love to meet an EZ. Feel better.

One day Jon. I've never been to Chicago so maybe a vacation will take me North. If you come to Dallas give me a holler.

Definitely.

FYI: I'm going to be in Austin from Friday the 27th thru Thursday the 2nd of April. Hit me up on ilxmail if you're up for a beer.

yeah, i saw your Facebook post the other day, KF.

http://i.imgur.com/brjpF2z.png

Great article about the guy behind Europa Books http://www.austinchronicle.com/books/2000-03-10/76131/

And an interview with him: http://www.briancombs.net/3288/

I guess the Austin Europa Books was a satellite of the one in Chicago

Is any thread talking about what is going on down there right now? Was anyone there for SXSW? This is kind of the scariest thing of its kind since the DC area sniper.

and an explosion at a FedEx center near San Antonio last night; one injury

Can Austin Stay Weird Despite The Bombs That Keep Exploding? - https://t.co/LFFn9KYoIp pic.twitter.com/Hi7dtBVlE0

— CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) March 20, 2018

Stay Classy, DFW.

another one

What the hell

Apparently not connected to the rest, but really who knows?

I've been to that FedEx in Sunset Valley they're saying the latest two bombs were mailed from. It's got a Mighty Fine right next to it; they have amazing french fries.

Bombing suspect dead after police track him to Round Rock, sources say

http://www.kxan.com/news/crime/source-bombing-suspect-involved-in-shooting-on-i-35/1065119748

wow, did not expect to wake up to that news.

Mark Anthony Conditt

Just went to Loro for the first time, and it was A++++.

Boil your tap water or use bottled water

http://www.kut.org/post/austin-issues-city-wide-boil-water-notice

heading there march 3-7 for a conference. ill be staying in zilker. what's good near there? looking especially for good nature spots, food, art

That's pretty much right downtown. Zilker park and Barton Springs are close nature spots. Tons of food around there, my favorites include Ramen Tatsu-Ya, Loro, Uchi, 24 Diner, Easy Tiger. There's a cool graffiti park just north of there and the Blanton art museum up near UT. I think there's some smaller museums and galleries in the downtown area too.

Lots of good food truck parks right around there too.

Maybe this just a sign of how awful everything is these days, but last night's Nightline was an abridged version of a new Hulu doc about the Austin Bomber, and I had totally forgotten that happened.

Remember when a guy crashed his plane into an IRS office building on Research Blvd?

Yeah...now.

Took me a minute to remember the bomber and that was only a year ago. I guess the fact that he killed himself kind of brought that story to an abrupt end.

Yeah, and there isn't a whole bunch of public info about him. In the doc, they mentioned a taped manifesto that's been classified.

It's not a narrative that holds much appeal for the police, conservative leadership in Texas, or the press... a white Christian kid from the suburbs targeting black people. The Austin police chief and Governor Abbott's public waffling about whether or not his actions constituted terrorism are indicative.

and an explosion at a FedEx center near San Antonio last night; one injury

I'd nearly forgotten this happened, though to be completely honest after the nearby Sutherland Springs church massacre in November 2017 (and the 1979 Battle of Flowers shooting spree that took at least two lives before the gunman shot himself) "one injury" seems hardly worth mentioning.

We have a few nights in Austin in a week or two: anything any of you'd recommend doing / seeing that might not be in guidebooks?

Ok so 24 hours is obviously enough to make a definitive judgement and here is mine on Austin: nice town, nice people, shit weather.

Too hot?

It’s been like living inside a Bain Marie today. And then a stupidly violent storm. Then back to the steaming.

tomorrow's gonna be beautiful though

you came at a weird time, it had been completely dry and extremely hot for about 3 months straight prior to the past weekend

Any kind of extremely hot not desirable IMO.

Looking forward to tomorrow though!

Yeah, I'm glad we're getting rain and cooler weather

New Oral History of MTV's "Austin Stories"

https://www.austinmonthly.com/an-oral-history-of-mtvs-austin-stories/

I'm going to be spinning some vibey techno over at Gnar Bar on 6th tomorrow (Monday) night from 10-11. Drop by, say hi, grab a beer, dance!

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2023-10-17/austin-chronicles-historic-headquarters-to-be-paved-over-for-i-35

...and then

https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2023-10-05/austin-chronicle-co-founder-louis-black-sued-for-alleged-harassment-abuse-and-sexual-servitude/

I see now those stories are from October (KUT re-upped the first one to FB today, and I thought it was new).

Austin peeps, we got a real show coming up next week!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Eh28bJItF/?igsh=MW04M29hYWEwdzBkYw==