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| Downtown Austin (Westin hotel lobby) |
I just spent a weekend in Austin with old friends and it was really fun. We all flew in from different cities around the country to catch up while hanging out somewhere new. We stayed in an Airbnb downtown and nearly all our activities were chosen thanks to recommendations from friends and colleagues...
We drank and ate our way around the Dirty 6th on Friday night, and caught a mix of live music and DJ-spun songs. Then Saturday we hung out at Barton Springs pool, which provided a refreshing break from the heat - our cab driver laughingly warned us how cold the water would be right as he dropped us off. It was also a great spot for people watching: the diving board toward the middle of the pool was in continuous use! That night we headed south from our hotel and ended up at the bars on Rainey Street - the historical district where the bars are actually in old houses, complete with live music on the back patios. What I liked about going out in Austin, aside from it being more affordable than going out in SF, was that the bars had indoor and outdoor areas and a lot of them had live music without a cover charge. One bar we went to had a food truck in the backyard (though we'd already had a barbecue dinner, fortunately/unfortunately).
On Sunday we checked out South Congress and just had a chill afternoon before flying out. I'd been to Austin once before for Austin City Limits, but this was my first time really exploring the city. I'll definitely be back (though ACL was six years ago, so I hope it doesn't take that long for a return trip!) but if you're interested in visiting yourself soon, here's everything we got to do in 48 hours:
We drank and ate our way around the Dirty 6th on Friday night, and caught a mix of live music and DJ-spun songs. Then Saturday we hung out at Barton Springs pool, which provided a refreshing break from the heat - our cab driver laughingly warned us how cold the water would be right as he dropped us off. It was also a great spot for people watching: the diving board toward the middle of the pool was in continuous use! That night we headed south from our hotel and ended up at the bars on Rainey Street - the historical district where the bars are actually in old houses, complete with live music on the back patios. What I liked about going out in Austin, aside from it being more affordable than going out in SF, was that the bars had indoor and outdoor areas and a lot of them had live music without a cover charge. One bar we went to had a food truck in the backyard (though we'd already had a barbecue dinner, fortunately/unfortunately).
On Sunday we checked out South Congress and just had a chill afternoon before flying out. I'd been to Austin once before for Austin City Limits, but this was my first time really exploring the city. I'll definitely be back (though ACL was six years ago, so I hope it doesn't take that long for a return trip!) but if you're interested in visiting yourself soon, here's everything we got to do in 48 hours:
Downtown (including Dirty 6th):
Parkside - awesome happy hour
Midnight Cowboy - cocktails in a speakeasy (reservations needed)
The Blind Pig - rooftop bar (caught the tail end of a live band before the DJ went on and the crowd got younger)
Maggie Mae's - lots of space inside and up on the roof
Cedar Street Courtyard - live music you can see/hear from the street
Stella's - brunch is served in the hotel bar area as well as in the restaurant
Moonshine - in an old house. big portions - apparently one of their desserts was featured on TV
Roaring Fork - sit-down Tex-Mex in the InterContinental
Rainey Street:
Craft Pride - food truck in the back
The Blackheart - looks kinda divey but had great cocktails; picnic tables in the back in the concert area
South Congress:
Jo's Hot Coffee - take a picture at their "I love you so much" mural
Hotel San Jose - chill with drinks/snacks on their patio while listening to the music from next door
TOMS - part retail, part cafe/venue space
Warby Parker - just opened this month. Within the store they also have space for local nonprofit Austin Bat Cave
Etc:
Taco Shack - chain for breakfast tacos
Barton Springs Pool - in Zilker Park, small admission fee (cash only!); food trucks are just outside the pool and there's also an area downstream where you don't have to pay admission (and is dog-friendly)
The Picnic - food trucks just outside Barton Springs/Zilker Park, including my favorite, The Mighty Cone
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| Downtown (outside the Mexic-Arte Museum) |
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| Downtown (outside the Mexic-Arte Museum) |
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| The Mighty Cone @ The Picnic |
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| Barton Springs Pool |
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| Barton Springs Pool |
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| TOMS / South Congress |
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| cafe area in TOMS |
