Austin, Texas

[TUSooner]

What do you think of it (UT-hatin' aside)?

I plan to go there this weekend. And I won't have a ton of time on Saturday night, so I have been doing the usual internet recon.
Based on that and a couple of very short visits in the past, I have decided that Austin's chic-hip-weirdness is about the most self-conscious, self-satisfied thing there is. I've lived in New Orleans for almost 35 years, so I know a thing about weirdness and eccentricity, but here it seems natural, for better or worse. It may not be neat or pretty, but it's "authentic" -- mostly. If people here act weird, it's mainly because that's just how they act, they don't really think it's weird.

Austin however - from my limited experience - seems to have a totally invented and contrived hipness, it seems like phony "herd" hipness. Everybody is trying too hard to out-hip the next guy. "I went there! I saw them!" Meh. Although I certainly detect some of that herd hipness in New Orleans, Austin's seems even more cultivated and self-congratulatory than what happens here.

No doubt I am cynical and prejudiced, but am I being too harsh?

In any event, I will try to set aside my prejudice and cynicism and have an unpretentious good time when I go and see it in person.

[Curly Bill]

I like Austin ok. I think a lot of their weirdness/coolness is indeed contrived, but it's still a fun place. But yeah, the university that resides in Austin is the suckage.

[TUSooner]

I have become a tad cynical and cranky in recent... well decades. :-/ But I plan to go have a good time with Mrs TU; and I'd rather go there than Houston! :D

[Curly Bill]

I have become a tad cynical and cranky in recent... well decades. :-/ But I plan to go have a good time with Mrs TU; and I'd rather go there than Houston! :D

This goes without saying!

[cleller]

Austin has been described as "funky", "weird", and "eclectic" so many times I have a feeling it is just overrun with people that want to chase that cool mantra.

[ADs_Agent]

Austin is the only city I know of in the US that will shut down I-35 during rush hour to do construction. It took 2 hours to go about 3 miles.

[soonerbrat]

I had fun the last time I was there. I went during the week and not on the weekend though. one thing I didn't get to do was see the bats. I love bats. don't know if they are flying yet, but this thing says they start in mid march.

http://www.videocityguide.com/austin/listings/congress-bridge-bats

[SicEmBaylor]

With Waco situated exactly halfway between Austin and Dallas, everyone had their "favorite" city on the weekend. Some went north; some went south. I always headed to Austin.

Austin has a western bohemian feel to it which can be fun in small weekend doses, but I wouldn't want to live there. Dallas is a very "corporate" "chain" type place while Austin has a lot more local ownership and flavor to offer as far as dining and shopping.

[TUSooner]

With Waco situated exactly halfway between Austin and Dallas, everyone had their "favorite" city on the weekend. Some went north; some went south. I always headed to Austin.

Austin has a western bohemian feel to it which can be fun in small weekend doses, but I wouldn't want to live there. Dallas is a very "corporate" "chain" type place while Austin has a lot more local ownership and flavor to offer as far as dining and shopping.

That's pretty much my opinion of the 2 cities. Dallas gives me whatever anxiety is the opposite of claustrophobia -- everything is too far apart. :)
Not to mention most of it is too new and modern. After being in NOLA so long, I need to see some age and decay (besides in the mirror, I mean). What I'm "afraid" of is that I will start to like Austin as something like a cleaner, lower-crime version of New Orleans, and then I will have to move there.


And brat - I am thinking it must be bat season or something because there are no hotel rooms to be found downtown this coming weekend, and SXSW ended this past weekend IIRC.

[SoonerAtKU]

Austin was fine the two times I went. My favorite band's lead singer got his head cracked open by security at the venue we were at, but other than that...

I prefer it to Dallas or Houston as well. I think the "chasing the vibe" comment earlier was pretty accurate. I like the sentiment of "Keep Austin Weird", but they need to change it to "Make Austin Weird". Too many people go to places like that to soak up the culture and the opportunities that come with a community like that. They don't really contribute to it, though, apart from growing ironic mustaches and riding inconvenient bicycles. Those people all need to create something or run a store or start a band or cook great food.

[GDC]

I like Austin and the state of Texas pretty much, I just can't stand the whorns.

[KantoSooner]

Austin's just fine, but certain portions of it have become highly moneyed and very self-impressed.
The whole Austin-is-so-cool thing came about in a different age when the rest of Texas (and the rest of the US except for the coasts and California) were very different, much more conservative and intolerent. Think a whole nation run under the world-view of Rick Santorum, then throw in a healthy dose of racism, a nativist mistrust of 'book learning' and a big dollop of xenophobia. In that context, a town (then) dominated by a college campus and possessed of an actual night-life scene must have seemed like water in a desert to anyone not wearing a crewcut and looking for an outsider to beat up.

[Jacie]

Link to Slacker http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102943/plotsummary, a film shot in Austin and about some of the locals (slacker=someone who managed to take every course in the UT catalog and not graduate).

[yankee]

I'm heading down there with some friends this Thursday for a long weekend. Love the city, so much to do during the day and night, especially if you're into the outdoorsy stuff. Plus, 6th street makes Campus Corner look like....well, it's probably just best we don't compare the two.

[oudavid1]

I like Austin and the state of Texas pretty much, I just can't stand the whorns.

WINNAH WINNAH!

[cleller]

Hang on, I just picked up on twitter that Austin TX is a hot spot for a strain of locker-room STDs.

[BigTip]

Austin is not just "Home to the whorns" Far from it.

I get tired of the liberal mind set here. But aside from that, it really is a cool city. We went out to walk around South Congress this last Saturday to sample some of the SXSW happenings. People everywhere, saw 12 bands at five different venues, all within three blocks of each other. Hard to describe the whole scene, but it was cool.

It's not a 24 hour town, but almost. There is some festival or another just about every weekend. 6th street is not the only happening place either. South Congress, 4th street, even East Austin now, are all happening places. Even all the food trailers that abound everywhere are cool.

Plenty of hipsters and d-bags, but that just makes the people watching more interesting.

Don't move here. The traffic is bad.

[A Sooner in Texas]

I love Austin and have a great time whenever I go. (Hate the whorns of course.) There's lots of really good restaurants, bars and other joints along South Congress (known to the uberhip as SoCo.)

And of course, there's plenty of great music. Here's something you might want to check out:

http://acl-live.com/calendar/2012/3/experience-hendrix

Have fun!

[StoopTroup]

SicEms endorsement of Austin instead of Dallas leads me to believe he found his mantra in life in Austin. Imagine a Gay Wedding with SicEm crashing and ending up giving the Bride away and a open bar stocked with more Zima than you have ever seen. Then watch as the Bride and Groom ride off on a Vespa as SicEm begins to cry and dab his eyes with a Tissue while he breaks the news to the Bride's Father that his Vince just married a Mack.

Definitely Austin > Waco.

[yankee]

With Waco situated exactly halfway between Austin and Dallas, everyone had their "favorite" city on the weekend. Some went north; some went south. I always headed to Austin.

Austin has a western bohemian feel to it which can be fun in small weekend doses, but I wouldn't want to live there. Dallas is a very "corporate" "chain" type place while Austin has a lot more local ownership and flavor to offer as far as dining and shopping.

I'm trying really hard to imagine the type of college students that would choose to go to Dallas over Austin for a weekend trip...I didn't know those people actually existed haha. Is Dallas a big Baptist convention gathering spot?

[Taxman71]

Been to Austin many times, always have a good time. Great food, entertainment, weather and outdoor activities. Surprisingly, love for the whorns is not as wide-spread as you would think, seems to be nearly as many A&M and other fans everywhere (as well as lots of people who moved there for jobs). Of course, I have never been there on a football gameday.

Much more annoying are people who move back to Oklahoma FROM Austin and constantly remind us how uncool our state is compared to everything in Austin. These folk just blend in down there.

Oh, and wear dark sunglasses the whole time, lots of young ladies everywhere and you don't want to get caught staring.

[MamaMia]

I've been there for continuing ed. The traffic has always been awful going in and coming home, but that could of been bad timing. Once we got settled in, it was easy to have a nice time. Have fun.

[MamaMia]

I just had to find the card where we had Sunady brunch. It was tucked in the card file of my travel book, so that means I really liked it:

Its called the Congress Cafe'
South Congress Cafe, 1600 South Congress

[SicEmBaylor]

I just had to find the card where we had Sunady brunch. It was tucked in the card file of my travel book, so that means I really liked it:

Its called the Congress Cafe'
South Congress Cafe, 1600 South Congress
+1 South Congress Cafe is good.

I used to eat at Stubb's a lot over on 9th and Red River before the place went to ****.

[TUSooner]

I just had to find the card where we had Sunady brunch. It was tucked in the card file of my travel book, so that means I really liked it:

Its called the Congress Cafe'
South Congress Cafe, 1600 South Congress

That's good. My major amusement these days is eating and drinking.

[Curly Bill]

How come no one has mentioned The Salt Lick for some allsome BBQ?

It is of course located in nearby Driftwood, not Austin proper.

[SicEmBaylor]

That's good. My major amusement these days is eating and drinking.

If you get a chance, check out Austin Beerworks. It's a local brewery. You won't be sorry -- report back here if you do.

[KantoSooner]

If you want to drop some cash, but have good food, nice drinks and interesting atmosphere, go to Perla's.

[BigTip]

The Bakehouse in south Austin is really good. Great breakfast, and open until midnight.

I am very prejudiced about it though.

;)

[Frozen Sooner]

Wait, you live in NEW ORLEANS and you're going to Austin for fun? :P

[TUSooner]

Wait, you live in NEW ORLEANS and you're going to Austin for fun? :P

Well, since you mention it, I happen to have had a really fun weekend here in New Orleans with my daughter and some of her friends who stayed with us for part of their spring break, but I am taking her and some of her other OU friends to an Ultimate Frisbee tournament next weekend. Besides, I wanna see people have fun without ducking whenever they hear gunshots! :)

[StoopTroup]

The Wife and I went there for a Weekend once and I've been there a couple of other times. To me....it's just another big city with one drawback. It has whorns in it. True they can be overlooked easier there than they can in Dallas at the State Fair, so go there....get some recommendations for places to eat and enjoy. We didn't wear any OU Stuff while there. I'd recommend you avoid OU Apparel just so they don't spit in your food or judge you as College Station Folks. :D

[Frozen Sooner]

Well, since you mention it, I happen to have had a really fun weekend here in New Orleans with my daughter and some of her friends who stayed with us for part of their spring break, but I am taking her and some of her other OU friends to an Ultimate Frisbee tournament next weekend. Besides, I wanna see people have fun without ducking whenever they hear gunshots! :)

Ha. I was just out there for a few days. Had to duck out early to take the MPRE on Saturday. Had a blast--my first time there. I'm going to need to make this a habit.

[SicEmBaylor]

I'm trying really hard to imagine the type of college students that would choose to go to Dallas over Austin for a weekend trip...I didn't know those people actually existed haha. Is Dallas a big Baptist convention gathering spot?

The Dallas and north Texas people tended to go to Dallas while the Houston and central Texas people tended to go to Austin. I would go to Austin more because I had a lot going on at the capitol, and Austin is easier to get around than Dallas. But I knew a lot of people who refused to go down there.

[SicEmBaylor]

Keep in mind, also, that Austin is exceedingly liberal and progressive. It's no joke that it's the dark blue enclave of red-state Texas. The Austin City Council and Travis County give Berkeley a run for its money, and that is no exaggeration.

That is part of what makes Austin so unique and fun (so long as I don't have to live there). Like I said, Austin can best be described as western-bohemian.

[StoopTroup]

Get rid of the Drug Culture that surrounds the Capital of the Great State of Fexas and Austin becomes a historical Monument that once had great Music before it turned into a rehab center.

Western-bohemian = a hemp Calonic

[12]

The first time I went to Austin was in 1990, on a February Tuesday. Saw about 15 live bands at several venues and was impressed.

Today, I agree that the hipness has become more of a cliché. That said, it is fun to visit. SXSW has gone commercial, but that's common with successful festivals.

Austin is fun. Have a beer, some brisket and enjoy.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

How come no one has mentioned The Salt Lick for some allsome BBQ?

It is of course located in nearby Driftwood, not Austin proper.


I've been wanting to go there. Even my wife does. My buddy lives very close and says that the crowds are impressive.

He also said that you are allowed to bring your own drinks in ice chests! However, there are lots of cops watching nearby.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

Also, I was just in that area last weekend and the bluebonnets and other wildflowers were in bloom all over. I will admit that it was an impressive sight! Light blue pastures look pretty cool.

[Curly Bill]

I've been wanting to go there. Even my wife does. My buddy lives very close and says that the crowds are impressive.

He also said that you are allowed to bring your own drinks in ice chests! However, there are lots of cops watching nearby.

Yup, it is BYOB and I think they're also cash only.

[TUSooner]

Yup, it is BYOB and I think they're also cash only.

I've been waiting years for Curly to post SOMETHING useful, and here it is at last!! :D

I was really thinking of going there, and would have expected to buy a few beers and use plastic. Thanks!

[85sooners]

WINNAH WINNAH!booooooooooyaaaaaaaahhh!

[C&CDean]

All this love for Austin is making me nauseated. It's just another giant city with **** traffic, a bunch of "trendy" bars and restaurants, full of folks who have a completely overinflated opinion of themselves and their city. There's nothing special about Austin - except that pile of **** they call the 40. Which is a negative thing. So, taking that all into account, I'd rather spend a day in downtown OKC or even Tulsa than Austin. I can get pretty much everything I need there - without feeling dirty and slimy.

[Curly Bill]

I've been waiting years for Curly to post SOMETHING useful, and here it is at last!! :D

I was really thinking of going there, and would have expected to buy a few beers and use plastic. Thanks!

....you're welcome???

[Curly Bill]

...and since I'm being helpful:

http://www.saltlickbbq.com/

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

...and since I'm being helpful:

http://www.saltlickbbq.com/


Be careful. You'll ruin your reputation.

[TUSooner]

All this love for Austin is making me nauseated. It's just another giant city with **** traffic, a bunch of "trendy" bars and restaurants, full of folks who have a completely overinflated opinion of themselves and their city. There's nothing special about Austin - except that pile of **** they call the 40. Which is a negative thing. So, taking that all into account, I'd rather spend a day in downtown OKC or even Tulsa than Austin. I can get pretty much everything I need there - without feeling dirty and slimy.

And I thought I might have been too harsh! :D

But I have to go there anyway, so I might as well enjoy what they have!

[Tulsa_Fireman]

http://patrick.net/forum/content/uploads/2010/08/office_space_lawrence.jpg

Watch out fer yer cornhole, bud.