Travel: Austin, Texas

[tatB]

I'm planning a trip to Austin, Texas in early May and I'm looking for suggestions on things to do, see, eat, and where to stay.

***I already have an appointment at Rock of Ages w/ Steve Byrne so I don't need tattoo suggestions :)

[Great Lakes Tattooing]

Pretty much cant go wrong anywhere you eat in Autstin

[Avery Taylor]

See a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse downtown.

[lving4today]

I'm gonna follow this, since I'm going to Austin as well, in April. My friend lived there for a few months and spoke highly of it. Ill try to get recommendations from her to post for you

[Dhopper]

I'm planning a trip to Austin, Texas in early May and I'm looking for suggestions on things to do, see, eat, and where to stay.

***I already have an appointment at Rock of Ages w/ Steve Byrne so I don't need tattoo suggestions :)

Go to perfection and see all the great artwork.

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Yes you can! If you want a certain type of food then ask around.

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See a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse downtown.

Alamo ritz has a smaller collection, maybe 3 or 4 movies to chose from. If you have a car, go to the one down in south Austin. It is now assigned seating.

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I'm gonna follow this, since I'm going to Austin as well, in April. My friend lived there for a few months and spoke highly of it. Ill try to get recommendations from her to post for you

I am glad your friend moved away. Too many fucking people here anyway. Austin is not your home and don't try to make it your home either! If you are with someone that lives in Austin have them show you around. If you are visiting say downtown.

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Now, with that all said, best places to eat will be told to you by dryfess when you come to town. He works at rock of ages and is like the concierge. Stay downtown! Traffic is a motherfucker! It can take you an hour to go 15 miles if no accidents are on the road. The Hilton, San Jose and omni is my chooses to stay. Food trucks are big here! If you want more you can ask @else if she like the info I gave her and a places to eat at while in town!

[tatB]

If I stay downtown is it easy enough to take a taxi to the different parts of town?

[Great Lakes Tattooing]

get a bus schedule. best way to get around.

[else]

@Dhopper - you've been a lifesaver to me on my visits to Austin!! I don't know what I would've done without you!!

[Dhopper]

If I stay downtown is it easy enough to take a taxi to the different parts of town?

You can walk mostly where you need. 6th street and the warehouse district isn't more than a couple of blocks from either other. You can take a taxi but we have pedi cabs around downtown. I would only use a taxi if you want to go to the east side. It will be in the 90s maybe even 100 but May. Bring plenty of shirts and most clubs don't have a dress code unless you dress like a gangbanger or wear sandals/flip flops. Rock of ages is about 5 to 7 mins away. You can take a bus from downtown to them. Possibly take an one half to a full hour to go though the stops. If you want to go up to north Austin, rent a car. We have zip car and cars2go. Little smart cars that have there own parking at certain places. Barton Springs is good to go to. It is about 68 degrees year round and really chill and walking distance to a couple of restaurants. Some girls will be topless and if you have a dog you can take it to the dog area for it to run around in the walk or take it to lady bird lake.

If you have anymore questions just holla. Also @fallingapartart lives in austin

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get a bus schedule. best way to get around.

Have you been to Austin?

[Lori Todd]

Damn, I miss living in Austin. So much better than South Florida.

[tatB]

thanks @Dhopper I appreciate all the advice and recommendations given so far!

[Great Lakes Tattooing]

lived there for a couple years.

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You can walk mostly where you need. 6th street and the warehouse district isn't more than a couple of blocks from either other. You can take a taxi but we have pedi cabs around downtown. I would only use a taxi if you want to go to the east side. It will be in the 90s maybe even 100 but May. Bring plenty of shirts and most clubs don't have a dress code unless you dress like a gangbanger or wear sandals/flip flops. Rock of ages is about 5 to 7 mins away. You can take a bus from downtown to them. Possibly take an one half to a full hour to go though the stops. If you want to go up to north Austin, rent a car. We have zip car and cars2go. Little smart cars that have there own parking at certain places. Barton Springs is good to go to. It is about 68 degrees year round and really chill and walking distance to a couple of restaurants. Some girls will be topless and if you have a dog you can take it to the dog area for it to run around in the walk or take it to lady bird lake.

If you have anymore questions just holla. Also @fallingapartart lives in austin

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Have you been to Austin?

lived there for a couple years

[SStu]

Need to visit Uncle Billy's Brew & Que. Excellent selection of brewpub beers and smoked meats. They often have a free band playing out on the patio, too.

[YOMONEY]

freebirds! my friends hate it that i make them take me there everytime..

in that one anthony bourdaine episode, where they show the two bbq spots. the one you have to wait hours in line for, then the other one in the dirt parking lot where they have hoedowns and shit. id say go to the hoedown one (forget the name, but my friends there agree).

6th street is kind of corny. it reminds me of being in a really bad college movie, like if you want to go drink budweiser and listen to sugar ray and really bad rap music.

6th street is cool. just make sure you know where youre going, cause theres cool music stuff going on in the cut.

seeing the bats fly from the bridge at sunset is pretty fun actually. the fact that theres others out there waiting also makes it a funner experience, imo. im glad i went to go see that.

if i remember right, south congress? lots of cool resturants, coffee spots, and shops there (there might be a new district for this).

austin is fun. im sure its also changing pretty rapidly, so my advice may be a little dated.

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*mays also a good time to go, im assuming. thats when the locals can feel like they can fucking breath again, since sxsw came and went.

*if youre out on 6th street make sure you grab a slice from "morrissys pizza". its not called that, just some guy who looks like morrissy who sells pizza out of his truck.

[Kev]

There cooler bars/venues on the Eastside- don't waste your time with 6th Eastside Bar Crawl - Photos - The Austin Chronicle

Be sure and pick up an Austin Chronicle when you get to town- it'll help with the navigation.

[YOMONEY]

*24 hour cafe action. theres a few spots. and resturants, diners. could ask almost anyone about them. my buddys been hitting up the ol' ihop for afterhours. says all the other spots are becoming too hype. guess its diff as a local.

*go find some gangster shit too do. i know they party under the freeway sometimes with lowriders. meeting the same boring white person who transplanted to atx over and over again gets old.

[Dhopper]

freebirds! my friends hate it that i make them take me there everytime..

in that one anthony bourdaine episode, where they show the two bbq spots. the one you have to wait hours in line for, then the other one in the dirt parking lot where they have hoedowns and shit. id say go to the hoedown one (forget the name, but my friends there agree).

6th street is kind of corny. it reminds me of being in a really bad college movie, like if you want to go drink budweiser and listen to sugar ray and really bad rap music.

6th street is cool. just make sure you know where youre going, cause theres cool music stuff going on in the cut.

seeing the bats fly from the bridge at sunset is pretty fun actually. the fact that theres others out there waiting also makes it a funner experience, imo. im glad i went to go see that.

if i remember right, south congress? lots of cool resturants, coffee spots, and shops there (there might be a new district for this).

austin is fun. im sure its also changing pretty rapidly, so my advice may be a little dated.

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*mays also a good time to go, im assuming. thats when the locals can feel like they can fucking breath again, since sxsw came and went.

*if youre out on 6th street make sure you grab a slice from "morrissys pizza". its not called that, just some guy who looks like morrissy who sells pizza out of his truck.

The long line bbq place is Franklins. The other bbq place is Mueller. It is also the same shit. There is plenty of places to eat!

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There cooler bars/venues on the Eastside- don't waste your time with 6th Eastside Bar Crawl - Photos - The Austin Chronicle

Be sure and pick up an Austin Chronicle when you get to town- it'll help with the navigation.

Yes!

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*24 hour cafe action. theres a few spots. and restaurants, diners. could ask almost anyone about them. my buddys been hitting up the ol' ihop for afterhours. says all the other spots are becoming too hype. guess its diff as a local.

*go find some gangster shit too do. i know they party under the freeway sometimes with lowriders. meeting the same boring white person who transplanted to atx over and over again gets old.

Magnolia cafe and kerbey lane is probably your best bet.

.....Depending on when you are here in May and for how long will dictate where you can go.

Freebirds is pretty go. It is a chain restaurant.

WHat king of music do you like? Congress St has the Continental Club. A few restaurants.

If you are white, watch the gangsta shit! 6th street you could get in a fight easier than warehouse/2nd st area. I would go to the dirty dog if you are on 6th. The cops downtown will fuck you up if you thing you are bad or get caught up in some shit. Also, you can not drink on the streets and if you are caught driving you better not be a no refuse time (that is where you get a blood test on the spot with no chance of not getting fucked!). Usually holidays. I have had a buddy get stabbed and if you think just because you are a girl nothing will happen, you will be mistaken!

Eastside is some hipster places but still chance of sketchness. The homeless place, The Arch, is downtown and some crazies can be around.

Just be cool and keep your nose clean. That is what I am trying to say.

I lived here for 20 years now and most people are easy going. Slower pace is South Austin. A lot more like Dallas or California up North.

[rileykill]

Man, I was up around Parmer Ln yesterday .... used to live up there. That neighborhood (say, Rundberg north to Yeager) is just getting worse and worse. My advice is to stay south of the river, or tak a cab to the east 6th area. Lots of cool stuff over there nowadays.

[Dhopper]

Man, I was up around Parmer Ln yesterday .... used to live up there. That neighborhood (say, Rundberg north to Yeager) is just getting worse and worse. My advice is to stay south of the river, or tak a cab to the east 6th area. Lots of cool stuff over there nowadays.

Rundberg is never a good area to be! I live off Parmer but it is not like chicon and mlk area. Eastside of 35 is very hit and miss!

What do you thing of Fonda San Miguel @rileykill or @kevtijerina? It is a nice place for drinks if you are north.

The grackel and yellow jacket are some places on the east side.

[SStu]

All good info, thanks.

I'll be over there in less than 3 weeks for a concert. :D

[Dhopper]

All good info, thanks.

I'll be over there in less than 3 weeks for a concert. :D

who you going to see?

[rileykill]

I do like Fonda San Miguel, although I havent been there in a couple of years.

My band rents space on east 7th, and Im starting to really like the neighborhood. Some parts are poor, but to me they dont feel unsafe. West 6th, on the other hand .... I have seen too much shitty behavior and fighting. Sucks, but I think the hotspots are moving out of downtown. If I were downtown, I would probably hit up the Driskill bar and call it a day.

South of the river, theres still some cool spots for eating and music in The SoCo area. Rock of Ages is on South Lamar, of course. Just my two cents. YMMV

[tatB]

@Dhopper thanks again for all the info!

I think the plan is to stay 4 nights (Wednesday through Sunday) in Austin. My girlfriend grew up 3 hours north of Austin so we will be staying there in that area another 2-3 nights prior to going down to Austin. I don't plan on renting a car while staying in Austin so we will be cabbing it to the different areas of town. Based on the above recommendations I think we are going to stay in one of the hotels along 35 (south of the river and north of 71) so we'll be about 3 miles from the E 6th bar scene and downtown area, 3 miles from Rock of Ages, and about 2 miles from South Congress area.

Any recommendations on a good place for a pre-tattoo appointment meal near Rock of Ages?

[Dhopper]

@Dhopper thanks again for all the info!

I think the plan is to stay 4 nights (Wednesday through Sunday) in Austin. My girlfriend grew up 3 hours north of Austin so we will be staying there in that area another 2-3 nights prior to going down to Austin. I don't plan on renting a car while staying in Austin so we will be cabbing it to the different areas of town. Based on the above recommendations I think we are going to stay in one of the hotels along 35 (south of the river and north of 71) so we'll be about 3 miles from the E 6th bar scene and downtown area, 3 miles from Rock of Ages, and about 2 miles from South Congress area.

Any recommendations on a good place for a pre-tattoo appointment meal near Rock of Ages?

So, you are going to be by riverside, oltorf, and Woodward. You will be in an area that has a lot of Mexican food! Taking a cab from there is going to be costly. I would see if the dillo is running if you are going to go downtown. I would suggest not to hang around your hotel at night! It is not a bad area just a lot of college kids and a lot of traffic. I lived over there for 2 years and cars get broken into. Emos is on riverside.

Where to eat before your tattoo depends on what you like to eat. Closest places are gordos, Maria's taco express. Barton springs rd is a few mins maybe 4 or 5 in a car because of traffic, has Shady Grove, Baby a's, uncle Billy's, and p. Terry's. on congress and oltorf is Lucy's. I love there fried chicken! Gueros is on congress and a pizza place that I can not think of its name right now. I would suggest food trucks on congress. I eat at the Cajun one and my wife like coat and Thai. Threadgills is a cool Austin place. Southern style food.

I would suggest a rental car for the day of your appt though. 20 or 30 bucks and you can explore and you would pay that just going to and from your appt!

[SStu]

who you going to see?

Yes. At ACL on the 20th!! 8th row!