Lawdy, sweet heavens, I got a job offer in Slackerville Texas.
I’ve been there plenty of times owing to family and friends residing there, but am curious if other Prongers with Austin experience have recommendations for “off the beaten path” things to do there (or, yes, things not to do).
I forget whether or not any of you live close to there, but would be happy to meet up in person and have an adult beverage with you.
As just a side note - this move / job effectively ends most of the problems (medical, financial) that I have been whining about on the board over the past couple years. So I just want to thank everyone who has offered encouragement here and advice via PM and the boards proper. It definitely won’t be forgotten.
Congrats, dude. I live in Dallas and visit Austin occasionally. Mainly just for concerts or work. Not really knowledgeable about off the beaten path, but could find out from friends. What are you into? Outdoors? Museums? Weird bars?
Oh, you’re gonna hate SXSW.
“I don’t give a rats ass about class. I live on the fringe. I’m fringe class.” Frank Reynolds.
Congrats, dude. I live in Dallas and visit Austin occasionally. Mainly just for concerts or work. Not really knowledgeable about off the beaten path, but could find out from friends. What are you into? Outdoors? Museums? Weird bars?
All of those categories are interesting. I just like hearing other people’s perspectives in order to coax me out of my usual free-time rhythm of “bookstore, indie theatre, record store, bar”. I love killing time at the local planetarium, interesting galleries (where it’s not assumed I’m actually going to buy something on display), the psychedelic silliness of mini-golf, live comedy, architectural anomalies…I’m a modern day Renaissance man
Oh, you’re gonna hate SXSW.
Yeah I figured as much. And I’ve been told that the traffic along I35 is universally hated by everyone there, too.
All told, though, the intense local-ism of Kansas City was beginning to get on my damn nerves, and I don’t think even the most strident Austin hipster will be able to top that for sheer annoyance.
I mean, here’s a city that’s celebrating the arrival of a new downtown streetcar line as if this heralded the beginning of a 1,000 year reign of prosperity. They even printed up t-shirts saying “IT’S ABOUT TO GET RAIL!” and sold them at all their stupid smug craft-y local-y shops.
“I don’t give a rats ass about class. I live on the fringe. I’m fringe class.” Frank Reynolds.
^ I have to say that the episode “Being Frank” is now one of my 10 favorite television events ever…
I used to travel to Austin on business, and consequently had a long distance relationship with a co-worker, so I would fly there to visit on occasion. I remember finding some good restaurants on South Congress. Habana Soco has some solid Cuban grub, and Hopdoddy has tasty ‘gourmet’ burgers and salads, and local beers on tap (Phoenix now has two Hopdoddys).
Sixth Street was interesting to experience, but definitely more for the college crowd (Texas Longhorns students/fans everywhere). I liked Fifth Street better - it was the more ‘adult’ section of town. Elysium is a cool (and maybe the only) alternative/goth club in that area, and my ex once took me to an African club, which was awesome, but I have no idea what the name or location is/was.
My favorite places on Sixth Street included a reggae bar with a grandstand for chilling out, and a death metal pizzeria. The food trailers scattered around town are awesome, there are some serious restaurant-quality trailers, with every international cuisine imaginable. I sampled Italian, Korean, Indian, and some Cajun, when I visited.
One more food place to mention - Torchy’s Tacos. There are several locations, and they rock. Track them down! Awesome breakfast tacos.
I don’t think I could ever live in Austin, because the humidity is beyond my comfort zone, but it was a cool place to visit. I did get to see Peter Murphy at ACL during one of my visits.
[reply]Congrats, dude. I live in Dallas and visit Austin occasionally.
So what’s to do in Dallas? I’m going there for a family reunion in July but curious about what might be fun to do after hours.[/reply]
Depends a little on where in Dallas, due to our massive sprawl. But, Deep Ellum (outside Downtown Dallas) is pretty great. Lots of live music, bars, restaurants. Send me a DM if you want more specifics.
[reply][reply]Congrats, dude. I live in Dallas and visit Austin occasionally.
So what’s to do in Dallas? I’m going there for a family reunion in July but curious about what might be fun to do after hours.[/reply]
Depends a little on where in Dallas, due to our massive sprawl. But, Deep Ellum (outside Downtown Dallas) is pretty great. Lots of live music, bars, restaurants. Send me a DM if you want more specifics.[/reply]
Cool, thanks. I’ll probably hit you up closer to the date.
Thanks everybody for the suggestions so far - am at work now, so, unable to comment on each thing individually, but I am compiling a little list / map of hot spots you recommended.
If you’re a metalhead, you should make the pilgrimage to The Clubhouse if Ft. Worth. Spent one crazy evening there and it was a blast.
Hahaha! Christ I’ve had some hilarious times at that place. Fucking Vinnie Paul is a creeper supreme and don’t get him started on an Iron Maiden rant, it’ll make you despise Maiden and all their fans. “Dude, I came here for naked chicks, not to chat with your fat ass.”
Depends a little on where in Dallas, due to our massive sprawl. But, Deep Ellum (outside Downtown Dallas) is pretty great. Lots of live music, bars, restaurants. Send me a DM if you want more specifics.
Cool, thanks. I’ll probably hit you up closer to the date.[/reply]
Sure thing. There’s some cool shit in Dallas and Fort Worth. You’re gonna be disappointed if your stuck in Plano, Frisco, and my hometown of Arlington. Just shopping malls and chain restaurants surrounded by miles of highway. But Big D and FtW are cool. Denton is like Austin junior.
sorry I haven’t rapped at ya in a long while. My new life in Austin has been a cyclone of activity, and I’ve just now had some kind of a breather in which to post.
Most of what y’all previously said about things to do and not do has been helpful and useful. So far, I’ve managed to avoid the worst aspects of Austin by securing an apartment within walking distance of my job, and swimming to stay fit while the goddamned sun otherwise attempts to give me a heat stroke well into late September.
These minor conveniences aside, I am living a great life here. I don’t make a princely income but I’m doing exactly what I want to do, and have my talons embedded in the music / film / literary / whatever scenes that are nicely represented in town.
If anyone finds themselves here on a Monday night, I’ve actually begin a semi-regular DJ residency at the Volstead Lounge on East 6th (DJing as DJ Foxbat because my full name “wouldn’t fit on the sign” outside.) Stop by from 6-11pm and you may find me grinnin’ and spinnin’ the best of classic industrial, [non-techno] trance music, ‘out’ jazz, no wave, dub, irritainment, lounge sleaze and psychedelia.
(^ oh, by the way, the actual performances on Monday nights there are every bit as worth checking out. I’m merely the Salacious Crumb cackling from the sidelines as the main events occur).
I’m also set to do a book release party / live talk here in early October at Farewell Books on Cesar Chavez, if anyone thinks they’ll be in town. Do ‘hit me up’ if you want more detail as it’s still being worked out by the pretty over-worked event booker.
And now back to our regularly scheduled DUN DUN, DUN-DUN DUN
Cool. How’s the Red River District these days? Right when I was moving away around 2009 there was talk about tearing it up and turning it into a nice family place instead of the seedy awesome alternative music area that it was at the time. I was just wondering about that the other day, actually.
Yes, Red River isn’t a ‘family’ area in the slightest and its certainly a good antidote to, say, anything going on at The Domain. I was down at Beerland a couple weeks ago and noticing it radiates quite a “you don’t like it? fuck off” vibe which is comforting in a strange way.
I think Cheer Up Charlie’s is one of my favorite watering holes in the city so far, and that’s still going strong.
I just want to get in to ONE fucking event out of the 2,000 odd things that are on (Doug Stanhope is hosting a comedy night at Esther’s Follies, sort of the local version of an SNL-style sketch comedy troupe).
But in order to do so I have to buy some stupid multi-event wristband that I can’t afford now (and don’t even get me started on the ‘platinum’ passes which cost more than I earn in a month). I can of course just hang out by the venue before showtime and see if they have any door tickets remaining after all the media elite are given their priority seating, but it’s a gamble which is not worth the hassle of finding parking and wasting gas sitting in traffic for hours.
I attended once, in 2003, when I was a young whipper snapper. I remember it being fun, but repetitive. I mean really, how many “blues influenced” beard rock bands can you pack onto one street?
I never bothered with it the 9 yrs I lived there. Too much trouble.
Glad to hear there are / were others in the same boat. I’m getting prodded by a lot of friends to not miss it, and there seems to be a definite disconnect between us (I’m the only person in my little clique here who doesn’t have a job that pays a living wage).
This edition has a very weird feel to it as well. Joe Biden was scheduled as a speaker as well as James Comey (head of the FBI, though he canceled). There seem to be a lot of upper echelon government agency types involved, maybe trying to prove that they are “down” with hip new music / art / tech and that they don’t spend ALL their time on snooping and ordering drone assassinations.
Joe Biden was scheduled as a speaker as well as James Comey (head of the FBI, though he canceled). There seem to be a lot of upper echelon government agency types involved, maybe trying to prove that they are “down” with hip new music / art / tech and that they don’t spend ALL their time on snooping and ordering drone assassinations.
Or they’re actually there just snooping and looking for people to assassinate.
