i <3 austin

okay, so i just woke up, wide awake, for no reason a bit before 5am. i got up to get some food and remembered this guy i met at lava java last night. he just up and moved here to austin and had only been in town for about 27 hours when i talked to him. he knows almost nothing about austin but was trying to figure out where to live, so i drew him a rough map to show him the relative positions of "downtown" and "campus." we talked briefly, and he was appreciative, but i soon returned to my GRE practice.

it just struck me, however, how much i know about living in austin and how much more i would love to share with someone who has just moved here. i mean, how exciting! and now my mind is racing with all these things about austin, so i figure i may as well get them down. maybe i'll make a compendium and give it to this guy if i see him at lava java again. okay, so here we go:

Basics:

• central austin is bordered by mopac, 183, 35, and the river.


• downtown is the southernmost band of this region, with campus immediately north of downtown, along the east border.


• the central socio-economic division in austin is 35. 35 is our "tracks," although efforts are being made to improve the "eastside," especially near downtown. many current and post-college-types are turning to the area now, too, for its cheaper rents and close proximity to everything.


• mopac is loop 1 and not really a loop. 26th is dean keeton. 24th is windsor. 19th is MLK. 15th is enfield. 1st is Cesar Chavez. 71 is ben white. 290 merges with 35 for a while through central austin. 183 is sometimes research blvd. loop 360 is just "360" and is only about half a loop. guadalupe around campus is "the drag."


• downtown is largely one-way. generally, odd streets go east, even streets go west, and the north-south streets, well, they're named after rivers, so good luck.

Population:

• austin is filled september-may with the 50000+ students that attend UT. we are a college town.


• austin is the capital of texas, and so we house many government employees.


• we also have a huge high-tech sector, as well as other industries that i know less about.


• as a part of america, we are mostly white. as a part of texas, our biggest minority population is hispanic. within the UT realm, there are also significant populations of asian and indian descent.

Zeitgeist:

• travis county is a blue island in a red sea.


• central and south austin, especially, are liberal. the further north or west you go, the more conservative, religious, and generally wealthy it gets.


• we say y'all, but without a drawl.


• we LOVE our town. the anti-litter campaign "don't mess with texas" really took hold because we take such pride in our city and state.


• we have fantastic weather and a beautiful environment, so a love for nature and outdoor activity is instilled in us.


• music is also a part of our souls. we call ourselves "the live music capital of the world." while this is perhaps an exaggeration, music is very central to the austin experience. if you're not a musician, you know someone who is.


• we are friendly and relaxed in comparison to other parts of the country.


• we celebrate local businesses and try to hang onto the small-town feeling and our unique culture, despite a rapidly growing population.


• the austin chronicle, while not the epitome of journalism, is an excellent resource for local information, especially for cultural events.

Things You Have to Experience (that are Uniquely Austin):

• Zilker Park, our huge mega-park just south of the river. here you can find a playground, fields for soccer and kite-flying, the hillside theater, kayaking and canoeing, a botanical gardens, places to picnic, and barton springs, our beloved freezing cold natural spring pool.


• at christmastime, the trail of lights, also at zilker, which features a giant christmas tree of lights that is visible from mopac. also at christmastime, the lights on 34th street.


• 6th street was once filled with music venues. while a few still exist on 6th street, it is now largely a place for the locals to get sloshed, and rising rent rates have driven most music venues out. many excellent music venues can now be found nearby on Red River, 5th street, south congress, or scattered throughout central austin. Emo's, Stubb's, and sometimes the Parish are your best bets for good music these days. Trophy's has been making a fair show for itself lately as well.


• sxsw (south by southwest) has grown into a massive music, film, and interactive media festival that draws international attention. sxsw packs downtown with bands and shows and visitors and locals, and it typically occurs during UT's spring break. get a wristband, wing it without one, or avoid downtown like the plague. one way or another, you *will* be affected by sxsw.


• the acl (austin city limits) festival is also garnering importance as a big austin music event. instead of a week-long event, it's really only 2.5 days, and it's far more contained (again, in zilker). bring bottled water.


• the 360 bridge and surrounding area are beautiful. recommended at sunset.


• mount bonnell gives a fantastic view. again, beautiful; again, sunset.


• the UT tower also provides a phenomenal 360-degree view from the middle of austin. it is available to the public, but you may have be escorted or wait for a tour, so you might want to call ahead.


• a huge bat colony lives under the congress avenue bridge. watching the bats fly out to hunt at sunset is kind of mind-boggling because there are so damn many of them.

Places to Shop and Eat (that are Uniquely Austin):

• best record store in town: waterloo records at 6th and lamar.


• best ice cream in town: amy's.


• best 24-hour restaurants: #1, magnolia and #2, kerbey lane.


• most amazing place to shop for healthy, tasty groceries: whole foods HQ.


• best sandwiches: thundercloud subs.


• best home-cooking: threadgill's.


• best place to shop for vintage clothes: the string of buffalo exchange, leopard lounge, cream, and blue denim on the drag.


• best coffeeshop: lava java. i'm convinced.

hm, well, i promised myself i would go back to sleep at 6am at the latest, so i guess i better. thoughts? contributions? i very well might add more to this later...

love yall,
julie