Never been till now. I think it’ll be a kick. Lotsa good acts, not the least of which is Bob Dylan.
Hope it’s not too hot, or hurricaney. 
Here’s a link to the fest.
I’m a big fan of ACL’s wonderful show on PBS.
I’ll be the old fat guy, looking lost and buying stupid souvenirs. 
Peace,
mangeorge
I’ll be there – all three days. Woo! Last year, I got dehydrated by the end of day 1. Hopefully that won’t happen this year.
So lucky. This definitely seems better than the big summer festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella. Here are the artists I would see, given the choice:
White Stripes
Muse
Decemberists
Regina Spektor
Reverend Horton Heat
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
There are dozens of other good acts on that lineup, but I’d seriously give all of those a chance, whether you know them or not.
I shall be sure to “hydrate”, as the fitness folks say… 
Can you reccommend a good mexican (not tex-mex) restaraunt near the Marriott downtown (300 4th st)? Cheeseburger type place too. I won’t be using a car.
Long-range weather forcast looks a little iffy. T-storms. What fun!
hasta luego
Can’t help you with burger places, unfortunately. A good Mexican place about two blocks from where you’ll be staying is Manuel’s. If you walk two blocks west of your hotel on 4th street, you’ll see it between 3rd and 4th on Congress Ave. Their mole is very good.
Mmmm, mole.
Thanks. I’ll follow my nose for the burgers.
Absolutely delicious! The mole enchilladas were excellent, as were the shrimp flautas. Best coconut flan I remember ever eating. Good service, too. Thanks.
Oddly, in the next block down on the other side of the street is another place who’s name I can’t remember (the outdor sign say’s “Avenue Cafe”, but that’s not it. Different, but very good desayunos. Very reasonable prices.
The food at the festival was a rip-off, price wise, but surprisingly good.
What do the organizers have against shade? You were right, it was hot and humid. I had to go cool down in my hotel before Dylan’s show. I got way overheated. My fault, I’m very overweight.
They did provide great shuttle service.
All in all, I had a great time. I like Austin. A little easier to deal with than most of Texas for this old liberal.
Thanks again for the tip.
Peace,
mangeorge
Glad you enjoyed it, mangeorge! I certainly had a blast, especially for the Clap Your Hands and Decemberists shows. Dylan, however, was a disappointment, IMO.
That’s Las Manitas, which is currently the center of some controversy in Austin. Good food tho’ and an Austin favorite.
Y’all actually lucked out, this is the coolest ACL we’ve had yet. And no dust!
Wish I’d seen this sooner… next time you’re in town, hit up Hut’s on 6th Street (near Lamar)… Burger bliss!
Yes, that’s it.
What controversy? The middle-aged woman who appeared to be in charge did seem a little uptight. Very proper/casual, though, in that way that I think only old school mexican women can be. Distinguished I think is the word.
And yes, pretty much everything about the fest was well done, except they could have had some shade for overweight seniors like me. Next time I’ll bring a seat.
I’ve marked it down for next year. Thanks. Their menu looks awful good.
It’s kinda a local politics sort of thing. (warning: long)
You probably noticed all the new condo towers going up all over down town; Mayor Will Wynn is a big proponent of the densification of downtown. At the same time, a lot of people are worried about losing old school Austin. A developer has bought the block Las Mantias is on and wants to build more condos. (Personally, I hope the market turns and it falls through as well as the condo plans for one of the nifty old trailer parks on Barton Springs, just down from where ACL was).
Big outcry over losing Las Manitas, an Austin institution. So, the city coucil decided to loan the sisters who own Las Manitas $750,000 to move and a large portion of the loan was not required to be paid back. Another huge outcry over favoritism to this one particular institution when maybe the funds could be better used. Lots of press later, the sisters refuse the loan. I’m not sure what their plans are right now.
Ausitn is a very activist city which can be awesome but also makes it tough to get things done due to NIMBY sentiments.
I saw those towers going up. I’m not a radical who’s anti-everything, but seeing those huge buildings makes me feel a little sad. Austin is like an oasis in Texas for me.