# Moving to Austin, TX in a few weeks. What's there to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655 "2010-07-06T01:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/41 "2010-07-10T13:19:01Z")
Tell him not to change the Bat Wings! ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/42 "2010-07-10T16:46:38Z")
Say hi to Kinky! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/43 "2010-07-10T16:50:17Z")
Too bad\* Nothing Strikes Back\* is long gone… ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/44 "2010-07-11T02:14:13Z")
The LBJ Library/museum is there if you’re into presidents & history. Also, I could sit and look at the TX capitol building for most of a day…the pink granite is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/45 "2010-07-11T04:32:50Z")
I am a foodie-obsessed Californian who just came back from a vacation in Austin and I was THRILLED to explore the food trailer culture. I had some of the most amazing food (at really cheap prices) than I’ve experienced in some time. [East Side King and Odd Duck report](http://feast-blog.com/austin-food-trailers-east-side-king-and-odd-duck/) [Texas Cuban, La Boite, and Frigid Frog report](http://feast-blog.com/austin-trailer-food-trucks-texas-cuban-la-boite-and-the-friggid-frog/) Not in a trailer, but damned amazing was [Salt Lick BBQ](http://feast-blog.com/salt-lick-barbecue/). And for some pretty amazing doughnuts, [Gourdoughs](http://frieddoughho.com/gourdoughs/), [Ken’s](http://frieddoughho.com/kens-donuts-in-austin/), and [Mrs. Johnson’s](http://frieddoughho.com/mrs-johnsons/). Personally, I can’t wait to go back. It seems there are HUNDREDS of food trailers and I see no reason to go to a regular restaurant! The prices and quality are truly amazing. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/46 "2010-07-11T07:10:53Z")
Been living here for about fifteen years now. Ignore all the BS about hipsters. UT has an undergraduate population of around 40,000 students, and you’re going to see them out and about. In the past couple of years people have become weirdly sensitized and inexplicably afraid of them. I don’t know why, because they’re the same as they’ve always been. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/47 "2010-07-11T07:58:04Z")
If you’re into wine, there’s the [Texas Wine Trail](http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html) on the drive out to Fredrickberg. ---
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/48 "2010-07-11T14:28:15Z")
I lived in Austin for ten years and have been in Round Rock for the last ten years. Austin has changed a lot in the last 20 years, but it is still a great place to live. Austin is truly becoming a big city. It hasn’t lost all of it’s small town charm, but make no mistake, it is trending towards big city. The traffic will be your first clue. The gentrification of everything will be your second. Having to wait in lines will be your third. That being said, the food in Austin is amazing. You can get just about anything you want here. Everyone in Austin is from somewhere else and they all bring their culture with them. Makes for some awesome, unique restaurants. Someone else pointed out that trailer food has caught on big time here. I haven’t tried much of it yet, but they are everywhere. People are always happy to share the names of good restaurants. Ask a complete stranger on the street where to eat and you just made a friend who will spend twenty minutes filling you in on his or her favorite places. I think someone else mentioned the Austin Chronicle. It is published once a week and is free. You can pick it up pretty much anywhere around the city. It is great for listing most of everything going on in the city for the week. It also has great food and movie reviews, as well as updates on all the local political issues. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/49 "2010-07-11T18:53:04Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > One of the completely mudane but unique things about Austin is the Breakfast Taco. :dubious: Um, breakfast tacos are far from unique to Austin. I went to school at UT a decade ago, and whenever I hear that people are going to Austin I still recommend Kerbey Lane Cafe. They used to be open 24 hours; I don’t know if they still are, but damn they have the best pancakes in the universe. And the Kerbey Queso–a mound of guacamole covered in queso–is one of my fondest memories. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/50 "2010-07-11T19:12:10Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Austin is a great casual foodie town. You can get just about anything wrapped in a taco shell. We have the corporate headquarters for Whole Foods downtown. We also have [Central Market](http://www.centralmarket.com). which is a more mainstream version of Whole Foods. > > Lots of places have great live music. Pick up an [Austin Chronicle](http://auschron.com) when you get here. It’s a free, local newspaper found in many bars/restaurants that will have all the music listings and other events around town. > > Sixth Street is where all the college bars are. Fourth and Colorado is where the grown up bars are. South Congress is where the hipster bars are. > > We are also home to The Alamo Drafthouse, a great set of movie theaters that serve food. > > Austin embraces the unusal. Many people have tattoos/piercings. Certain homeless people have achieved celebrity status. > > The town is pretty laid back. You can go anywhere in jeans and a t-shirt. > > It’s politically liberal. Come election time, it’s typical to see a little dot of blue for Travis County in the otherwise red map of Texas. Great summary. There’s ALWAYS something going on, it seems, and even if Blues aren’t your thing, you can almost always find a bar that either has a band or a playlist that will suit your tastes. I’d also add that Darwin’s Pub is a great casual hangout and I have some good memories that originated there. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/51 "2010-07-11T22:04:07Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Too bad\* Nothing Strikes Back\* is long gone… I’ll bet you also remember when there was a Posse before there was a Posse East. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/52 "2010-07-11T22:23:14Z")
There are millions of trivia nights here. It’s great. I do really like the Geeks Who Drink ones, and they have a few of them at different venues on different nights. But you can look in the Chronicle and [do512.com](http://do512.com) to find one in whatever area of town you want on pretty much any night. Try them out and see what you like. ---
**Author:** ![caveat\_lector](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@caveat\_lector](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveat_lector)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/53 "2010-07-11T22:47:01Z")
Here are a few: Good eats: Threadgills (Riverside Dr) Jovita’s (S. First) Things to See: Steve Ray Vaughn Statue on Town Lake Bats at Congress Bridge (March / April) Coffee: Flipnotics (Barton Springs) Joe’s (South Congress) ---
**Author:** ![Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ersatz_Shmoe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/54 "2010-07-12T12:14:30Z")
I can’t thank you all enough for these suggestions. We’re big foodies (the Food Network is probably the only channel we watch consistently), big wine fans, and coffee buffs too. And we have a tiny baby dog that loves to go with us wherever we go. You’ve really got me psyched about the move! ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/55 "2010-07-12T13:02:53Z")
Okay, now that you are committed, remember, no bitching about the heat. The whole nation had a little pity party for the North East last week because they got a few days of high temperatures. Here, we deal with that kind of thing 6 months out of the year. It’s hot here, we already know it, so no whining. And it’s not a dry heat either, it’s the regular old hot heat. Drink your fluids and deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/56 "2010-07-12T14:03:46Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > I’ll bet you also remember when there was a Posse before there was a Posse East. Actually, I never lived in Austin, but my Aunt and Uncle are long-time fixtures (neighbors of Ann Richards, etc.). They took me to Nothing Strikes Back when I visited them as a kid, and I thought it was the most amazing place. The only thing I could compare it to was the [Psychedeli](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B4VKQ4S2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg) in Bethesda, MD. I’ve always enjoyed visiting Austin - it has great “energy.” ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/57 "2010-07-12T14:16:05Z")
For some idea of what Austin used to look like… courtesy of The Clash: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bJ9r8LMU9bQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Clash - Rock the Casbah (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ) (Except for the part with sheiks dancing through the city.) ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/58 "2010-07-12T15:00:30Z")
The very best thing about Austin is [Miles of Chocolate](http://www.milesofchocolate.com/). Oh Mah Gawd it is tasty! ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/59 "2010-07-13T04:24:24Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > I’ll bet you also remember when there was a Posse before there was a Posse East. So I’m curious… where was the Posse? Presumably somewhere to the west of Posse East. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cephalus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Cephalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cephalus)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655/60 "2010-07-13T14:08:02Z")
As far as trivia is concerned, I attend a monthly team trivia game at Neuva Onda on College, off South Congress, just north of Oltorf and Congress. It’s a small restaurant with great food (hmmm chicken gorditas) and even better prices that stays open for dinner for the trivia crowd. There is no minimum or maximum for team size, and it’s a great environment where every one is just interested in having fun. It’s usually the third wednesday of the month, but apparently for this month it’s tomorrow. It’s a lot of fun. Check it out sometime! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-to-austin-tx-in-a-few-weeks-whats-there-to-do/545655.md?page=4)