But, I wanted to write a quick post about my experiences in downtown Austin, TX at night.
Austin has become one of my favorite cities to visit. There is excellent food all over the place and a never ending night life. From my hotel I'm no more than a 15 minute walk in any direction from dozens of bars and restaurants. There are thousands of people out wandering around, eating, drinking, shopping, and just enjoying the atmosphere of downtown. And the atmosphere around here is one of the main reasons I enjoy this city so much.
For the most part people seem to be easy going and friendly. The best word I have discovered to describe the pervasive attitude of the people is "chill". Everyone just seems ok with everything. Most people are willing to stop and chat for a second or at least exchange the benign pleasantries that are often ignored. Depending which way you turn, there seems to be a little something for everyone down here.
If you're looking for a massive party with loud music and lots of shots then the area known to the locals as "Dirty 6th" is the perfect spot. The police close off about 3 blocks of 6th street and open it up to the bars and bar hoppers for the night. There are over a dozen bars lining both sides of the street with pizza shops and little eateries that stay open late to service the drunken party crowd dotted among them. There are a handful of rooftop bars when you can look down at the massive sea of people that cover the roadway. It's a giant kegger.
On the other end of 6th street, and area just called "West 6th", are another string of bars and restaurants. These tend to gear toward a slightly more low-key crowd; at least low key by comparison to "Dirty 6th". It seems like this end of the street has a couple of ultra-lounges and a few bars that are more theme oriented. West 6th is home to Steampunk Saloon which is a place that is, you guessed it, steam punk themes. They had iron and brass from floor to ceiling and the bartenders wear suspenders, leather, and goggles. A few doors down from Steampunk is the Green Light Social where their signature drink is a Capri Sun. Yes, that kind of Capri Sun. They add a bit of vodka to the ouch and serve it to you in such a way that you can still punch the straw into it and drink it just like you did when you were a kid. Your 12 year old self would be so jealous.
Roughly 10 blocks South-West of downtown is a little street called Rainey. Yet another strip of bars and cool eateries Rainey used to be residential houses that have been converted into bars and restaurants. If you like eating/drinking/sitting outdoors Rainey is the place for you. Almost all of the bars are at least 50% outdoors and one of the coolest things about most of them is how pet friendly they are. Walk into any bar on Rainey and on the back patio there will be at least one person who has brought their dog. And if you like brunch then Bangers on Sunday mornings is the place to be. They have great food, live music, and the ManMosa which is like a mimosa but instead of a glass it's a bottle of champagne and served in a huge glass mug.
There are a ton of areas to check out in Austin. I've been here three times now and feel like I've just started to scratch the surface. There is live music everywhere and restaurants I haven't had a chance to try. The food trucks that park around the strips have high quality late night snacks and the outdoor life in Austin and the surrounding area is supposed to be excellent as well.
I'm just a visitor here so I'm sure there are things I've left out and things I have a slightly different view on than people who live here but, the moral of the story is: If you have a chance to visit Austin, I highly recommend you do so. It is on my short list of favorite cities in the states.
(Doug, Katie, and I with our Capri-Suns at Green Light Social)
No comments:
Post a Comment