TJT
Mr. Poopybutthole
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BBQ places tend to operate from lunchtime until they are out of meat. So need to get there a little early to make sure everything is available. Glad you enjoyed it!
Austin, Texas
- Thread starter Calbiyum
- Start date
BBQ places tend to operate from lunchtime until they are out of meat. So need to get there a little early to make sure everything is available. Glad you enjoyed it!
AladainAF
Best Rabbit
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The original Blacks, in Lockhart, which is about 45 min drive from the one in downtown, is even better. If that's even possible.
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TJT
Mr. Poopybutthole
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The old time town square with 19th century clocktower in the middle of it is also cool as fuck.
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Alex
Still a Music Elitist
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One thing I was disappointed about Austin. Was expecting way more live music. I had Nashville/NOLA built up in my mind but it's nothing close to that. It was actually pretty terrible. 6th St is like Bourbon St but every bar had DJs or EDM blaring. Just a shitshow in the worst way. I don't know if Halloween weekend influenced that at all but I was not digging the vibe. A lot of really hot young women though. Halloween attire in full slut final form.
I dug East Austin though. Definitely more my scene. Nice cocktail bars, breweries, restaurants.
I dug East Austin though. Definitely more my scene. Nice cocktail bars, breweries, restaurants.
AladainAF
Best Rabbit
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I would imagine a lot of that was halloween influenced. There's generally a fuck ton of live music downtown although I rarely if ever go downtown anymore. I grew up on barton springs and south lamar, which is very close to downtown, but it will be a cold day in hell before I ever take up residence in Austin proper ever again.
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TJT
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Did you look up bands playing on do512 I linked a bit earlier? That's where you would go to find whatever. But yeah. Pretty sure halloween downtown is all focused on partying to EDM and whatever. Not really the norm at all. You can walk down 6th most days and find a band or something playing in just about every bar.
The Red River was my favorite place as it was the metal show bar. But it closed down a few years ago. Sad days,
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Halloween is a terrible fucking time to hit 6th. I go with a group of friends for F1 every year, and when it falls near Halloween it's just crazy how much different 6th is. Live music almost disappears. Although this year we spent a lot of time on Congress and at a bar named Nickel City.
Tried some new places this year:
Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ - Pretty solid. Not the best brisket or sausage I've ever had, but their queso was absolutely incredible. Best I've ever had. Really enjoyed it. Solid 45 minute line though.
Tyson's Tacos - I personally did not want to go here... But glad I did. Some really solid breakfast tacos. Their Rage 2.0 taco was fantastic. Killer birds in the seating area though.
Nasha - Indian food, it was ok. Haven't had the greatest luck with indian food in Austin (then again I have only eaten Indian twice while in town). G'Raj Mahal being the other place, I do think was better. Although we sat outside on Rainey and were fucking rape by literal bees. Was a fucking weird experience, and we got shit on by a bird.
I have had Franklin's, Salt Lick, Terry Black's etc... Still have not had the original Black's. I think Terry Black's is the best BBQ I have ever had? I'm not sure if this is just because you usually don't have to wait in line for ten hours to get food, so I am weighing the accessibility? Really need to try LaBBQ as well. Guess I should definitely make the trip out the Lockhart finally.
Care to share more on what turns you off to living in / around downtown? My wife and I are moving from Minneapolis to Austin for work at the end of the month. We are renting in East just outside of downtown while we look for a home. Any areas you would recommend? So far we have liked the vibe of East / South the most.
Scoresby
Trakanon Raider
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I've been on Rainey since 2011 and it really comes down to crowds, tourists, and traffic. We are lucky to he on the lakeside of a condo at the end of the street so you at least can drown out the noise. It is convenient if you want to grab a bite, go for a run or bike, or get on the lake. Obviously bars and music are all over the place so that can be good (yay drinks and fun) and bad (boo hangovers and liver damage).
I would say it has been a fun experience but has worn out its welcome. East side is not a bad compromise and a lot of the scene there is closer to what Rainey was say 5 years ago. It is all growing so don't expect it to stay the same.
Actually looking at buying some land and building a bit outside of town to play around with homesteading (and pickup a new hobby, blacksmithing....condo assoc frowns on that).
I would say it has been a fun experience but has worn out its welcome. East side is not a bad compromise and a lot of the scene there is closer to what Rainey was say 5 years ago. It is all growing so don't expect it to stay the same.
Actually looking at buying some land and building a bit outside of town to play around with homesteading (and pickup a new hobby, blacksmithing....condo assoc frowns on that).
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Small derail. Live in Ft. Worth in a new, trendy expensive area (nowhere quite as busy as Rainey), but its amazing how being on the far side of the condo makes a ton of difference. The convenience is amazing, but less than a year in I'm already getting the itch to move 20 min away and build a big boy home.
I'll throw a vote in for East Austin also. Been staying in the area (that or south Congress) when in town, quite a bit. Good little mesh.
AladainAF
Best Rabbit
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A lot of it is me just being a bitter person. It was a really good place in the 90s. Like Scoresby said, "It's all growing so don't expect it to stay the same". Austin for me was always a "hidden gem". It had an amazing culture, great people, and really really fun activities that were fairly easy to get to. Traffic kinda sucked from time to time but nothing even remotely what it is today. You could get into the trail of lights at Zilker with just a 5 minute wait in line, and do any of the really fun things that exist today with minimal effort. Today, it takes forever to get anywhere - I35 is a parking lot even on Sundays, the city of full of hipsters, the governance completely blows, and all of the fun activities are no longer local and are much more corporatized.
It's like the expression "Keep Austin Weird". They don't use that anymore, because it distracts from tourism, etc. But that's how it was in the 90s, it was just a weird, unusual yet highly fun place to be.
A lot of it is bitter though, I'm sure. I still love central texas in general, I just cannot stand the city proper any longer.
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That makes sense, thanks. The 'Keep Austin Weird' slogan definitely was a selling point for us. We wanted Northeast Minneapolis without winter and East Austin was on that list. Traffic is abysmal compared to MN. That will take some serious getting used to.
The real question though, which is the least terrible internet service provider? Google Fiber doesn't seem to be an option so we are left with ATT / Spectrum / Grande. I have precisely zero experience with any of them.
The real question though, which is the least terrible internet service provider? Google Fiber doesn't seem to be an option so we are left with ATT / Spectrum / Grande. I have precisely zero experience with any of them.
Springbok
Karen
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The good news is, there are pockets around Austin and the hill country in general with a terrific quality of life. It's a shame about Austin itself though.....
AladainAF
Best Rabbit
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Yea, I'm in Bee Cave which is great. I wish Austin was like it's old self!
U ubiquitrips I'd recommend spectrum. I use them they have no data caps and I've had no real issues there. Surprised Google isn't available where you are though. I know it is in many areas around town.
TJT
Mr. Poopybutthole
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TJT
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Ossoi
Austin itself is not that big. You can do the majority of downtown in a day. I'd say 5 days and you'd top out most of what the Hill Country around Texas has to offer.
- Franklin's is highly overrated. The appeal of the place is drinking at 7AM and waiting in line. Go to Black's in Luling or the one Downtown.
- Austin is big on Food Trucks.
- Barton Springs Pool.
- Enchanted Rock/Fredericksburg/Texas Wine Country.
- If music is your thing plan out a venue to check out each night. do512.com will sort you out with that.
- Do a few Brewery tours. Maybe the more eclectine ones like Blue Owl. I really like Adelbert's personally.
- Lake Travis maybe.
- Float the river (will need to find a group for this).
- Hamilton Pool and hike if it isn't closed.
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