Austin is apparently far south enough to have a long outdoor season, so one of the cooler features of Austin nightclubs is their outdoor rooftop decks. What a place to party!
South By Southwest
Scenes from downtown Austin, SXSW Interactive, Monday, March 12, 2012
The HootSuite owl pays a visit to the Foursquare court in Austin at South By Southwest Interactive, Monday, March 12, 2012
Scenes around the Austin Convention Center during the South By Southwest Interactive, Monday, March 12, 2012
For the last two years, CNN has taken over Max’s Wine Dive in Austin during South By Southwest, and has converted it into the CNN Grill. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to eat there, as it seems to be invitation only.
The intersection of 6th and Lamar is one of the most important spots during South By Southwest in Austin. For one thing, it’s the site of Waterloo Records, one of the best record stores in the country. The store sponsors an outdoor stage in its parking lot during the festival. Next door is the 24 Diner restaurant, which never closes. Across the street are the Book People, Austin’s best bookstore, and the flagship location of Whole Foods Market. Behind Waterloo and in the same building are Snap Kitchens and Amy’s Ice Cream. Needless to say, the area stays crowded during SXSW.
Cheapo Records in Austin is a large, cool store full of used CDs and DVD’s, with reasonable prices. There are also Cheapo stores in Minneapolis and Denver.
As I drove up Lamar Boulevard in Austin, I noticed this terraced wall of graffiti art, leading up to some sort of castle-like structure on the top of the hill. I can’t imagine what kind of project this once was, and I wonder if the castle at the top is abandoned, but the art works that people have created here are amazing.
Austin’s North Loop neighborhood includes a number of really cool shops, including Breakaway Records, a great place for used and rare vinyl records, a vintage clothing shops, and the 24-hour Epoch Coffee coffeehouse.
For my first breakfast in Austin the week of South By Southwest, I chose a new restaurant on 10th Street called simply Bacon. I was immediately charmed by the attractive building, and I found that as the name suggests, bacon plays a prominent role on the menu, which features both breakfast items and burgers. They even have their own “house bacon”, which is cured on the premises. Bacon is located at 900 W 10th Street in Austin near Lamar Boulevard. Follow them on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/BaconAustin