South - How would you spend 3 nights/2+ days in Austin (and/or San Antonio)?

Hi all,

Like IceTrojan's thread regarding ATL, I just bought cheap tickets ($158 RT + taxes) to fly from BTV to AUS for a little break from the winter weather, for next weekend. We arrive at 8 pm on Fri, depart at 2:30 pm on Mon, and we're looking to pack as much into the 2+ days as we can. Neither my girlfriend or I have been to Austin or San Antonio, and we're looking to make the most of the weekend, preferably on the cheap :)

I know, I can do a Google search for things to do, but I thought I'd consult the travel experts here for the *real* scoop. I've gotten some quick suggestions from co-workers, to check out the Riverwalk in SAT (and to skip the Alamo). Obviously we want to check out some live music in Austin (we're fans of pretty much anything *BUT* country), but that's about the only definite at this point. I know there are tons of choices as far as music is concerned. Also, we haven't made hotel reservations yet, and are trying to decide how to divy up the 3 nights.

Where are the best cheap places to eat (e.g. Mexican and BBQ), what are the must sees (just in case we never make it back to the area), and would you recommend the entire weekend in Austin, or a AUS/SAT combo? What clubs give the best mix of local culture and great music?

Thanks in advance ^


Rob

Wow, great deal on those tickets. I am biased toward Austin, mostly because I haven't spent much time in San Antonio. If, however, you are dying to see the Alamo or the Riverwalk, or really want to go to Six Flags, then SA is the place for you. Austin is a little funkier - the city's slogan "Keep Austin Weird" pretty much sums things up!

Some of my favorite things to do in town:

Gospel brunch at Stubbs on Sunday morning - homestyle breakfast or bbq lunch (buffet, so you pick what you like) plus live gospel music in a great Austin venue. I think $14 per person? www.stubbsaustin.com, make reservations if you want to do this.

For live music, good spots include Threadgill's World Headquarters, Saxon Pub, Stubbs, Antones. Pretty much most places around town, however (including the bars in the airport at AUS) will have some sort of live music. For some shows there will be a cover/ticket fee, other spots there won't.

You said no country, but if you want a true Texan experience head to the Broken Spoke for dancing (two-step style) and to soak up the atmosphere.

If you are into fitness, definitely run on the Town Lake Hike and Bike trail that divides downtown, or rent a canoe or rowing shell on Town Lake.

History/politics buffs might enjoy the state Capitol on Congress Ave and the LBJ presidential library at the University of Texas, both free (very good for a budget traveler!)

For Austin-style shopping check out the vintage and quirky boutiques and shops on South Congress Ave, south of Town Lake/the river that cuts through downtown.

The best Tex-Mex food can be found on the East side of town, east of IH-35. Some good restaurants are on 6th and 7th streets over there (example - Nuevo Leon on East 6th.) My favorite bbq is a ways out of town at the Salt Lick. They have true Texas barbecue, which is smoked beef brisket, chicken, and sausage, plus the fixins. It's BYOB if you go.

If you are in a driving mood, sipping a margarita at sunset on one of the decks at the Oasis on Lake Travis outside of town is fantastic (but don't bother staying for the food, you can find much better and cheaper around town.) This is also great on a sunny day if there are boats on the lake and you want to feel some sun on your face during a long Vermont winter!

If you're sports fans, check out our minor-league hockey team (the Ice Bats) or arena football (the Wranglers) or take in a UT basketball game.

I'd be interested in hearing whether you choose Austin or SA, or a combination of both, for your trip, and how it goes. Regardless, safe travels and enjoy!

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

"If you are in a driving mood, sipping a margarita at sunset on one of the decks at the Oasis on Lake Travis outside of town is fantastic (but don't bother staying for the food, you can find much better and cheaper around town.) "

Don't worry about the drive the Oasis burned to the ground this spring and has not reopened yet.

You will hear great things about 6th street and for a young college kid it is a blast but if you do not like hanging out with puking kids then head to the North side of 4th street and 5th street. (South side of 4th if your Gay, Bi, or just curious) there are better bars better music and a much more varied crowd (20's, 30's, and some 40ish). Stubbs is awesome food. If your into history there is also the TX state history museum which is pretty intresting.


Have fun in Austin on Friday Night, then go to SA for the afternoon Saturday, tour the Alamo, even if you do not like history this is a cool 2 hours, then walk across the street and shop, drink, eat and play on the riverwalk. If friday in Austin was a blast head back if not stay on the riverwalk and have fun. Sunday do the Stubbs brunch. Then go to the various sites around Austin, romantic walk down town lake.

I usually stay at the Embassy Suites on Congress across the river. It is close enough to 4th-7th streets to walk or it is a very cheap cab. Plus it is only about $129-150ish a night and breakfast is included.

Just a quick clarification, although the Oasis experienced significant fire damage it has reopened for business in a more limited structure than they had before. The fire didn't destroy part of the building, which they now use.

Thanks for the info on the Oasis, last I had seen it was closed and not reopening. It is an awesome view of the lake and a great sunset. Worth the trip since they are open.

The following is from their website.

"Located 450 feet above Lake Travis, The OASIS offers breathtaking views of the Texas Hill Country and spectacular sunsets! Enjoy the scenery from one of the 40 plus outdoor decks, or inside from one of the enchanting dining rooms.


Fall and Winter Hours
(Central Standard Time)
Monday - Thursday 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

A new lunch menu is also seven days a week until 3:00pm. On Sunday join us for "Brunch at The OASIS" from 11:00am-2:00pm. The OASIS accepts cash, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Travelers Checks and Visa.

The OASIS is consistently named one of the "Top 10 Austin Area Attractions" by the Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau and by Texas Guides' - Austin and Hill Country Guide.

6550 Comanche Trail • Austin, Texas • (512) 266-2442"

Thanks MMMinTX, uncertaintraveler and ipd054 for the responses. I really appreciate all the suggestions. ^

We're both in our early 30s, and still like to go toss back a few from time to time, but definitely have long since evolved from the puking frat-boy types of hangouts. There are a few of those here in Burlington, and we tend to avoid them (well, unless a great band is playing). So, are there any specific clubs to avoid like the plague?

The gospel brunch at Stubbs sounds like a definite winner. I love unique offerings, and that fits the bill. Since it's a Sunday brunch, are people usually dressed accordingly, or will jeans and a button down shirt suffice? (we like to try and pack light). I checked out the Stubbs website, and noticed that I've even bought some of their BBQ sauce in the grocery before. Plus, we saw Matisyahu here in VT a couple of months ago, and I noticed that his live album was recorded there, so I think that's definitely on the list. I guess I never put two-and-two together with the Barbeque sauce and the CD :)

Shopping probably won't make the list (at least the outlets anyway), mainly because we have some close by in N. Conway and Tilton, NH, and we never even go to those :) I like the local funky types of shops though, so I imagine we'll stumble into some.

You must have read our minds MMMinTX, because we were definitely going to run somewhere in town. And the Enchanted Rock suggestion is a great one too uncertaintraveler. I just wish that it hadn't been 4 or 5 months since we've rock climbed, because it looks like there are great options there. :( A hike to the top still sounds good though. About how long is the drive from Austin?

Well the jury's still out on whether we're going to just stay in Austin or go to San Antonio, but these suggestions sure are helping to plan the weekend. Obviously there's plenty to occupy the time in Austin, but I always have that, "What if we never return here?" thought, and that's why we were contemplating San Antonio too. If the trip was longer we'd definitely be doing both, but I know that 2+ days flies by quickly, so who knows. We haven't booked hotel rooms yet, so we'll probably just do Priceline (or Hotwire), as there are plenty of affordable options...and may wait until the last minute to do that anyway, given our spontaneous past track record.

Oh, one more question. How bad's the traffic usually on the weekend in downtown Austin? Or on the interstate to San Antonio?

Thanks again everyone!


Rob

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

Clubs to avoid like the plague for you all will be most toward the east (towards I-35) end of 6th Street coming from Congress Avenue. You'll also notice, however, that most of those venues also won't have live music and will appear from the outside to be exactly what they are, very loud bars with shots and such for the college crew. Farther west on 6th, also on 5th and 4th, you'll probably find spots more to your liking. The warehouse district on 4th street caters more to a young professional crowd than 19-yr-old college students.

Austin is a pretty casual town, so for gospel brunch jeans and a button down should be just fine. Some people there will have been to church before and so will be more dressed up, but I went this fall in jeans and a little jacket, the girl version of jeans and a buttondown, and felt very appropriately dressed. You can pretty much wear this anywhere in town, with the exception of religious services depending on your denomination, a few fancy restaurants, or maybe some of the "club" type spots or the gay clubs in town (sounds like you will not be hitting those so no problem). If you all want to go out to nice dinners while you're here or feel like getting dressed up, by all means do so as there will be many others dressed more formally than jeans too.

Enchanted Rock is gorgeous and a good hike even if you're not doing climbing (if the weather is good - the views are amazing of the hill country.) Negative part for you is the distance from Austin/San Antonio to get out there. Enchanted Rock is a good 2-hr drive from Austin, though if you decided you wanted to drive out to a little hill country town like Fredericksburg Friday upon arrival, spend the night, have breakfast in a cute cafe, then do Enchanted Rock, then do your Austin trip starting Saturday afternoon/evening, you could make it work.

The traffic on weekends in Austin is generally fine unless there's a road race or some other big event going on, though I-35, the main thoroughfare that cuts through town and goes to San Antonio, is never reliably clear (and is one of my least favorite interstates or even any roads, ever. Yuck.) I think you're going to miss the Freescale Marathon by a week or two, so traffic should be OK.

You can find more information on goings-on in Austin at www.austin360.com. A quick glance shows me that you can see an exhibit of Janis Joplin's art (she lived here before making it big, and they're celebrating her birthday with the exhibit) or hear Chuck Berry play the Paramount Theater downtown on Saturday 1/28. If you're into weird movies and animation, the Alamo Drafthouse, a quirky movie theater that's also a restaurant/bar, is holding a weekend-long animation festival.

We did New Years in Austin this year with some locals. Started at the puking-frat-boy type bars, ended up at a gay bar called Rain. Had an absolute blast. (Tho it's funny, my girlfriend kept getting very weak drinks... I had no such trouble. :cool: ) They have a really cool outside patio behind the club with bar service.

Anyway, I think you'll really like Austin. It's weird and proud of it. There is a local chain of diners called Kerbey Lane we really liked. It's also a great town to just walk around in.

I went (alone) to San Antonio probably 10 years ago. The Alamo is not what you expect. Much smaller and in the middle of a booming town.

If you had more time, I'd say to take in San Antonio, but you should have absolutely no trouble using all your time in Austin.

We booked on priceline. Got the Omni at a great price, phenomenal hotel, great location.

The trip was so much fun, we're considering moving to Austin. No joke.

Have fun! :D

I used to live in San Antonio and now live in Austin. I would agree with the great suggestions already made about places to go and things to see in Austin. No need to buy a travel guide after a post on FT. ^ You could easily make a whole weekend into a BBQ quest! Stubbs is good but the Salt Lick is worth the drive for the experience. Another option would be Kreutz's in nearby Lockhart.

Other places I like - Curra's mexican on Oltorf - more interior Mexican than Tex Mex. For breakfast tacos (great for after a run on the Hike and Bike trail) Polvo's on South 1st or Taco Express on South Lamar. Another dinner option would be drinks at the lovely San Jose Hotel on S. Congress (if its warm enough to sit outside - which it has been lately) followed by dinner at either South Congress Cafe (not sure how to describe - but its a good spot) or Vespaio (nice italian- can be kind of expensive but worth it). After after a night on the town don't forget a late night trip to the Magnolia Cafe - you'll have dreams about the gingerbread pancakes.

When you get into town you can pick up a copy of the Austin Chronicle (free newsweekly) for a listing of all the music options. Also online at http://www.austinchronicle.com/

As for San Antonio - its nice too but the River Walk has become such a tourist destination that has been taken over by places like the Hard Rock Cafe and other chains that you see in tourist spots around the world. It is not very big and can be walked in a matter of an hour or less (if you walk slow and stop along the way). The Alamo is sort of a curiosity but doesn't take very long to see. If you just want to say you've been there it is all interesting and pleasant but you can see just as many interesting things in Austin without having to deal with the drive down I35 (not interesting and pleasant). My favorite Tex Mex places in TX are in SA but there are still great ones in Austin.

Have a great trip!

<snip>As for San Antonio - its nice too but the River Walk has become such a tourist destination that has been taken over by places like the Hard Rock Cafe and other chains that you see in tourist spots around the world.

The Hard Rock in Austin closed its doors the other week, which says rather a lot for Austin's disdain for chain establishments!

BTW the Draft House (www.draughthouse.com) on Medical Parkway is a civilized place for a pint or two, although it's a short taxi ride away from downtown, or ten minutes on the number 3 bus northbound.

Thanks again everyone for all the info, tips & suggestions! I (we) really appreciate your time!

So, we've decided to skip San Antonio, as many of you suggested. Who knows, we'll probably pass through there for something in the future anyway :)

We get in Friday night at 8 pm, so our plan is to just have dinner somewhere and lay low that night, then get up early Saturday and drive out to Enchanted Rock for a little exploring. We always try to have a good mix of city and country when we travel, so it seems like a perfect fit! Who knows, we might both just take our rock shoes and chalk bags just in case the bouldering bug bites :) Follow that with a good dinner somewhere back in town (maybe at one of your suggestions ausflygrl), and finish up with a little pub crawl.

That's the tentative plan anyway, because the weather forecast changed to a 40% chance of scattered T-storms for Saturday - when the forecast for this weekend was sunny for the entire last week :mad: We're doing this trip to escape the ridiculous winter weather we've had here in VT (more rain than snow so far), so keep your fingers crossed for us. Hopefully we won't bring our crappy weather to those of you that live in Austin :)


Sunday morning gospel brunch at Stubbs (reservations made already, for a "table with a view" for $16.95/per. What the hell, it's only $2 more than the "table without a view," which is $14.95/per, right? I'm anxious to see what the "view" is exactly, so the anticipation is worth the extra $2.00 to me :p ) Then Sunday maybe a run if it's nice (and I haven't overdone it at the brunch, which is likely), or a drive out to Oasis. Or a trip down to Lockhart. Or a walk around town, to try to fend off the food coma :) Or maybe all of the above :D

Who the hell knows what we'll *really* do in Austin. That's just the tentative plan, which always ends up getting blown to pieces! The only definite is the gospel brunch, and drinking somewhere Saturday night :) Thanks to you all we have a multitude of appealing options!

We still don't have a place to stay yet, but the worst case scenario is booking something cheap on Hotwire on Friday afternoon. All my Priceline bids have been rejected (up to $70 for the 4* hotels downtown and up to $60 for the 3* zones downtown and Austin north). We have a rental car, so a little distance isn't really much of an issue. But all the reviews make the downtown hotels sound pretty nice - and of course more convenient for our pub crawl. :p

Thanks for the Draught House suggestion Doctor Who. Scouting out microbreweries is always near the top of my list too, as living in Vermont for a while has spoiled me rotten when it comes to beer. Would you (or anyone else) recommend any other places listed here?

http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/austin/brew.htm


Oh yeah, one more question that I thought of -- Are any areas of the city non-smoking? Bars? Restaurants? Another plus of living in Vermont is the smoking ban pretty much everywhere, so we're spoiled a bit. Plus, you have to bring more clothes if they get smelly every time you go out :)

We're totally excited to check out Austin. I love the thought of a big city that is quirky, weird and eschews cookie-cutter places like the Hard Rock.

If anyone ever wants travel advice for Vermont, New England in general or southern Indiana/Kentucky (where I'm originally from) then don't hesitate to ask. I'd love to be able to return the favor!

Slainte!

Rob

We still don't have a place to stay yet, but the worst case scenario is booking something cheap on Hotwire on Friday afternoon. All my Priceline bids have been rejected (up to $70 for the 4* hotels downtown and up to $60 for the 3* zones downtown and Austin north). We have a rental car, so a little distance isn't really much of an issue. But all the reviews make the downtown hotels sound pretty nice - and of course more convenient for our pub crawl. :p

We got the Omni and it was FANTASTIC. Post over on better bidding (http://www.betterbidding.com/) -- either you can get a strategy suggestion for priceline or you can check the hotwire lists. Looks like the 4* on hotwire for $106 could be the Hilton. You're probably just short of the priceline bid that could win it.

>Who knows, we might both just take our rock shoes and chalk bags just in case the bouldering bug bites

If you are serious about rock climbing, a place called Reimers Ranch, more or less on the way to Enchanted Rock, has some serious cliffs. You can pretty much show up and hook up with whomevers there. These folks should know: http://www.ctmrocks.com/

>Hopefully we won't bring our crappy weather to those of you that live in Austin :)

Please do. We need rain ... badly!

>Then Sunday maybe a run if it's nice (and I haven't overdone it at the brunch, which is likely), or a drive out to Oasis.

The view from the Oasis is worth the visit, although I don't think the decks are rebuilt yet.

>Would you (or anyone else) recommend any other places listed here?

http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/austin/brew.htm

Lovejoys makes some interesting microbrews, and is a fun place to visit anyway. The Coppertank and the Bitter End have both (sadly) closed. The Fox and Hound is an accursed chain, and should be avoided at all costs. The Cedar Door (2nd and Brazos) serves a wicked Mexican Margarita. North by Northwest, out at the Arboretum, makes some very good beer.

>Are any areas of the city non-smoking? Bars? Restaurants? Another plus of living in Vermont is the smoking ban pretty much everywhere, so we're spoiled a bit.

The whole city is now non-smoking.

>If anyone ever wants travel advice for Vermont, New England in general or southern Indiana/Kentucky (where I'm originally from) then don't hesitate to ask. I'd love to be able to return the favor!

Might take you up on that. It gets damn hot down here.

Thanks for the Draught House suggestion Doctor Who. Scouting out microbreweries is always near the top of my list too, as living in Vermont for a while has spoiled me rotten when it comes to beer. Would you (or anyone else) recommend any other places listed here?

http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/austin/brew.htm


We're totally excited to check out Austin. I love the thought of a big city that is quirky, weird and eschews cookie-cutter places like the Hard Rock.


Slainte!

Rob

Since you previously mentioned a disinterest in the fratmosphere scene, I would skip Shakespeares and Maggie Mae's on this list, at least on Friday and Saturday night. They are right on 6th and from what you wrote I think not quite what you're looking for. I like Fado (your basic Irish pub, in the Warehouse District on 4th St) and the deck at Opal Divine's if the weather is nice. You might also check out the Ginger Man (a small chain though, so I don't always support it) on 4th.

Speaking of weather, they are indeed suggesting we may be getting some serious rain this weekend. While it is sorely needed, that would make rock climbing tricky. The drive out there into the hill country would likely be less pleasant as well, ick.

Also, the "view" at gospel brunch puts you in the same room as the band. Stubbs is an old house, and the brunch buffet and many tables are upstairs, while the band and some tables (including yours) are down. So you'll get to actually see the gospel band in action, which can be pretty cool depending on how much the musicians and singer(s) get going.

Have a great trip in our fair city!

Oh, I almost forgot. On Sunday, around noon, if you have time, make your way to Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar (<10 mins from any downtown hotel). Their 'Q' is good, and local bluegrass players gather and jam along for a few hours. I go down there now and again, and it's a lot of fun! You get to sit and eat right in the middle of the whole affair.

Welcome to Austin!

So, how was your trip? Sorry that the weather didn't cooperate for Enchanted Rock on Saturday, but hope you all were able to have a nice weekend regardless, and enjoy the gorgeous weather Sunday.

So, how was your trip? Sorry that the weather didn't cooperate for Enchanted Rock on Saturday, but hope you all were able to have a nice weekend regardless, and enjoy the gorgeous weather Sunday.

We had a great trip, despite the crappy weather on Saturday. At least we knew about the weather in advance, so we didn't have to lug around useless rock climbing gear :)

Let's see, I guess I'll just give a play-by-play for those who might be interested. We ended up doing a lot of the things that you all suggested on this thread :)

Friday PM: We actually landed early from Cincinnati, and proceeded to pick up our rental car. Big bonus points to the AUS airport folks for having the rental cars just across the street from the terminal. Nothing worse than having to do the shuttle/waiting in line thing when you're starving :) After we oriented ourselves in the dark, we went to check into our hotel (the Woodward Inn and Conference Center, which I got for $30/night on Priceline). The hotel is old and a bit worn, but they have free high speed internet access, and it says that they're renovating (albeit at an apparently slow pace). We had a room on the top floor, with a view of downtown (after having to move because our first room had a shower faucet that you couldn't shut off ;) But, the staff were all really nice and very helpful, plus the location was pretty good (a couple of miles down Woodward St from Congress), considering that I couldn't get a hotel downtown for a reasonable price. We asked one of the guys at the desk for a recommendation of a quick place to eat, and he recommended Guero's, on S. Congress, so we went there. The wait was about 45 minutes, but we killed that quickly with a couple of drinks and some chips/salsa. The place was happening, as the bar was pretty packed. Great food, in a funky place, for a cheap price. Our first introduction into Austin was a great one here :)

Saturday: Given the cloudy skies and rain, we slept in a little later than we'd planned, which was followed by a power outage in the entire hotel, for over an hour. The hotel employee said that a transformer was out, and that most of that part of the city was without power as well. So, we showered in the dark, then decided to go drive around a bit and check the area out in the daylight (although there wasn't any sun to be seen). We drove down Congress into downtown, over 5th St to Red River, then up to Stubbs, where we just wanted to pop out of the car and check out the place really quickly. Immediately we noticed a lot of people just hanging out there around abandoned buildings, and were struck by a recurring theme for the morning/afternoon -- countless police cars and motorcycles driving around, including one parked in an alley way. We counted about 20 in a span of close to 10 minutes. We popped into Stubbs, then decided to walk down 6th St just to scope things out for later. Obviously we learned that not much is open that early, but we were hungry and grabbed a quick bite at some Mexican place there, which was actually not that bad. Then we headed back to the car, and drove down 6th and headed up Guadalupe, and made a big loop around that part of the city, then heading back through the UT campus. We decided to check out Whole Foods, which was quite an experience. After driving around the garage for 15 minutes or so, and just missing about 15 parking spaces, we finally snagged one, then went in the store. We probably spent over an hour there, which can partly be blamed on the wine and beer tastings :) I chatted up the beer guy in the walk-in cooler about the best local beers and microbreweries, and he suggested Lovejoy's, paritally because he said that they're closing soon. I bought a 6-pack of Real Ale and Jane bought some Texas wine (El Guapo I think) to bring back with us. Leave it to the us to be the ones to only leave Whole Foods with 2 bottles of wine, a 6-pack of beer and 3 gourmet pastries from the bakery :) We popped into a couple of other shops after that, then went back to grab a quick nap and change.

We spent most of the evening just wondering around 6th St, taking in the scene. Like you all mentioned, we noticed the tubs of beer, and people hawking "no cover," $1 and $2 shooters, etc. We saw your expected eccentrics (a bearded middle age guy in a sport coat and a pink tutu (which was missing the next time we saw him) and a guy in a green Robocop-like outfit(which the ladies seemed to be into for some strange reason, all 3 times we saw him that night). We're used to that, because Church Street here in Burlington is quite similar in the summer :) We ended up walking the area a few times, sometimes stopping to hear some of the music through windows, then popped into the Cajun place for some refueling. After that, we headed into Lovejoy's, and both had a espresso stout, which was okay. It was kind of dead in there, so we decided to walk over to 4th/5th Street, to see what that was like. We walked around the block once, and Antone's was maxxed out for the night. Lots of clubs playing house/club music there, which isn't our bag, so we ended up hanging out at Cedar Street Courtyard, where there was a cheesy cover band playing outside, and a good crowd hanging out too. We left about 1:30 or so, walked back over to 6th St to get our car, and saw a little of the later night scene, with the street shut down, and groups of cops hanging out. After that, on the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Magnolia Cafe on S. Congress (as suggested), and had some delicious gingerbread pancakes. Luckily we got there just ahead of the big crowd, as there was a huge line of people when we left there :)

(lunch is over, so I'll post Sun/Mon later on sometime) :)

Sunday: After our after 3 am bedtime, it was a bit of a struggle to get up and ready in time for our 11:00 reservations for Stubbs' Gospel Brunch (we're not as young as we used to be) :) But, we arrived right when they unlocked the door, and had a table downstairs, just a couple of tables from the center of the stage. The brunch was fabulous. Great food. The band was excellent as well. Not exactly what we were expecting (which was more of a traditional gospel chorus or something)--what were we thinking? :) But, the band was diverse (both young and older, black and white, etc), and more in my wheelhouse of rock/blues mixed with gospel vocals. If only I could remember their name? :D My only wish is that the lunch and music were just a tad longer, as we left just after noon, stuffed to the gills...

After leaving Stubbs, we changed into more comfortable clothes, and went to walk around the UT campus, which included sneaking peeks into the football stadium, walking over to the clock tower, gazing at the turtles for a while and snapping a couple of photos in the sculpture yard at the alumni office. After that we walked around the capital a bit, and chilled out on a bench and people watched/soaked up some rays. We wanted to go for a run on the path by Town Lake, but the combo of sleep deprivation and lingering food coma from Stubbs killed our motivation :)

A quick change, some scoping out music options online in our hotel room, then dinner at the South Congress Cafe. (thanks for the recommendation ausflygrl) Wow! What a nice place. I thought it looked a bit too upscale and dismissed it on a drive past on Saturday night. Luckily we decided to scope it out up closer on Sunday, and got in for an early dinner. Nothing at all bad to say about this place. Excellent food. Superb service. Reasonable prices. Maybe the best overall value for price and quality of food of any restaurant I've ever experienced. We both had dinner, I had a beer and Jane had 2 glasses of wine, and the bill was just under $40 w/ tax. I only wish that we had gone on Saturday night, and of course that I'd still had room for dessert (which looked incredible at the neighboring table)--but my gorging at Stubbs was still lingering :)

After dinner, we both had decided that we wanted to check out an open mike night somewhere, because we've had good luck with them in the past in other cities. After scanning the Chronicle, I found 6 or 7 listings for open mikes. Unfortunately, most of them were out of town, but two were down on 6th St, and both started at 9 pm. We headed back downtown to check them out, and heard some Irish music from your stereotypical Irish bar on 6th St, so we dropped in for a drink. Then we headed to scope out the open mikes (Friends and Nuno's). We ended up hanging out at Friends, because apparently Nuno's open mike was freestyle rap or something, which I guess I'm too old for :) Friends was a bit deserted, but the music was good. A local blues band started it off, followed by a band just in from Chicago. Both were quite good, and we were looking for a more low key night, so it worked out well. Called it a night just after midnight.

Monday- Slept in a little bit, then checked out just before noon. A quick lunch at Guero's (because we wanted to sit outside in the sun one last time --and S. Congress Cafe didn't have tables outside) :( Then off to the airport, and a quick Amy's Mexican Vanilla before hopping on the plane!


Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. ^ We didn't get to a bunch of things that we wanted to do (Enchanted Rock, BBQ in Lockhart, Oasis, running on Town Lake, visiting the Draught House, the bluegrass jam at Artz Ribhouse (because of the Stubbs resv), etc), but I guess we'll save those for the next time we visit :D

Once again, let me know if I can ever repay the favor(s). We've traveled a lot, so there's a good chance that we may have been wherever you're going :) Just PM me...

Slainte!

Rob

Under the (and/or San Antonio) dept.,
Any ideas/recco's for San Antonio????

I have to go down there this weekend (unexpected, signing off on a recnetly deceased relative's paperwork, etc.), but am GLAD AA's got a sale on it.

I've seen the Riverwalk, I've seen the Alamo.

Austin is a great city. I have one of the best weekends there ever, loads of drinking and parting. Floating the river is a must plus a drink a "Dons Depot" is good for a laugh. If the "Spasmatics" are playing go and see them it’s a great night out. I got up on stage when they sang "Land Down Under". Get ready Austin I am going back in 2007 :p ;) :D ^

Under the (and/or San Antonio) dept.,
Any ideas/recco's for San Antonio????

I have to go down there this weekend (unexpected, signing off on a recnetly deceased relative's paperwork, etc.), but am GLAD AA's got a sale on it.

I've seen the Riverwalk, I've seen the Alamo.How about SeaWorld? If your dearly departed was a thrill seeker you could open the urn as you scream down a rollercoaster. Just make sure you're in the last seat.

Thanks for all the suggestions...I happen to be going to Austin for about a week, getting there Thursday. I've been in the town before, but never really been able to check out local attractions.