Thanks all. We ended up staying at the Hilton downtown, which was perfect as it was walking distance to East 6th, Rainey street, the Capitol, and SoCo.
We also visited Barton Springs and went out one night in Zilker. We used the RideAustin app (identical to Uber) to get around when not walking.
Great first trip to Austin!
(And yes, Rahmistan is Chicago - a reference to Mayor Rahm Emanuel)