Other Adventures in Austin

Besides shopping and eating, what else did we do in Austin?

Nightlife: Sixth Street (formerly known as Pecan Street) is Austin’s (probably even Texas’) best known street and the city’s entertainment center. It is lined with many historical houses and commercial buildings dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s. These old buildings now house numerous bars, a host of live entertainment venues, tattoo parlors, art galleries, casual cafes, upscale restaurants, and our fabulous host hotel – the Driskill. Live music from the bars is heard on the streets, and music lovers of all kinds (jazz, blues, country, dance, rock, hip-hop, progressive, metal, punk and more) will be able to find whatever musical style suits their taste. Our first stop on 6th Street was The Blind Pig Pub (512-472-0809) and we bar hopped the rest of the evening. We ended up in the Warehouse District, which is a little less touristy that 6th and where many of the locals go. Ali and I were in awe of the live shark tank underneath the clear dance floor at Qua (http://www.quaaustin.com/). We also checked out Cuba Libre (www.CubaLibre.com ) where Ali played the bongos, J. Blacks Feel Good Lounge (http://www.jblacks.com/), as well as several others. In the South Congress area, we checked out the live music at The Continental Club (http://www.continentalclub.com/), which is a great hangout for music lovers.

Sightseeing: We were so thankful that Trenton drove us around to see some of Austin’s sights. Although the bats were not flying this time of year (Austin has the largest urban bat population; at dusk in warmer months, 1.5 million bats fly from their home under the Congress Avenue Bridge). We at least stopped at the Bat Sculpture for a photo. He also took us to Lake Austin where we saw the infamous Chuy’s Hula Hut (http://www.hulahut.com/) and Mozart’s Coffee Roasters (http://www.mozartscoffee.com/). Trenton drove us by Austin’s City Hall that was designed to look like an armadillo; it even has a tail! We also stopped by the brand new (and super cool) Hotel Saint Cecilia (http://www.hotelsaintcecilia.com/), which is owned by Liz Lambert who also owns trendy and popular the Hotel San Jose (http://www.hotelsanjose.com/). Hotel Saint Cecilia is housed in a renovated 1880s Victorian estate with 14 bungalow-style rooms. We also joined Dani who took us to Mount Bonnell (Austin’s highest point at 775 feet). We hiked to the top and enjoyed the amazing views of downtown and Lake Austin (kudos to Ali for hiking in heels).

We had a fabulous time in Austin and cannot wait to go back. I hope you continue to "Keep Austin Weird." We love it!

PHOTO: Ali & Casey pose at the Bat Sculpture.