Visiting Austin, Texas This Weekend Vol. First Time Travelling

[Thierry Henry]

What's up guys, are there any Austin NTers in here? I figured that I would post this in general since the regional forums are dead, any advice for a first time traveler?

Me and my brother will be in Austin, Texas from the 20th-24th, we are there for the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. We have a late afternoon flight to Houston and then we will be driving to our hotel in Austin. The COTA is located outside of Austin on the south side so what's traffic like in the city? I figure it's gonna be hectic since it's a huge event this weekend.

I've heard that there's not much in the city since it's a college town with the University of Texas being the main focal point there. Where are the best places that locals like to eat at? None of that tourist overpriced fancy BS, I heard there's some good *** Mexican food. I see that there's like 3 In and Out's there, so I'm gonna see if it lives up to the NT hype.

What about any must-see landmarks while I'm there?

Where do all the college kids party at?

Is there any Caribbean scene out there?

Good places to shop at?




PLEASE RESPOND

 

[harlemtothebronx]

First place I traveled to was Austin, too.

Traffic isn't too bad. Keep in mind that as a New Yorker, my perspective on city life is skewed.

As far as drinking, hit 6th street. Gets pretty active out there late night. Tons of women from what I remember.

 

[7th Chamber]

6th Street is what you want to hit up for drinking & partying.

As for food spots, La Barbeque, Torchy's Tacos and Home Slice Pizza are all staples of Austin and highly recommended.

Franklin's Barbeque is considered to be a bucket list spot for brisket, but you'd have to line up around 5:00-6:00 am in order to make sure you can get in. They open up at 11:00 am, so it's a good five to six hour wait. If you drive by on a Friday or Saturday morning though, you'll see for yourself. The wife and I hit it up the last time we were in Austin and it was worth it in my opinion, but La Barbeque is just as good without the hassle.

As for landmarks, the Texas State Capitol and the Congress Ave. Bridge bats are cool to see.

 

[trappstar]

Austin is one of America's finest cities.

Food: Franklins, Torchys, Salt Lick, cream of corn at Rudys

Go to south congress, sixth street, run around town lake in the morning, go to Rainy street, tailgate if the Horns are in town.

Go to Barberella and Beauty Bar for night life. They play the music you love but are scared to listen to.

I love Austin, Texas. It's cheap and the people are awesome.

 

[7th Chamber]

We take Rudy's for granted in San Antonio, but it's solid BBQ. That creamed corn is fire though

 

[majik214]

I will second everything these guys said. It's going to be a blast.

They also have a BYOB strip club called XTC if you're trying to peep out some late night cheeks. It isn't Houston or Atlanta, but just know you have an after-hour option.

 

[harlemtothebronx]

6th Street is what you want to hit up for drinking & partying.

As for food spots, La Barbeque, Torchy's Tacos and Home Slice Pizza are all staples of Austin and highly recommended.

Franklin's Barbeque is considered to be a bucket list spot for brisket, but you'd have to line up around 5:00-6:00 am in order to make sure you can get in. They open up at 11:00 am, so it's a good five to six hour wait. If you drive by on a Friday or Saturday morning though, you'll see for yourself. The wife and I hit it up the last time we were in Austin and it was worth it in my opinion, but La Barbeque is just as good without the hassle.

As for landmarks, the Texas State Capitol and the Congress Ave. Bridge bats are cool to see.

I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of the BBQ place I had. The brisket there is life changing. I can't really have brisket in NY knowing what Texas BBQ tastes like.

 

[gokickrocks]

Co-sign everything that has been said.

Franklin's is a pain in the ***, but the brisket is life-changing. Just bring some beer and food and treat the wait like it's a tailgate.

6th Street was lit when I was there. There and Rainey street

 

[Thierry Henry]

What's the weather like over there? I'm assuming it's similar to South Florida.

What about any parks over there were I can play a pickup game of football(soccer)?

First place I traveled to was Austin, too.

Traffic isn't too bad. Keep in mind that as a New Yorker, my perspective on city life is skewed.

As far as drinking, hit 6th street. Gets pretty active out there late night. Tons of women from what I remember.

I can't remember where our hotel is, so I gotta see how far away we are from this 6th street. How late night are we talking? I'm from Miami where the party don't stop 'til early morning depending on the spot.

6th Street is what you want to hit up for drinking & partying.

As for food spots, La Barbeque, Torchy's Tacos and Home Slice Pizza are all staples of Austin and highly recommended.

Franklin's Barbeque is considered to be a bucket list spot for brisket, but you'd have to line up around 5:00-6:00 am in order to make sure you can get in. They open up at 11:00 am, so it's a good five to six hour wait. If you drive by on a Friday or Saturday morning though, you'll see for yourself. The wife and I hit it up the last time we were in Austin and it was worth it in my opinion, but La Barbeque is just as good without the hassle.

As for landmarks, the Texas State Capitol and the Congress Ave. Bridge bats are cool to see.

So there's hypebeasts lining up for some bbq now?
We might not have time to make the early line for Franklin's. Unless we go for lunch on Sunday since the race starts at 2pm. I hope that Torchy's got some good horchata

Austin is one of America's finest cities.

Food: Franklins, Torchys, Salt Lick, cream of corn at Rudys

Go to south congress, sixth street, run around town lake in the morning, go to Rainy street, tailgate if the Horns are in town.

Go to Barberella and Beauty Bar for night life. They play the music you love but are scared to listen to.

I love Austin, Texas. It's cheap and the people are awesome.

I'm gonna search Barberella and Beauty Bar, there better be some diversity in the women there. Also, what do you mean by "they play the music you love but are scared to listen to"? How cheap are we talking? I'm from South Florida and it's pretty expensive out here.

I will second everything these guys said. It's going to be a blast.

They also have a BYOB strip club called XTC if you're trying to peep out some late night cheeks. It isn't Houston or Atlanta, but just know you have an after-hour option.

I've never been to a strip club and I'm not sure it's something my brother might want to do. I'm not a big drinker either...

 

[Thierry Henry]

What's the weather like over there? I'm assuming it's similar to South Florida.

What about any parks over there were I can play a pickup game of football(soccer)?

First place I traveled to was Austin, too.

Traffic isn't too bad. Keep in mind that as a New Yorker, my perspective on city life is skewed.

As far as drinking, hit 6th street. Gets pretty active out there late night. Tons of women from what I remember.

I can't remember where our hotel is, so I gotta see how far away we are from this 6th street. How late night are we talking? I'm from Miami where the party don't stop 'til early morning depending on the spot.

6th Street is what you want to hit up for drinking & partying.

As for food spots, La Barbeque, Torchy's Tacos and Home Slice Pizza are all staples of Austin and highly recommended.

Franklin's Barbeque is considered to be a bucket list spot for brisket, but you'd have to line up around 5:00-6:00 am in order to make sure you can get in. They open up at 11:00 am, so it's a good five to six hour wait. If you drive by on a Friday or Saturday morning though, you'll see for yourself. The wife and I hit it up the last time we were in Austin and it was worth it in my opinion, but La Barbeque is just as good without the hassle.

As for landmarks, the Texas State Capitol and the Congress Ave. Bridge bats are cool to see.

So there's hypebeasts lining up for some bbq now?
We might not have time to make the early line for Franklin's. Unless we go for lunch on Sunday since the race starts at 2pm. I hope that Torchy's got some good horchata

Austin is one of America's finest cities.

Food: Franklins, Torchys, Salt Lick, cream of corn at Rudys

Go to south congress, sixth street, run around town lake in the morning, go to Rainy street, tailgate if the Horns are in town.

Go to Barberella and Beauty Bar for night life. They play the music you love but are scared to listen to.

I love Austin, Texas. It's cheap and the people are awesome.

I'm gonna search Barberella and Beauty Bar, there better be some diversity in the women there. Also, what do you mean by "they play the music you love but are scared to listen to"? How cheap are we talking? I'm from South Florida and it's pretty expensive out here.

I will second everything these guys said. It's going to be a blast.

They also have a BYOB strip club called XTC if you're trying to peep out some late night cheeks. It isn't Houston or Atlanta, but just know you have an after-hour option.

I've never been to a strip club and I'm not sure it's something my brother might want to do. I'm not a big drinker either...

BUMP


Anyone else with suggestions?


PLEASE RESPOND

 

[Nereyda Vuelve Por Dios]

Dique un dominicano que le gustas el fútbol y va para Texas para ver uno maldito carros correr en círculos, y también dique que no bebe. Que jodienda es esa? ta como medio palomo. Pero todo el mundo tiene los suyo.

 

[illfrozn]

FYI: Torchy's is delicious, but no horchata -- it's not that kind of taco place. Hop Doddy and Plucker's are great as well.

 

[Thierry Henry]

Bout to go hit up home slice for that pizza

Dique un dominicano que le gustas el fútbol y va para Texas para ver uno maldito carros correr en círculos, y también dique que no bebe. Que jodienda es esa? ta como medio palomo. Pero todo el mundo tiene los suyo.

Once in a lifetime opportunity man, who's gonna turn down free F1 tickets?

FYI: Torchy's is delicious, but no horchata -- it's not that kind of taco place. Hop Doddy and Plucker's are great as well.

Got it, added those tovthe list

 

[TimelessClassic]

Austin is definitely not a college town these days...it's grown to be a major city. Lots to do. If you're looking for a park or something open/outdoorsy, hit up Zilker Park, that's the place where they have ACL every year. 

There's 6th Street of course - know that there's a West 6th Street that has an older crowd and vibe (like late 20s and older it feels like) and there's the main 6th Street/"Dirty 6th" that's closer to the main highway I-35. This has a younger crowd, more of the college type. There's also lots of bars in East Austin, on the other side of the I-35.

Some food spots that haven't been mentioned yet - Juan in a Million for breakfast, Cabo Bob's - casual, similar style like Chipotle (burritos, bowls, etc.) but much better. 

Traffic is bad - the city keeps growing but it doesn't have the infrastructure to keep supporting it. It shouldn't be as bad since it's the weekend but still, anywhere around COTA and downtown is gonna be slow. Be prepared to pay for parking too, unless you want to walk around. There's no Uber/Lyft anymore - there are some local ride-sharing apps called GetMe and Fasten but I haven't tried them or know about their pricing but it's an option.

Have fun, it's a good city...just don't decide to move here because we can't handle more people 

 

 

[Thierry Henry]

We had home slice pizza last night, it was good NY style, I would def reccomend. Me and my brother hit up 6th street after. This place reminds me of Wynwood back in Miami. I've been kinda let down by the women so far. There's a lack of diversity in the Hispanic women, the white girls are subpar, and I've barely seen any Black women. :\

Spoiler

Austin is definitely not a college town these days...it's grown to be a major city. Lots to do. If you're looking for a park or something open/outdoorsy, hit up Zilker Park, that's the place where they have ACL every year. 

There's 6th Street of course - know that there's a West 6th Street that has an older crowd and vibe (like late 20s and older it feels like) and there's the main 6th Street/"Dirty 6th" that's closer to the main highway I-35. This has a younger crowd, more of the college type. There's also lots of bars in East Austin, on the other side of the I-35.

Some food spots that haven't been mentioned yet - Juan in a Million for breakfast, Cabo Bob's - casual, similar style like Chipotle (burritos, bowls, etc.) but much better. 

Traffic is bad - the city keeps growing but it doesn't have the infrastructure to keep supporting it. It shouldn't be as bad since it's the weekend but still, anywhere around COTA and downtown is gonna be slow. Be prepared to pay for parking too, unless you want to walk around. There's no Uber/Lyft anymore - there are some local ride-sharing apps called GetMe and Fasten but I haven't tried them or know about their pricing but it's an option.

Have fun, it's a good city...just don't decide to move here because we can't handle more people   

Thanks for those food spots suggetions. I noticed what you mean about the infrastructure, I was surprised by the amount of hills here as well. I find it cool that I-35 is right next to UT. By the way their stadium is HUUUGEEEE

 

[sooperhooper]

Just moved here in January. Lots of food spots mentioned that I have to try. And yes, traffic is such a pain. I like partying on 6th but I despise the parking situation, and I'm close to the domain. Lol at dude saying the bunnies are subpar. There are hella bad ones imo but op came from Miami so I'm so sure they pale in comparison to where he's from.

 

[da hen]

Kerby lane

 

[Sneaker P]

Attending ACL and gonna be in Austin for 5 days.

Franklin's will be had.

Hows the nightlife?

Also, anyone got a plug?