PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – AUSTIN, TEXAS

By ANN FINSTAD

I’m from Chicago. Or, to be more exact, the Chicago suburbs. For all but three months of my admittedly short life, I’ve lived in the state of Illinois. However, despite my love for gyros joints, the El, shopping on the Mag Mile, and the beleaguered Chicago Cubs, I consider myself a Texan at heart.

The evidence is clear: I’ve carried a "Don’t Mess With Texas" keychain
since my first visit there during high school, my wardrobe has more University of Texas shirts than those of my Illinois alma mater, and I have a curious propensity to use the word "y’all" in conversation.

Most of this stems from many forays into the city of Austin, which my Chicagoland friends and I have occasionally called "the Evanston of the South." So, how does a born and bred Chicagoan get swept away by one average size southern city? Especially a city in Texas? Well, it happens to be very easy if that city is Austin. Give it a week, or even
a long weekend, and you’ll be sure to be swept away as well.

If you’re going to Austin by car, be prepared. It’s a nineteen hour one-way journey from Chicago through some of the most boring territory ever encountered. Missouri will provide some entertainment with its proliferation of Jesus billboards, and the good news about Oklahoma is that every small town still has a McDonald’s and a Walmart, which provide all the entertainment a person could ever need. The bad news is, between those small towns, there is not much. Maybe the occasional buffalo farm. On my drive from Austin to Chicago last summer, it ran about $60 in gas, plus a $7 Oklahoma toll. So if you’ve got a few days to spare, $120 bucks and a reliable vehicle, driving isn’t such a bad way to go.

Because Austin is a smaller city, airline wise, you can’t expect the good deals to be as frequent as those to places like Miami and D.C. Expect to pay between $200 and $250 to fly out of O’Hare. Midway is occasionally better, but when I checked recently for the best deals they were running at about the same rate. Your best bet is to research your flights and book early, or try for a last minute super-saver fare. A just over two hour plane ride is vastly preferable to the nineteen hour drive. I know, I’ve done both.

You could ride the rails for about the same cost as a plane ticket, round trip on Amtrak ($120 one way). If you’re emphatically opposed to flying, I suppose you could take that route, but be warned: it’s a 27 hour journey one way.

So, finally, by plane, train, or automobile, you’ve made it to Austin. Now’s the hard part: deciding what you’re going to do.

Austin is unique in that it’s an incredibly multifaceted town. It’s a college town; home to one of the largest universities in the nation (University of Texas).It’s a political town as the capital of Texas (and probably stands as one of, if not the most liberal city in Texas). Its music scene is world renowned. Austin bills itself as "The Live Music Capital of the World" and it’s hard to find reason to debunk that claim.


If you’re dining in Austin, which you’ll have to do if you don’t want to live on the Dasani and salt and vinegar Pringles you bought to sustain you during your long drive, you’ll be greeted with just about anything else your heart desires, especially if it’s wrapped in a tortilla. Breakfast tacos are an Austin mainstay. If you looked hard enough, you can probably find anything from eggs and bacon to ribs to sno-kones in breakfast taco form.

Fans of Tex-Mex absolutely must give Matt’s El Rancho (a 50-plus year Austin institution) a try. As well as being a favorite of LBJ back in the 50’s, they practically established Tex-Mex. A short trip outside of Austin into Driftwood, Texas brings you to The Salt Lick, which my best friend claims features some of the best barbeque around. I, of course, as a vegetarian, can’t vouch for that, but I’ll take her word. If you prefer beautiful scenery (of both the natural and human kind) head on up to the Hula Hut overlooking Lake Austin. This restaurant/bar is populated with hip twenty-somethings. Want to stay up through the wee hours? Give 24 hour diners like Austin staples Kerbey Lane (three locations) or Magnolia Café (two locations) a shot. Both serve traditional fare with a hipster kick…and of course feature the ubiquitous breakfast tacos (although I wouldn’t ask for a sno-kone version).

A visit to the Capitol building is an Austin must-do. The guided tours are excellent, even for those not incredibly interested in Texas politics. You can also pick up a brochure and take a self-guided tour. Best of all, they have a penny-pressing machine in their information center. If you ask me, there’s nothing more fun than a flat penny with a picture on it. If you drive up Congress Avenue at night, the view of the lit Capitol is also astounding.

Take a walk around the University of Texas campus (north of the Capitol) and pick up a burnt orange t-shirt or two at the University Co-op on Guadalupe Street. The UT Tower, infamous for being the location of a 1966 sniper attack, has recently been reopened to the public and provides spectacular views of the city from its observation deck. Tours are available through reservation only.

Another recent addition is the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. It provides everything you need to know about Texas history, as well as featuring an IMAX theatre. Before you leave the museum, check out the gift shop, which is the best in town for Texas postcards and souvenirs.

If you visit between mid-March and early November, you don’t want to miss one of Austin’s biggest sights. Every evening around dusk over 1 million bats, the largest urban colony in America, emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge over the river. The best viewing months are July and August, so if bats are your thing, plan your trip accordingly.

Austin is different from other mid-sized cities in that it’s not strikingly urban. Only minutes from downtown you can find Zilker Park, 351 acres of shades of green to brown. (Brown being featured mainly in the 90-to-100 degree summers). Zilker Park is home to many different concerts and festivals throughout the year, as well as a Botanic Garden, which was by far one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Austin. Also in Zilker Park is Barton Springs Pool, which is fed from underground springs and averages a brisk 68 degrees year round, which is way to cold for my taste, but hey, whatever floats your boat (or raft). Take a hike along the Barton Creek Greenbelt on the southwest side, rent a boat on Lake Travis, or go fishing on Lake Austin. If you’re into nature, there’s plenty to offer.

But enough about nature. What I really want to know about my vacation spots is, "where can I buy great shoes?" Fortunately, Austin is a great place to shop, for shoes or anything else. Of course, for me, any place is a fabulous place to shop, but Austin is among my favorites. There’s an aura of fierce anti-corporateness that pervades Austin. BookPeople and Waterloo Records are two such examples. Located across from each other at 6th and Lamar, BookPeople is the largest independent bookstore in Texas.

Waterloo has massive amounts of great music, especially CD’s from local bands that you may have never heard of. You can also pick up a bumper sticker featuring Austin’s anti-corporate logo "Keep Austin Weird" at either of these stores. Also at 6th and Lamar is the amazing "boutique" (although I’m loathe to call it that because of its large size) By George, which feature local and national designer labels. It also has a location on Guadalupe, and is my choice for the "it" shop for Austin fashionistas. South Congress Avenue, also known as "So Co" is also a prime shopping destination. Home to many eclectic art, gift, thrift and antique shops, it’s definitely the place to go if you’re seeking something wildly unique. Guadalupe Street borders the University of Texas campus, and is home to recognizable chains like the Gap, Tower Records, and Urban Outfitters. The best thing about Austin, however, is that you’ll find stores and boutiques around nearly every corner. And for a shopping fiend like me, this is a very good thing.

When you’re weighing your nightlife options, pick up an Austin Chronicle (free, published weekly on Thursdays), the ultimate guide to hipster Austin’s happenings. It’s also amusing to read their Shot in the Dark personals, with entries like "Me: Black hair, tattoos. You: tall redhead with cute smile. Saw you in line at Whole Foods and told you I liked your choice of vegetables. Let’s get together for some cooking lessons."

Although Sixth Street is synonymous with the Austin bar scene, you’re going to want to check out other areas too. Red River is home to dozens of clubs, as is the Warehouse District (bordered by 2nd, Lavaca, 5th and Congress). Chances are, wherever you go in downtown Austin, you can find a bar with some good drinks and live music that caters to your tastes. Stay on Sixth Street and check out Casino El Camino, a punk rock haven with killer burgers. Emo’s on Red River is open to all ages, and, predictably, features bands of the emo variety. It’s also a great place to scope out the other Austin hipsters. Fourth Street is home to Austin’s gay scene, with clubs like The Forum and Boyz Cellar. Needless to say there are more diverse clubs and bars in downtown Austin than you can shake a fist at, but they all have one thing in common: they’re sure to have Lone Star beer on tap.

If you like movies with your beer, be sure to check out the Alamo Drafthouse downtown on Colorado Street. It features great new releases, classics, and independent movies; as well as the Mr. Sinus Theatre, which will appeal to fans of MST3K and bills itself as "bad movies, live comedy." The Zachary Scott Theatre is home to many critically acclaimed dramatic productions. You still have time to make plans to get to Austin for the South by Southwest film and music festival, which is held annually in mid-March. Another must for music fans is the Austin City Limits music festival that’s held in mid-September. Both festivals have websites where you can find out information as to events and who is appearing.

Getting around by car in Austin is doable, even for those unfamiliar with the city. In fact, it’s almost necessary to get to some places. Austinites may complain about their traffic and constant construction, but even the Chicago suburbs have it worse than them. And they don’t even get snow. Hmph. Austinites are spoiled that way. And that is why I am moving there within the next six months. Watch out for the one way streets downtown, as well as the lanes that suddenly become right-turn-only with little warning. The good thing about downtown Austin is that because it’s small, even if you make a wrong turn, you’re unlikely to get far off track before you can find your way back where you’re going.

Parking in Austin isn’t much of a hassle either, especially if you’re used to large cities like Chicago. If you’re going to be walking around downtown and sightseeing, there are reasonably priced garages at both the Capitol and Bob Bullock Museum. If you’re out at the bars, expect to make a bit of a trek between car and club. There’s a reasonable amount of parking under I-35, but that fills up quickly. Metered parking lines most streets, and if you’re lucky you can get a spot near your destination.

So the next time the cold weather is getting you down and you’re looking for a less conventional getaway, think about making your destination Austin, where the average yearly temperature is 68.6 degrees and there’s nary a snowplow in sight. I guarantee one visit will be enough to make you want to go back again and again and again. And if you’re young, hot, and single and will be there after July, look up this southern girl at heart. I’m sure I’ll have a couch available.