Austin accomodation (ARC related)
Soundclash
77 Posts
I will be attending the record convention in a few weeks. I??ve never been to Austin before (in fact it will be my second trip to the States ever! -I??m based in Madrid btw-) and I dont feel like staying at any of those hwy motels recommended on the ARC organization site since I dont think I??ll be renting a car and would also like to have a taste of the city.I??d very much appreciate any recommendations about downtown Austin accomodation, nice areas to hang around and also tips on ARC itself!! I have been asking around and been given some mixed opinions about the record convention...We have a tiny record fair in Madrid this afternoon that will probably be crap but will keep my fingers busy for a few hours... A nice warming up for ARC though...!!Thanks!!
Comments
You should go to the Bat bridge...downtown Austin at sunset tons of bats fly out from underneath the bridge...pretty fun.
You should stop by Friends of Sound records and talk to anyone who works there, but especially Dave. Lots of great records and good people hanging around who will point you in the right direction. Just in general people are really friendly, don't be shy asking for directions or recommendations.
The taqueria in the way back of the Mexican shopping mall is legit and cheap. I mean if you're coming from abroad I would basically just eat Mexican food and texas BBQ/fried stuff the entire trip.
What's the name of the legendary restaurant that you've been taking folks to for years Rich? Great classic Texas food...fried chicken is so big they gotta serve it on a cafeteria lunch tray.
I'm sure Holmes can give you more suggestions in terms of things to see and visit as a foreigner...
Good luck!
Hoover's
It was great & an easy walk to the bars & restaurants etc down by Red River. If I were you I would seriously think about transport, we had a car with GPS navigation & I cannot recommend it highly enough. Unless you have a rental car or a friend to drive you around Austin you will be screwed. ARC is miles from the city centre & other things like the Bat Bridge, Friends of Sound & Barton Park are all at other ends of the city. ARC is awesome, but you will def want to go into the city to check all the other things out. Some stuff that we enjoyed as a visitor other than ARC was swimming in the springs at Barton Park (or whatever those springs there are called), Friends of Sound Records (the only store I needed to go to), there is a sweet Tex Mex restaurant by the ampitheatre at the corner of Red River & E 11th, Stubbs BBQ on Red River was also yum, sunday morning gospel brunch at Threadgills was cool. Austin is a sweet city & you'll have a great time.