\u200bI am so excited today because we are going to be talking about my new home \u2013 Austin! Yes \u2013 this born and raised NYC girl has been an Austin resident for the past several years and I am loving every minute of it!<\/p>\n
Alison Lamell,\u00a0<\/strong>the\u00a0Tourism Marketing Specialist\u00a0<\/strong>at Visit Austin<\/strong> recently joined me to dish about our fabulous city and I am pretty certain by the end of our chat you are going to be adding Austin to your list of must see destinations.<\/p>\n So have a seat and read on to see what makes Austin so whimsical, so inclusive, so welcoming and just flat out amazing!<\/p>\n **************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n Austin\u2019s Districts<\/strong><\/p>\n Part of the fun when you visit is going to all the different districts that Austin offers and we’re going to talk about some of them today. A lot of them have amazing historical pieces behind them. I mean we are in capital, right? So, this is where history is made and it\u2019s a great way to walk in history so to speak. But it\u2019s not just about history. As you’ll see Downtown Austin has a different vibe than South Congress and then the East Side is different from both of those \u2013 there are so many little pockets and different cultures within each district that we’re going to share today. And you will see that there are so many things off the beaten path in Austin and so many little districts in the area that one trip usually isn\u2019t enough. Even Alison stated that when she has someone come to visit, she\u2019ll ask them before they leave when are they coming back because they didn’t get to see everything that was on her list! And I agree \u2013 with so many places to go you never have enough time \u2013 I think that people should be here at least for a good five to seven days when they come \u2013 not just a weekend or you\u2019ll definitely have a jam packed weekend \u2013 but if you can spend five days to a week then I think you can really get to know the true Austin.<\/p>\n And you guys we’ve got so many of these little niche neighborhoods and we’re growing so much and thanks to that there\u2019s so much more diversity that’s coming in. And a lot of the people want to be entrepreneurs as well so there’s a lot of mom and pops\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>so you really are supporting local when you shop and eat here.<\/p>\n The Murals The Great Outdoors<\/strong><\/p>\n First off \u2013 this is a city that really allows us to be outdoors \u2013 whenever you visit \u2013 because it’s a year-round destination. Need proof? We have 300 days of sunshine and an average temperature of 68 degrees! And there are plenty of ways to enjoy that weather like visits to\u00a0 \u00a0Barton Springs Municipal Pool and Hamilton Pool, stand up paddleboarding right in the downtown area, kayaking on Lady Bird Lake and boating on Lake Austin – just to name a few. It really is a city that caters to an outdoor lifestyle \u2013 and wellness too \u2013 as that nature connection is super amazing here. And there are tons of outdoor restaurants and other places that you can really hang out at no matter what the temperature is. Even when it’s super-hot here there’s places that you can hide in the shade \u2013 or perhaps make the outdoor misters your new best friend!<\/p>\n Gastronomy<\/strong><\/p>\n The other thing that is so awesome about being here is that we have a fabulous food culture. You like barbeques? We got \u2018em! There\u2019s the uber-popular Franklin Barbecue where you need to get in line by 5:00 AM or some other ungodly hour \u2013 a fact to which Alison shared that the secret at Franklins is to order your food to go! Then there is Alison\u2019s favorite barbecue – Terry Black\u2019s Barbeque – which is on Barton Springs Road. She noted that they get a long line here too, but they have a little service window, and you can order a beer while you wait in line. Now that\u2019s a pro-tip! \u00a0What other city can you go and just order a beer and hang out while you wait for your food? And it\u2019s not just barbeque \u2013 Austin really is like a cultural melting pot where you will find some of the best food in Texas. There\u2019s Asian. There\u2019s Thai. A really hip noodle place called Ramen Tatsu-Ya \u2013 which is another place that is always so packed that you have to wait outside \u2013 but \u2013 they will allow you to get hot sake while you wait in line \u2013 which is another great insider tip btw. And those 2000 food trucks we mentioned earlier? Sometimes they go into neighborhoods. My neighborhood on occasion we will solicit one or two and then we’ll have a party in our park with the food trucks as our food source! \u00a0So, if you have a group of people and you guys want to do an outside event, we can arrange for one or several of those food trucks to be at your event!<\/p>\n Getting Around<\/strong><\/p>\n Austin truly is a very walkable city. When you’re downtown you really could walk all of downtown if you wanted to and then you can continue to walk up to South Congress and over to Rainey Street. And if you don’t want to walk, we have bikes to rent and we have scooters to ride \u2013 so it really is very easy to navigate here.<\/p>\n Accommodations<\/strong><\/p>\n There are accommodations for every taste all over the town. If you want an apartment, you can find one. If you want to stay in a hotel \u2013 we have hundreds of them, and new hotels are opening up on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n Our Take On Austin<\/strong><\/p>\n So, what I love about Austin so much is that there’s so much to do here and it doesn’t feel like we’ve got the hustle and bustle that you have in the northeast. \u00a0We have an amazing vibe here and everybody wants to not only work hard to play hard as well! And Alison agreed that’s totally something she noticed coming from New England and moving down here. It is just a slower way of life and I she joked maybe its just because we’re not freezing cold, and the weather is beautiful here, so everyone is just a bit happier.<\/p>\n Updated COVID-19 Information:\u00a0<\/strong>As of this writing Austin is open for domestic visitors!<\/p>\n For the CDC\u2019s most up to date information on COVID-19\u00a0click here<\/strong><\/a>. And for the most up to date COVID protocols in Austin\u00a0click here<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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\nWe already touched on the I Love You So Much mural but then there is the You’re My Butter Half mural on the east side, the Willie Nelson for President mural, the Smile Even If You Don’t Want To mural and The Continental Club has a mural of Aretha Franklin looking down over the city on the top of their building. In a nutshell \u2013 any or all of the murals you find here are definitely places you want to have a picture because they are just iconic in Austin.<\/p>\n