Austin, TX

**beanbag** · 07-30-2009, 12:07 AM

I'm moving there in a week.

any locals/sort-of-locals? any suggestions on things I should do/places I should see in order to kick off my life there with a bang?

***Pauler*** · 07-30-2009, 03:38 PM

i lived there for 2 years, and my wife lived there for 8. i am so jealous...austin is a great place.

coffee
progress coffee - its a great place to go hang out and their coffee is great.
summermoon coffee - great coffee, like the website says its wood fired so the espresso drinks especially have a really nice smokey flavor...and their signature drinks summermoon and wintermoon drinks are really creamy and sweet if you are into that kind of stuff.

food
all the trailers on south congress look really good. i have only been to vaquero cocina...you must have their brisket tacos...they are really good...and i hear the frozen yogurt place next door rivals the frozen yogurt in nyc (and that is coming from a new yorker)
the saltlick is a little out of the way in driftwood, but its some good bbq
lockhart is about 30 min outside austin, but they have really good bbq as well. go to kreutz and smitty's

entertainment
its not right away, but you should go to the acl music festival...some good bands this year like flogging molly, dave mathews, citizen cope, kings of leon (i dont like them but a lot of people do), ben harper, toadies, etc...
if you like outdoor stuff, you can go to town lake and rent a canoe and go around, or rent a bike and go on the trail at town lake.

what kinds of things do you like to do?

**beanbag** · 07-30-2009, 04:25 PM

oh cool! I don't drink much coffee anymore, mainly because I like it best with milk or cream and I am lactose-intolerant. my roommates-to-be are coffee afficionados, though, so they will be happy to have that info. I'm not too big on bbq, but I do like frozen yogurt. it's a nice alternative to ice cream that doesn't make me sick. =D

I am very big on ben harper, and I also have a soft spot in my heart for dave, so I will mark the festival on my calendar. there was another music one my new insurance agent told me I just had to go to, in october sometime I think. I wrote that one down as well.

in terms of outdoor stuff, I am big on swimming (I will miss my parents' huge pool. we'll have a pool at our complex, but it's just not the same) and exploring new places. I like pretty much anything adventurous, as long as it doesn't involve running. =D

**beanbag** · 08-01-2009, 10:18 PM

another question, as I pack:

how rainy does it get in austin? will I need to bring my rain boots or should I leave them at home for christmastime?

**Sean** · 08-01-2009, 10:47 PM

Austin is not a big rain city. We have yearly droughts. But when we do get some big storms every year.

**beanbag** · 08-01-2009, 10:58 PM

so...will I be able to run around in tennies with waterproofing spray on them?

**Sean** · 08-01-2009, 11:02 PM

I don't know. I don't own rain boots or an umbrella. So I can't really answer the question.

**beanbag** · 08-01-2009, 11:11 PM

well, since your location says austin, your answer answers my question.

thanks for the info. =)

**Sean** · 08-01-2009, 11:16 PM

Maybe. My wife would probably be a better judge. I lived in Columbia South Carolina where it rains a lot, and I didn't have an umbrella there either.

Sean's Wife · 08-01-2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanbag

so...will I be able to run around in tennies with waterproofing spray on them?

Hahahaha! Yes! Where are you moving from?
(I didn't even know that they made waterproofing spray to put on your shoes. That's brilliant!)

Generically speaking, we're in a drought almost all the time. So, there's the sense that you won't need rainboots but rarely. However, when it does rain, because everything is so dry, water tends to pool rather quickly...
...even so, it just doesn't happen enough for you to worry about packing them.

Hope that helps. Welcome to Austin!

Definitely try out Freebirds burritos!

yum!

Demon_Hunter · 08-01-2009, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean's Wife

Hahahaha! Yes! Where are you moving from?
(I didn't even know that they made waterproofing spray to put on your shoes. That's brilliant!)

Generically speaking, we're in a drought almost all the time. So, there's the sense that you won't need rainboots but rarely. However, when it does rain, because everything is so dry, water tends to pool rather quickly...
...even so, it just doesn't happen enough for you to worry about packing them.

Hope that helps. Welcome to Austin!

Definitely try out Freebirds burritos!

yum!

Wiser words have never been spoken.

**beanbag** · 08-02-2009, 12:00 AM

haha. yes, they do have waterproofing spray! I'm moving from california, so we get both wet and dry seasons here.

thanks for the help, and thanks for the welcome! =D

I will try out the burritos! I love mexican food. (this is probably not too surprising as I am a californian, and I am thankful that this is at least one thing texas and california have in common.) =)

**beanbag** · 08-10-2009, 12:51 PM

now that I have arrived...do any of you have any church recommendations you'd be willing to pm me with? I checked out a place sunday and really liked it, but I do want to visit a couple of others as well.

**Sean** · 08-10-2009, 01:53 PM

What are you looking for?
What part of town?

**beanbag** · 08-10-2009, 09:43 PM

anything doctrinally sound, up in the I-35/183 E area, south of Pflugerville, but up near thereish.