48 Hours: Alphabetizing Austin

From its origins as an unsigned band competition fifteen years ago, SXSW has evolved into a full-fledged media happening, part multidisciplinary trade show, part schmooze fest, all bustle, networking, and rock and roll. With film and interactive components now complementing the original music festival, SXSW continues its ascendant trajectory, like Austin itself.

Long a musical crossroads, its legends shaped by artists with names like Willie, Janis, and Stevie Ray, Austin proffers dozens of stages around town, including one at the long-running PBS show Austin City Limits. This year, the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World welcomes more than 800 bands convening for SXSW gigs March 13-17.

But Austin’s attractions extend far beyond music, and SXSW is just a harbinger of flings to come. Springtime in Austin yields glorious days, and Austinites, an active lot, pride themselves on their outdoor pursuits. The city’s location as gateway to Central Texas’ pristine Hill Country means easy access to prime recreation and nature spots.

The city celebrates its quirks: urban bat colonies, illuminated moontowers, an annual hoedown honoring a mythical donkey. Home to the University of Texas, and the state capital of Texas, Austin benefits from a constant infusion of new ideas and fresh blood.

If it’s been a while, you might not recognize the place. High-tech and Hollywood have combined to alter the town’s landscape, though much of the old school remains. For the new and newly reacquainted, here's a guide to what’s on in Austin, from A to Z.

• Antone's: In a town where live music is king, Antone's reigns supreme. The club’s been spotlighting top blues and roots acts, and sponsoring up and comers, since 1975. Vintage posters around the club attest to past gigs by the heavyweights: Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, and a kid named Stevie Ray. 213 W. Fifth Street, 512-474-5314.

• Barton Springs Pool: Symbolic soul of the city, and ground zero for Austin’s development battles of the 1990s, this springs-fed pool is revered for its cooling waters (a steady 62 degrees year-round), indigenous salamanders, pioneer-era lineage and venerable pecan trees. About 33 million gallons of water bubble through here on any given day. Zilker Park, 512-476-9044.

• Central Market: A focal point for foodies and picnic-packers of all stripes, Central Market provides the quintessential Austin grocery experience: organic produce, gourmet takeout, piping-hot salsas, extensive bulk bins, fine wines, local microbrews, and jazz musicians on weekends.

• Downtown: Smart-growth initiatives and the late ‘90s high-tech boom helped transform downtown Austin from a sleepy, 9-5 business district, into a vibrant, mixed-use space. Restaurants cluster by the retrofitted Warehouse District on Fourth Street, and café culture percolates at Ruta Maya. Through March 24, the Austin Museum of Art-Downtown exhibits its musical side with Visualizing the Blues: Images of the American South 1862-1999.

• Eeyore's Birthday: Only in Austin would they celebrate spring with an outdoor blowout in honor of a donkey. Though Pooh's fictional pal was a sad-eyed fellow, even Eeyore would dig this gig, which brings countless Austinites out from their shells each year for drum circles, face painting, and tree climbing deluxe. Festivities commence April 27 in Pease Park.

• Film: The Tinseltown-Texas connection only grew stronger with the 2000 creation of Austin Studios, a six-hanger soundstage and film production facility on the grounds of the old airport. Homegrown filmmakers Richard Linklater (Slacker), Robert Rodriquez (Spy Kidz), and Mike Judge (King of the Hill) work there, and occasionally film around town. For cult classics served with pizza and beer, saddle up at the Alamo Draft House.

• Greenbelts: Joggers, cyclists, stroller-pushers, and more take advantage of Austin's well-developed network of green corridors. Shoal Creek Greenbelt skirts the west side, passing Pease Park's dog run and disc golf course, while Town Lake Trail parallels the river. Barton Creek Greenbelt runs southwest from Barton Springs, accessing the limestone cliffs of the Balcones Fault, a climber's delight.

• Hill Country: Desert and valley intersect west of the city in this region of undulating hills, sudden springs, and roadside fruit stands. Texas highways tempt with pleasures hidden just around the bend. Shop for Texana during Wimberley Market Days, climb dome-shaped Enchanted Rock for the views, float the Pedernales River or splash in Hamilton Pool for no other reason than just to get wet.

• Ice: Well, iced tea is more like it. Texans drink it by the pitcher, attempting to keep the heat at bay. If that fails, head for Amy’s Ice Cream, pleasing the masses in six locations around town. Of course, many Austinites choose the chilling effects of ice-cold beer; for a brewery tour and tasty Czech-style pilz, try the Live Oak Brewing Company, run by two self-professed beer geeks.

• Janis Joplin: She arrived from East Texas a generation ago with moppish hair and iron longs, predestined to stardom. By the time Janis Joplin left Austin, she'd planted herself squarely among its musical legends. Revisit her scene, and munch a killer chicken-fried stake at Threadgill's, the North Lamar roadhouse where Janis got her start.

• Kids: Plenty of options for entertaining the young ones: Forecast tornados and create recycled art at the Austin Children's Museum, ride the Zilker Zepher Miniature Train and chase dinosaur tracks in Zilker Park, go caving at Inner Space Cavern, or watch the Congress Avenue Bridge bats take flight at dusk.

• Lance Armstrong Foundation: More than a local hero, cyclist Lance Armstrong has become an icon: The thrice-defending Tour de France champion, who overcame cancer and throngs of doubters to reach the peak of his sport, continues to help others fight the disease. His Ride for the Roses Weekend, a fundraiser race held April 12-14 this year, raised over $1.5 million in 2001.

• Mexican Food: No Austin trip is complete without sampling its favorite cuisine. Weekend brunch means peoplewatching and heaps of migas at Las Manitas Avenue Café, while a hankering for multiple salsas can be cured at Curra’s Grill. Blow your budget (and love it) at elegant Fonda San Miguel, or kick back like President Bill Clinton did at venerable South Austin taqueria Guero’s.

• Nightlife: Austin’s barrage of bars, stages, and nightclubs is packed most densely downtown. Raucous Sixth Street is big with the Jenna Bush crowd, while Fourth Street caters to an older, more upscale clientele. Touring acts headline the Austin Music Hall and Stubbs BBQ, and punk lives on at Emo’s. Brewpubs serve their own suds and grub, and watering holes pepper the neighborhoods, providing local color, long necks, archival jukeboxes and fifty-cent pool games.

• O. Henry: William Henry Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, lived 13 years in Austin, and his 1886 Queen Anne Cottage now houses artifacts and memorabilia from this master of the American short story. Aspiring wordsmiths test their chops May 5 at the 25th annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships. (512) 472-1903

• Politics: Austin exudes politics, and its well-informed denizens love to debate. State legislators convene biennially at the ornate Texas State Capital (which, in true Texas form, stands seven feet taller than its federal counterpart in D.C.) For more tales from a big state, check the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, christened in April 2001.

• Quittin' Time: After-work happy hours flourish throughout town. It’s hippie hour when local fave Toni Price takes the stage Tuesday at the Continental Club in South Austin. Club DeVille on Red River squeezes fresh juice for patio-bound hipsters. The ancient jukebox and rooftop deck draw sunset lovers to Dry Creek Saloon, while epic views of Lake Travis make The Oasis a must-visit.

• Record Shops: The Live Music Capitol serves it up on wax, too. Sound Exchange (2100 Guadalupe, 476-2274) offers old-school punk, ska, soul, and indie rock, while Alien Records (1114 W. Fifth St, 477-3909) spins electronica. Tap into free in-store performances by major names (Lyle Lovett, Elliot Smith), and sample free keg microbrew at the big daddy, Waterloo Records. Pad your collection March 16-17 at the Austin Record Convention, where more than 300 dealers will gather for the largest vinyl sale in the country.

• South Austin: Bumper stickers proclaim it: "78704 - More than a Zip Code, A Way of Life". They view things differently south of the river, where Mexican dinners last for hours and yard art predominates. South Austinites are a mishmash of bubbas, Latinos, hippies, hipsters, artists, punks, and regular folks, who all know the merits of a block-wide porch party. The hopping South Congress corridor (SoCo) centers around the hip San Jose Motel Lounge.

• Traffic: Brace yourself. Austin's rapid growth has placed a tremendous stress on its infrastructure and roadways. Bypass the mess by bicycling, or hopping aboard one of Capital Metro’s five free ‘Dillo shuttle routes.
University of Texas: With 48,000+ college students, it’s hard to ignore UT, especially when Longhorn football is in town. Once-funky Guadalupe Street (“the Drag”) unfortunately has been reduced to a string of nondescript chain stores.

• Vaughan Brothers: Sadly lost in a 1990 helicopter crash, guitar great Stevie Ray was a musical ambassador of good will; his inspiriting statue stands along the south banks of Town Lake. Brother Jimmie’s impressive portfolio was bolstered last February with a Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy for Do You Get The Blues?

• Whitman, Charles: Austin’s day of tragedy struck August 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman, an ex-Marine with a brain tumor, shot up the campus from the UT Tower observation deck, mortally wounding sixteen before getting gunned down by police. The Texas Tower Sniper shattered Austin's innocence, and portended America's wave of one-man massacres. In 1999, after a 25-year absence, the observation deck was reopened to the public. Texas Tower: 877-475-6633.

• X-Treme Austin: Thrillseekers take your pick: Plunge in a tandem dive from 10,000 feet at Skydive San Marcos (512-346-2214); polish (or acquire) your rock-climbing skills at Austin Rock Gym; windsurf Lake Travis; or tackle the 4.5-mile technical bike track at Emma Long Metropolitan Park.

• Yoga: Try Yoga Yoga for kundalini and hatha styles, Yoga Vida for the heated Bikram method, Rolling Hills Yoga for prenatal and postpartum yoga, and Austin Yoga School for belly dancing.

• Zilker Park: A 347-acre, mixed-use oasis along the south banks of Town Lake, Zilker Park is Austin’s prime recreation area, and a jewel of a park in its own right. Multicultural crowds partake in its offerings: languid canoeing, bruising soccer leagues, family barbeques, and aimless wanderings through Zilker Botanical Gardens. Finish your day like a true Austinite, with a rejuvenating splash into Barton Springs.

– Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.

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