About Austin
Austin Overview
Austin is a city full of music and full of great people. It's a laid-back, bohemian college town that's melded with the high-tech world to create a funky, smart community. It's a terrific place to party, it's a very affordable place to visit, and you'll be welcomed with open arms by a group of folks who want you to make Austin your home away from home.
But don't just take our word for it. The following sites can provide you with more information about Austin:
- Austin Chronicle—This weekly publication includes features stories about the Austin political and social scene as well as listings for live music, theater, and other local events.
- Austin 360—Another excellent guide to local events and activities, this Web site is created in conjunction with the local daily newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman. Check out the Statesman's entertainment section, featuring articles by our own Omar.
- About.com: Visiting Austin—This page categorizes things to do in Austin and provides lists of links. Also includes a photo gallery. Watch out, though, this site is ad-a-rific.
- Austin Citysearch—Standard Citysearch site describes Austin restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and so on.
- independent austin—A different, alternative look at what's going on in this town.
- Austin City Connection—The official site of the City of Austin contains details about the airport, local parks, and city departments.
- Pictures of Austin—This Web page captures some of the most typical scenes of Austin, such as Leslie the cross-dressing mayoral candidate, Mt. Bonnell, and the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. Beware of pop-ups.
- Texas State History Museum—Want to learn more about Texas? Here's a great resource.
Top Ten Reasons We're Glad JournalCon 2003 Will Be in Austin:
10. A kickass Austin journalling community, along with many other local folks who keep weblogs or personal Web pages. We're ready to show you the best places downtown for live music, hot coffee, cold beer, and other diversions.
9. Central Texas doesn't mean only Austin. Remember, we're driving distance for journallers living in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.
8. Tons of cool coffee spots downtown, including Little City, Ruta Maya, Jo's, Halcyon, The Hideout, and Spider House. (Yes, there's a Starbucks too, but we were thinking locally.) For you non-coffee drinkers, Jamba Juice is also downtown.
7. We love our food here, as you can tell by the number of downtown restaurants, including traditional Tex-Mex, Central American, sushi, seafood, authentic Mexican food, vegetarian, and vegan. Most important, we have lots and lots of barbecue, be it brisket or tofu. You can sample some of the city's best cuisine—Salt Lick BBQ, Amy's Ice Cream, and Matt's El Rancho—without leaving the airport.
6. Some of those coffeehouses and restaurants have wireless Internet access. We're hoping to get you as much access as possible for JournalCon, so bring your laptop and you'll have no excuses for not updating.
5. There's a reason why Austin has been billed as the live music capital of the world. Whatever your favorite style of music, you're likely to find it downtown when you visit for JournalCon.
4. Having you visit us will help Keep Austin Weird.
3. We've got a nightlife you can't shake a stick at, but can shake your ass to.
2. Shiner Beer. Need we elaborate?
1. The economy here sucks, so if you vote for Austin, Omar can't give you a dollar. On the other hand, we should be able to find you some of the most affordable fun around.