delivery

there’s a lot of great places to go out to eat in Austin, many of which have been mentioned in

Bike Rentals

I contend that Austin is relatively bike friendly – it’s generally nice out, there’

Hippie Hollow

By special request, here are the directions to Hippie Hollow from the hotel (the only clothing optio

 

delivery

November 15, 2011 in Food Stuff

there’s a lot of great places to go out to eat in Austin, many of which have been mentioned in previous posts. but perhaps you’ve spent all day in a workshop or sessions, and the idea of exerting the thought necessary to navigate outside your hotel room seems overly daunting.

fortunately, Austin has a lot of great delivery options. unfortunately, some of these services charge substantial delivery fees.

the Hyatt is in the service areas of:

Dine On Demand, which offers delivery from restaurants like Clay Pit (Indian food), Boomerangs (Australian meat pies), and Artz Rib House. Delivery fees start at $6.95.

Eat Out In, which delivers from restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, Chuy’s (best fajitas ever), The County Line, and Galaxy Cafe. It requires a $10 minimum order, and charges a delivery fee of 15% (a minimum of $6.95).

Timing can be a plus or a minus with these–you can specify what time you want the delivery if you want to plan in advance, but for each of these, delivery stops at 10 pm (10:30 for Dine on Demand on Fridays and Saturdays), so this does nothing for midnight pad thai cravings. For that, you need something like

Longhorn Delivery, whose restaurants include Fricano’s Deli, Ruby’s BBQ, Rasta Pasta, and Ken’s Donuts. Restaurant hours vary, but Thai Passion, for one, is available until 11:59pm (not quite midnight, but generally close enough). There’s a $10 minimum, but only a $3.49 delivery charge.

Or you can order directly from a restaurant, like Hoboken Pie (minimum $15 purchase; $4 delivery fee, but: delivery until 2:15 am! and some of my favorite pizza in Austin) or Mama Fu’s ($20 minimum, “market-based” delivery fee).

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Bike Rentals

November 15, 2011 in Transportation

I contend that Austin is relatively bike friendly – it’s generally nice out, there’s some bike lanes and the drivers mostly share the road. There are hills, it’s true, but they are mostly short, and pretty much all the buses (which are cheap and good) have bike racks in case you’re really tired.

Unfortunately, the city of Lance Armstrong lacks the civility of having a reasonably priced/free bike borrow program which is a real bummer. So pretty much the cheapest bike that I’ve found in town are the ones at Austin Bike Tours & Rentals, for $19.95 per day. If that’s a bit too expensive, never worry, the town is home to an affordable and stalwart bus system, and the hotel, as you well know, is in walking distance to much of what you would want to see.

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Hippie Hollow

November 13, 2011 in Things to Do

By special request, here are the directions to Hippie Hollow from the hotel (the only clothing optional public park in Texas).  Hippie Hollow is located on beautiful Lake Travis and is about a 30-35 minute drive if you have a car.  It is also a great place to go birdwatching because it is home to many endangered species.

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Burgers/Fries/Shakes at Hopdoddy

November 13, 2011 in Food Stuff

 

I’ll keep it brief. Hopdoddy has a good, possibly great burger. They have good fries. Good shakes. It is close to the hotel. Eat it.

(Veggie note: I’ve heard differing views regarding the tastiness/blandness of their veggie patty.)

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East Side Kings

November 13, 2011 in Food Stuff

You’re drunk. Congratulations! Let’s get some food. Look at this picture: How does pork belly in buns, some beet fries and some delicious, delicious deep fried chicken thighs in Thai dressings sound? But what am I saying; everything I have sampled at the trailers known as East Side Kings has been terrific. There are three different locations, each with mostly different menus, and I’ll heartily recommend all three. The nice thing is that all three locations are all pretty close to each other on east 6th street, within the lairs of some charming dive or another, so it’s really down to whether you would like some Chicken Skin buns, a grilled romaine heart salad or some eel filled (Unagi) buns. Some of the best drunk food I’ve had, by far! (I’m a big fan of the Tongue buns and Thai chicken at the Liberty Bar location.)

Obvious: You needn’t be drunk to enjoy this food.

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Barbecue: Texas Style

November 12, 2011 in Food Stuff, Slideshow

You’re visiting Texas and if you eat meat, then you probably are asking what are the best barbecue places in Austin.

Here are some places relatively close (15-20 min. walk) to the hotel:

Iron Works BBQ is housed in what was originally an ornamental Iron Work shop and is registered on the State Historical Commission’s list of historic sites.

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue is newer to the barbecue scene in Austin, but it is turning into a downtown favorite. The Austin Chronicle says, “The “fancy barbecue” menu based on top-quality natural meats, a festive party atmosphere in the bar, and an eclectic live music lineup are proving to be a very inviting combination in the attractive new/old spot. Make no mistake, Lamberts is not the place for a hushed, sedate, fine dining experience, nor does it pretend to be. It’s noisy, and it’s fun, and that’s just the way the crowd likes it.”

Green Mesquite BBQ

Stubb’s BBQ is about a 30 minute walk so you could always split a cab.   There is live music every night at Stubb’s.

For the more adventurous (car recommended):

I’m sure many of you have heard of The Salt Lick which is located outside of Austin. What makes this barbecue so great is the sauce.  If you have the luxury of a car or know someone with one, I highly recommend the trip. You’ll get to see the beautiful Texas Hill Country along with the chance to enjoy some great barbecue. You could eat in the airport, but it just isn’t the same. (Although their breakfast tacos are pretty good.)

My personal favorite:

Ruby’s is located on Guadalupe and 29th street across from Toy Joy. You can take the 1L or 1M bus or a cab. See this blog entry.  Many of the dishes are cajun inspired, and they have amazing peach cobbler! There are also some great vegetarian options. And just as an FYI, I love this place so much I had them cater the rehearsal dinner for my wedding.

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save, spend, repeat

November 11, 2011 in Food Stuff, Things to Do

If you’re not blessed with a well-padded expense account, it might occur to you to wonder how on earth to afford all the deliciousness that you should scarf down while in Austin. Some places are inherently cheap, like Taqueria Los Jaliscienses for breakfast (3 breakfast tacos for under $3).

Sometimes it’s worth taking the effort to seek out special deals, though. If you’re not up to subscribing yourself to a dozen different sites just for one week of living in Austin, consider checking out Austin on the Cheap, an aggregator of local deals, and Free Fun in Austin, which highlights free events and activities (though targeted toward families, many of the listed events are of the all-ages variety). Scoutmob offers weekly deals of 50% off a selected restaurant–free, and sendable to your mobile device. This week’s offer is for Lee’s Hurricane Party, a cajun food truck near the UT campus.

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More Downtown Coffee

November 10, 2011 in Food Stuff

A previous post extolled the virtues of some of downtown’s fine coffee establishments; here’s some more.

Now, if you can’t leave the Paramount Theater for coffee, don’t despair – the theater serves black gold straight from Austin stalwart and Alfred Peet protégé Andersons Coffee. That being said, we have several good roasters in Austin, and one local roaster that a lot of establishments are praising is Cuvee Coffee. I’m a fan as well. So if you see those blue bags, it’s certainly worth a taste.

My introduction to them came from Cafe Medici (on 2nd and Congress, and elsewhere), who have their own Cuvee blend made for their espresso, which is on the fruitier side of things, very good in a macchiato.

Right across the street from Medici is a small coffee truck named Patika, which also serves Cuvee, though different beans – also heartily recommended.

Finally, if the cortado above looks delicious, drop by previously mentioned tasty meat-stop Frank, which serves up beans from Chicago’s Intelligentsia and LA’s Handsome Coffee.

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Why not kayak?

November 10, 2011 in Uncategorized

There are so many ways to take advantage of Lady Bird Lake, but if you have an extra day (or a few spare hours) in Austin, try doing it by kayak. The Rowing Dock has safe, easy-to-use kayaks, paddle boats and stand up paddle boards available to rent by the hour, and the staff will get you set up and help you route a scenic tour of the city. There are also options for group rental, if you want to get your whole trivia team out there on the water! It’s a great way to enjoy a city that’s still warm and sunny in November.

The Rowing Dock is open 7am – 7pm year round. They charge by the hour, $10/hr for a single boat $15/hr for a double, cash or check only. For more information vistit www.rowingdock.com/boat-rentals or talk to the hotel concierge.

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Taking the Bus from the Airport to Downtown

November 9, 2011 in Uncategorized

From the airport to the hotel

Cab fare, including tip, from the airport to the Hyatt Regency, should be about $40.

There is also a bus, the “100 Airport Flyer” that runs roughly every 45 minutes and stops at the lower level of the airport. It’s about a 20 minute trip to downtown. The main downtown stop for this bus is at 6th and Brazos. Brazos runs north/south and is one street east of (and parallel to) Congress Avenue. Watch for Trinity, then San Jacinto streets. Brazos is the next stop. From 6th and Brazos, you can walk one more block west to Congress Avenue, then turn left (headed south) and it’s six blocks to Lady Bird Lake. Cross the Congress Avenue Bridge and it’s another block to Barton Springs Blvd. Turn at the Bat sculpture (We love our bat colony) and you’ll find the Hyatt Regency is nearby. From 6th and Brazos to the hotel is roughly 3/4 mile. Cost is $1.

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