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Austin Travel Guide

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Kicking Back With BBQ And Music In The Austin Air At Tim's Porch

October 26, 2009 at 9:23 AM | by kellycrabb | 0 Comments

Last night, we kicked up our feet and drank a cold brew, nestled among aged oak trees at Austin, Texas’s newly renovated music venue, Tim’s Porch. We enjoyed the rockin’ bluesy sounds of John Gaar and Malford Milligan at the recently modified site, formerly known as the “Backyard” amphitheatre. The audience, an undoubtedly Austin-esque conglomeration of colorful characters, ranged from to crazy college kids to hippies in their sixties.

The Show:
John Gaar, originally from Louisiana, unleashed his soulful flair for strumming the guitar during the concert, a spicy compliment to Austinite, Malford Milligan’s Al Green-like sound and style. The collaboration was both entertaining and soothing. Everyone rocked out, including a 4-year old girl who burned up the dance floor all night. With multiple decks of comfortable, intimate seating and ample parking, Jaunted gives Tim’s Porch a thumbs up.

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Austin City Limits Brings Jaunted Into Contact With Andy Roddick

October 6, 2009 at 2:56 PM | by kellycrabb | 2 Comments

Enjoying a little Texas time, Andy Roddick and girlfriend Brooklyn Decker make their way through the crowd during John Legend’s performance at the Austin City Limits music festival this last weekend, along with ourselves. Let’s hope that when they passed by us, that were moseying up to the front row and not just elbowing their way around.

During the festival, Austin was apparently crawling with such celebs, including Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan (before she jetted to Paris for her debut as a designer for the Ungaro fashion house) and Matthew McConaughey, who usually always attends. It’s no surprise with a phenomenal festival lineup including Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, The Toadies, Citizen Cope, Dave Matthews and Ghostland Observatory, that we would bump into at least one bold-faced name.

Related Stories:
· Celeb Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

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Austin Boasts Another Big Festival Besides SXSW: Austin City Limits

September 18, 2009 at 11:22 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

In case you missed the memo, somehow the summer season is officially over. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to listen to live music well into the fall. Austin City Limits Music Festival is just around the corner, and it’s time to make plans to take in this year’s events in person from Zilker Park. This year you can even bring in your little rock stars; children 10 and under get in free with their mom or dad, and they’ll love the special programs at Austin Kiddie Limits—cute.

Things run from October 2 through 4, and there’s plenty of bands to keep your interest. The big ones this year are Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, and Pearl Jam. If these acts are a little too mainstream, don’t worry, as there are plenty of up and coming stars that plan to hit the stage each day. At this time, the votes are still being tallied for The Sound And The Journey contest, where a lucky band will get to take the stage to wow fans, and hopefully, record producers.

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Skip 'Bandslam' in Theaters, But Not The Real Austin Music Scene

August 21, 2009 at 1:14 PM | by cmb | 0 Comments

Bandslam, starring High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens, has very little to offer anyone over fifteen. The movie is about an the oddball teenager (Hudgens) who develops a crush on the new kid in town (played by Gaelen Connell) when he is recruited to help a popular cheerleader create a band for a local "battle of the bands" competition. It's not exactly this generation's Breakfast Club, but it does have two redeeming qualities, a cameo by David Bowie and a kick ass location, Austin, TX. Here's how to explore the musical side of Austian, Bandslam-inspired or not:

What to Do:
Austin considers itself the music capital of the world for its over 200 live music venues and more than 1,900 musicians who call the city home. Two of the best places to see live music in Austin are Emo’s Alternative Lounge and Antone's.

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Scream For Ice Cream At Austin's Scoop Fest

August 14, 2009 at 3:04 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

If you weren’t paying attention earlier this year and missed out on the party in Beantown, you’ve got a second chance to totally pig out on the sweet treat that is ice cream. This Saturday, Austin hosts its third annual Austin Ice Cream Festival. Of course there’ll be loads of ice cream to eat, but as the festival celebrates its third scoop, there’s much more than just gluttony to keep everyone entertained.

Yes, there will be an ice cream eating contest, but it’s only available to the first 30 people that sign up on the day of the festival—so get there early. We’re wimps and can’t stand the thought of a solid hour of brain freeze, so we’ll probably bust out our elementary school arts and crafts skills at the Popsicle Stick Sculpture Contest. It’s free to enter and there are pretty much no rules, just no pre-notched sticks, so make whatever you want to impress the judges.

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Texas To Welcome The State's First Ever Guy Stuff Festival

August 7, 2009 at 10:34 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

Folks in the Lonestar State are hoping that their latest idea is the start of something big. Organizers are set to open the doors to the first ever Texas Testosterone Festival in just over a week and their mantra is "grow a pair," which sounds like success (we kid).

Located within the Palmer Events Center in Austin, it’s a exhibition of all things manly. There’ll be talk of sports, hunting, fighting, and of course one or two pretty ladies wandering around.

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Nothing Reminds Us More Of Austin Than 'Aerial Dance Troupe'

Where: 300 E. 8th St. [map], Austin, TX, United States, 78701
June 18, 2009 at 8:52 AM | by BS | 0 Comments

Austin is a town celebrated for its eccentricity, where everything seems to have an alternate flavor, and so you can probably guess that their favorite local dance troupe isn’t your run-of-the-mill ballet company.

Well if weird is what you want, this weekend’s performance from Austin’s Blue Lapis Light dance company shouldn’t disappoint. The show, Impermanence, is semi modern dance meets cirque de soleil meets parkour, and involves dancers who are hooked up to aerial harnesses, allowing them to fly through the air and leap all around the 150-foot tall J.J. Pickle Federal Building in Austin’s financial district.

The dance performance, or circus, or whatever it is, runs this Thursday to Sunday, and costs $20—but the final performance, on Sunday, is a pay-what-you-can show to let everyone have a bit of the unusual fun.

Related Stories:
· Blue Lapis Light [Official Site]
· Preview: Blue Lapis Light's Impermanence at JJ Pickle Fed Building [Austinist]
· Austin travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Blue Lapis Light]

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Hook 'Em Rings: Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker Will Get Hitched in Austin

April 14, 2009 at 5:50 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World (TM) is having a sort of banner year already. Last month's South by Southwest festival was a huge success judging by the fact that so many folks were Twittering, texting and emailing on their iPhones that AT&T experienced a network outage.

Now there are reports that pretty young things Andy Roddick (26) and his fiancee/Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker (21) are getting married in Austin this weekend. Turns out tennis ace Andy lived in the city from the ages of four to 10.

We don't have the detes on where they are tying the knot (it will be small, just "friends and family") but if they aren't getting married at a private estate we're betting the Four Seasons Austin would be a great place for a reception. The popular Driskill Hotel would also be a fun place to send out of town guests but rooms are a steep $376 a night. We hope Andy and Brooklyn were able to get a nice group discount.

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New Car2go Service Gives You a Car Whenever You Need It

April 7, 2009 at 9:58 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

Another car sharing program is getting into the game, and they’re starting their plan for world domination in Austin. Even though everything is bigger in Texas, this service is going to deploy about 200 Smart Fortwos onto city streets, which are certainly little guys. After a test run in Ulm, Germany—mostly with friends and family—Daimler’s new car2go service starts testing things out here in the states. Too bad SXSW is already over.

Of course everyone will immediately compare this new kid on the block to ZipCar. However, company officials insist that the car2go service is different. Instead of making a reservation, members are free just to pick up any Smartcar that they see and take it for a spin. There’s no need to decide how long you’ll need the car for, so there’s no overage fees or other penalties. Just walk up to the car and you’ll be able to see if it’s available. If it’s not, just look at the screen on the back, and it will reveal the nearest available car.

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Surviving SXSW, One Twitter At A Time

March 20, 2009 at 9:15 AM | by shiralazar | 0 Comments

While the economy is plunging right before our eyes, Austin Texas is enjoying a crack of light until March 22nd, thanks to its yearly South by Southwest Festival. Some people may know of the fest for its founding music conference or film, but being lovers of the online world we opted to attend the interactive section, which surprisingly had 20% more attendees this year. That’s either because:

1) Everyone is unemployed, has a flexible schedule and need to network to get a job. And/or

2) We’re going through a webolution, where social media and the web is no longer just for the nerds and geeks! Even the regular entrepreneurial folk are seeing the opportunity to jump on the dotcom wagon.

With that in mind, we couldn’t help but use our own social networking tools and gadgets to navigate Austin and the fest. Here’s a useful SXSW travel guide that we learnt on the road and through our twitter tipsters:

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JetBlue Totally Down With The New Technology The Kids Are Using

March 13, 2009 at 1:08 PM | by egw | 1 Comment

In the arms race that is airlines' push to win the hearts of the Twitter-using message, JetBlue just took a giant leap forward. Digg founder Kevin Rose reported on his Twitter feed that on his flight into the home of SXSW yesterday, attendants suggested on the ground that the passengers tweet their arrival.

We do always like to toss up a jaunty "Wheels up!" or "Wheels down" on our trips. According to JetBlue's Twitter page, the flight attendant who mentioned Twitter even has her own page -- and oh, the tales she can probably tell.

What do you think is the airline that is using Twitter the best so far? Giddy star-studded Virgin America? Chummy Southwest? Someone else? Let us know.

Related Stories:
· JetBlue Now Partying Like Virgin America [Jaunted]
· JetBlue Throwing A One-Day Sample Sale... On Airfare [Jaunted]
· Twitter coverage [Jaunted]

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SXSW Survival In Three Easy Steps

Where: Austin, TX
March 12, 2009 at 8:44 AM | by egw | 0 Comments

Whether you're catching some panels for work in the interactive segment, staying up all night to hear your favorite bands or hoping to give Jason Segel a hug at the premiere of "I Love You Man," Austin's South by Southwest can sure take the wind out of even the most ardent traveler. That's why we've boiled our SXSW tips down to three easy lessons -- plus, you only need three chords to make a good rock song.

Hydrate or die trying. The Porta-Pottis are scary but so are IVs. The local BBQ may be delicious, but it's not going to help you keep all that water in. And no, beer does not count towards your daily quota of water. Alternate drinks with water during the day; you can stop at night if you feel self-conscious.

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