Thursday, March 11, 2010

SXSW Tips: Add These Crucial Numbers To Your Address Book

Just in case, I recommend adding the following numbers to your mobile phone’s address book.

The SXSW Headquarters line is (512) 467-7979.

I’d also enter in the phone number to your hotel’s front desk.

Don’t forget to add in entries for airline customer support if you’re flying in:

• Alaska Airlines: 1-800-252-7522
• American Airlines: 1-800-433-7300
• Continental Airlines: 1-800-523-3273
• Delta Air Lines: 1-800-221-1212
• Frontier Airlines: 1-800-432-1359
• JetBlue Airways: 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583)
• Southwest Airlines: 1-800-435-9792
• United Airlines: 1-800-241-6522
• US Airways: 1-800-428-4322

I would also add a few Austin taxi companies into your phone:

• Yellow Cab: (512) 452-9999
• Austin Cab: (512) 478-2222
• Lone Star Cab: (512) 836-4900

In Austin, I’ve had bad luck trying to hail a cab from the street, so calling ahead is always, always recommended.

And in the rare instance that you want to call 411, use Google’s free 411 service, at (800) 466-4411.

SXSW Tips: PSA on iPhone Sounds: Please turn them off!

Imagine a conference room full of people trying to listen to a panel with a quiet speaker. A touching story about life at Fray Cafe. A quiet acoustic performance in the back room of the Red Eyed Fly. And the person next to you is thumbing out an email and you can hear them typing every single character.

Click. Click. Click, click, click. Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, whoosh.

Please turn off any extraneous notification sounds and keyboard clicks, or you’ll drive everyone around you insane from hearing those little iPhone typing sounds or an SMS notification wind chime.

In short: don’t be that guy.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

SXSW Tips: Dress in Layers

Austin weather in March? Fickle, fickle, fickle! Dress in layers.

Bring a light jacket or sweatshirt, because SXSW can get quite chilly at night, and the Convention Center is highly air conditioned as are the movie theatres! But many of the restaurants and bars have outdoor space.You’ll need to be prepared for multiple types of environments. Multiple t-shirts, tank tops, and a sweatshirt on top usually work well for me.

Austin spring is very unpredictable. It might be hot and humid the whole time you’re there, or it might be overcast and drizzling. Sometimes SXSW is gorgeous and warm, sometimes SXSW is plagued by chilly nights, and sometimes there are sudden thunderstorms!

Dress code tends towards the casual but hip (and painfully hip once SXSW Music starts). Pack accordingly.

SXSW Tips: Need a Pharmacy? Got Allergies?

If you’re in need of medication or other medical items (like *cough* a hangover cure), there is a CVS located downtown, but the pharmacy does not stay open very late on weekends. Add this to your address book, in case you need it! Also note: It’s springtime in Austin, and that means allergies, thanks to ragweed.

Here’s the pharmacy info:
CVS
500 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 478-1091

Store Hours
Mo-Fr: 08:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sa:  08:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Su:  08:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Pharmacy Hours
Mo-Fr: 08:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Sa:  08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Su:  10:00 AM - 05:00 PM

PS Now might be a good time to refill any prescriptions you need during the fest. 

Where to Eat Downtown During SXSW 2010

A guide for the car-less, created by the authors of sxswbaby.com. You’re hungry, you don’t have a car, and you have a short time to find some food in between commitments in downtown Austin. (Unlike some other interactive and web conferences, meals are not provided by conference organizers.)

So where to eat? I’ve pulled together a list of spots for your perusal. The focus here is listing mostly restaurants that:

1. are close to 6th Street, Red River, and the Convention Center
2. don’t require a car (cabs are unreliable and in extremely short supply during SXSW; if you even have a rental car, finding parking downtown can be a hassle; and even if you have a bike, your friends may not)
3. inexpensive and casual, or are of good value
4. fast-ish (to a relative degree)
5. not national chains like IHOP or PF Chang’s

Sidebar: I highly recommend eating at off hours. Eating during SXSW can make you crazy. By the time you figure out where your friends are, what they want to do, how sober they are, and gather up the troops to get lunch or dinner, you end up walking into a restaurant with a huge party and get quoted a wait time of 1-2 hours. Go as soon as the last panel ends, especially during SXSW Interactive. It doesn’t matter if you can’t gather everybody up. Just go!

Additionally, I’ve made a Google Map of all of these spots. I’ve also created a short URL for my map on bit.ly. Just enter in http://bit.ly/sxsweats. To access on your iPhone, simply add my map to your My Maps listing in Google, and then sign in from your iPhone on mymapsmobile.com. Or use the iPhone application My Maps to view. I’ve also added operating hours, when I could find them, but some eateries may extend operating hours during SXSW. When in doubt, call ahead. (Yelp/Citysearch/etc. lie. They can’t keep up with restauranteur’s complicated lives, so operating hours are often out of date).

Continue reading "Where to Eat Downtown During SXSW 2010"...

Ode to the Breakfast Taco

Austin is a breakfast taco town: eggs, cheese, maybe some bacon or chorizo or potatoes, in a tortilla. Simple, fast, tasty, and cheap! You can eat it on the go. Hearty, and filling, I try to eat as many breakfast tacos as I can while I’m in Austin. But not all in one sitting, of course. The New York Times also recently published a piece on the mighty breakfast taco.

For quick and easy tacos near the Convention Center, there’s a Taco Shack located in the Frost building (402 Brazos, at 4th Street). It’s a fast food restaurant without table service, but it’s quite convenient. But they cater to the weekday breakfast and lunch crowds, so if you sleep in, you’ll miss out. Monday through Friday they’re open 6:30AM to 2:30PM, and on Saturday, they’re open 7AM to 1PM. And they are closed on Sundays.

Many coffee shops around town also get breakfast tacos delivered in the morning and keep them warm in a steam table for your enjoyment. I’ve definitely grabbed some breakfast tacos to go from the Hideout (617 Congress Avenue, at 7th). I’ve also read that they are available at Downtown Jo’s (242 West 2nd, between Colorado and Lavaca), Progress Coffee (500 San Marcos St at 5th), El Chilito Dos (918 Congress Ave, at 9th), and El Sol y La Luna (600 East 6th, at Red River). Unfortunately, one of my favorite breakfast taco joints downtown, Las Manitas, closed.

And if you have a fever for breakfast tacos in Austin, check out Taco Journalism’s list of the best breakfast tacos in town (will require a ride to get out of downtown Austin).

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Credit card numbers swiped from Magnolia Cafe during SXSW

If you dined at the Magnolia Cafe during SXSW (or perhaps got your nails done), you might want to check your credit card statement for unexpected charges. Police say someone nicked a bunch of receipts bearing full credit card numbers from the popular South Congress eatery.

Zavala ... admitted to taking receipts from Magnolia Cafe on South Congress Avenue and from CT Nail Salon at 3800 North Lamar Boulevard, the affidavit says. The receipts included the full 16-digit credit card numbers.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Austin weather forecast: pack layers

Showers and cool temps are in the forecast for the kickoff of SXSWeek, so pack accordingly. Austin area weather is notoriously capricious this time of year, so we recommend dressing in layers, toting a lightweight parka or jacket and definitely a robust umbrella (some of the rains that arise suddenly come with pretty harsh wind bursts).

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Sixth Street fires ruled accidental

A pair of fires on Austin’s historic Sixth Street yesterday have been deemed accidental by authorities, the Austin American-Statesman reports:

The fire at the Blind Pig Pub started when someone discarded a cigarette in a space on a back stairway, setting a plywood-type material on fire, [Chief fire investigator Greg] Nye said. Next to the space, a storage area filled with cups, rags and other flammable materials helped fuel the fire, he said.

The Vice fire started from malfunctioning wiring in an air-conditioning unit, he said.

Maggie Mae’s lower level and Vice—both SXSW Music venues—re-opened for business Friday night. Management hopes to have the upper level of Maggie Mae’s repaired in time for the start of SXSW. No word on when the Blind Pig might re-open.

Earlier: Early morning fires damage SXSW Sixth Street venues

Friday, February 6, 2009

The “notels” of South Congress (and beyond)

Baby! pal Jessica has posted a great Flickr set of photos of signs belonging to “notel"-motels along South Congress and elsewhere in Austin. Included are SXSW-time faves such as the Austin Motel (also known as the “penis motel”, thanks to its...er, distinctive sign) and the hip Hotel San Jose.

Early morning fires damage SXSW Sixth Street venues

Two early morning fires on Austin’s Sixth Street—home to many bars, clubs and restaurants—caused extensive damage to a couple of SXSW Music venues. The Austin American-Statesman reports:

Crews arrived at the first fire about 5:30 a.m. to find the Blind Pig Pub, Maggie Mae’s and the Black Cat tattoo parlor all engulfed in flames.

A second fire started across the street at the Vice Dance Club, 300 E. Sixth St., Battalion Chief Harry Evans said. That fire started while crews were working the first blaze, Evans said.

Maggie Mae’s sustained smoke and water damage, and other reports indicate the bar’s popular rooftop bar was destroyed. The third level of Vice was engulfed in fire and its second level had water damage.

Official are still investigating the cause of the fires, although Austinist reports that an air conditioning unit at Vice may have been the source of the second fire. The Statesman quotes a Sixth Street business official saying the entertainment district would be open for business tonight, and Roland Swenson, SXSW managing director, saying that SXSW will work with club owners to find alternate spaces for bands during the Music festival if Vice and Maggie Mae’s cannot be used.

See video of the post-fire cleanup along Sixth Street, thanks to Austin’s NBC affiliate KXAN-TV, after the break.

Continue reading "Early morning fires damage SXSW Sixth Street venues"...

Monday, October 27, 2008

Now that’s a party!

Anyone who has attended SXSW in the past knows what the Austin Chronicle has now affirmed in print: SXSW is the Best Party of the Year.

It’s the biggest industry party in the world. Cutting-edge multimedia technology and focus on the newest developments in the video-game industry? Mm-hmm. The best and brightest filmmakers, plus all aspects of the art and business of indie filmmaking? Oh yeah. Panels people talk about for years and music so cool you won’t hear about it until next month? You’d better believe it. And who else would deliver all this over 10 days? South by Southwest. You love it. For more than 20 years now.

Check out some of the Chronicle’s other picks for superlative Austin experiences; they’ll come in handy when you hit the ground this March.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Welcome to Austin! What’ll you have?

From the Not-Particularly-Shocking-News Department: Austin, Texas leads the nation in drinking, at least according to a study by the CDC.

Austin, Texas, is famous for its parties. People flock from around the world to attend events like the annual South by Southwest film and music festival. And when they get there, chances are they make like the locals and throw back a few cold ones—because Austin may be the hardest-drinking city in America.

Austin ranks high for its drinking habits across the board. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, 61.5% of adult residents say they have had at least one drink of alcohol within the past 30 days, and a staggering 20.6% of respondents confess to binge drinking, or having five or more drinks on one occasion.

Now, we’re not keen on promoting unhealthy or reckless behavior, but if you’re in town for SXSW 2009, order an extra Shiner or two and enjoy them responsibly. You’ll be doing your part to keep Austin on top.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Austin C&VB launches new visitor site

Our pals at Austinist tipped us to a new website for visitors to Austin from the Convention & Visitors Bureau. A lot of the info might be old hat to regular readers of the Baby (and the section about SXSW is...um, a bit spare), but there’s still plenty to discover.

For example, here’s a neat interactive map of Austin, with clickable overlays for amenities such as hiking and bike trails, parking, shopping, Dillo routes and more.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

South Austin restaurant will change name after SXSW sues

After a lawsuit by SXSW Inc. last week, a soon-to-open South Austin restaurant and performance venue will be changing its name from the planned “South by South First”.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that in a request for a temporary injunction on using the name, the festival and conference producer contended that the similarity of the name might “cause confusion with, or ... dilute the distinctive quality of South by Southwest’s marks.”

The owners of the new seafood and steak house have not announced a new moniker.