It's About the Journey

Month: April 2014

Get Your Grove On

Unplugged at the Grove.  It’s quintessential Austin and kicks off each spring and runs through the fall on Thursday evenings.  A legendary combination of social scene and live music.

The crowd represents eclectic Austin at its best.   Families inhabit the grass, the professional crowd settle into the chairs by the stage, and the Unplugged regulars hold court at the bar.   The bands are a Who’s Who of Austin music and would normally garner a line and a cover charge.  The 2014 season kicked off with What Made Milwaukee Famous.

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Austin is an outdoor city and a music city – so it’s no surprise that we try to combine the two as often as possible.  KGSR and Shady Grove pull it all together in a way that reflects so many things that make Austin a special place.   So if it’s Thursday and you are looking for your friends, chances are you’ll meet them at the Grove.

A Tourist at Home

When I first moved to Austin I was young and it was a different town.   As the city and I have grown – we don’t always see each other as often as I’d like.  Sure, I make it pretty regularly to Town….I mean “Lady Bird”…..Lake.   And I still make the live music rounds when time permits, but Austin is the poster child for the FOMO syndrome.  So many places, so little time.

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When I’m feeling a little out of touch – there are a couple stand-by itineraries that I pull out of the bag to reconnect myself.   One of those touchstone places would most certainly be an afternoon on South Congress.  It’s sums up so much of Austin – both old and new – within a couple miles of road.

Old standby restaurants like Guero’s hold court next to the hotspots like Hopdoddy and both compete with the new trailer sensations.  Austin music venues have come and gone, but Continental Club connects Austin past and present.  So, whether you’ve lived in Austin since Willie had red hair, just moved here, or are merely passing through – give “SoCo” a bit of your time and you’re bound to walk away smiling.

Post Script – I realized as I was publishing this that I just wrote about a couple places in SoCo earlier this year.  I really do go to other parts of town, I promise.  Next time, I’ll talk about Rainey, East Sixth, North Loop, or one of the many other great places around town.

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