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Help us decide on an Austin neighborhood for the month of December

Help us decide on an Austin neighborhood for the month of December

Old Nov 6th, 2010, 09:50 AM
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Help us decide on an Austin neighborhood for the month of December

We are considering driving down to Austin Texas from where we are currently house sitting in Seattle right after Thanksgiving. Hopefully the weather along the route will still be okay and we will be able to make the trip. Our hope is to sublet a place maybe off of VRBO for around a month from December 1 til early January. I know that won't necessarily be the best time of year in Austin, but it is likely to at least be clearer than Seattle and it will put us further south again which we need in order to drive back to Los Angeles in mid-Janaury.

I am hoping to get some input here about neighborhoods we should consider looking to rent in. Since we will have a car we do not want to stay in a more hotel/downtown areas-but rather in some nice neighborhood . Ideally it would be great to stay in a place where we can walk to restaurants, coffee shops etc.versus a further out sleepy bedroom suburban area.

We are a couple in our mid-50's, like good food but it doesn't have to be pricey. Otherwise we work via internet which is why we can travel around, so we just want a great area to tuck into and get to know a bit. We aren't looking for good shopping other than the basics-grocery stores etc. But we would like a vibrant place to hang out in. Being able to walk is important-preferably for restaurants and entertainment but even just for exercise is good. We would prefer flat versus hilly for that reason.

We would really appreciate advice of where to stay from the perspective of locals who love their neighborhood! On a real estate site they mention areas like Barton Hills, Clarksville (which sounds walkable and nice), Tarrytown Crestview and Hyde Park.

Since we have never been to Austin we are really lost as to which area might fit the bill for us. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are really hoping to rent a place versus a hotel room for that long and the neighborhood choice will make a big difference.

Thanks for the help!
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Old Nov 6th, 2010, 06:26 PM
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Tarrytown would be very convenient and anything on Lake Travis would nice (approx 15-20 minutes from downtown)
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Old Nov 6th, 2010, 06:46 PM
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Lake Travis is nice but far awary from downtown (I know, I live there..) and you wouldn't be able to walk to anything. Same for Tarrytown. I'd consider Clarksville, SoCo, Travis Heights, Downtown. All of these are listed areas of Austin on VRBO. All are close to shopping as well. If you narrow it down to a few, I'd be happy to give more input as to location to entertainment, etc. Good luck and have a great time in Austin. Check out the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar while you are here (I'd go when Jimmy LaFave is playing). Also the Continental club on SoCo Dec 12, with Junior Borwn, Dec. 26th with James McMurtry, etc. etc.
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Old Nov 7th, 2010, 06:50 AM
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Thanks so much! I know Lake Travis is supposed to be nice but I think we want something more "urban" if I understand that area correctly. Someone is offering a sublet in Est Austin near the Cherrywood coffehouse (1400 E 38th Half St, Austin, TX 78756). What is that area like?
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Old Nov 7th, 2010, 07:46 AM
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I don't think that location (East 38-1/2 St.) is the best. It's too close to the University and not very walkable. Austin has it right. You need Clarksville, SoCo, Travis Heights, or Downtown.

Lake Travis is nice but not 15-20 minutes from downtown unless there is absolutely no traffic.

I wouldn't discount downtown just because you have a car. Condos come with parking spots. Here's an example of one that is right downtown so it will be in a more urban (high rises) setting:

http://www.vrbo.com/167137

This one is great too. It's in Clarksville which is just west of downtown. Great area for restaurants, shopping, Whole Foods, etc.

http://www.vrbo.com/219993

Clarksville is actually my favorite part of downtown. SoCo is nice but it gets old fast. It prides itself on being bohemian and funky, which is fine, but Clarksville just feels more real.
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Old Nov 7th, 2010, 06:14 PM
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The second VRBO looks perfect. Excellent location and walkable.
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Old Nov 8th, 2010, 06:42 PM
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I was just looking at the various neighborhoods listed on VRBO. I can recommend the following areas in Austin:
Hyde Park-lovely older neighborhood (abundant tree-lined streets, first "suburban" neighborhood built in the late 1800s) near the University of Texas, a few restaurants and shopping centers
Pemberton Heights-classy, older homes, traditional quiet area
Zilker/Barton Hills-funky, near the park and hike and bike trails, restaurant row on Barton Springs Road, downtown a 5 minute drive (at 3:00 AM)
Downtown-could be noisy but it is really turning into a "happening" kind of place with more shops, clubs, restaurants opening (and closing) everyday-walk to Whole Foods #1, Book People (best book store in town), Waterloo Records, REI
Allandale-farther out, older homes, lots of trees, near Mopac
SOCO/Travis Heights-be careful-there is a wide range in variety and quality of houses in this area
(I guess you could say that for any of the above neighborhoods as well).

December is NOT a bad time to come at all. Winters here are usually sunny and mild with a cold front or two with clear blue skies. FRIENDLY PEOPLE!
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Old Nov 9th, 2010, 06:09 AM
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Thanks all-I am going to go on to VRBO and homeaway and take a look very closely at the choices in those places. We are hoping if budget allows to find a place that will sleep 4 so that we can have friends visit for a week of our stay. I will let you know what I am finding!
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Old Nov 13th, 2010, 08:52 AM
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Okay-so we nailed down a place! Since it is already mid-November our choices were limited for a month in terms of what was available starting in early December. We decided that we wanted to stay a full 30 days because as we learned on VRBO in Austin if you stay less than 30 days they are obligated to charge a 15% hotel tax which is not the case for 30 days and over. So that was good to know. We ended up finding a small apartment in Travis Heights, VRBO 227420. It is on East Side Drive one block east of Congress just south of the Big Stacy Park. The crossroad is W. Oltdorf Street. It has a "walkability" score of 74 which is good, and it also has a bus right out front-and of course we will have our car since we are driving. It is not elegant and it is not big, but it has everything we need, is available and very reasonably priced. We also loved the owner-very low key seems to have that laid back Austin vibe that we thing we are going to love He actually also owns 2 other units that are hip lofts, but we decided on this unit because since my husband and I both work virtually it is better to have a door that closes. He does detail work and I am on a lot of conference calls, so lofts can be challenging for sound isolation.

So if any of you have good restaurant ideas either in the neighborhood or further afield, we would love to hear them! Eating is definitely our hobby-we are practically professionals at it
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Old Nov 13th, 2010, 01:06 PM
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jpie, Austin has lots of good food at every price point. It would help if you gave us more information about your food preferences. There are also some archived threads here about Austin restaurants that you can explore using the search function at the top right hand corner of this page.

If you plan to cook, Central Market and Whole Foods are the better markets in town. My preference is Central Market, but you should be aware of both. Anderson's Coffee on Kirby Lane is a great place to buy fresh roasted coffee beans, good tea and some imported jams and sweets. We like Austin Wine Merchant on 6th street for their good wine selections and knowledgeable staff.
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Old Nov 13th, 2010, 02:31 PM
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In terms of food, we love all sorts of ethnic. In Los Angeles, where we are mostly based, we eat lots of Thai, Mexican, Italian and Japanese. In Austin of course the first thing that comes to mind is killer Mexican or maybe I should say Tex Mex-so I am sure that will appeal. My husband is French and while we like French food-we are spoiled since we spend a lot of time there-so generally we are too cheap to spring for high end places unless they are really spectacular. In general, I am much more interested when we are in a place to find the local specialties-barbecue, ethnic or regional gems, etc. I hope this helps. Thanks the Central Market and Whole Foods suggestions-I am sure they will be our kind of places. We go to Whole Foods in LA but are more likely to go to Trader Joe's and farmers markets. I will search the board for restaurant ideas as well as going over to Chowhound boards when we get closer.

One last question-on the drive to Austin we keep hearing about stopping in Marfa-has anyone been and is it a good place for a visit....I will google around too but figured that some of you guys might know.
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Old Nov 13th, 2010, 02:37 PM
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One of my favorite Austin restaurants is Vespaio, on S. Congress near Milton. Quite close to your apartment.
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Old Nov 13th, 2010, 05:06 PM
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Ah, food-one of my favorite topics. For a special occasion, you must go to Green Pastures on Live Oak. It's a lovely old homestead with peacocks roaming the grounds covered with huge live oak trees. Food is very good, and in December it should be festively decorated. Excellent ambience.
Other rec's: South Congress Cafe, Guero's Taco, Home Slice Pizza, Jo's Coffee. You will be happy with your lodging choice. It's a great neigborhod with a a beautiful park nearby for walks. There's a giant HEB grocery store at Oltorf and Congress but it's not all that great. It's usually crowded and it's one of the older grocery chains in town. I would definitely go to Central Market at Westgate or Whole Foods at 6th and Lamar. There are so many cool restaurants in town I don't know where to begin. Uchi on South Lamar is excellent. Maudie's is great for Tex-Mex-locations everywhere. For a quintessential Austin Mexican food restaurant you have got to go to Matt's El Rancho on South Lamar. Mandatory!Other local favorites are Manuel's, Z Tejas, Eddie V's, Roaring Fork, III Forks, and I almost forgot one of my favorites, Fonda San Miguel. For French try Aquarelle near downtown. Sorry, I get wound up. Probably more than you wanted to know!
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 05:43 AM
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I am thinking of taking my son out to West Texas for 5 nights after Christmas. We thought about staying overnight one night in Ft Davis and driving down to see the Marfa lights too. Last night my siblings and I went to Galveston and took the Ghost Tour of Galveston, so now I am even more interested in seeing the mysterious lights of Marfa! I just read a short article in the December 2010 issue of TX Highways about Marfa. You might want to look at the article. By the way, you will love Austin! Check out all the small food stands around town too.
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 07:19 AM
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You guys are the best! I will go hunt out the marfa lights stuff right now. I also keep hearing about the salt lick barbecue on the food shows-is it worth a visit?
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 07:28 AM
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If you're in Austin for a month then you should definitely find a day to head to the Salt Lick. It's about 30min outside of Austin.

There is a lot of good BBQ in Austin. My own favorite happens to be Rudy's.
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 07:52 AM
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Hi there - I spent a fabulous week in Austin last month (respite from rainy Ireland where I live) and we stayed in the Hyde Park neighbourhood. It's fabulous, leafy, safe, really accessible by public transport, within walking distance of great museums, restaurants etc. Everything you will possibly need! Also if you decide not to rent a property, I would heartily recommend the Adams House B&B - they even have a separate cottage/bungalow which might suit you perfectly!
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 02:14 PM
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Hi Catgal-thanks, I will keep the info for the next trip. We have locked in our rental for this time, but I will definitely check out the Hyde Park area-I know it is supposed to be nice. And J62, thanks for the Rudy's tip-I am a KC girl by birth so barbecue is definitely on the agenda.
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Old Nov 14th, 2010, 06:56 PM
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Travis Heights is perfect and you'll have a great time. I tried to click on the map and got nothing.

You MUST try Homeslice Pizza. Go to the sit in restauarnt. Also on South Congress: Gueros, South Congress Cafe, Vespaio, Magnolia Cafe for Breakfast, Jo's for coffee and people watching, Continental Club for AWESOME music (don't miss James McMurtry on Dec 26th. Really.) The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar http://www.armadillobazaar.com/ Jimmy LaFave and Carolyn Wonderland are not to be missed.

Another idea is the One World Theatre. The venue is intimate and awesome. Check out their line up. SO worth the price. If you enjoy holiday music, Guy Forsyth and Carolyn Wonderland will be memorable - trust me.

I think you will enjoy Austin. Your location is perfect.
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Old Nov 15th, 2010, 09:51 AM
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Copying info for timely trip and look at real estate.
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