Austin was just named the #1 travel location for 2009 by Budget Travel magazine! Check out what they have to say about why Austin is the place to be!
AUSTIN
Why in 2009: For years, the capital of down-home cool (and Texas) has been working to become the nation's capital of pop culture—at least among cities of a similar size. This city of 1.6 million residents has succeeded in its mission, especially as a venue for indie rock, bluegrass, and country music. Its largest music festival is South by Southwest, a multi-day, 1,700-band extravaganza that draws serious music fans nationwide (sxsw.com, Mar. 18–22, 2009). Austin's economy, meanwhile, is well diversified between public and private sectors, which means that Austin is poised to weather the economic downturn reasonably well, says University of Texas at Austin economy professor Daniel S. Hamermesh. So it should be full speed ahead on spending for free and affordable cultural events. A bonus: In the past year, discounter JetBlue has added flights to Austin. Rival airlines are feeling the pressure to keep airfares low.
Main events: Thousands of music fans converge on the city each year for two festivals: South by Southwest (mentioned above) and the Austin City Limits Music Festival (aclfestival.com, Oct. 2–4). Art lovers come for the Texas Biennial (texasbiennial.com, Mar. 6–Apr. 11) and the open-air Art City Austin (artallianceaustin.org, Apr. 25-26). Even if you're not in town for a big event, keep in mind that Austin has pretty weather for eight months of the year (summer's the sweltering exception). With its extensive Greenbelt park as well as 10 miles of waterfront paths, it's easy to get outside and enjoy a little nature.
Memorable moment: Chill out on the terrace bar of the Inter-Continental Stephen F. Austin hotel, overlooking downtown. Order a Stephen F. Top Shelf, the house margarita, tip your hat to the mounted longhorn on the wall, and watch the Texas Capitol turn pink as the last rays of the sun hit it. 701 Congress Ave., 888/424-6835, austin.intercontinental.com, margaritas from $10.
Price check: Round-trip tickets between Austin and Chicago recently started at $210, a 9 percent drop from a year earlier, says Farecast. Affordable lodging isn't hard to come by. Hotel rates should average a modest $104 a night, says a forecast by PKF Hospitality Research. We like the stylish Austin Motel, starting at $70. 1220 S. Congress Ave., 512/441-1157, austinmotel.com.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Austin in the News
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Engagement
In January, Matt and I traveled to South Africa with the rest of his family to visit his sister who lives there as a missionary. We spent the first week going on safari, riding elephants and ziplining through the wild and then headed to Cape Town for our second week. Our third day in Cape Town was spent on the beautiful Clifton beach and we'd planned to have dinner that night via picnic in the botanical gardens where an outdoor concert was happening. I was worried there wouldn't be enough time to explore the gardens, but Matt insisted we do the picnic anyway. As soon as we got there, I forgot all about not wanting to go b/c it's probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. It's like a cross b/t the sets of Jurassic Park and Lost. At the foot of Table Mountain, it's just one breath-taking view after another. And it's completely landscaped with vibrant indigenous flowers you've never seen before. We spent most of our time there wandering through the gardens and gaping at how beautiful it was. And Matt was having me take pictures of everything. I mean, everything. Take a picture of this bush. Now take a picture of it from this angle. After a zillion pictures, we came upon a secluded bench under a shady tree. Matt suggested we take a break on the bench before moving on. I put the backpack on the bench and when I turned around, he was on one knee in front of me. He pulled a ring out of his pocket (which he'd been carrying on his person for days now) and asked me to marry him. I said yes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
