Austin Local Tips

Mass transit is one convenience Austin hasn’t yet embraced. If you’re staying downtown, cabs will get you where you want to go, but if you’re north or south of the city, you’ll want a car.

Be adventurous—wardrobe-wise, anything goes here. “Austin casual” is eclectic, usually vintage, not superstore-driven and kitschy.

Austin’s restaurants, nightclubs and bars have been smoke-free since voters approved the no smoking ordinance in September 2005.

Live music is to Austin like the blues are to Chicago—don’t miss two-steppin’ at the Broken Spoke (3201 S. Lamar; 512-442-6189; www.brokenspokeaustintx.com) and live bands at La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th St.; 512-263-4146; www.lazonarosa.com)

One of the best ways to experience the local art scene is to check out the monthly party held at the Blanton Museum of Art on the first Friday of every month. While you’re there sample a Blantini cocktail.

Though free, tickets to the long-running Austin City Limits on PBS are tough to get your hands on. They can be yours, however, with a little persistence and luck. 1. Call the studio hotline (512-475-9077) to get info on upcoming tapings and for what radio station to listen to for ticket distribution information. 2. One or two days before the taping, listen to the radio station, which will announce where to go for tickets to that week’s show. 3. Go immediately to that location and join the queue. Tickets are given away on a first come first served basis.