We’re in Austin! – 1

After much turbulence and senseless delays on a flying vascillator puddle jumper, Courtney and I arrived in Austin for South by Southwest at about 5:30 EST. We were able to upgrade our rental car from a Ford Focus to a Pontiac Grand Prix (without DUBs, tho - *sigh*), but the one catch is that I can’t drive the car because I’m not yet 25. This works out great for me, though, because I get to ride around with my face pasted to the windows while I ogle the new terrain.

Thanks to a late night on Wednesday, I was dog tired when we finally made it to the Hampton Inn. The good news is that we at least had a room to go to, because I’ve heard that every hotel in Austin is booked solid for the next two weeks. Apparently, the local chamber of commerce is expecting HALF A MILLION PEOPLE to come to the various events at this year’s show(s). How does this affect me? Long lines at Starbucks. Gaaah.

After falling into a mini coma when we first arrived at our hotel, we woke up at about 1 am, hungry as hell. The late-night solution? Local favorite, Magnolia Cafe, which has some clever branding. The outdoor marquee says, “Sorry, we’re open,” and the restaurant claims to live outside of the space-time continuum by being open “24/8.” A couple of the guys working the graveyard shift were sporting extra cool t-shirts that included the restaurant’s branding, but for some strange reason, they don’t sell them at the restaurant itself. Instead, a little shop next door sells them, but getting one will require me to actually make a special trip, which is something that I’m notoriously bad at.

Anyhoo, our food was good, and I think the city is already burgeoning with tourists and visitors, because 6th street was packed at 2 am CST. I’m getting excited about tomorrow! Coffee, web stuff, the meet and greet, and free booze…it’s gonna be fun!