Okay, so who here is familiar with Austin? I'm in town for a short period and this is my first visit, so I don't care to screw around and waste time. Toward that end, I've sketched out a partial agenda based upon a long list of recommendations from someone who once lived here for many years.
After checking into hotel, I was pointed to the a great Tex-Mex place for lunch. This place wasn't on The List, but no matter: relaxing after a long morning of air travel with a beer, fish tacos, and a margarita, I was now prepared to start exploring Austin.
I headed straight for 6th Street, which, according to The List's author, is the center I'd all that is Cool in the universe.
Holy cripes, I felt like I was walking Atlantic Ave in VA Beach or Decatur/Bourbon in NOLA. It was trashy and geared toward tourists and frat boys (with apologies to frat members who probably -- and likely with good reason -- resent that stereotype). It was just loud and obnoxious and absolutely contrived.
So, the question is this: Has the 6th St area undergone a significant and horrible transformation in the last few years or has that strip been this way for a long while, a fact that might well The List in its entirety in serious doubt.
