What should I avoid in Austin?

The stretch of East 6th Street between Congress Avenue and I-35 goes by Dirty Sixth for a reason. On Friday and Saturday nights after 11pm, it turns into a corridor of $12 vodka-sodas and aggressive bar promoters waving you inside every doorway. The bass from a dozen competing sound systems hits your chest from half a block out. Most venues have sticky concrete floors and a line 40 deep for one bathroom. If you want Austin nightlife, Rainey Street is the better call. The converted bungalow bars south of River Street are calmer, and cocktails run $14-18 instead of Dirty Sixth's $12-for-swill. You can hear the person next to you. That said, even Rainey has gotten touristy since 2020. East Austin along East 7th near Comal Street is where younger locals have shifted. West 6th between Congress and Lamar is more upscale, less shoving.

Franklin Barbecue on East 11th Street has a line that starts forming at 7am for an 11am open. The brisket is excellent, but 3-4 hours in Texas sun for a $28-per-pound plate is a steep price when you have 3 days in town. Terry Black's Barbecue on Barton Springs Road serves brisket of comparable quality with a 15-30 minute wait. la Barbecue on East Cesar Chavez tends to run 60-90 minutes but moves faster. The food trucks lining South Congress between Barton Springs Road and Elizabeth Street look tempting, but several now charge $16-20 for a taco plate that costs $8-10 at the same operators' brick-and-mortar spots on East Riverside. The Oasis on Lake Travis sits 375 feet above the water with the best sunset view in Austin and the most mediocre Tex-Mex. Expect $18-22 plates that taste like they were reheated from a freezer bag. Go for one drink at golden hour. Eat somewhere else.

Austin from June through September is brutal. Temperatures reach 100-105°F by mid-afternoon, and the humidity hovers around 50-60%, which makes the heat index closer to 110°F. The concrete along South Congress and the Congress Avenue Bridge radiates warmth back upward, so you're cooking from both directions. Carry a water bottle. Every coffee shop in town will refill it for free. Between December and February, mountain cedar pollen drifts into the city from the Hill Country to the west. Locals call the allergic reaction cedar fever, and if you're pollen-sensitive, it will likely hit within 24 hours of landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Pack antihistamines before your flight. Flash flooding is the weather risk that actually kills people here. Shoal Creek and Onion Creek flood fast during spring and fall storms. In October 2013, Onion Creek flooding killed 5 people and destroyed over 1,100 homes. The city posts Turn Around Don't Drown signs at low-water crossings. Obey them.

I-35 through central Austin is mid-expansion under a TxDOT project that runs through at least 2028. Rush hour between Airport Boulevard and Ben White Boulevard averages 35-45 minutes for what should be a 10-minute drive. Use Lamar Boulevard or South 1st Street as north-south alternates. CapMetro buses cover downtown and the University of Texas campus, but service thins out south of Oltorf Street. Rideshare runs $8-15 for trips within central Austin, but prices rise to $25-40 during SXSW in March, ACL Festival weekends in October, or any Saturday when UT plays at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. That 100,119-seat stadium, open since 1924, fills the I-35 feeder roads for 2 hours before kickoff. If your hotel sits along I-35 on a game day, plan to leave early or stay put. Parking downtown during major events hits $30-60, though the Convention Center garage on East Cesar Chavez tends to stay around $25.