As first time visitors to Austin, we didn’t know what area would be best to stay in. Especially for two weeks. Joe’s place met our needs for size, comfort and budget, but we weren’t sure about the location. All our friends who’d been to Austin went to South Congress and Rainey St.
Well, it couldn’t have been better. South Lamar is the REAL Austin. We were within walking distance of all the musical greats: The Broken Spoke, The Saxon Pub, The Austin Beer Garden & Brewery... and restaurants! Loro, Odd Duck, Uchi, Raman Tatsu-Ya, a Kerbey Lane Cafe mixed in with old school Maudies, Matt’s El Rancho, Amy’s Ice Cream, there’s even a Torchy’s within a 20 min walk. Then there’s the art: Art Garage and A05 - named Texas’s best contemporary gallery.
Full Disclosure: We arrived durning the hottest September on record - so walking during the day was more adventure than amble. But if you follow your app’s walking route you will be guided through the lovely and diverse - often weird neighbourhood surrounding Joe’s place. We even walked over to the tennis courts to play in the heat and humidity we are NOT used to.
Uber trips to SoCo run around $7, downtown are around $12. There is a bike rental place north on Lamar and of course a zillion scooters to choose from if you are inclined. (Joe has parking for a car too.)
You may notice the house is near the railway. Fear not - you will not hear the train. We heard the horn once, off in the distance, in 14 days.
Joe himself gave us great tips for enjoying Austin. He responded quickly to any questions we had. The place was clean, well appointed and welcoming. The little ravine behind the house was lovely for watching birds and squirrels. Between Joe’s hosting, the house itself, and our new love of South Lamar, our stay was better than we hoped.