Austin Asian American Film Festival 2009

Last year we watched a couple of AAAFF films, and this year I'm getting more involved by volunteering for a couple of the screenings as well as watching a couple of them.  We are seeing Persepolis, which is a free outdoor screening at the Mexican American Cultural Center.  Several local Asian restaurants will be selling food at the event.  We're also planning to see Li Tong at Alamo South Lamar (many of the screenings are at Alamo South or at UT).  Both look really good, as do most of the movies this year!  Tickets for individual shows are only $8, and all access badges are $50.  The badge is a great deal considering that it gets you entry to every film as well as all after parties with free food & drink.

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Beer Festival 2009

Now here is a great new tradition that I hope will stick around.  This year's beer festival drew tons of people to sample beers from all over.  There were lines at every booth, but they move pretty quickly when you've got a drink in your hand.  You get to keep the tasting glass... but I'm not sure exactly what to do with a glass that's too big for a shot and too small for a regular beer.  Triple shot?

Stay tuned for next fall's beer festival...

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Whole Foods Sunset Supper & Cinema

Every Friday evening all summer and fall, the Whole Foods flagship store downtown has been hosting Sunset Supper & Cinema on their rooftop terrace. Entrance is free, and food & drinks (including a specialty 3-course meal for $15) are available for purchase. On the theme of Halloween, they've got Psycho playing tonight and Ghostbusters playing next Friday.

See their calendar for more information about the shows and their specialty menu for each show. You can also find out about their various events throughout the week. Can't wait for Psycho tonight!

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Austin Film Festival 2009

The Austin Film Festival is back for the 16th year. Tickets are available online. The cheapest way to see the films is the $42 film pass which lets you get on the priority line for all screenings (ahead of individual ticket holders).

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Austin City Limits 2009

This year was really muddy...

But still fun!

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Inner Space Cavern

Inner Space Cavern is up in Georgetown, TX, and I recommend the drive. It's hot this summer and the caverns are cool year round. Tours depart every 30 minutes, and you get to see many interesting formations and learn all about the place. They even give you a few seconds of pitch black in one area of the caverns, which is something you don't experience often. See their website for more info about tours and prices.

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Frank Erwin Center

The Frank Erwin Center is a huge space for all kinds of events. We went for the NIN/Jane's Addiction concert, and it was great. We got seats up in the balcony and it was great to look down over the crowd. Check their website for all upcoming events and ticket information.

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Blues on the Green

Every summer, you can enjoy a free blues concert every other Wednesday from Blues on the Green. This summer the concerts are in Waterloo Park, next summer they'll be at Zilker. Bring your chairs and something to drink, these concerts are a lot of fun!

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Mueller Lake Park

What a serene place to spend an afternoon walking or reading. The Mueller Lake Park is a brand new park that's part of the new Mueller development off of Airport Blvd. It's so close to town that it's a great place to go when you don't have any plans but just want to get out of the house.

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McKinney Falls State Park

McKinney Falls State Park is one of the most beautiful areas around Austin. It's just a hop and a skip from downtown, so you don't even need a whole day set aside to enjoy this place. However, the park isn't free- it's $5 per person for entry.

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Sunset Valley Farmer's Market

Sunset Valley Farmer's Market is south of Austin, set up in a huge parking lot every Saturday of the year from 9 AM- 1 PM. You can find anything from fruits and veggies to homemade soaps to tamales and other prepared foods. They also had a live band playing when we went.

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Urban Music Festival

This year the Urban Music Festival was on April 4th at Auditorium Shores. Honestly, I don't know how many years this festival has been going on.. all I know is it had a pretty amazing lineup with several blasts from the past. The Sugar Hill Gang, Boyz II Men and Cameo headlined. Check the website next spring to find out when the next festival will be and the lineup.

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Walnut Creek Park

This park is in north Austin, and is a nice place to do some walking or biking. If you're walking though, watch out for the bikers who come through pretty fast on the trails. Of course we have no sense of direction so always end up lost for a while whenever we go walking in a park like this. If you get lost easily too, you might want to bring some breadcrumbs to mark your trail.

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SXSW

I'm sure you all already know about SXSW.. it's kind of hard to miss. Either you dived in and enjoyed all of the live music, or you got the heck out of town to avoid the massive hordes of people that descend upon Austin during this week. There are wristbands for sale every year for local Austinites to purchase, there are also many free shows going on for those of us who don't want to spend any money. Red Gorilla is one example of a free series of shows that goes on during SXSW.

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Kite Festival

We've been neglecting this blog for a while, but now we're back! On Sunday we stopped by the annual Austin Kite Festival at Zilker Park. This festival is held every year on the first Sunday in March. Basically everyone hits the park with a kite, and there are also a few contests and such. You don't have to fly a kite, though- you can just go and watch. It's great to look up and see the sky filled with kites.

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Capital City Comedy Club

Cap City Comedy Club attracts some pretty awesome comedians to Austin. Some big names that have recently graced Cap City with their presence are D.L. Hughley and Joe Rogan. We came to the club to see Mike MacRae of FrankTV. The show was hilarious, we laughed through the entire thing. The two comedians who opened for MacRae were also surprisingly really good, we enjoyed then almost as much as MacRae. One was a guy who worked for Cap City, the other was Paul Oddo. The club has a 2 menu item minimum. The food is pretty blah, so we recommend sticking with 2 drinks.

A clip of Mike MacRae on Letterman:

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South Congress

The best place to go for a stroll and window shop in Austin is South Congress. All of the shops are unique, funky and interesting. You can also take a break and pick up coffee, ice cream, a cupcake or a bite to eat at numerous restaurants & shops. Anytime the weather is nice you'll also find vendors selling jewelry, artwork or other handmade goods at outdoor stalls. Any day that you want to get out but don't know what to do, So Co is a foolproof plan. Don't forget to check out First Thursday (the first Thursday evening of every month) on South Congress, which we'll blog about soon.. the street comes alive with vendors & performers, and all the stores stay open late.

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Playing Tennis in Austin

Okay, the tennis court pictured above isn't actually in Austin.

We've been trying to be more active lately, especially since most of what we do during the week consists of sitting on our asses. Winter in Texas is the best time to get really active- when it's in the 50s or 60s during the day you can run around all you want and not get totally drenched in sweat. We picked up some cheap racquets and balls at Target and scoped out the awesome tennis court map on the Capital Area Tennis Association website. Write down the addresses of at least 2 or 3 open public courts in your neighborhood, cause the first one we tried was locked on the weekend.

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Harry Ransom Center

The Ransom Center has the most unique & rare exhibits in all of Austin. They've got a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, only 5 complete copies exist in the U.S. They also have the world's first photograph. Other items of note include drawings or sketches by Cezanne, Picasso, and other famous artists. My favorite was a self-portrait of Picasso on the inside of a book cover, it was a simple face drawn in primary colors.

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Barsana Dham

Barsana Dham is a Hindu Temple about 30 minutes outside of Austin. It's a beautiful, peaceful spot, and visitors are welcome, as long as you check their website for their specific visiting hours, and don't wear shoes or take photos inside the building.

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