Texas

[Brandi_B]

So I'm moving to San Antonio, TX in 2 weeks (lol). Work just told me today, they're like "hope you can be ready!". So i'm a bit panicked right now trying to get life in order for cross country move. Actually this will be my first time ever living out of NC, and I am a bit frightened by that.

 

Anyhow, I know all about the coolness of Austin, and plan to go there often seeing how it's only an hour and a half away. I may actually make it in time for SXSW, which would be cool.

 

Basically, tell me cool things to do in Texas. Specifically on the weekends, but during the week is fine too. I don't drink so I'm not really interested in bars unless they have electronic acts playing. Is there a "rave" scene anywhere nearby?

 

I've been googling all day for stuff on San Antonio, Austin, and Houston (hi JR!). But word of mouth is typically better.

 

Fill me in y0

 

Things I like:

Shopping (*don't expect much help on this one figured i'd get it out of the way)

Amusement Parks (especially with good roller coasters I am aware of and have been to Six Flags, tx and Fiesta Tx)

Flea Markets/Pawn shops (for finding good deals on musical instruments)

Book stores

Music stores (cds and instrument stores)

Live music that isn't southern rock, country, hip hop, church, indie rock

Water parks

Good food

Fun weekend things that don't involve sitting in a bar

 

edit: just wanted to say "cool" one more time

[Guest Adjective]

bump, cause I'm interested in anything cool to do here as well.

[chassis]

If you get pissed off with taxes you're legally allowed ride your aeroplane into buildings.

[Brandi_B]

If you get pissed off with taxes you're legally allowed ride your aeroplane into buildings.

lol, yeah I saw that on the news

 

bump, cause I'm interested in anything cool to do here as well.

So far I've found a cool shop (kat something music) in San Antonio that has synths. Besides the obvious Sam Ash and Guitar Center, are there any places that are known for have decent synth stock? I don't even know if you use hardware. I love your wonky wonk music tho

[Guest Adjective]

no i don't use hardware so i know nothing of music stores here

Fry's electronics can be cool for some things, feels like a radioshack/best buy on a near walmart scale. that's all i've got

[Brandi_B]

Avoid MS-20

See the Alamo

Bone up on the espangol pronto

Arrange for self-cooling devices as it gets 200 F there

Go to the coast of Corpus Christi and see the bioluminescent dinoflagellates make pretty patterns of light in the ocean at dark. Trip and take it to the next level but have a spotter.

I hope you're not talking about the korg ms20 cuz i've always wanted one (actually a 50) ;P

Seen the Alamo already, and am psyched about the riverwalk as I remember it being awesome

Know decent Spanish

Have been prepped for good heat survival

Bioluminescent thing sounds wicked. Planning to take a decent stash of various things with me ;)

Will def. check that out thx!

 

no i don't use hardware so i know nothing of music stores here

Fry's electronics can be cool for some things, feels like a radioshack/best buy on a near walmart scale. that's all i've got

Sounds like a good place to find the common x0x box parts :)

[Braintree]

The funnest thing to do in Texas is to leave Texas.

[Guest Enter a new display name]

Not necessarily an activity, but this is a cool aspect of Texas: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/35818_Poll-_Majority_of_Texans_Reject_Evolution

[kaini]

[Guest Yegg]

 

no i don't use hardware so i know nothing of music stores here

Fry's electronics can be cool for some things, feels like a radioshack/best buy on a near walmart scale. that's all i've got

Sounds like a good place to find the common x0x box parts :)

 

Lol, more like a good place to find miniature helicopter kits, which are still fun though.

[Brandi_B]

 

no i don't use hardware so i know nothing of music stores here

Fry's electronics can be cool for some things, feels like a radioshack/best buy on a near walmart scale. that's all i've got

Sounds like a good place to find the common x0x box parts :)

 

Lol, more like a good place to find miniature helicopter kits, which are still fun though.

 

oh..:( Yeah I guess i'm one of the few people left that associates capacitors and resistors with radio shack.

[takeshi]

Texas wasn't gay enough for me

[Brandi_B]

The funnest thing to do in Texas is to leave Texas.

Well I'd rather live in California, but I gotta make do with what i'm given for the moment mang.

[Guest Yegg]

 

no i don't use hardware so i know nothing of music stores here

Fry's electronics can be cool for some things, feels like a radioshack/best buy on a near walmart scale. that's all i've got

Sounds like a good place to find the common x0x box parts :)

 

Lol, more like a good place to find miniature helicopter kits, which are still fun though.

 

oh..:( Yeah I guess i'm one of the few people left that associates capacitors and resistors with radio shack.

 

=[

Are you opposed to ordering that kind of stuff online?

[Guest A/D]

fry's totally has capacitors and resistors. and like a potentiometer and another thing. you'll be fine.

[joshuatxuk]

The funnest thing to do in Texas is to leave Texas.

Well I'd rather live in California, but I gotta make do with what i'm given for the moment mang.

 

Well, a shitload of out-of-state plates are here lately. It is still a lot cheaper to live in Texas, especially San Antonio.

 

Couple things in general:

1. Look up good tex-mex resturants in your area on yelp, it's the one thing no one can deny is a plus to living in Texas.

2. The state is huge, if you leave town or even try to go to the other side of it, you'll be eating up gas.

3. You won't see anyone with cowboy hats unless you go way out in the sticks and look hard. And no, sadly San Antonio is nothing like its portrayal in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.

4. There is always a lake an hour or so away where you can camp and get drunk/stoned if you wish.

5. If you're a movie buff, go to an Alamo drafthouse show. They have full food and drink service, play indie, cult, and underground films, have neat events, and the tickets are affordable. The are in S.A., Austin (the original is here) and Houston and Katy both have one.

6. For good cheap beer, we have Shiner and LoneStar. If you're a beer snob, there are a ton of local micro-breweries.

 

San Antonio has the Alamo, the riverwalk is ok, and SeaWorld. Lot of military bases too. But that's really it. I think some historic museums are here and there, but the only cool music venue I know of is shut down (Taco Land).

 

I live in Austin, which is the hipster hangout, liberal enclave, and the capitol. Shitload of music venues and probaly the only place you'll catch an electronic show or anything beyond typical rock and pop concerts. The capitol itself is cool, bars, lots of good resturants, funky thrift stores on South Congress, etc. It's full of artists but the museums are kind of small (Blanton is the only big one, and the Texas history museum) compared to DFW and H-town. SXSW always has free shows and plenty of RSVP events, you don't even need a badge. I'm actually volunteering at it this year, it's a lot of fun. Even since I've been here in 04' the city become commercialized, more crowded and gentrified, but it's still a cool town.

 

Lockhart - heard the BBQ here is fucking ace. About hour 1/2 from S.A.

 

New Braunfels - old German town back in the day. Nice water park and tubing. Tubing is where you sit in an inner tube, and float down the Guadalupe or Comal river. It's fun, not dangerous, and drinking a shitload of beer is encouraged.

 

Hill country - enchanted rock is cool, hiking, etc.

 

Houston - Excellent museums and cool downtown. NASA is south of the city. Not much else besides a lot of people and companies I guess, but it's better than the bad rap it gets. And beyond Austin, best bet for catching a music show. SSupposedly local rapper Paul Wall has a record store that sells grillz.

 

Galveston - actually has a downtown that looks older than 50 years. Port has cool things and good seafood. Beach sucks though, go to south Port Aransas or South Padre instead.

 

DFW/North Texas..

 

Dallas...never lived there or visited much...catching a Stars game is always fun though. The 6th floor museum (i.e. JFK shooting site) is interesting and they have some art museums too. The State Fair is held here, where you can eat fried anything and waste money on shit like a two-headed rattlesnake display. And this is where JR is from, not H-town. There was a great music scene (Deep Ellum) but it's declined and the city doesn't put a one dime or any effort to maintaining it's culture.

 

Fort Worth - again, if you're an art buff, the museums are a must. Went to high school here and I always liked it more than Dallas. More mellow and more charm I guess.

 

Arlington - giant suburb with Six Flags, Texas Rangers baseball field, and the huge-ass-way-to0 expensive Cowboys stadium. So yeah, really just the Texas Rangers stadium.

 

Waco - umm, dr. pepper museum...and somewhere nearby some events that BoC references occurred.

 

West Texas - Marfa is cool, and if you like the outdoors the Big Bend park is a must. Pretty area, but literally a whole lot of nothing out here, except for El Paso and a warzone called Juarez on the other side of the border. Whole part of the state is a epic place to drive though if you head to New Mexico or Colorado on a road trip.

 

East Texas - woods, small towns, and the copius amount of ignorance we are often associated with. That's actually anywhere in Texas, but E. Texas is next to Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas so it's a bit more apparent.

 

South Texas - all the valley cities (Laredo, Brownsville, McAllen) and Mexico on the other side. Haven't had the chance to visit though.

 

Panhandle - the flattest, dullest place in the entire world. It's Lubbock, Amarillo, and farms. Buddy Holly and Roy Orbinson are from here and probably so creative because they had nothing else to do.

[sidewinder]

edit: just wanted to say "cool" one more time

Because it's the last time the word will be part of your vocabulary! Lol just kidding. But not really, hope you like THE HEAT!

 

I lived in Houston for 14 years, but have only visited San Antonio a couple of times. Really just went to see friends and go to car shows. The Riverwalk is pretty decent. I know nothing else about the city, other than it's humid as hell and there's Sea World somewhere over there. Proximity to Austin is a plus.

 

Definitely miss the Mexican and Tex-Mex food from Texas, eat that shit up. Oh and the margaritas, but you don't drink.

[joshuatxuk]

edit: just wanted to say "cool" one more time

Because it's the last time the word will be part of your vocabulary! Lol just kidding. But not really, hope you like THE HEAT!

 

I lived in Houston for 14 years, but have only visited San Antonio a couple of times. Really just went to see friends and go to car shows. The Riverwalk is pretty decent. I know nothing else about the city, other than it's humid as hell and there's Sea World somewhere over there. Proximity to Austin is a plus.

 

Definitely miss the Mexican and Tex-Mex food from Texas, eat that shit up. Oh and the margaritas, but you don't drink.

 

Dear god, my lack of effort in finding any other word is embarrassing. Well, just read it like Matthew McConaughey is narrarating it and it will seem appropriate. Alright alright...

[sidewinder]

Wat?

[Rubin Farr]

Houston mostly sucks, unless you're into the rodeo, yeehaw! some cool shows do come thru here and play at places like Warehouse Live, Meridian, and once in a while House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Center. still looking for decent records stores that stock electronic music.

 

BTW - strippers here have to wear pasties and underwear now, WTF?

[Guest Great Maker ShaiHulud]

The funnest thing to do in Texas is to leave Texas.

Well I'd rather live in California, but I gotta make do with what i'm given for the moment mang.

 

Are you fucking insane? I guess it depends on what you do and where you live, but I'd take living in Texas over California 1000 times out of 1000.

[Brandi_B]

Thx for the info guys! Especially joshuatxuk. Very nice detailed info. I'm really hoping I find a music haven in Austin. I'm planning on doing some shows, but also hoping I'll be able to get a band together too, as it's been quite difficult in NC if for no other reason, all the good drummers are already in bands. Which i'm sure is likely still the case in Austin.

 

And yegg, I like to do DIY projects parts sourcing in stores so that I can talk to the people there and get their opinions on stuff, and also maybe come up with ideas for further projects. I used to have a huge amount of cicuit bent stuff but after my last move i threw it all away because it kept falling apart every time i moved the stuff. So I'm really looking to start some new cheapo projects (another reason i love pawn shops and flea markets, finding weird electronic toys, etc).

 

And great maker, I most likely am not far from a clinical diagnosis of insanity. However, granted I have a day job, I am a musician, lover of beaches, pot, and big cities. So California is kinda up my alley. I also do not like the cold (ruling out NYC most of the year). However I don't know if I could see myself living there full time. Ideally I would be super rich and be able to have a house in CA and NC, and maybe a country house in France or Italy or some nice European country. And also a nice cottage in Japan. But hey, we can all dream ;)

 

Andyes I do not drink but I can still enjoy a virgin margarita. I love salt and will likely die of a heart attack from too much sodium one day, if my stomach doesn't get me first :/

[Guest JohnTqs]

i was in san antonio last summer and it was 106 degrees every day. don't forget your AC!

[Brandi_B]

I actually don't mind heat that much. Especially dry heat. In NC during late July to September, it gets so effin humid here. Sticky city. It can be 90 degrees outside and feel like it's 140. Not that I enjoy it, but I am used to it so to speak. Gatorade and damp towels ftw! I'm also not a huge fan of wearing lot's of bulky clothing, so this constantly warm (hot) thing I am looking forward to. Luckily my work has pretty much no dress code, since it's mostly grunt construction workers, and then Certified electricians, and Foremen. SO i'm the one female in the office and can pretty much wear whatever as long as it's not TOO revealing, ie daisy dukes and a ripped up wife beater (lol) which is a common outfit for many southern country gals that I'm not hugely fond of.

 

Also despite growing up in the south, I don't really have a Southern accent. Will I be needing one in TX?

[Brandi_B]

edit: PS JohnTqs, there's an episode of the "Boon dock s" that will air sometime this year or so later on, that spoofs that scene from boogie nights you have in your avatar. It's sorta lol.

 

*i spaced out the name so it doesn't come up on google searches