By Izzi Bavis
If you are confused about what South By Southwest (SXSW) is, I urge you to check out another piece I wrote for WSUM’s blog here, where I talk about what SXSW is and who I’m excited to see while in Texas.
Today is Thursday March 18. The WSUM/WUD crew has been down in Texas for five days now and we are tired. It is exhausting to participate in every SXSW event and conduct interviews, but in a way the exhaustion feels rewarding. To let you in on what we’ve been up to, here is a list of our favorite events/experiences we’ve had in the big ole state of Texas.
Radio Coffee & Bar (cafe)
Near where we are staying in South Lamar, it is fitting that we have been to Radio Coffee & Bar twice now. It is this large barn-like structure with great outdoor seating and multiple food trucks. I’ve tried their latte (pretty good) and cold brew (not as good). There are birds that hang out and lots of dogs and families. I envision us returning soon.
El Arroyo (food)
Some of the best food we’ve had so far has been from El Arroyo! I got the chicken sour cream enchiladas and they were delicious. The chips were also good, although we weren’t sure if they were made in house. Who cares, they were amazing. They had a wide variety of drink options too and we sat at a 10 person picnic table.
SASAMI (show)
SASAMI graced the stage at around 11PM a few nights ago. Tired and swaying in the back, we witnessed a performance of a lifetime. The band was decked out in these insane swamp monster costumes and each member had hair down to their waists. The music was fun, the show was spectacular and it was all streamed on Twitch.
Lime Scootering (activity)
Okay…hear me out. Lime Scooters are so fun. It feels like you are flying through the streets. They are way cheaper than an Uber or Lyft so we’ve been using them when we can.
Cherrywood Coffeehouse/neighborhood (food/neighborhood)
After we interviewed Babehoven and Sour Widows, we walked around the Cherrywood neighborhood and found Cherrywood Coffeehouse. The cafe was divine. We split some dishes for lunch and chugged some iced tea. Despite being rushed from interview to interview, we managed to have a relaxing break.
Gati Ice Cream (food)
On our way to interview Cassandra Jenkins, she recommended we stop at Gati Ice Cream, a completely vegan ice cream shop. Their flavors were unique and Morgan tried the sesame seed one, I stuck to carmel lavender. Everything tasted wonderful and it was even more fun because we got to hang out a bit more with Cassandra.
Napping (activity…or a lack thereof)
This is a necessary thing when you stay up till 2AM every night seeing musicians play.
Lowertown (show)
Lowertown played at Empire and it was so cool. The show wasn’t super packed so it felt way more intimate. The band played well and put on a great performance. Morgan and I were dancing along the whole time.
Wednesday (show)
Wednesday was so fun. This was the group I was most excited to see here in Austin and I’m so happy we did. We danced, we sang and we cheered at the end. The music was amazing and we were at Mohawk, which is a popular venue in Austin. I can’t wait to see them again while they’re in Austin.
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