Amy in Austin: Out and About: South Congress

I've written about the South Congress area so many times I've lost count. It truly is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Austin. With a great variety of restaurants (Boticelli's, South Congress Cafe and Home Slice Pizza to name a few), options for live music (Continental Club and the patio at Guero's), and plenty a quirky shops to browse, it's the perfect one-stop-shop for any occasion. Date night? Check. Hanging out with friends? Check. People watching? Check, check, check!!

My friend Sarah and her adorable boyfriend are in town from Denver for less than 48 hours, and I was lucky to get to hang out with them last night. Evan has never been to Austin, so the pressure was on to show him as much of the city as possible. Sarah toted him around all day yesterday, and then they met Hunk and I at Guero's last night for dinner and cruising around South Congress. You can't beat a good margarita after a crazy work week, and the cold AC was a welcome treat for Evan who was not quite prepared for the Texas heat. It might not be the best Mexican food in Austin, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it.

After dinner, it was just cool enough to handle walking around. Unfortunately for us, many of the fun shops had already closed for the evening. Lucy in Disguise and Big Top Candy Shop were at the top of our list, but no dice last night. The funky vintage shop New Bohemia WAS open though, and we entertained ourselves with all the hipster fashion we could handle. I mean, how many shops have a specific section for "Embroidered Boho Tops"?!

"Vintage" boots. There were some real specials pairs in the line-up.

On our way back down the street, we passed the infamous quote wall, scene of countless engagement and "just for fun" pictures. We couldn't pass by without taking this gratuitous shot:

Last stop of the night was at Amy's Ice Cream (you seriously can't come to Austin in the summer without trying this), and Sarah and I got a kick out of watching the guys order the combinations "Fluffy Bunny" and "Cuddle Monkey". Amy's is known for their quirky employees, and the combinations they come up with can't be missed.