Recover from #MES16, Austin style

MES has been an intense, productive – and, without a doubt, a thrilling – few days. You’ve gotten to know Austin and will surely have some ideas about what you would like to do as you prepare to leave.   Austin is a real “hair of the dog” kind of town. Given that there is no evidence that a Dr. Pepper first thing in the morning with a breakfast taco – does anything but sustain the buzz while taking the edge off, the logic is dubious. But three days in Austin for work can make for an adrenaline rush that at some point has to come to an end.

When the conference is over Tomorrow there are basically two ways to go with that, depending on your preferences and when you are flying out. The first is to...

• Have dinner at the hotel.
• Order room service.
• Take a swim.
• Arrange for a massage.
• Rent a car and take a long drive out into the hill country to unwind. Realistically, though, allowing for the traffic, that could be a nightmare unless you wait until well after dark.
• Get organized and pack your bags for the return trip.
• Sleep.

The other direction – assuming you are leaving the next morning – is to go back to the hotel for a nap before you head out...

• Stubb’s BBQ – a few blocks East on Red River, for authentic Texas barbeque and a Lone Star beer. And if you’re get lucky, you will be there on a night when one of the local bands is decides to play a set in the backyard.

Then begins the barhop down Sixth Street...

• The Chugging Monkey – is just East off Congress. Dark, a little laid back on the service but the music is eclectic, the drinks are cheap and the bouncer is a good buy.

• Maggie Mae’s – just a few more doors down is Maggie Mae’s, the most acclaimed music venue on Sixth Street. The band is downstairs, the dance floor is upstairs and the DJs play long songs and sets to keep patrons on moving to the music all night. If you don’t stop anywhere else on Sixth, stop at Maggie Mae’s.

• Blind Pig Pub – a few more steps East to Blind Pig’s rooftop. Local bands, a deep bar specializing in mixed drinks and a diverse crowd.

• Casino El Camino – is a few more blocks but the crowd is older. It’s a Sixth Street bar that is not in a perpetual spaz attack. Customers linger into the early morning with the drinks, bar food and grown-up conversation.

Stay out until sunrise. Deal with “recovery” when you get home. You can sleep another time.

Just don’t sleep through your “Wake-up” call.