Out the Other's Guide to SXSW On the Cheap (Part 4)

The music portion of SXSW starts tomorrow (!!!), which means it's definitely time for Part 4 of Out the Other's Guide to SXSW on the cheap.  Check out Parts 1, 2 and 3 if you're still a little clueless about how to see your favorite bands without forking over for a badge or wristband, but in this edition I'm going to share some general tips and tricks that my sis and I have used the past two years to survive SXSW without going totally broke (and you know, without dying or vomiting or anything along those lines).

Food

Other than booze and bands, food's one of the things you're going to end up spending the most money on at the festival.  There's definitely free food to be had at a lot of the day parties, but a lot of times it ends up being in the VIP section only, and even if there's food around, it goes FAST.  So here are a few tips for eating without going broke:

• EAT BREAKFAST.  I'm serious.  Your mom and/or nutritionist has been telling you this for years, but it makes a lot of sense for a bunch of reasons.  If you're in a hotel and they have a continental breakfast - it's free.  If you're crashing at someone's house - they have a fridge, microwave and stove and you can totally make something.  I'm not talking full on eggs and bacon every morning, but it won't hurt to at least eat some cereal or something cheap before you head out the door.  Plus it's always good to have something in your stomach before you start drinking, right?
• PACK SNACKS.  Becky and I pretty much live by this one.  This year, I bought granola bars, special K protein bars, trail mix, 100 calorie snack packs of sun chips, etc etc.  If you're going to be carrying around a bag anyway, you might as well fill it with stuff you can snack on that will tide you over between free breakfast tacos and free BBQ, or whatever you're buying for dinner.
• BUY SOME FRUIT.  Your body will be craving something healthy like it's its JOB after two days of drinking your face off.  I promise.  Throw an apple or banana in your bag.
• If you're driving, you can always make cheap sandwiches and pack something in a cooler if you're REALLY trying to save money. Then you can just bop back to the car and eat your dinner before heading out to night shows.

At the same time though, save a little money and splurge a little on some good eats, because this is Austin after all, and there's some delicious stuff that's super convenient to the 6th/Red River area:

• Go Bites - I actually dream about this place when I'm not in Austin. It's a little window on Red River right next to Emo's, and they serve up gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, awesome fries and mini sliders (at least that's what was on the menu last year).  It's pretty cheap, not too bad for you and DELICIOUS.  I can't even describe just how delicious.  Last year they even had cupcakes.
• Ironworks BBQ - located at 100 Red River right by the convention center, this is where we stop every year for our annual dose of Texas BBQ.  It'll be packed and the line will be long, but the service is super fast and you'll get in and out pretty quickly.  And it's totally worth it.
• Paradise - this place is a pretty standard sandwich/salad/burger cafe, but it's right on 6th which makes is unbelievably convenient, as long as you pop in when it's not totally packed.  I think we ate there twice last year.

That's about all I can offer in terms of cheap food advice - other than of course suggesting you hit all the late night hot dog carts, etc.  OH and find the Ice Cream Man - free ice cream is ALWAYS a good idea.

This and That

• Remember, you're going to be walking/standing almost ALL DAY - so be nice to your feet.  Throw a change of shoes in your car (and a pair of clean socks too - you wouldn't believe how awesome just putting on clean socks can feel after hours of walking around all day).  Bring more than one pair of shoes/flip flops in case you get blisters.
• Carry around antibacterial wipes.  Esp. if you're a girl.  You won't run into much soap in venue bathrooms, and besides, there are tons of porta-potties at the makeshift venues, so you might not end up in a real bathroom anyway. 
• Use antibacterial wipes at the end of the night to wipe off all of the stamps on your hands/wrists.  The alcohol in the wipes helps remove the ink, and it'll keep you from waking up with the imprint of a stamp on your cheek or forehead. 
• Haha a tip my sister just shared - don't walk down 6th Street at 2:30 a.m.  You will hate it. Unless you are as drunk as they are.  The local 6th St. patrons never really leave during SXSW.
• Don't be afraid to call it a night early if there's nothing amazing going on.  You'll have more fun doing the free stuff during the day anyway, so go home and get some sleep, and get back downtown early the next day.
• Once again - GET THERE EARLY for pretty much everything, if you're trying to do it free/cheap.  That goes for parties and official showcases and sweet downtown parking.
• Once again - only take free shit if you plan on carrying it around all day.  Unless you can go stick it in your car or unless you can wear it, you'll end up lugging it around.  And odds are, losing it.
• If you park near the convention center, the bathrooms there or in the Hilton are a great place to freshen up in between day stuff and night stuff - brush your teeth, fix your makeup, change shirts, etc.  If you don't want to give up that sweet parking spot, you probably don't want to go do that wherever you're staying.
• A lot of venues are outdoor-ish, so you can hear things without actually paying to get into the venue.  Emo's Annex (across the street from Emo's), Stubb's, the Mohawk's outdoor stage, the Cedar St. Courtyard - you can hear all of their stuff from the street. Worst case scenario, of course, cause I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get into something you like.
• I forgot to mention before - go check out the Red Gorilla Fest.  It's free festival that runs concurrently with SXSW at a few venues downtown, and a lot of local Nashville acts play every year.  It's always free, and it's always a fun place to end up. 
• Drink lots of water.  I know that's general advice for life, but a good rule of thumb for SXSW is:  if you've been drinking for six hours and haven't had to pee, you're pretty much dehydrated.
• Wear sunscreen.  Ditto the life advice.  But chances are you're a pasty white indie rock kid and it's not nearly as sunny in your hometown as it is in Austin this week.

Okay, that's about all I can think of right now.  We're in Hillsboro, TX right now, and about to leave our delightfully economy lodgings and book it to Ikea (!!!) before we get to Austin.  I'll be updating as frequently as I can once we get to town, but as you can imagine, I'm not going to be spending a ton of time with the laptop.

Happy St. Patty's Day, everyone.  Next time we talk I'll hopefully be on the other side of a few irish car bombs.

Comments

[cheap ugg boots]

ok