New Year''s in Austin, TX

[Squirrly]

FI and i are headed to Austin for a couple days over new year''s and we''re trying to decide what to do for new year''s eve (midnight''s our anniversairy so we try to do something special, last year was times square).

googling brought up some things: first night out (sounds fun but ends early for the kiddos that go), austin social scene''s gala (sounds like fun, has anyone been to one of these before?), and one site mentioned something about a nighttime train ride, but when i went to the train association''s page that was linked in the article, there was nothing listed about the event.

recommendations? we''re open for just about anything since we''ll be there thurs. through sat. early afternoon. we should have plenty of time to look around

i do have a little red dress that i''m rather pleased with that FI hasn''t seen yet

and smoke makes me queasy/lightheaded with a killer headache a couple hours later, so i''d prefer to avoid it if possible.

TIA!

 

[KimberlyH]

I''m not from Austin but visted in February and I would think The Driskill could be lots of fun on NYE. http://www.driskillhotel.com/pdf/new-years-09.pdf

 

[meresal]

Date: 12/21/2009 11:47:45 AM
Author:Squirrly
recommendations? we're open for just about anything since we'll be there thurs. through sat. early afternoon. we should have plenty of time to look around

i do have a little red dress that i'm rather pleased with that FI hasn't seen yet

and smoke makes me queasy/lightheaded with a killer headache a couple hours later, so i'd prefer to avoid it if possible.

TIA!

Austin passed a no-smoking ban in 2006, so there is no smoking in the bars. Just along the street outside of them. If you are smoking, you have to be 20 feet from the entrance of the bar, I believe... which puts all the smokers in the middle of the road. It's pretty funny to see actually.

I lived in the area for 4 years, but never spent NYE in Austin.

The Driskill is a very pretty place, and I have been to a few parties there. It's a very formal hotel, and would give you a much more "upscale" atmosphere if that is what you are looking for. I can imagine that thier NYE party would be fun and beautiful, and the hotel is actaully right on 6th street and within walking distance of any night time activities you might want to partake in.
They have 2 balconies off of their main ballroom that look out over 6th street, so I would think it woudl be neaat to see all the people on 6th celebrating when midnight hits.

I wouldn't recommend going out on 6th street, unless you are looking for a bar that you can't sit down at and stand in line for a drink for over 10 minutes each time, but you can walk down to 4th where there are some nicer bars that aren't filled with 18-22 year olds.

 

[LabRatPhD]

Date: 12/21/2009 11:47:45 AM
Author:Squirrly
FI and i are headed to Austin for a couple days over new year''s and we''re trying to decide what to do for new year''s eve (midnight''s our anniversairy so we try to do something special, last year was times square).


googling brought up some things: first night out (sounds fun but ends early for the kiddos that go), austin social scene''s gala (sounds like fun, has anyone been to one of these before?), and one site mentioned something about a nighttime train ride, but when i went to the train association''s page that was linked in the article, there was nothing listed about the event.


recommendations? we''re open for just about anything since we''ll be there thurs. through sat. early afternoon. we should have plenty of time to look around

i do have a little red dress that i''m rather pleased with that FI hasn''t seen yet

and smoke makes me queasy/lightheaded with a killer headache a couple hours later, so i''d prefer to avoid it if possible.
TIA!

I live in Austin and have celebrated a few NYE''s here. There is A LOT to do so it can be tough to decide what to go with. I have never been to First Night Out, but I do think it''s oriented more for kids. My FI and I tend to go the restaurant celebration route since we''re not really into bars/clubs. This year FI and I are going to an outstanding seafood restaurant downtown called Truluck''s for a special NYE prix fixe menu. There will be live entertainment, a champagne toast at midnight, etc. Last year, we went to the restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel which had the same kind of deal. Many of the restaurants in town do special menus for NYE. There are also numerous bars and clubs downtown that are currently selling tickets for their NYE celebrations. The Driskill Grill that was mentioned above is beautiful and also has a gala for NYE. This is probably one of the most pricey spots for NYE but the food is amazing and the hotel has a great ambiance.

Whatever you decide to do, I would recommend you make reservations ASAP. Most of the more upscale "events" tend to get booked up/sold out the week before NYE.

Here is a site where you can get a bit more info on the various NYE options: Do 215 events

Good luck!

 

[Squirrly]

thanks kimberlyh, meresal, and labratphd!
i''m passing all this along to FI, sounds like it''ll be more a matter of where to go rather than finding something to do