West 2nd St, Downtown

Being on the renovated 2nd street feels way different than a visit to Austin's older streets. It feels like a half million dollar condo loft (of which there are plenty here) and makes the rest of Austin seem like a ramshackle cottage. Neatly laid bricks, well placed matching benches, upscale boutiques (including one for dogs!) make up this street. The Austin Children's Museum is here, with a suitable sandwich place down the street where you can take the kids and be surrounded by business types on their lunch break. City Hall is located here and it also houses a cafe with great coffee. Farther down is Lambert's, an excellent place for BBQ and live music. It's my favorite place for my band to play, because the sound guy is very thorough and attentive, so the bands always sound well balanced. The crowd here reflects a bit of the old and new mix in Austin; hippies in psychedelic dresses intermingle with business casual yuppies.