ConTex Information Packet
NPL Convention 2013 in Austin, Texas
For the full Con site, click here.
Getting to the Convention Hotel
Hyatt Regency Austin
208 Barton Springs, Austin, TX 78704
Tel: 512-477-1234
Traveling from the Airport
- Super Shuttle - The Hyatt does not have its own airport shuttle, but does have an arrangement with Super Shuttle for “first drop-off, last pick-up”. The cost is $13/person.
- Cab - The trip should cost about $25 and take about 15-20 minutes.
- Capital Metro Bus - The 100-Airport Flyer Inbound route should take about 30 minutes and cost $1. Get off at the Congress & Riverside stop and walk .18 miles to the hotel. (See map on last page of this packet)
Amenities
- Complimentary self-parking (valet is not free).
- Complimentary high-speed internet in your hotel room.
Our Convention Rooms and When We’ve Got ’Em
Hospitality Suite - Wednesday at 4PM - Sunday at Noon
A deluxe suite on the 15th floor (we won’t know the room number until check-in, but will post a sign outside the door and send an email letting you know where it is).
Hill Country Ballroom - Thursday 8PM-6AM, then continuously Friday 8PM-Sunday at 1PM
This is our general session room. It is located on the first floor of the hotel.
Small Meeting Rooms
- Board Room - Thursday 8AM - Sunday 1PM (On the 2nd Floor, seats 12)
- Big Bend A, B, C, and D - Thursday 9PM - Sunday 1PM (On the 1st Floor, each of these four rooms seats 20)
Dining Rooms
- Texas 1 - Dinner Friday and Saturday, 6PM-8PM (On the 2nd Floor)
- Hill Country Foyer - Breakfast Saturday and Sunday, 8:30AM-10:30AM, Lunch Saturday, 12PM-2PM (On the 1st Floor)
Where to Print Your Con Handouts
Both of these print shops are less than half a mile from the Hotel. Current attendance count is 154 (as of 7/4/2013).
Click for Google Maps of copy shops
Places to Eat (Good Ones) Around One Mile or Less from the Hotel
Food Trucks
- Melizzoz Tacos - 1503 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, 512-916-4996, Great tacos! Next to Gordoughs!
- Torchy’s Tacos - 1311 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, 512-366-0537, Great queso, fun tacos!
- Gordoughs Big Fat Donuts - 1503 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, 512-707-1050, Crazy donuts. I’m talking chicken strip-topped donuts. Fried fresh while you wait.
- La Barbecue - 1502 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, 512-605-9696, Great barbecue! One of Austin’s top 3 BBQ joints.
- G’Raj Mahal - 91 Red River, Facing Davis, Austin, TX 78701, 512-480-2255, Really good Indian food served in a
very Austin setting. You get a table and a waiter, but the food is prepared in a food truck.
Diners and Other Casual Restaurants
- Chuy’s - 1728 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX, 512-474-4452, Iconic Austin Tex-Mex joint. Ask for creamy jalapeno dip with your chips. I love the Chuychanga. It’s loud and Elvis-y in here.
Frank - 407 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-494-6916, Fancy hot dogs! Frito Pies! Waffle Chip Nachos!
- Easy Tiger Bakeshop & Beer Garden - 709 E 6th St, Austin, TX 512-614-4972, great German sausages, sandwiches, and giant pretzels with homemade mustard. Lots and lots of beer downstairs.
- Snack Bar - 1224 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-445-2626, local/organic/non GMO, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free friendly.
- Magnolia Café - 1920 S Congress Ave Austin, TX 78704, 512-445-0000, Austin’s famous diner, open 24 hours. Fun spot! Get the Magnolia Mud or their famous Gingerbread Pancakes.
- Hopdoddy’s - 1400 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-243-7505, Great burgers (with GF bun option), even better milk shakes (caramel & sea salt! nutella & chocolate pretzel!)
- Enoteca Vespaio - 1610 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-441-7672, Really good Italian food, homemade pastas, lovely pastries, an exceptionally good Sunday brunch.
Upscale Restaurants
- Uchi - 801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704, 512-916-4808, The best restaurant in Austin. Expensive fusion Japanese and sushi. Yes, you do want to eat sushi in Austin, Texas. It’s unforgettably wonderful.
- Swift’s Attic - 315 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, 512-482-8842, Really fun space and delicious and inventive food. You can get some bar snacks affordably (we love the pop rock edamame!) and it’s got a semi-casual feel.
- La Condesa - 400 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-499-0300, upscale Mexican eats, great cocktails and desserts
- Mulberry - 360 Nueces St #20, Austin, TX 78701, 512-320-0297, small and lovely spot with beautifully made New American/Italian dishes
- El Naranjo - 85 Rainey St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-474-2776, A bit farther than La Condesa, but I like it much more. Headed by a world-renowned chef from Oaxaca. Really wonderful and authentic Mexican food.
Good Coffee and Treats
- Jo’s Hot Coffee - 1300 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-444-3800, great coffee, fun snacks, outdoor (but shady!) seating only.
- Amy’s Ice Cream - 1301 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-440-7488, Austin’s favorite ice cream!
- Holy Cacao Food Truck - 1311 S First St, Austin, TX 78704, 512-851-2253, cake balls and chocolate drinks!
Austin Sights, Sounds, and Attractions
Live Music Venues
- Continental Club - 1315 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, 512-441-2444, great venue for local and non-local musicians of all genres, 0.6 Miles from Hotel
- Threadgills - 301 W Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78704, 512-472-9304, mostly country music, you can eat here too, but it’s not so great. Get the chicken fried steak if you’ve never had one, 0.2 Miles from Hotel
- Antone’s - 2015 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78741, 512-800-4628, a new location, farther from the Con hotel than the others, but a lot of great musicians play here, 1.8 Miles from Hotel
- Stubb’s - 801 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-480-8341, great outdoor music venue, tickets here tend to be more expensive than other shows in town, 1.1 Miles from Hotel
- Blues on the Green - If you’ll be in town Wednesday and don’t care about missing the bats, you can catch Bob Schneider’s free show at Zilker Park. Huge crowds! Music starts at 7:30PM, 1.6 Miles from Hotel
- And a Trillion More - see here: http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/music/
Movies!
- Alamo Drafthouse - 320 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-476-1320, If you love movies, you really must make time to visit the Alamo while you’re in town. There are several locations, but the Ritz is closest and has the most fun activities. The week of ConTex, you can see the Weird Wednesday film, Jabberwalk, for $3 at 10PM, do an R. Kelly or Chart-Topping (i.e. Taylor Swift, Daft Punk) Sing-Along on Thursday, and see the fantastic Master Pancake duo mock Con Air on Friday and Saturday. Oh yeah! They also serve fun food and alcohol! 0.8 Miles from Hotel
- Violet Crown Cinema - 434 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-495-9600, Austin’s arthouse theatre. Catch an indie flick on a small screen while eating vegan/gluten free snacks and sipping a cocktail. 0.6 Miles from Hotel
- Paramount Theatre - 713 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701, 512-472-5470, A beautiful old theatre near the Capitol. They run a fun summer film series where you can watch a classic movie in a posh setting. Check out the calendar on their website. 0.7 Miles from Hotel
Pools and Outdoor Attractions
- Barton Springs Pool - 2201 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746, 512-476-9044, huge, beautiful spring-fed swimming pool that’s a chilly 68 degrees year-round. 1.8 Miles from Hotel
- Zilker Park, Botanical Gardens - 2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746, 512-477-8672, Theme gardens such as rose, herb, and Japanese gardens are interconnected with streams, waterfalls, and Koi-filled ponds. The Hartman Prehistoric Garden recreates local dinosaur habitats. 1.8 Miles from Hotel
- Deep Eddy Pool - 401 Deep Eddy Ave, Austin, TX 78703, 512-472-8546, The oldest swimming pool in Texas, it’s lovely and has plenty of surrounding shade trees to lie under when you’re not swimming. 2.4 Miles from Hotel
- The Hike and Bike Trail - You can access this trail by stepping out the back door of the Con hotel. 10 miles of trail that borders Lady Bird Lake. It is mostly shaded, so it’s ideal for folks who like to walk/run/bike for fun.
Fun Shops
- South Congress - If you walk south on Congress Ave from the hotel, you’ll come to one of Austin’s most iconic strips of independent businesses. Some of my favorites include Parts & Labour (witty t-shirts, fun jewelry, cool art all made by local folks), Lucy in Disguise (costume and accessories shop), Big Top Candy Shop (all the candy you could ever hope for in the whole world).
- Book People - 603 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703, 512-472-5050, Austin’s biggest independent book store. Fantastic staff recommendation cards line the shelves, lots of book-signing, author-talk events. 1.4 Miles from Hotel
- Waterloo Records - 600 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703, 512-474-2500 Austin’s best record store. Great selection, helpful staff, lots of in-store performances too, 1.4 Miles from Hotel
- In.gredients - 2610 Manor Road, Austin, TX 78722, 512-275-6357, Austin’s (and the nation’s?) first zero-waste micro-grocery store. Everything is sold in bulk, you’re encouraged to bring your own containers, but you can buy mason jars or paper bags on site. They also have a lot of ready-to-eat foods and local beers on tap that you can enjoy on their cute patio, 3 Miles from Hotel
Best Places to be a Geek
- Pinballz - 8940 Research Blvd #100, Austin, TX 78758, 512-420-8458, Over 100 pinball machines including the top 30 rated pins of all time. It’s also BYOB. From the website: “Our pinball machine selection is a unique experience unmatched anywhere in the country. Or come play our Dancing, Driving, Shooting, Basketball, Air Hockey, Skeeball, Classic and New Video Arcade Games and Instant Prize and Ticket Redemption games with the coolest prizes in town! Games for all ages!”, 10.7 Miles from Hotel
- Geeks Who Drink - There are a ton of Geeks Who Drink events around town (a pub-style trivia quiz), so check out the website if you’ve got a free evening while you’re in town. You can have up to six people on your team. http://www.geekswhodrink.com/
- Austin Books and Comics - 5002 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78751, 512-454-4197, Central Texas’ biggest, longest-running comics and pop culture retailer, specializing in Golden and Silver Age books as well as current issues. 6.6 Miles from Hotel
- Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy - 2438 West Anderson Lane Suite B-1, Austin, TX 78757, 512-454-2399, Huge shop full of great games, comics, fantasy stuff, with tons of events each day (D&D, Magic, Cosplay Symposium, Board Game Groups, etc), 9.3 Miles from Hotel
Museums and Educational Stuff
- The Texas Capitol Building - 112 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78701, 512-463-0063, A beautiful building on lovely grounds. Fair warning that there might be a lot of protests going on the week of the Convention relating to a special session, so if you are conflict-averse you might want to steer clear. 1 Mile from Hotel
- Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and IMAX - 1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-8746, Guests can explore the “Story of Texas” through three floors of exhibits that showcase artifacts from around the state; immersive special-effects films on history and culture in the Texas Spirit Theater; and Austin’s premier IMAX Theatre. 1.6 Miles from Hotel
- The Harry Ransom Center - 300 West 21st St, Austin, TX 78712, 512-471-8944, The Harry Ransom Center is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and 
cultural artifacts from the United States and Europe. Houses a Guttenberg Bible and the first photograph. 1.9 Miles from Hotel
- The Blanton Museum of Art - 200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78701, 512-471-7324, Features a fantastic collection of American and contemporary art, Latin art, European paintings, prints, and drawings. Also on the UT campus. There’s a very cool exhibit going on now called Lifelike, which “invites a close examination of artworks based on commonplace objects and situations, which are startlingly realistic, but often made of unusual materials in unexpected sizes.” 1.7 Miles from Hotel