SoCo for Tourists

South Congress is a popular hangout for Austin natives, of course. With shops, restaurants and clubs it has a little something for everyone from live music to funky clothes to locally grown groceries to Mexican Food and ice cream. But two unique, refurbished motels make it a great base of operations for outlanders, too. The Austin Motel has preserved this sign which always makes me laugh. And not just for the slogan on the reader board at the bottom. It is a bit funky although I suspect a step or two up from the old motel it used to be. The close in the slogan refers to the short distance to downtown.

The other place to stay in this area is the uber-sophisticated San Jose Hotel which was turned into a modern minimalist place popular with singers and stars and creative people. We've seen some rooms there and they are nice. The place had turned into a weekly motel for people on the down and out (if not actual drug dealers and prostitutes) when an acquaintance of ours took it over and made it a showcase. She ran the place (with its residents) while she put the deal together and she made a little film about the place before the transformation and the people who lived there. You wouldn't recognize the place from the Zen getaway that is there now. We will post some pictures of the San Jose one day.