After an incredible meal at Uchi, we explored a bit and found ourselves at Lick, an extremely interesting ice cream parlour. The flavors are certainly creative, and not something we’ve found in Raleigh. I opted for a scoop of Mexican Marigold and Blueberry Swirl and a scoop of Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint. Both didn’t disappoint, with the beet and mint being a perfect combo. The cream itself was light, with only a slightly greasy component, and neither was particularly sticky. No bad aftertaste, too.

We checked into the Omni, a pretty nice convention hotel that I got for a steal on Priceline ($95). Driving thru downtown Austin on what is effectively a Friday night does not in any way feel like Raleigh. Austin has gotten a nice influx of local and chain retail stores downtown, and there are several very tall condo/apt towers. There is a thriving row of bars on 6th street, however outside of that, this roughly 12×14 street grid is plagued by street after street of faceless development and tumbleweed blowing around. The strip downtown is equivalent to Glenwood South, and there is no real equivalent to the more hipster-oriented development around Hargett and Wilmington Streets.

We did Exhaustive study of places to eat and drink in Austin, and it seems the most highly sought after stuff is actually in the suburbs. The neatest stuff simply isn’t downtown. We’ll keep an eye on this matter over the next few days.

We needed up at the legendary Continental Lounge just south of downtown, and saw a couple of Rockabilly bands. It’s in a neat little pocket reminiscent of Five Points, maybe, and usually has some late night eats, but not on July 3. We ended up at Whataburger, and it was a forgettable piece of meat on a delicious bun (probably doused in butter before hitting the griddle).

Tomorrow is July 4, and I plan on celebrating by eating tacos all day!