When Epoch is full to bursting, Bennu is a great alternative, despite being on the wrong side of the freeway. Lots of seating and plenty of pull-down extension cords for plugging in your laptop.

I've finally found a 24/7 coffee house that suites my needs! This venue is comfortable and just eclectic enough to remain unassuming. The spooled extension cables hanging from the ceiling immediately let the visitor know that this is where people come to get, and stay, connected...

When inquiring as to the official cultural term for a sushi chef (ninja,maybe?) I was informed by one of them at Zen that she was a Sushi Seductress.

If, like me, you like to buy groceries that are interesting enough to eat, Whole Foods is the place to go. This is one big damn organic grocery store. They have the biggest stock of ginger beer I've ever witnessed (although it's still not always enough to keep me from cleaning them out!). They've got anything organic you could possibly imagine, and quite a few things you never would have, believe me. Pick up a loaf of seed-o-licious bread and some exotic fruit spread and equally exotic nut butter. Try a smoothie or juice combination from the juice bar to mellow your mood enough to tolerate the drive home when you try to leave. They have this cool escalator that matches up with their carts so that it has no steps but the carts don't just roll down. Best of all, for you ladies, is the chocolatier they have over by the pastries; I recommend the sea salt covered toffees.

Having grown bored with the traditional offerings found in most sushi restaurants, I was happy to stumble across Uchi. There is very little on the menu that you will likely recognize, and all of it is magnificent. The atmosphere is that perfect blend of ambient lounge and cocktail party that is ideal for entertaining clients at or for taking a cute girl to show her that you have taste. Be warned that the wait is horrible unless you have reservations, and they only offer those between certain hours. It's a VERY popular spot and therefore another solid location to see and be seen.

Sometimes, when I've been up all night coding (or gaming), I'll stay awake a few extra hours more just so that I can go to Bouldin when it opens at 7am. This place has a very South Austin feel to it, sporting an eclectic kitsch collage of design. The outside area is dog-friendly, and even provides water bowls. I love to just chill at the bar with good book whilst I savor my Ovencake Breakfast, a tasty plate of cornbread baked with blueberries and scrambled eggs covered in cheese. Of course, no stop at Bouldin is complete without a latte, but I recommend avoiding the chai tea; something about the taste of the brand they use for it.

solid wifi here. plus, the austin nite life is on prominent display if you are lucky enough to score a window table. the waitstaff ranges from very personable to my flavor of nut. try a potato knish!

I didn't even know that there was such a thing as Salvadorian cuisine, but this place sure puts it on the map! The salsa is excellent, a hallmark of good ethnic food here in south Texas, and if you don't know what a "pupusa" is, you've got to try some. I prefer the cheese pupusas, myself, but there are enough great entres to satisfy your craving for something a little bit different, but not too far from home...

If you have to go to the hospital in Austin, or the ER, I highly recommend St.David's. They have several locations, friendly staff, and what is now called "comfort orders". When you have to stay in the hospital for a day or three, they have a dedicated nurse that just goes around with a huge cart full of pills and asks you if you need anything. What does she mean by "anything"? Do you have a headache? Stuffy nose? Congestion? Constipation? Depression? Insomnia? Anxiety? Tourettes? Just bored and need to take the edge off your stay? I'm pretty sure she had some mescaline and peyote stashed in there somewhere, but I didn't have the temerity to ask for it. Once they dose you with a morphine derivative, do you really need anything else? I go stir crazy in hospitals after a short period, so on my last visit I learned that Ambien can be your best friend.

Everyone should treat themselves to a massage at least once. I believe in treating myself to one as often as possible. To that end, it is necessary to have one's own favorite massage studio or masseuse. Well, I'm still working on which masseuse I prefer, but Myo has everything I'm looking for. In addition to a broad offering of different types of massage, they offer heated stone therapy, which I can't wait to try out. One time, I told the masseuse about having jaw muscle tension and TMJ, and she popped on a rubber glove and proceeded to massage my jaw muscles from inside my mouth; said it was more effective that way and encouraged me to follow suite.

If you live in south Texas, you have to have a favorite mexican restaurant. Here, for me, it's Olmecas. I had been getting my breakfast tacos from 1st Street for over a year before I discovered Olmecas. This place is great if you are not cheap. Traditionally, the "favorite mexican restaurant" costs less than a fast food meal and includes coffee, but tastes like mexican food deliciously bastardized by Texans. Tex-mex is a south Texas cuisine that suffices as "comfort food" for those of us fated to have grown up here. Olmecas may not be as cheap as most similar establishments, but it tastes better than just about anywhere else I've been so far...

Honestly, I've stopped going to any movie theaters except the Alamo Drafthouse. After spending months in anticipation of films in the past, only to have the actual experience of watching them be ruined by people talking, I've had enough of traditional theaters. The food sucks, the drinks suck and the loud patrons suck, but most of all the children suck. At the Drafthouse, they don't put up with that shit. Children are not allowed in the theator, even accompanied by an adult (unless it's Tuesday). They serve REAL food, including pizzas, sammiches and a variety of salads. They serve alcohol. ALCOHOL. Like, a beer, in a GLASS glass, ya know? You can order a latte or a cappucino or an italian cream soda. The menu is fantastic, and you can order throughout the show. You put your order on the bar in front of you and the staff just zip by and snag it during the show. Then they zip back and drop off your bucket-of-beer and whatever food. The tab shows up, disappears and returns the same way. I fuckin love this place!

While the various Planet K locations provide the mainstay of Austin headshops, South Oats has grown to become the new defacto headshop for South Austin. The selection of glass pipes and other merch isn't as kitschy as what Planet K offers. Whether you just need some screens or a new 3' glass piece, South Oats is great. Stock up on cloves or try out a new travel dugout to pack your stash on the road...

On the last Saturday of every April (the Saturday after 4/20), thousands of hippies, rastas, street kids, college students and other assorted freaks go to Pease Park and celebrate Eeyore's Birthday Party. That's the event, anyway. The reality is more along the lines of any available excuse to congregate in large numbers and consume copious amounts of cannabis. There are live bands and drum circles and hack circles enough to satiate even the most bohemian tastes. Other events occur here throughout the year, but Eeyore's Birthday Party is the main gig.

A self-proclaimed English Coffee and Tea Room that specializes in european fine foods and gifts. They serve some interesting dishes, from 11am to 3pm. I wouldn't know if they are good interesting or bad interesting, since I haven't been able to make that tiny four-hour window yet. Makes an ideal quiet spot with free wifi and interesting things to drink, although it is a bit north of town...

This place is the Jason's Deli of seafood. I really enjoy the market atmosphere for dinner with friends, and they carry Abita root beer, something I happen to favor...

This south Austin favorite is idealy situated right on South Congress as is open all night ("Sorry, We're Open!"). In Austin, Denny's is for tourists; locals go to Magnolia or Kerby Lane. Magnolia is more personalized and has more style. Another terrific spot for people watching.

Situated in the heart of downtown is the Creekside Lounge, a unique bar venue owned by an old high-school friend, Casey. The interior is almost more of a waiting area for bar-space on busy nights, but the back patio is enormous (bigger than the inside) and gives way to a real live creek that also runs through the heart of downtown and is bordered by walkways to allow site-seeing. Tell Casey who sent ya!

This is a great venue with a large outdoor area. They server a decent selection of alcohol in addition to the traditional (and non-traditional) caffeinated fare. The food is nothing remarkable. The indoor lounge area has comfortable seating, but can get a bit stuffy in the summer; anywhere else you want to sit will have a hard seat, especially all the rusted out metal patio furniture outside. The venue itself is very "Austin", leaning heavily in the eclectic direction. Parking is a downright bitch a lot of the time. The wifi connection is free, and half the patrons are online with laptops. Go hear to socialize with friends.