Laptop workaday getaways
Legend has it, Austin has more coffeeshops per square foot than any city in the United States. True or not, there are more places to sip a cappuccino here than you can shake a sugar pack at. Local coffeehouse empire Austin Java even has a store set up right in the copper corner of the new City Hall building on Second Street. Most of the coffeeshops offer wireless internet access and a more-or-less serene environment for those looking to mix business with pleasure, sit down and work on that spreadsheet or type the next chapter of their novel.
Like said, the options are without limit, so I will just outline three. Try 'em out...you'll be happy you skipped Starbucks.
1) Flipnotics --- located on Barton Springs Road within walking distance of the natural-springs pool, Zilker Park and the hike-and-bike trails, Flipnotics runs a vintage-clothing store on the first floor, and brews one of the best cappuccinos in town on the second (not my own observation--an Italian friend of mine makes that claim). Enjoy the greenery outside on the patio, and catch a good glimpse of the RV park across the street--it will soon be replaced by one of the city's biggest condo projects.
2) Spiderhouse --- ah, Spiderhouse. Strange, pretentious, beautiful. You never know what kind of music will be playing over the speakers--Air Supply one day, weird avant-garde punk the next--but you can always count on the strange haircuts. With its ornate ironwork, garden full of statues sans appendages, and idyllic cottages next door, it offers a stimulating environment for the creative mind. Come in the morning or early afternoon to avoid the hipsters. The coffee sucks, but who cares?
3) Caffe Medici --- Visit this gem on West Lynn Street. Nestled in the village-like enclave at the outskirts of Clarksville, once the city's greatest African-American neighborhood, this is a great place to sip some coffee, pull a book off the shelf--Foulcart and Kerouac seem to be popular--then let your mind wander as you take a walk through the heavily wooded hills of the neighborhood.
Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe - 1601 Barton Springs Road
Spider House Patio Bar & Cafe - 2908 Fruth St.
Caffe Medici - 1101 W. Lynn St.
