Insider’s Guide to Austin

Shopping
2ND Street District
This upscale urban neighborhood between Lady Bird Lake and downtown boasts 225,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, entertainment, and residential spaces. Visitors will love the fancy barbecue at Lamberts or the high-end cocktails at Malverde. The district is also home to the only Ligne Roset concept boutique in the world. www.2ndstreetdistrict.com; Lamberts: 401 West Second St., 512/494-1500, www.lambertsaustin.com; Malverde: 400-B West Second St., www.malverdeaustin.com; Ligne Roset Boutique: 201 West Second St., 512/320-0778, www.ligne-roset-boutique.com
Insider tip: Stop at Mercury Design Studio and check out the “art-o-matic” machine. It’s an old cigarette machine―put in $5 and a small piece of original art slides out the bottom. So cute, and a great cheap souvenir! Mercury Design Studio: 209 West Second St., 512/236-0100, www.mercurydesignstudio.com

Heritage Boot
It’s not hard to find cowboy boots in Austin, but the best ones are at Heritage. A native of Ireland, owner Jerry Ryan moved to Texas to design elaborate, handcrafted, vintage-style boots. 117 West Eighth St., 512/326-8577, www.heritageboot.com
Insider tip: Check out the belts, dog collars, and other accessories if boots are too much of a commitment.

South Congress Avenue
Known as Austin’s “hip strip,” South Congress Avenue was a haven for retro clothing even before it took on its modern identity as SoCo. Check out New Bohemia for vintage clothes and home furnishings, Maya Star for cool imported jewelry, and Austin Art Glass for a colorful souvenir. Stop for coffee at Jo’s, or relax with a glass of wine at the new Cissi’s Wine Bar. www.austinchronicle.com/soco; New Bohemia Retro Resale: 1606 South Congress Ave., 512/326-1238; Maya Star: 1508 South Congress Ave., 512/912-1475, www.mayastar.com; Austin Art Glass: 1608 South Congress Ave., 512/916-4527, www.austinartglass.com; Jo’s Coffee: 1300 South Congress Ave., 512/444-3800, www.joscoffee.com; Cissi’s Wine Bar: 1400 South Congress Ave., 512/225-0521, www.cissismarket.com

Waterloo Records and BookPeople (pictured)
The corner of Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard is the birthplace of Austin’s independent business movement. Waterloo Records and BookPeople are both heavy hitters behind the Keep Austin Weird movement, and both are consistently named among the best record and bookshops (respectively) in the nation. The music at Waterloo isn’t divided according to genres; it’s listed alphabetically, local with international, big names with start-up bands. That’s Austin’s personality, all right. Waterloo Records: 600A North Lamar Blvd., 512/474-2500, www.waterloorecords.com; BookPeople: 603 North Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5050, www.bookpeople.com
Insider tip: Waterloo Records is famous in the music community. Touring bands sometime host in-store shows (Willie Nelson showed up to play with Asleep at the Wheel just a few months ago). Check the Web site to find out if you could get an intimate performance by one of your favorite bands.