South Congress, Visit Austin, Arts+Labor 2023 . Happy Heat first explored South Congress in August, laying out the back story behind the scene. What follows is where we drop for the drip in the here and now, beginning on the east side of the street, walking north towards the State Capitol. THE ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS POP UP 1603 S Congress Ave , Fri-Sun 11-7 Music, merch, performance schedule here . STAG Provisions For Men 1423 S Congress Ave Well-curated, wide variety. HOME SLICE 1415 S Congress Ave An Austin institution based on the original, unfailing goodness of authentic NY-style pizza; No compromise. IMOGENE & WILLIE 1401 S Congress Ave A Nashville import, but from the sliver that vibes more like Austin. They chose us for their second (and only) location outside Nashville. On-site tailoring , excellent service. THE CONTINENTAL CLUB 1315 S Congress Ave Here’s the calendar. Two nights this week stick out. Sat Dec 7: Peterson Brothers 8, Barfield The Tyrant 10. Both command the stage and entertain. Tue Dec 10: James McMurtry 10, Betty Soo 12. Legends. AMY’S 1301 S Congress Ave An ice cream empire built by Austin OG Amy Simmons. So good, so worth the wait. Simmons applied her experience as the first female professional boxer in Texas to learn how to stay nimble — bobbing and weaving through the challenges presented throughout the decades. “The motive was never money, and I think sometimes in the end that makes you more successful because that’s not your sole motive.” Quoted in The Austin Business Journal, April 8, 2024. Amy’s is celebrating 40 years. Photo courtesy Yelp, Albert K. 2024 North from Amy’s you’ll hit the highest priced ground on the strip, where SOCO found its name. There’s more than a bit of pretention stuffed in this stretch, redeveloped and rebranded as Music Lane and now home to SOHO House Austin, Hermes, Equinox…. an area no different than similar districts in other big cities. BUT the stuff we used to have to go to New York to discover is right here, and there’s something cool about that. Music Lane, 2024. LE LABO 1011 S Congress Ave We first stumbled across Le Labo in New York in the early 2000s. Yes it’s expensive but it also will last awhile. I use the beard oil. Subtle fragrance, subtle sheen, subtle elegance. Le Labo Austin Le Labo was born in Grasse, the capital of perfumery located in the south of France, and raised in New York, where they opened their first lab twelve years ago in Nolita. Le Labo, Music Lane This is the turnaround. If you wanna hit pause, two reccos: 1/ sit outside at Aba’s intimate pocket bar across from the entrance. Much easier to get a seat, heaters, great people watching. When we want quiet, Kristin and I dip through the Magdalena courtyard to Summer House . Great place for a small bite and a cocktail. Okey doke. Let’s cross the street and head south on the west side. GANNI 1200 S Congress Ave Scandinavian cool from the Danes. Kristin zeroed in after the brand opened its first US store in Miami (along with LA and NYC the same year) in 2019 during Art Basel. Now it’s here! WINTER WANDERLAND OPENS AT THE AUSTIN MOTEL 1220 S Congress Ave , Thur 6-9 KUTX’s John E Dee will be bringing the bounce to the Thursday night tree lighting with an old school dance party. It’s free, it’s fun. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the month. HOTEL SAN JOSE BLOCK PARTY 1316 S Congress Ave , Sun 12-5 Find a bit of peace in the hotel garden after you’re done shopping. SERVICE MENSWEAR 1400 S Congress Ave Tasteful, and they know how to dress men of a certain age who still want to look current. Why I love ‘em. Jeans that fit comfortably and have style. BY GEORGE 1400 S Congress Ave Prices are pricey but the curation is world class. It’s where I found Kristin’s 25th anniversary present. They also have more affordable knick knacks and puzzles, novel stocking stuffers. MAUFRAIS 1512 S Congress Ave Man oh man this place is so Austin. You can spend a lot or spend a little bit less, and every penny’s worth it if you want a hat that’s legit. The private fittings are an incredible experience. Best of all these folks are of our culture and know our culture. The son of the dude that started Allen’s Boots opened Maufrais with his wife Lauren in 2019. They live above the store. Here before the cool and now defining it. “When I was a kid, they’d let me walk two blocks to Terra Toys,” the younger Greenberg, now 28, recalls. “It was a scary walk. Someone always watched me from the store.” Austin American-Statesman, Aug 29, 2015. Steve Allen Greenberg in 1977, the year he opened Allen’s Boots. Courtesy Austin American-Statesman, Aug 29, 2015. ALLENS BOOTS 1522 S Congress Ave The old man’s place next door, an anchor. Got our kid’s first boots here, love to check out their hats and shirts. NOAH MARION 1606 S Congress Ave Local, tasteful, interesting leather goods. PAPERWORK (formerly Parts & Labour) 1704 S Congress Ave A must stop. Products from Austin makers. Shirts, prints, jewelry, all sorts of things. LETTERPRESS PLAY 2002 S Congress Ave Letterpress PLAY is a letterpress design studio that makes zero waste paper toys, cards, posters, and hankies on beautiful, old presses. (from the website ). C-BOYS 2008 S Congress Ave The Continental Club’s sister on the south end of the strip, Steve Wertheimer’s re-invention of a classic . Here’s this month’s calendar. In 1978, a Jewish accounting student from the Houston suburbs went to a West Campus blues club called the Rome Inn. In time, he became protégé of the old black man who ran the joint. Thirty-six years later, there's a bright red and white awning on a hot new club on South Congress: "C-Boy's Heart & Soul." Michael Corcoran, The Austin Chronicle, Jan 31, 2014. Enjoy our city. Next week, a diversion into Miami — where almost everything washes ashore and mixes in interesting ways. On we go. Alan Berg, Publisher. *quotes and interviews occasionally edited for clarity. How are we doing? We want to hear from you. Take this quick survey and help us make Happy Heat better. Go see something, tell us about it, we’ll share more stories next week. Let’s build something together. We’d be forever grateful for your help, and an easy way to do so is by subscribing to the Happy Heat Substack. What comes in goes right back out in artist commissions and live shows. To which you’ll get to come! For the first 100 subscribers, we are offering 20% off forever. Get 20% off forever