what to do on a slow day?

i was thinking about the aquarium.
sounds better than a museum but i was thinking that also.
any recommendations? any spunky kool bars downtown?
any stores native to austin that i must visit?
any restaurants i must go to?
im on the norrrthsiide but all i have is time so what to do?!

a Tour of the Capitol is always entertaining and educational!

as far as dinner today I will recommend Foreign and Domestic

lol. i was thinking that you were joking at first.
but what kind of place is Foreign and Domestic?

*Ethiopian restaurant in Pville is awesome, unique, budget friendly
*Alamo Drafthouse Lake line is north and a lot of fun..."Guardians of the Galaxy" is a fun movie playing now. {{{WE are Groot}}}
*Westside Ale House is a decent hang out bar. Semi upscale.
*Brushy Creek Trail is a nice jog/walk if u r unto outside activity.

ive never been to an alamo drafthouse and that sounds like the best option, but id hate to make that the only thing i do which it probally would be lol.
i wish hotels had netflix.

ive never been to an alamo drafthouse and that sounds like the best option, but id hate to make that the only thing i do which it probally would be lol.
i wish hotels had netflix.

If you're looking for stores that are exclusive to Austin go to S. Congress, right south of downtown just across the bridge is a tourist hot spot for shopping.

The drafthouse is always a good bet! I'm a fan of the downtown location myself (it's where they show the weird movies)

Foreign and Domestic "An international twist on local comfort food"

Additionally, while on S Congress you could stop in at Home Slice. It's a staple there with great pizza. http://www.homeslicepizza.com

Esther's Follies

If your hotel has Wi-Fi, and if you have a netflix account, voila ... you can at least watch netflix on your laptop or tablet. I don't use my hand held as the small screen and sound don't make for good movie viewing.

If you have never been to a Presidential Library, the LBJ is high on my list.

Otherwise, perhaps a bit of research might illuminate.... check the visiting provider ads in Austin and see how far in advance they let folks know they will be in town - sometimes they post in the Welcome or in the Coed. jmho that a bit of advance notice seems to work wonders for most travelers.

If you'd like to meet a group of fun folks in Austin, there's a Halo Weenie happy hour on the 8th of October. Which is a Wednesday/hump day, and I will bet a buck against a bobbing apple you can line up some humps very quickly.

Hit the good lingerie stores and go shopping. Must see le rouge, fascinations, tabu, forbidden fruit, and there's a new one on Anderson lane called hard candy I think. Also there are fun walks of varying lengths around lady bird lake hike and bike trail. Try the new elevated boardwalk over the water on the south shore of the river..er.... Lake.

I hear there's also this cool place called yelp dot com.

But seriously with the hypercritical, wannabe food-blogger, selfie generation safely presiding over the local Yelp scene you can be assured that any establishment with 4 or more stars is, in fact, ridiculously amazing.

On a side note: eccie providers are fortunate in the sense that they're only subjected to the yes/no dichotomy, rather than a star system. I read a review on Yelp recently by a very well-regarded local luminary who stayed an hour past the restaurant closed, praised every single thing about the experience, had their appetizers comped, met and had drinks with the owner and his wife, and STILL gave them a 4 star review. LOL could you imagine some of the ratings that would be administered here?

If you go to the Alamo Drafthouse on 183, I highly recommend skipping their food and eating at The Foxhole on the other side of the freeway. Best steak in town and the rest of the selections are what I call nouveau-foodie, normal food but with some offball twist. Whatever you order, be sure to get the homemade potato chips.