SoCo: Inspiring Austin's Urban Life

Musician entertains guest of the Food Trucks along SoCo.

South Congress, commonly referred to as SoCo, is a hub of good food, music, and the "Keep Austin Weird" lifestyle Austinites live by. SoCo stretches all the way from Downtown Austin south to Slaughter Lane and the strip between James street and Crockett street exemplify these qualities. 

 According to Lauren Drewes Daniels in On The Road Again in the Dallas Observer: "Thin filets of chicken, shrimp or avocado are coated in sesame seeds, ancho chili flakes, sea salt, sugar and corn flakes then deep fried, topped with mango-jalapeno slaw and ancho sauce, which is all wrapped in a tortilla and stuffed in a paper cone for easy transport. The picnic tables in front of the trailer even have cone-holder holes...The idea for the hot and crunchy cone came from a chef at Hudson's on the Bend, a popular restaurant on Lake Travis. "

On the other hand, SoCo offers much more than dining options. Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds, along with other clothing stores like American Apparel, have also set up shop on S. Congress and have attracted a lot of business. Lucy in Disguise, who does the most business during the Halloween season, is an 8,000 square foot costume store known for its giant inventory and cool staff. 

SoCo embodies "Keep Austin Weird," but it introduces those who are not familiar with Austin life to Austin life. Even as an Austinite, there were things about what exactly was up and down South Congress I wasn't aware existed. SoCo promotes walking and local business which speaks to the high level of urbanism one might experience down S. Congress.

These musical and cultural hubs can be found not only throughout major cities in the US, but also nationally. The Hongdae Area in Seoul, Korea as well as Camden Town in Central London, UK are similar to SoCo and offer what Austinites experience to their citizens.