Table of Contents
Whether you have just moved to Austin, or are just visiting, you may have noticed there are a few weird phrases circling in every Austinite’s vocabulary. Many places have slang for the weather or how you’re feeling, but we’re pretty upfront about all that. When it’s hot, it’s just (insert-expletive-here) hot. However, we do have slang terms for most locations in Austin, and it can get pretty hard to navigate if you’re unfamiliar – these are the big ones!
The Drag
The Drag is an area of UT Campus where you can find all kinds of awesome restaurants, shops, dive-y bars, and amazing murals. The strip is on Guadalupe and runs from MLK Jr. to 29th st. It’s a major hang-out spot for students and graduates alike.
Dirty 6th
Dirty 6th is the area of 6th st that is right downtown, so why do we all call it dirty? Mostly cause it draws a crowd of die-hard partiers. With cheap shots and lots of college kids, there have been more than one instance of someone having way too much to drink – it’s messy.
The Eastside or West
These two areas are filled with great bars, restaurants, cafes, and some shopping. If you’re “heading to West,” you’re probably going to W 6th to enjoy some excellent food and a fancy cocktail. And if you’re “on the Eastside,” there’s a totally different vibe, you’ll likely be hitting up breweries, some more casual bars and restaurants, or enjoying the coffee scene.
SoCo
It’s not often that you’ll hear an Austinite refer to South Congress by it’s full name. Instead, we opt for a shorter phrase: SoCo – gives off some New York vibes doesn’t it? Heading down SoCo you can expect lots of cool shops and great restaurants. Overall an excellent area to wander around.
MoPac
Incredibly important to navigating, MoPac is one of our major highways. Your GPS is likely not going to call it that, but everyone in Austin will. To spare you confusion, the official name of the highway is Loop 1, but we’d recommend coining it in your vocab as MoPac ASAP.
Cross the River
The river breaks up South Austin from basically the rest of Austin. While the separation has become less distinct, it is still pretty common to hear people say things like “I’m not going if I have to cross the river.” Meaning that far south is just too far of a drive.
Featured Image Credit: Cosmic Traveler on Unsplash
