Austin Travel Information

The capital of Texas, Austin is a growing college city that is famous for its varied and eccentric culture, offering its visitors plenty of opportunities for shopping and nightlife as well as cultural attractions such as museums, theatres and ballet. Called the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin also hosts a great number of concerts and festivals to enjoy. Outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and rock climbing are also available in the extensive park areas of Austin.

Texas capital located along the Colorado River in the Hill Country region of Central Texas, USA, Austin is a rapidly growing city of over 740,000 inhabitants and a center of an urban area of some 1.6 million people. Originally settled in the 1830s, Austin became the capital of independent Texas in 1839, and later the capital of the US State of Texas. The city has now grown into a major technology and business center and an important university town. Known also as a center of alternative culture, Austin houses a multicultural population and offers a great deal of interesting activities, attracting plenty of visitors from all over the USA.
Sights and activities in Austin: Shopping & theatres, nightlife, festivals & concerts

Historical buildings and skyscrapers in Austin

Austin is a lively youthful city with great possibilities for nightlife and cultural activities. Shopping in Austin is also very good in the many specialty stores and malls throughout the city. Austin is also home to the Texas State Capitol, a major landmark of the city. The South Congress cultural district is where you will find a large variety of small shops, cultural activities and festivals, while the Arboretum area in Northwest Austin hosts many large malls and good restaurants. As a leading cultural center, Austin is home to a great number of theaters and theater groups. You can enjoy good theater in Austin for example in The State, ColdTowne and Paramount Theaters or the Off Center. Austin also hosts the fourth largest ballet academy in the US. Sightseeing tours in Austin are available for more insight of the history and culture of this Texan city.

Austin by night

Cultural & outdoor activities. There are several nice golf courses in Austin to enjoy. In addition, Austin boasts a great number of museums from Texas Memorial Museum to several art museums and galleries. The downtown Sixth Street hosts many concert venues with a great selection of concerts in Austin. Many popular festivals in Austin are held in the South Congress district or in the outdoor park called the Enchanted Forest. Biking in Austin is easy and popular, and other outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and rock climbing can be done in many park areas close to Austin. You can also visit the Austin Zoo in Oak Hill district, see the massive bat colony that lives under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, or climb to the summit of Mount Bonnell to admire the view over the city. Austin is also home to over 50 public swimming pools.

Texas State Capitol in Austin

Austin travel information and practical tips

Austin has a warm and humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and mild and dry winters. Spring and autumn are the wettest times of the year with frequent thunderstorms especially during springtime, while the weather in Austin is at its best in the summer. During the winter, snowfall is rare but ice storms may occur.

Traveling to Austin is easy by air, road or rail. The city has an international airport with flights to Austin from many cities throughout North America. As Austin is located on several major freeways such as the Interstate 35 and US 290, the city is easy to reach by car. Buses and trains to Austin are also available. Public transportation in Austin is offered by buses. A commuter rail system has also been built, and taxis are readily available. Car rental in Austin is a good way to explore the city and see more of Texas.

Austin skyline from Lady Bird Lake

Visitor services. There is no shortage of hotels in Austin, from budget inns and motels to large international hotels with luxury suites. Note that they often sell out during the popular festivals. The many restaurants in Austin feature both excellent gourmet restaurants for fine dining, and affordable Tex-Mex restaurants and international fast food places. The nightlife in Austin is very lively in several downtown areas.

Safety. Austin is one of the safest big cities in the US and there is a large police presence in the popular nightlife areas. However, as in any other big city, it is advisable to take good care of your belongings. Flooding is common in Austin during periods of heavy rain, and flash floods can be dangerous.Austin Travel Information

Read More......

Investment into Alternative Energy Research and Development

The US government must continue to back the expansion of the role of alternative energy research and development and its implementation by companies and homeowners. Although this writer believes in the reign of the free market and that “that government is best which governs least”, our current system has companies and people expecting federal backing of major initiative with direct investment, in the form of tax breaks, rebate incentives, and even direct central bank investment into the alternative energy industry.

The US and its citizenry need to invest all of the time and energy that they can spare to the conversion from a fossil fuel burning society to one that is green for several different reasons. The green economy will not harm the environment or the quality of our air like fossil fuel burning does. We can become the energy independent nation that we need to be by cutting away our need to import oil, especially oil that is produced by anti-American nations such as Iran. Ultimately, renewable energies and extremely efficient energies like atomic energy are far less expensive than the continuous mining and drilling for fossil fuels. If we do not invest in our future now, catastrophe awaits us. We are going to need to consume more energy than ever in our history as we sail into the 21st century and beyond—our dependency on foreigners for meeting these energy needs only leaves us open to sabotage while draining our coffers in order to fill other nations'.

It can be argued that federal, state, and local governments should work in conjunction on the issue of alternative energy research and development and implement mandatory programs for new home construction and all home remodeling that stipulate the installation of alternative energy power sources—eventually over a certain period of years transforming into 100% installation of alternative energy sources for any new home or corporate building—as well as backing a similar program to have all new vehicles produced in the nation be hybrid vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles by the year 2020. All levels of government could also impose mandatory compliance laws on construction and utilities companies. The utility companies in all 50 states should be required to invest in alternative energy research and development while also being required to buy back, at fair rates, excess energy produced by homeowners through their use of alternative energy power sources. Strong financial incentives need to be in place for new companies to invest in developing renewable energies. This would not only make the US energy independent at the fastest possible rate, but it would stimulate the growth of the economy and provide tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs for people.

Alternative energy generation in the forms of solar, wind, hydroelectric, biofuel, geothermal, and atomic; alternative energy storage systems such as more efficient batteris and hydrogen fuel cells; and alternative energy-furthering infrastructures with superior energy efficiency all need to be brought into the affordable price range through development. Government investment into these matters would surely help us along.

Read More......