Selfies have taken the place of scrapbooks. Now we have a million outlets we can use to let everyone know what we’re doing at every moment of our totally awesome vacations and stay-cations. Selfies are the official modern day method of letting everyone know where you’ve been and how good you looked doing it. Austin is no exception. Here are five of the best spots to get your selfie on in Austin.
#1 Pennybacker Bridge Selfie
Looking good at Pennybacker Bridge
I’d like to introduce you to Perry Hoskin. He’s the ripped gentleman on the left. He politely accepted my invitation to take a selfie here, just north of the Pennybacker Bridge, more commonly known as the 360 Bridge. Perry didn’t look like this before he hiked up the gravely path. He used to fit in that shirt.
He shared with me that he and his friend Kiristina Lorenzen were actually suffering from a Juan In A Million hangover when they decided to work it off. By the time he walked up the rocky path, the tacos he ate for breakfast were a distant memory and his new physique was the result of an intense, albeit brief, run to the top of the ledge.
(Author’s note: Perry didn’t actually tell me he ate breakfast tacos. I pretty much made that up to be funny. I doubt he’s never eaten a taco in his life.)
Looking for a quick way to shed a few pounds for your last summer trip out to Barton Springs? Simple. Grab a tank top, eat some tacos and drive out to the Pennybacker Bridge. By the time you reach the top, you’ll not only have achieved your goal of slimming down (or in this case, bulking up), but you’ll have the opportunity for one epic selfie.
#2 South Congress Selfie
Try not to stand in the middle of the road while taking this selfie
A few weeks ago, I was playing every Austinite’s favorite game: Dodge the Tourist on South Congress. I had a couple of close calls. While driving past Jo’s Coffee, I managed to swerve past the swarm of newly engaged couples posing for the obligatory picture under the I Love You mural.
I only had to jerk the wheel twice as random cars tested their back-in-only parking skills. That’s down three from the usual quota. But I always give my greatest effort to avoid people who forget they’re crossing the street when they decide to take a downtown selfie. Oops, didn’t get the shot you wanted? Don’t worry, I’ll wait. I’m not doing anything else.
South Congress is a selfie hot spot. One of the best shots you can get of downtown is by standing right in the middle of the street, but you don’t have to be in the middle of the street to get a great selfie here. Depending on where you stand, you can get a selfie with bats, Lady Bird Lake, some construction cranes, a few more cranes or you can even snag a shot of our esteemed State Capitol. Don’t be shy, just be careful.
#3 HOPE Outdoor Gallery Selfie
The only selfie that might draw more attention to what’s behind you
If you’ve never been to Austin and you manage to take a wrong turn off Lamar, then you might be really, really surprised to see a bunch of giant concrete walls covered in bright graffiti. What hooligans have been defacing public property? You might ask. And why hasn’t the city done anything about it?
And ruin a great opportunity to get such a unique selfie whilst enjoying a little tagging of our own? I think not!
HOPE Outdoor Gallery is located in the Castle Hill area and is an always-evolving outdoor art project meant to inspire hope and community. If for no other reason, this selfie can be the one selfless selfie you take in Austin. You can tell all your Facebook friends that you had to take a selfie for charity. They’ll totally believe you.
#4 Zilker Park Selfie
An absolute must during ACL music festival, when the space won’t look quite this empty
What’s an Austin selfie without including the site of ACL Fest? Sure, in the middle of the summer, the grass at Zilker Park looks like sand and you can’t be outside for more than a few minutes without your skin melting, but you might score Facebook likes for originality.
Depending on where you stand, you can get some great shots of the Austin skyline while you avoid getting knocked in the face by a frisbee on a regular Saturday afternoon.
There are probably more colorful places to take a selfie in Austin, but I doubt more selfies are taken anywhere else in the city. During ACL, your selfie will be crowded by other selfie-takers getting photobombed by people sneaking vodka into their backpacks. But hey, that’s all part of the fun.
#5 Franklin Barbecue
Who wouldn’t smile right before some delicious Franklin barbecue?
Meet Laura Mason and Shannon Colvin, two locals who are glad they took their selfies before gorging on Franklin Barbecue, rather than after. Franklin gets a lot of attention, as well it should, but don’t forget about La Barbecue or Micklethwait. All barbecue line selfies immediately improve your Austinite street cred.
The great thing about barbecue line selfies is that your smile is almost immediately guaranteed to improve. I don’t know if you knew this, but scientists have discovered a secret ingredient in savory brisket that improves happiness by about 300%.
Just make sure you take the selfie before you eat.
@atxtherapist wants to know:
Where is your favorite selfie spot in Austin?
Franklin? really? I’d have picked Jo’s cofee (‘I love you so much’) mural over franklin’s? Franklin’s is 1) a restaurant, and 2) overhyped.
I intentionally did not choose jo’s because it is not a site for selfies. It is a spot for engaged couples. And regardless of whether you think Franklin it’s overhyped, it is inarguably the iconic barbecue spot in town. And also it is delicious.
I like that there are many iconic places that AREN’T overrun by tourists. A couple of them just within short walking distance of the Congress Ave pic (No, not Jo’s). We’ll let them stay local treasures. 🙂
Can’t forget anywhere on UT Austin!
Idk about SoCo and Franklin’s (and maybe even Zilker). I’d rather have seen Mt. Bonnell and the “I love you so much” wall. And what about the race track or any place around town that has a collection of food trucks?…or the capital building or THE UT TOWER…maybe 5 is too short of a list lol.
The memorial wall & uniquely Austin art at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture!