Saturday is typically the dangerous day at SXSWi for a few reasons – big-named sessions, more attendees, longer lines, more parties…and losing another hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings Time. Its also one of the more fun days, for a variety of reasons:
Nom nom: We stopped by one of our favorite Austin eateries, Frank, not once, but twice yesterday! Between the pork meatball sliders with marinara, parmesean and basil; the lengthy list of hot dog and house made sausages (with pretzel buns!); and a complete menu of waffle fries (try the cheese fries with bacon, cheddar, sour cream and chives) – not to mention the campfire hash, corn cup and other delicious fries – it was easy to make two stops in one day.
Libations: On a day when we were losing sleep, we knew caffeine would be vital. Frank also has one of the best coffee bars in Austin. We both opted for the “Frank Crank,” a mixture of house-made vanilla simple syrup, house-made ganache and cold-brewed coffee concentrate – making us both bulletproof for a few more hours.
Celebrity-ish Sighting: If you’ve read our blog you know that GFMers have several social media crushes. We had a chance to see two of them on Saturday – Brian Solis and Guy Kawasaki!
Through the lens: The Hoot Suite truck.
Grab Bag: Chevy was back at SXSWi this year with their “Grab a Chevy” free shuttle service. As long as you’re willing to listen to a little about the 2013 line of cars they’re using, you’ve got a quick way to get from one side of town to another for conference sessions, and some much needed time off your feet.
Free Stuff Rules: Austin staple Stubb’s hosted a free concert, with free drinks, featuring Houston act the Ton Tons. The Austin experience, at no charge.
Overheard: “The Silicon Valley is where a lot of these people make it, then they move to Boulder by choice to start their next venture.” ~ an attendee at the “Loyalty in your Pocket” session.
Number of steps taken: 15,750
Hours of sleep: Jim: 5.5. Jon: 6.
Caffeinated beverages consumed: Jim: 6. Jon: 6
Number of connections made: 47 and counting.
~Jim Licko and Jon Woods
