Having just come home, fresh off our first win, I'm giddy like a little girl…read more Maybe it was tonight's pouring rain? Or perhaps, it was the kegger at home plate? Or possibly, it was a combination of all these things complete with the new friends we've made thanks to this journey. Old friends, new friends. Young friends, Old friends. Whatever the case, Monday night's have never been so much fun! Team IcyHots started out a smattering of friends, acquaintances, yelpers, complete strangers....a few short weeks later, we're teammates, friends, WINNERS! But to tell you the truth, even if we'd lost every single game, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. WAKA rules!

I love WAKA. I love kickball. I love it so much I showed up last night after a Yelp event dressed…read moreas a tipsy French maid. (The tipsy part is DEFINITELY part of the costume....)They have great parties, and I love parties. Almost everybody is friendly (if you think you're not in this category, start being friendlier, please. I would love to edit this review.) I love Tom. He's a handsome fella who has big plans for Trapped in the Closet. (I also love R. Kelly). I love being catcher (not a euphemism), because I love chatting with all of the other kickball players that I love. There's nothing not to love about WAKA.

What a beautiful place!…read more A little traditional and somewhat stuffy, but the location and atmosphere make up for it. I recently went to an event here and the auditorium-like stage, it was a perfect fit for a quartet. In the back, is a great setting for the food. A little cramped for a HUGE production, but great for an intimate event. Outside, the building is beautiful and in a really great neighborhood. If you walk up to it from the street parking, be prepared for a steep uphill battle. However, if you park in the lot, there is an elevator that takes you up to the floor you need. I'd love to have a 25 or 50-year wedding anniversary here. Gotta wait at least another 20 years for that one.

I got married here last Saturday and am SO happy with the venue! I looked at many many places. In…read morethe end my (then) fiance and I decided that for convenience and safety (evening wedding where we would be serving alcohol) it would really be best to have our wedding in downtown Austin. We looked at many of the options for a downtown Austin wedding before choosing AWC. We had a wedding of 95 guests, had the ceremony outside in the courtyard and the reception inside in the main dining room. There are places that are newer and places that are grander, but this place happened to be the exact fit for our wedding. We wanted it to feel formal without feeling overly stuffy. We wanted a place that felt historical without feeling rundown or old lady. The pictures came out absolutely amazing in this space, and people were constantly coming to us saying how much they loved the space and the feeling of both the ceremony and the reception. This place was absolutely perfect for my wedding, truly a dream come true!

I will never forget the random party I somehow ended up at at this place. Definitely one of my…read morefavorite speakeasies in Austin. I've always wanted to go back but it never seems to be open. Cool ass venue.

I am apart of BCO but joined HCO on a couple of events last weekend. Everyone was supper friendly…read moreand inviting. Like any "meet-up" type of events, it's all about what you make of it. The event leaders ensure everyone knows each other and sets the expectations of the event. After that, just mingle away! They even talked me in to driving back to Austin to join them for more events coming up! Great way to see a town you are not from....they know the "secret" spots in Austin and I would have never found without them.

I'm a newcomer and I've had a great time so far. I've done hiking and other outdoor activities,…read moreeveryone has been nice and welcoming. The amount of people at the activities has varied to a few to many. I can't wait to do the party barge on the Lake. It's definitely helping me become more active and get to know Austin! Two of my goals when signing up, and meeting some nice folks helps too.

Awesome spot. Highly recommend. Fantastic game day experience and the service is great.read more

Terrible experience and terrible customer service. I made NUMEROUS attempts to call Sarah about my…read moremembership and left multiple messages, but she never returned my calls. Sarah was rude, dismissive, and seemed like she did not care about helping me or even doing the basic part of her job--returning important calls. If you are considering signing up for a membership, stay away from this place and especially avoid dealing with Sarah Baughn. Based on my experience, you cannot rely on what you are told. I would not recommend this club to anyone. Terrible Service!

Since no one has provided commentary for the last year, I would like to contribute my personal…read moreexperiences with NKL. First of all, I am a newbie--and after a year and a half of wandering around Austin trying to find a local hang out where I could meet people, I happened to stumble into Egos on a Thursday night in desperate search for Karaoke and a good time. With me was my friend Patrick. We look around, there's two people at the bar with afro wigs. Another patron walks in with chaps on. I look at Patrick and say, "I guess we missed the notice that it's wig night..." and then I look over and notice Master Shake in the corner. After being rebuffed by the Karaoke Jocky with a snort, "Karaoke's only for NKL until 10!" we decided to grab a booth and watch. We snag someone in a white lab coat (now my teammate) and ask what is going on: "It's National Karaoke League! It's the last night of the regular season. We're all on teams and we take turns singing--it's a lot of fun. Excuse me, I have to go." The young man runs up to the stage and proceeds to strip off his lab coat--and is wearing a full S&M harness underneath. As he hoods himself and unzipps his mask to let his voice be heard on the mike ("I wanna sex you up" I believe), Patrick reminds me to close my mouth (my unhinged jaw is on floor in shock). We watch the rest of the performances in awe--"Maniac" from flash dance, where I wait to see a nip slip as she bounces up and down on the stage in a full run-in-place with only a bandeau bra and a homemade leotard, a full corseted drag performance of "No More I Love Yous" where the man singing has a full beard and the best Annie Lenox voice I've ever heard. Then we are treated to "Thriller" replete with zombie costumes and of course, the signature dance. After that number I run to the ladies room, and when I open the door, I find the bartender (who I now know as Laura) mopping up the floor covered in water and muttering, "fucking zombies." As Patrick mounts the stage at 10 to sing his signature number "I want it that way" the zombies break out into their dance at his feet, and I look at him from the crowd, and he looks at me, and we both know. We have to join. My first season at NKL has not disappointed in the least. From seeing "The Human Centipede" in front of my eyes, to witnessing two "births", and spending countless hours with Patrick and 7 other people I didn't know, I have made wonderful friends--and even better memories. There's a picture of me dressed as a little boy, munching on a cupcake while the creepy old Herbert from Family Guy croons "Somewhere that's Green." There's pictures of teammembers half naked--almost totally naked--cross dressed, in the throes of passionate performance that we will have to one day explain to our kids. There's been drama and paranoia and politics and a whole lot of laughter. And I cannot wait for next season.

I've been involved in the NKL for several years now, and it's one of the most fun activities around…read morewith an amazing community of people involved in it. Well worth your valuable time. The basic idea is that you get on a team with people and, as a team, do three songs each week. You can have a team already, or come in as an individual and let them set you up on a team. It's very friendly to newcomers, and each team generally has a few new people on it. The audience will vote for their favorite performances, and over the course of the season, eventually a champion is crowned. But it's way more than just singing. In fact, singing ability isn't even a major factor. There's costumes, performances, and choreography in addition to the singing, and it's an environment where enthusiasm counts for more than ability. They have two divisions in town: one up north at the Canary Roost and the other down south at Ego's, so you have options as to where you want to go. There are three seasons a year, each lasting about two and a half months with weekly competition. But as much fun as it is to perform and see what everyone else comes up with (and, believe me, it's really amazing to see what gets done), what I really love about NKL are the people involved. It's a really diverse crowd where you really can't predict what kinds of folks you'll encounter. The quality that unifies them, though, is that they all like to perform and they all like to have a good time. The folks that I've met through NKL are insanely fun and interesting and awesome. Bottom line is that there's really never anything boring in NKL, and you're sure to meet a ton of cool people. Participating has been one of the best things I've done.

Great place to play poker. Friendly staff and nice clean tables…read more When you walk I your greeted by a host and she or he tells you possible games running. Tonight they had 1-2 no limit and a 1-2-5 PLO table. The games are full and it's a fun time. The dealers are nice and knowledgeable. The room is clean and they have good snack and drink selection for purchase. I enjoy playing here !!

Best cash game card room in Austin! The owner Big E knows how to take care of his players. I've…read morebeen going here since March and it's the only room I play at now. Super professional and fast dealers who understand the rules and manage the game. The players give great action and have fun not a sunglasses and hoodies environment, a real social club. It's BYOB so bring your favorite spirit, beer or wine. Good luck and see ya on the felt.

If you like dancing, you MUST check out the Austin Swing Syndicate! This place is just so good…read more Every Thursday the Fed transforms into swing central with multiple dance lessons and lots of dancing to big band tunes. The instructors for the classes are phenomenal and teach at just the right level (free beginner classes start at 8:15 pm!); and, you can satisfy your dance needs for many dance styles: Lindy hop, balboa, shag, solo jazz... Most highly recommend signing up for the monthly dance class series! The social dancing afterwards is always a great time, whether it's a DJed party or a live music event. The great hall of the Fed is filled with more than hundred folks of all ages (15 through 70+) who want to bust a move. You don't need to come with a partner or a friend, but you can also make it a great outing with your friends, if that's more your jam. The live music events that occur once a month feature great local bands and make the whole evening a whole lot more special and fun. Bring your water bottle! Lots of dancing means lots of sweating. They also sell water in plastic bottles, but we don't want to pollute our planet, do we? Free parking is available a few short blocks away (check their website for details). And, they offer two tiers of membership to cut down the cover fees. Both are a great deal, but if you are committed to weekly dancing, the sustaining membership is an awesome deal. You get a free tshirt, three passes for guests per year, and free admission to all weekly dances among other benefits.

The Syndicate dances are an institution of the Austin swing/lindy scene. They've been going since…read more1999, and are still growing. I started going to the Thursday night dances at The Fed almost as soon as they started, though I took a hiatus for several years when I moved away to go to college. Now that I'm back, I go out almost every week! It's a great group of people and an easy place to make friends. There's a fantastic system in place for processing beginner dancers... and the consistency of this system over the past 10 years is definitely a major reason why swing dancing survived its "fad" status in Austin, and continues to attract new dancers. People hear about the Thursday dance, come early for the 8:15 beginner's lesson, get hooked, and everyone tells them to take lessons from Four on the Floor (classes are conveniently held at The Fed on Tuesday nights). There are several great options in town for learning how to dance, but Four on the Floor has been going since 1997 (yes, I took their early classes in the Starlite Gallery), and is definitely a crowd favorite. There's also The Lindy Project, Go Dance, not to mention tons of private instructors. The Thursday night dances are all-ages, smoke and alcohol-free, set in a beautiful historic mansion. No partner necessary! Cheap to get in, especially if you pay for a yearly membership. The Fed has a small private lot on 24th St., as well as some street parking, but most people try to park across the street at the bike shop's parking lot. There's usually a DJ, but sometimes there's a live band for special events. There's also a side room for dances other than swing/lindy, usually balboa, blues, or west coast swing. Variety is the spice of life, after all! There's a beginner lesson for these alternate dances at 8:15, at the same time as the beginner swing lesson (in another room). Austin Swing Syndicate is involved in more than just the weekly dance. Special events like The Austin Lindy Exchange, workshops, competitions, and more bring dancers from around the world to Austin. I gave them a four out of five stars primarily because the very consistency which makes them such a great avenue for getting new dancers dancing, means that it can also be a rut, and people sometimes forget that Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World. So many people only go to the Thursday night dance, which is safe, but sometimes boring. Please, visit www.austindance.net and go dance to some live music!