Weekend Roundup

Take advantage of the three day weekend with our top event picks, Dr. King included

Three day weekends are magical, glorious things. It’s one less work day the next week and the Friday before is marked by heightened sense of excitement. But also: more opportunities to get out and about town. Our top event picks for the weekend include tattoos, gorillas, inflatable art spaces and good old-fashioned marching.

11th Annual Star of Texas Tattoo Arts Revival Show

Body art enthusiasts unite! Folks who’ve always wanted to get inked but always chicken out are surely welcome too at the Palmer Events Center this weekend for the Star of Texas Tattoo Arts Revival Show. There will of course be onsite tattooing of all kinds, including Japanese-style art and something called photo-realistic coloring (forgive me, I was a sheltered child). And also: contests, seminars, art gallery, kids area, car and... motorcycle displays? Eh, why not? It’s $15 a day or $40 for the whole weekend.

Austin Gorilla Run

If you’re serious about sticking to your New Year’s resolution of exercising more, then prove it and don a gorilla costume for the Austin Gorilla Run, a 5K Saturday morning downtown. Yes, the kind of gorilla suit you were to a costume party. But there will be booze!

Thirsty Planet Brewing is a co-sponsor and all the proceeds will go toward the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, which aids endangered gorillas in Uganda. The running will come to a stop at RunTex, where there will be a party. Even if you don’t want to run, you can still donate and gawk at people running in gorilla getups.

Architects of Air: Exxopolis Luminarium

It is not a bouncy house. I investigated. On the lawn of the Long Center starting Saturday and through next weekend is Architects of Air’s inflatable, immersive and experiential art exhibit, where visitors walk through a network of tunnels of color light and calming ambience. It’s the size of half a football field and looks like something an alien left behind and is indeed as cool as it sounds. It’s $10 to get in and get there early because there will be a long, long line.

MLK March and Festival

Take a few hours from your day off from work to celebrate and venerate the late Dr. King with the annual march to the capitol and to Huston-Tilloston University Monday morning. Marchers should assemble at the MLK Statue on the UT campus for a short program. The Capital Area Food Bank will be on hand taking donations of nonperishable food items and at the march’s finish line will be a celebration including food vendors and live music.

Austin Photo Set: News_Jon Shapley_tattoo revival_jan 2012_4

Photo by Jon Shapley

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WFH life

Austin plugs in as 2nd cheapest large U.S. city for remote workers

Photo by Lewis Guapo on Unsplash

Working remotely in Austin is far more affordable than many other U.S. cities.

Austin's thriving telework industry is already known for being among the most prominent in the country, and as it turns out, it's one of the most affordable, too. A recent study by online retailer The Perfect Rug has revealed Austin is the No. 2 cheapest U.S. city center for remote work.

The report ranked the top 10 largest U.S. cities based on population data, the number of coworking spaces and cafes per capita, statewide average internet speeds, average apartment rent prices, and more.

Austin falls second to the far west Texas city of El Paso (No. 1), and is followed by Houston in the No. 3 spot.

When it comes to finding the best place to work remotely, Austin has an abundance of options including coffee shops, coworking spaces, and local library branches. According to the report's data, there are about six coworking spaces and 26 cafes per capita in the city, but Austinites know best that there is a much wider variety of places to work from "home" than whatever number a study determines.

The average internet speed in Texas is 425.9 mbps (megabits per second), which is the fourth-highest internet speed out of the six total states (and the District of Columbia) mentioned in the study. Pennsylvania, Washington, and Washington, D.C. all have faster average internet speeds, at 430.8, 451, and 473.8 mpbs, respectively.

The Perfect Rug also calculated the average costs for meals, coffee, and monthly rent in Austin:

$1,467 per month – Average apartment rent cost in central Austin
$21 per hour – Average cost for a desk at a coworking space
$16.99 – Average cost for a meal
$5.36 – Average cost for a coffee

Furthermore, Austin-based remote workers are technically saving on fuel costs compared to those who have to commute into the city daily for their jobs.

A spokesperson for The Perfect Rug said Texas cities like El Paso, Austin, and Houston are far more popular for "budget-conscious" remote workers partially because rent costs are far lower in comparison to many other U.S. cities.

"On the other hand, cities like Washington, D.C., and Seattle, while more expensive, compensate with faster internet speeds and a higher density of workspaces, which can enhance the remote work experience," the spokesperson said. "Finding the right balance between cost and amenities is key for remote workers seeking both productivity and affordability."

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio ranked as the fifth most affordable city for teleworkers, followed by Dallas (No. 7).

The top 10 cheapest U.S. cities for remote workers are:

No. 1 – El Paso, Texas
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 6 – Washington, D.C.
No. 7 – Dallas, Texas
No. 8 – Denver, Colorado
No. 9 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 10 – Nashville, Tennessee

austin reports rankings remote work