ACL 2008: The Long Walk Home

Feeling guilty about skipping the debate to stay for Manu Chao? Keep your eyes peeled when heading west on Barton Springs towards the entrance tomorrow: there are several folks standing by waiting to help you register to vote. Once, we stopped and browsed homemade jewelry with some hippies, but the last thing we remember is trying on a giant wooden ankle bracelet and a rhinestone toe ring. Heard the phrase "Never follow a hippie to a second location?" We can verify: sound advice.

Other than that, the festival organizers have done a bang-up job on offering Friday afternoon fest-virgins some help. There are dozens of folks holding "Ask Me" signs scattered around the entrance. They all have maps on them, and they know the answers to just about anything you need to know. We printed our own map before leaving the house, but you know ... after locating the Nalgene bottle and checking the weather, we forgot it. There are free programs as well, but only one per person, so if Saturday is your day one at the fest, be sure to hang on to yours once inside.

As usual, you'll be parking far away or walking from a bus stop towards the fest, and that walk can be long, hot and obnoxious (especially if you're running late to catch a set), but do stop and take in the locals who are making the annual pilgrimage an interesting one. Hell, someone's got to keep it weird while the rest of us sip Tito's and Sweet Leaf out of bio-degradable cornstarch-based cups.