Today begins day 3 of South By Southwest Interactive and the Skadeedle crew is beginning to feel like Austin locals. Today we’re most excited for the opening of the trade show. We’re looking forward to combing through the booths for the latest cool finds and meeting lots of new people. But, before we get to that, here are a few SXSW/Austin picks we’ve experienced and loved thus far. Enjoy this SXSWi Sunday Edition:

Uber – Uber hasn’t launched in Austin just yet, but they’ve recruited Austinites to drive SXSW attendees around the city for free. They’ve also got pedicab service, and if you feel like forking over the money (minimum $75), an ultra Luxe service with swanky automobiles like a Tesla and Rolls Royce Ghost.  The UberX service has already saved our crew a few times from the schlep from downtown. Thanks Uber!

Yammer Party at the Hangar – Full of good vibes and fun swag, the friendly folks from Yammer put on a great shindig that was the perfect blend of chillin’ and networking. In a relaxed yet happening spot at the Hangar, SXSW peeps took a brief respite from the hubbub of the Convention Center to have a drink and recharge, all while wearing glowing Yammer rings and sunnies.

Small Biz Meet Up by Ramon Ray – Approximately 100 small businesses gathered at Proof Annex for the Small Biz Meet Up hosted by our bud, Ramon Ray. The meet up was a chance to get together with other small business experts for an hour of brainstorming, idea-building, networking, friend-making and career-enhancement. It was an action-packed hour proving that small business is alive and kickin’ at SXSW! Thanks Ramon for bringing it all to life!

Easy Tiger – Looking for some serious snacks in the form of pretzels, brats and beer? Next door to Proof Annex is the Easy Tiger bakeshop and beer garden. Could there be a better combo? We think not. Their motto is “Slow Down and Stay Awhile” and that’s just what we did. We highly recommend the Snack Board (Mmm… beer cheese), the grilled broccoli, and the garlic sausage. Delish!

Beyond Mobile – Where No Geek Has Gone Before Session with Josh Clark- @globalmoxie – This session blew the doors off for us. In a packed room of designers and designer wannabes, Josh Clark, author of Tap Worthy took the audience on a journey to a new age of computing. With examples ranging from Skinvaders, to Table Drum and Sifteo Cubes and Corning’s Day of Glass, the room was thoroughly inspired and awed.

• Another favorite session: Tim Ferriss, the 4-Hour Chef sussed out his insider tips for “Acquiring the Skills of Meta-Learning.”

Snack Bar – After a long day of sessions, lines, free drinks (the things we do for this job) and parties, we were famished and ready for some good, but healthy grub. We hoofed it over to the ever-so-retro Snack Bar in “SoCo” (South of Congress) and enjoyed a killer meal on the outdoor patio. People watching in SoCo is awesome and the food is fantastic. The flash fried brussel sprouts are a must – trust us! And, they’ve got some bangin’ cocktails too.

Amy’s Ice Creams – While sitting at Snack Bar we couldn’t help but notice Amy’s Ice Creams across the street. Amy’s has been serving their ice creams for 27 years, and we can see (and taste!) why. We indulged in a few scoops of Cop Stop (a mixture of coffee and doughnuts) and Mexican Vanilla – to die for. Plus, they’ve got just about the nicest and most enthusiastic team members ever, so stop by their SoCo location and tell ’em Skadeedle sent ya. You’ll thank us.

Mifft.com Mobile (@Mifft) – While attempting to find our way to the Chevy Tweet House, a charming, eccentric and colorful mobile pulled up offering a (FREE) ride – Yes please! It was none other than Mifft, the website that provides feedback for businesses (privately) with out the pang of a less than favored Yelp review. Thanks for the lift Mifft!

These are some of our favorite experiences of SXSW Interactive thus far. Share your picks in the comments!

© 2013 – 2018, VerticalResponse. All rights reserved.