Happy Friday ATX Edition 3

I am pretty sure this gloomy weather has doubled my caffeine consumption this week. But alas here we are, just hours away from 5:00 PM (or if you work in tech more like 3:30 👀) and another epic weekend in the greatest city in Texas. Okay I’ll reel it back a bit, I don’t think epic is going to be the word I use to describe this weekend in the weekend forecast. Some weird stuff is happening though.

This is what I am talking about. The headline is “Party with Bill Murray on January 26th” I first read it and thought to myself “Hmm, that’s pretty cool.” I mean I am not really a Bill Murray fan, I’m kind of indifferent about the guy, to be honest.

I kept reading and saw that there will be mechanical bulls, ax throwing, and whiskey tasting, and then things got strange.

I noticed a “connect to Metamask” button where you would normally buy tickets and then it all clicked. Metamask is a popular crypto wallet. I looked a little deeper into it and discovered that to attend this event, you must hold an NFT from one of the two Official Bill Murray NFT collections.

Each collection has 1000 NFTs, and just because there are 1000 NFTs does not mean that 1000 people are holding them. I looked into it and noticed that one of the collections has 353 holders, and the other one has 312 holders.

Here’s the deal though… Call me crazy, but I can only imagine that the person who buys one Official Bill Murray NFT, probably buys 2 or 3 Official Bill Murray NFTs, and probably holds NFTs from both collections.

So let us estimate the total number of people that are eligible to attend this event is less than 200 people GLOBALLY, and can you guess how much these NFTs were changing hands for a year ago? Get a number in your head… (the answer is at the bottom of the newsletter)

This is all too hilarious to me and it gets funnier when you click on this link. Where you find out that owning these NFTs gets you a membership into the official Bill Murray Fan Club, “for Bill Murray super-fans.”

I have seen a few pages post this without context but personally, I found the context of this event sort of important (and highly entertaining) because if you don’t have one of the NFTs a guest ticket is $950! 😂

Best thing we ate this week… My friend took me to a place over on the East side today (Thursday night) to get some pizza that he was raving about and it was peak Austin.

We roll up and park across the street. The view from our parking spot - overlooking downtown from the East, with the sun setting in the background - was picturesque.

Walking into Cork & Screw, the natural wine shop where our destination - Sammataro Pizza is located, I see a neon sign that says “Pizza” and a white trailer with a black awning. We walk up to the window and they are playing an episode of Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant Podcast, with Action Bronson as the guest. A good sign for a pizza joint in my opinion. 😂

We noticed a fire pit and sat down at the closest table and were admiring the environment: lights strung from tree to tree, tables, chairs, a fire pit, people eating good food and drinking wine.

But let’s talk about the pizza, holy sh*t this is some good pizza. We ordered a sausage and peppers pizza that had mozzarella, aged parmesan, onions, and a hot honey finish. Everything about this pizza was top-notch. The crust, the sauce, the house-made sausage… but my favorite part was that they paid special attention to the crust when it came to applying the hot honey, and as you would expect this made the crust glorious.

Once we finished, the owner, Isaac, came out and sat with us, we told him how much we enjoyed the pizza and asked him a bit about his story. He’s from Brooklyn NY, he started making pizzas in his backyard during Covid and became obsessed with making the perfect pie and man is he on the right track.

Sitting by the fire we enjoyed the company of strangers, while eating good food and laughing. I felt like I was channeling my inner Anthony Bourdain. This is what I mean by this place is peak Austin, and I highly recommend that you check it out.

New Business that we want to try… Project Disco doesn’t seem to have a website set up yet but the vibes look right here. It is inside of Progress Coffee, which for one is just a great business model. Print that money on beverages all day long and late into the night. It is something we have mused about doing for a long time so I want to check it out in person to see another one of these concepts manifested into reality. We love a good disco ball and from what we have heard so far the cocktails are tasty.

Want to sponsor us? Let’s make it happen! [email protected] 

Listing of the week

800 W 5th St 302, Austin, TX, 78703

Price: $1,007,000

Neighborhood: Downtown

Square Feet: 1907

Picture yourself in a loft with soaring ceilings, an open layout ready for your creative touch, and a kitchen that's practically a chef's dream. Your balcony offers a front-row seat to a daily show of trees, birds, and stunning sunsets. The primary bedroom? A retreat with a view and a spa-like bathroom that'll make you feel like royalty. Plus, enjoy a private haven with no shared walls, and when socializing calls, the pool, spa, and patio are your go-to spots. Walk to gyms, top-notch restaurants, and Trader Joe's—all while the HOA takes care of the nitty-gritty.

Check out all of the details here.

3 interesting reads from this week in Austin…

• New Tesla Model being Built in Austin? Tesla teases new vehicle in latest earnings report

• ‘Shark Tank’ Turns 15: A Look Back at Some Notable Appearances by Austinites

• This is crazy. See inside this massive 6-acre Lake Austin compound

Where’s the party?

Multi Day

• Le Garage Sale
  Saturday and Sunday
  @ Palmer Events Center
  Details

• Craig Robinson (Daryll from The Office and so much more!)

  Multiple shows from Friday-Sunday
  @ Cap City Comedy Club
  Details

• Trevor Noah: Off the Record

  Multiple shows from Friday-Sunday

  @ Bass Concert Hall
  Details

  
  
  Friday 1/26

• Wild Bill in Austin 6:00 PM

  (Remember that weird Bill Murray event we talked about earlier…)

  @ Star Hill Ranch

  Details

• Jo Koy: World Tour
  (Yes, the same Jo Koy that bombed at the Golden Globes)

  @ Moody Center
  Details

• Crashing in W/ King Louie feat. Orya 10:00 PM

  (Packed dance floor and good vibes)

  @ Volstead 

  Details

• Roast Battle: Austin 11:00 PM
  @ The Creek and The Cave
  Details

• Tech-xas Takedown

  (This looks like an awesome dance party)

  @ Reina

  Details

Saturday 1/27

• Austin Best of 2024 Vendor Market 12:00 PM

  @ South Austin Beer Garden

  Details

• Cork & Screw Two Year Anniversary Party 12:00 PM
  (This is where the pizza place from above resides!)

  @ Cork & Screw

  Details

• Prodigy ATX Presents: Nightmare After X-Mas Party 9:00 PM
  (This event looks like it should be pretty sweet)
  @ Rosette (Inside the Baker School)
  Details

• Cirque Noir: Le Prive 10:00 PM
  (This crew throws some of the coolest events around, consistently)

  @ Reina
  Details

• Main Course Comedy @ 10:00 PM

  (If you’re feeling like laughing rather than dancing)

  @ Sunset Strip Comedy Club

  Details

Sunday 1/28

• Self Love Sunday: Flow, DIY Crafts, & Refreshments 9:00 AM

  @ MVP Soco Studio
  Details

• Other Racquet Social Club Grand Opening 2:00-10 PM

  @ Other Racquet Social Club

  Details

• The Doobie Brothers - Austin Cares Concert 8:00 PM
  (Errrr I guess I messed up and put this one in last week’s newsletter when it’s this Sunday)

  @ Moody Center

  Details

• Laugh Higher Presents: The Closer 7:00
  (We hit this one at least once a month it’s a great way to start the week)

  @ Sunset Strip Comedy Club

  Details

• Sleeping in your bed getting ready for the week 11:00 PM

  @ Your bed

That concludes this week’s newsletter. As always, go enjoy yourselves Austin, maybe check out an event or 2 or 5 from the list we shared. We’ll be out on the town all weekend, and hope to run into some of you!😉 

The Bill Murray NFTs were trading hands as high as $5647.87 a year ago 😮