Betsey's Bar, Austin, Texas

via.

Before I even knew what steampunk was, I had fallen in love with the "vibe" at a bar in downtown Austin called Betsey's Bar. A bit old west, a bit circus, a bit Victorian, a bit flea market, with vintage Pac-Man tabletop games thrown in for good measure, it was exactly the vibe I wanted for my bedroom.

At the time (2007), the only picture I could find was this teeny-tiny one of the bar area on CitySearch:

But more recently I ran across some band pictures (the band is Texas Renegade) taken at the bar. They do a much better job showing off the space.



What do you think? I'm not sure I'd call it steampunk, but it's been around for 5+ years, which makes it an early incarnation of the style. The fact that it's lasted that long in Austin also tells me it resonates with a lot of people as a comfortable place to hang out.