AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- At dusk, stand on the Congress Avenue bridge over Town Lake, the span linking hip downtown to funkier South Austin, and you'll see it.

At the Broken Spoke, it's cowboy hats and country songs.

Nighttime is the right time

Bars, bars, bars: A river of alcohol runs along Austin's Sixth Street. The current is strongest in the entertainment district between Interstate 35 and Congress Avenue: A cluster of crowded nightspots ranging from the rarified air of the elite Driskill Hotel bar to the Chuggin' Monkey. Heading west, the river thins out and the scene grows up: There's Mother Egan's Irish Pub (715 W. Sixth), where the Dixie Chicks once ruled the Tuesday night trivia contest. And at the intersection with Lamar Boulevard, there's Whole Foods' flagship store -- where you can drink and shop at the same time.