The Drag

Wikipedia: The Drag is a nickname for a portion of Guadalupe Street that runs along the western edge of the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.

The Drag began as a strip of shops which provided vital resources to UT students. Bookstores, restaurants, and clothing stores fulfilled student needs. The proximity to campus, particularly the Main Building and the Union Building, added to the popularity of the street.[1] At the start of each semester The Drag fills with students purchasing text books and school supplies.

Past and present buildings on the Drag include the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Raul's, Captain Quackenbush's Intergalactic Espresso & Dessert Company, Tower Records, The Bazaar, Texadelphia, Dobie Mall, Goodall Wooten private dormitory, and the University Baptist Church.

The Drag is considered an important part of Austin's civic life, but for many years many Austinites avoided it because of congestion. The area had fallen into disrepair, and some felt the area had become undesirable because of the presence of panhandlers known as "Dragworms",[2] or more recently as "Dragrats."[3]

Recently the west side of the Drag between 21st and 24th has been reconfigured in preparation for "MetroRapid" bus rapid transit service in 2014.