Photographer John Pike on Austin Cantinas
If you look carefully you can still find a few remaining dingy, dark, loud and smokey Cantina type bars catering to a mostly Mexican and Central American crowd. These cantinas … Continue reading
Native Bees and Austin’s Unrelenting Growth
Most of us know by now that Austin is a great place to live. I’ve been here my entire life and watched the city grow up with me. A lot … Continue reading
Spray-painting Austin: An Artist’s Perspective
Around two years ago I moved to Austin for a new job opportunity with an industrial design firm. It was a little challenging, considering I had no friends and family within … Continue reading
Documenting Barton Springs: An Interview with Karen Kocher, Creator of “Living Springs.”
Karen Kocher is one of the foremost documentary chroniclers of the historical, ecological, and cultural importance of Barton Springs to the city of Austin. Her current interactive online documentary project, … Continue reading
Fighting for Affordable Housing in Austin: A Conversation with Mandy De Mayo, Director of HousingWorks.
Mandy De Mayo is the Executive Director of HousingWorks, a non-profit organization on the front lines of the fight for fair and affordable housing in Austin. We sat down to … Continue reading
Never the Same Again: A Story of SXSW 2010
The year is 2010, a time when Austin isn’t completely overrun with condos, cranes, and “hipsters” just yet, even during the infamous SXSW music festival. My favorite shows are lovingly … Continue reading
Atlantic Space Man
In our everyday lives we move through spaces and use material objects that, in various ways, shape our sense of who we are. I am in the final months of … Continue reading
Left Behind
Photographer Julian M. Johnson shares the following: “Born and raised in Austin, I took the city as a given. I left to go to school in Connecticut, and when I came … Continue reading
Pandamonium Playland
When I was a kid growing up in Austin, birthday parties were fairly typical. If it wasn’t a friend’s house, it was video games, putt-putt golf, bumper cars, or a … Continue reading
Keeping Austin Weird: Graffiti and Urban Branding
In Austin, one phrase has become synonymous with the city: “Keep Austin Weird.” This slogan is found on everything from keychains to bumper stickers to tie dyed shirts in Texas’ … Continue reading
Goodbye to a River?
In May of 2014 I returned to Austin for one last research trip before finally sitting down and completing my book on Austin’s history. Having been gone from Texas for … Continue reading
Alright Alright Alright: We Get Older, Dazed Stays the Same Age
Dazed and Confused (1993) turned 21 last year. Yes, the film that follows a longhaired teenager and his friends as they attempt to avoid being hazed, the film in which … Continue reading
Zombie Jesus in Hyde Park
Zombie Jesus was inspired by a conversation I had with my son Dylan after we drove past a group of door to door evangelists and laughed about the absurd way … Continue reading
Atomic Austin
Although our editorial board has mostly been concerned with changes confronting the Austin of the 21st century, a most violent end to Austin was anticipated half a century ago. During the height of the … Continue reading
The Rail in Austin: A Conversation with Niran Babalola
When asked what the biggest issue facing Austin is, we typically hear a smattering of answers, but the most common refrain involves traffic, sprawl, and public transportation. No surprise, then, that Austin … Continue reading
A Well Attended Disappointment
In this transient metropolis, some traditions won’t die gracefully. Through hearsay and unaccountable publicity in local holiday event guides, the 37th St. Christmas light display has been eking out a … Continue reading
Boomerang Days: Drag King
The University of Texas’s alumni publication, The Alcalde Magazine, has recently featured some incredible and poignant essays exploring how the city has changed since many of our alumni were students here. We reprint this … Continue reading
Noteworthy
A fellow graduate student recently found a handwritten note on her car, which has a California license plate and was parked in Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood. It reads (spelling errors … Continue reading
Chicken Shit Bingo
Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon is an Austin institution drawing people from all over the world for Chicken Shit Bingo, cheap beer, friendly atmosphere, and a taste of Texas culture. Ginny’s … Continue reading
