Celesta Danger
Since the dawn of the printed scroll, reading in the loo has been a sacred tradition, and the bathroom stalls at the Liberty take this self-indulgence to a whole new level. No matter your sobriety or squatting preference, this latrine graffiti will hit you harder than a shot of well whiskey. From saucy and sassy to political and brassy, these stalls offer a better collection of life lessons, good-time phone numbers, heartbreak, and gender performance than a self-help book on a Chicken Soup bender – okay, maybe it is the well whiskey …. No matter. Go and have yourself a sit and sift through the brain trust of this think tank. Though frequently repainted, drunken proverbs are always on tap here.
The Liberty
1618½ E. Sixth
512/514-0502
www.thelibertyaustin.com
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Boat down the waters of Lake Austin to catch a view of this gorgeous residential boathouse and waterfall. Designed by Bercy Chen Studio, the two-story cylindrical boathouse has a waterfall that recycles lake water cascading from the balcony on the second floor. A spiral staircase wraps around the house, accessible from the shore via a set of stepping stones. The first level includes a dock with space to cover a boat or small yacht. The second floor looks out onto the Canyonland Nature Preserve. It's so charming that it's enough to make you wish it was more than just a boathouse.
Bercy Chen Studio
1111 E. 11th #200
512/481-0092
www.bcarc.com/project/55
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Courtesy of Bercy Chen Studio
Jana Birchum
Let's face it: Bus stops are generally hard, sleek, modern, and utilitarian. They may reflect a certain industrial aesthetic, but they are hardly media for artistic expression. A project of Green Doors, Stanley Studio architects, and JQ + Tsen structural engineers, the stop at the northeastern corner of Manor at Rogge bears a beautiful exception, surrealistic with a Southwestern touch. Picture some madman taking the same basic design as many of the more recent Capital Metro stops, such as the one in front of the Central Library branch Downtown, putting Silly Putty on it as if it were a Sunday comic strip, doing the requisite bending/warping/reshaping … then planting a cactus garden on the roof. Subversive, yet functional – this is great.
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Owned by Rainey Street bar maven Bridget Dunlap and designed by North Arrow Studio and Hendley Knowles Studio, Container Bar is one of the best examples of an eco bar in Austin. Driven by the movement of affordable and scalable reuse of shipping containers started by New York architect Adam Kalkin, they took seven shipping containers, stacked them at different heights, and spread them out to make a central courtyard. No easy task, it took the city of Austin four years to permit containers as a structure, but it was well worth the wait.
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Sett Studio’s modern residences at 900 and 902 West Live Oak, off of South Congress, were constructed to prove that green design should be the standard. The eco homes were built to be LEED certified, with airtight structural insulated panels and Sett's own charred wood, Shou-Sugi-Ban, from sustainably sourced pinewood timbers that are weather-, rot-, and bug-resistant. Sett proves that energy-efficient can be hip modern design, with open floor plans and natural light pouring through the windows.
Sett Studio
501 N. I-35 Ste. 209-A
512/200-2755
www.settstudio.com
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There are plenty of reasons to go to Donn's: The generous plates of smoky Texas ’cue with many sides to choose from and the most extensive breakfast menu you'll find at a barbecue joint. And we love the location on FM 969 for its friendly staff and long planks of communal seating. Our favorite feature, however, is a sweet little porch, where you can sup or wolf down that breakfast taco in the fresh air, away from the crowds. Don't expect some trendy, deliberately distressed lanai – it's just your basic screened-in patio hearkening back to a time when you had time to appreciate such simple things. Go with an open mind and the urge to hang out in abuela's backyard.
Donn's Bar-B-Q
10003 FM 969
512/928-0229
www.donns-bbq.com
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Painting, coloring, or creating murals on any wall; house battles with Nerf guns and samurai swords after Wednesday community dinners; and all of this can be done with or without clothes (except in the kitchen): These are the house rules at Rosewood Co-op. Founded in East Austin in 2011, Rosewood allows members to be their creative, diverse, and sustainable selves.
Rosewood Co-op
1165 San Bernard
www.rosewoodcoop.org
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The building and business at 1191 Navasota offers two legacies of Central East Austin in one. From 1952 through 1966, it was the headquarters of Teachers State Association of Texas, organized in 1884 to see to it that black students got quality educations and black educators good working conditions in segregated times. It’s entered into the National Register of Historic Places as a “contemporary style” building, but it boasts some still-attractive Fifties-mod flair. It’s a style that befits its current occupant, House of Elegance, which was opened by Ella Mae Pease in the Sixties and has served as a full-service salon and de facto neighborhood center for going on six decades now. It’s a living monument, active and present at a personal scale that’s becoming more and more scarce in the neighborhood. Which, come to think of it, makes it a trifecta of modest monumentality.
House of Elegance
1191 Navasota
512/476-9428
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David Brendan Hall
You'd probably be exiled from Austin if you didn't adore – like so many of us do – retro RVs, buses, and trailers. Seriously. Just turn in your hipster card now, detractors, and walk away. Local party people Vintage Innovations have a unique biz model that makes getting closer to your midcentury mobile-home-away-from-home easy – at least for a day or so at a time. VI specializes in finding these gems, buffing them up, and offering them as rentable party palaces. Throw a bash and have one of these renovated roadshows be the focal point. Highlights of their fleet include the on-the-road-again ex-tour-bus homes of John Denver and Willie Nelson, as well as a whopping 13,000-square-foot indoor event space of their own, colorfully decked out with gigantic works from local graffiti artists. So start making your Eventbrite list and gather up your party favors. You decide: You go to the party, or they bring the party to you.
Vintage Innovations
1409 W. Third
512/524-1390
www.vintageinnovations.net
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The Ballards bought the property on Newning, four blocks from Congress Avenue, in 2000. Jimi was an executive for Oracle, Vivian a lawyer. They raised their kids while their mothers lived respectively in the carriage houses behind the main house. Last fall they had the brilliant idea to convert their home into an elegant bed & breakfast. The Fairview embodies the essence of historic mansion elegance on a hill. The beautiful gardens are becoming a favorite for weddings. The Fairview even offers dog-friendly rooms.
The Fairview
1304 Newning
512/402-6214
www.fairviewaustin.com
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Sandy Carson
Even though the series finale of our favorite period drama aired in May, it doesn't mean we can't reminisce about the swingin' Sixties in our own backyard. Designer Mickie Spencer (East Side Show Room, Swan Dive, Hillside Farmacy) spared no details when creating the stunning midcentury mod Sawyer & Co. that resides in the renovated Arkie's Grill space. The future-retro diner features an atomic barkcloth-inspired mural hand-painted by Spencer, and restored bright turquoise Arkie's booths that sit atop a blanket of AstroTurf on the patio. If sipping on an Old Fashioned at the counter bar doesn't make you feel like you made partner at Sterling Cooper, we don't know what will.
Sawyer & Co.
4827 E. Cesar Chavez
512/531-9033
sawyerand.co
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John Anderson
The ladies are ubiquitous, almost to the point of being taken for granted – but this town would be doomed forever if their lights grew dim. Only 17 of the original 31 built in the 1890s remain. We hate to start heartfelt kudos on such a negative note, but let's face it, Austin, we do have a way of losing the stuff we love best. Fortunately, Slater knew better. Yes, Slater, the lovable stoner from Dazed and Confused who climbed to the top of a moonlight tower to utter these prophetic words: "Imagine how many people out there right now are … just goin' at it." He knew what was important – that moonlight brings out the beast. So do the folks at the essential moon tower info site, Austin Moonlight. They maintain one of the best and most easily accessible resources out there to shine a light on these treasures.
Austin PARD
200 S. Lamar
512/974-6700
www.austintexas.gov/parks
Moonlight Tower
www.austinmoonlight.com
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We promise no jokes about big nuts or beaver-bashing (sorry, Buc-ee!), especially since this gargantuan bushy-tailed rodent is, bless her heart, a dainty lady. But road warriors who regularly pass her landmark spot on Highway 71 may have been shocked this past spring to see the ol' squirrel – originally made in 2011 by the nutty geniuses at Blue Genie Art Industries – missing from her pedestal. But hold on, the kind folks at her home turf Berdoll Pecans told us. She just went on a spa vacation to get a new paint job and came back to a bigger, better stump.
Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company
2626 Hwy. 71 W.
Cedar Creek
800/518-3870
www.berdollpecanfarm.com
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A group of University of Texas architecture students together with Germany's Technische Universitaet Muenchen came up with a plan to address the ever-growing Austin population and affordability issues with the development of the NexusHaus. Crowdfunded at $21,422, the NexusHaus is a one-story, 850-square-foot integration of solar and energy-efficient technology. Built with renewable and reusable materials, the house features solar panels on the flat roof providing enough electricity for AC, lighting, and appliances, and to charge an electric car. After heading to the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon in October, the NexusHaus will become an accessory dwelling unit in East Austin.
The Nexus Haus
512/471-1922
www.nexushaus.com
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Jack Sanders was mentored by Samuel Mockbee at Auburn University's Rural Studio, which Sanders eventually ran. Sanders later co-produced Citizen Architect, a film about his mentor. Here are a few other accomplishments: He started Design Build Adventure in 2005, has taught architecture at UT, is representing District 9 in the city of Austin's Drawing Lines Project, and heads up the sandlot baseball team of architects, writers, chefs, and musicians, the Texas Playboys. His credits include the manifestation of Liz Lambert's El Cosmico, and projects with Robert Plant, Rick Linklater, Tito's Vodka, and New Orleans' Voodoo Music Experience. On top of all this, proceeds from his metal workshops go to HAAM. While he's known for his hat and smile, his love of collaboration and team brainstorming, and his "no panic" attitude, we'd like to recognize his do-good nature.
DesignBuildAdventure
www.designbuildadventure.com
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“Whoever Holds the Conch” Bret Brookshire
This student housing cooperative offers a glimpse into what might have happened if the grown-up lads from Lord of the Flies had made a second go of it – but with a much, much happier ending, of course. Residents, as mutual owners, have a say in the decision-making (and cleaning and cooking) – very egalitarian, indeed. There are other co-ops managed by College Houses, but the tree-house-style 21st Street Co-op (located off of its namesake), is touted as the "first building in North America designed from the ground up to be a co-op." It's also the only clothing-optional co-op managed by College Houses. Just sayin'.
21st Street Co-op
707 W. 21st
512/476-5678
www.collegehouses.org/house/21st-street
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So, here's the story: There was this one time when a group of frat guys decided to haze their pledges. Things got a little out of hand, to say the least, and one pledge died. Instead of picking up the rotary phone to call the police, they told the remaining pledges to write down the events of the night in their pledge books. Sworn to secrecy, the pledges were told to burn their pledge books and nail them to the wall of the room where their "brother" died. No one could, like, know what happened that night. Ever. Their biggest mistake (besides committing manslaughter) may have been in not researching the history of the frat house. If they'd have known that, according to lore, it was once the site of a hospital where patients still wander the halls, then they might have splurged on a place with some Corinthian columns and a sand volleyball court. But we'll never know, because in 2007 some douche bag set the place on fire. What's left of the site is privately owned.
Pike House
1132 Belvin
San Marcos
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See how the beacon of blue emanates from atop the lean red-and-white broadcast tower. Note the notes of blue and red along one odd, random line along the UT Tower, or the strange, askew triangle that caps the Capitol entrance, or how the Capitol dome looks more like the Florence Cathedral than the home of the Texas Lege. It's jazzy. It's angular. It reeks of its era – capital-M Modernist – in the best way possible. It's so Saul Bass, we almost expect it to spring to life in a credit sequence of a Sixties Austin spy film. It's Panorama, a lovely li'l jewel almost hidden from sight in the outdoor part of the entrance to Fox 7's lobby. (Yes, you can go see it at any time.) Artists Michael Frary and Paul Hatgil were commissioned to create the 8'x10' mosaic on behalf of Lady Bird Johnson, then-owner of KTBC and the building in 1955. The box lights, the planters … We swear, if someone tears it down, we are going to just scream. It's a gift from an Austin of days gone by. When Austin was a very Gay Place. God bless Lady Bird. God bless Texas.
Fox 7
119 E. 10th
512/476-7777
www.myfoxaustin.com
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For too long has the PCL been one of the most underrated architectural works in town. Perhaps it's because the primary visitor base (students) only know it as the book-prison made for cramming. Perhaps because some people just can't appreciate architecture unless it's made of glass and has Shakira curves. But this library is a prime example of the oft-forsaken school of Brutalism, the midcentury concrete architecture commonly seen in government offices, institutions, and project housing. Though it's been long out of style, surely the hipster epicycles of cool make it due for a comeback? The PCL was opened in 1977 – near the very end of Brutalism's reign – but the outside edifice displays all the fundamentals: an imposing fortress-like appearance, sharp angles, a complex form out of simple geometry, rough macro-texture of repetitive windows, and those awesome walls of concrete that threaten to smash your ignorant meatbrain into a state of education. On a side note: Contrary to popular belief, the outline of the PCL does not look like the state of Texas. It's officially called a "rhomboid shape."
Perry-Castañeda Library
101 E. 21st
512/495-4250
www.lib.utexas.edu/pcl
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Todd V. Wolfson
Devaki Knowles
Now recognized by both the Texas Historical Commission and National Register of Historic Places, the Hays County Courthouse saw a lot less pomp and circumstance back when it was first established in 1848; the small log building that housed its courthouse also served as a church and school, among other public uses. It wasn't until 1861 when county officials employed C.F. Millett that Lady Justice got to stand in style atop the dome. The initial two-story pine building eventually burned, but the hopes and dreams of the people prevailed. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the county courthouse (now constructed out of limestone) rose again, thanks in part to architect F.E. Ruffini, who designed other county courthouses as well as buildings on the UT-Austin campus. And then there was another fire. This time it only destroyed the courthouse's top story. Another Austin architecture company, C.H. Page & Brother, swooped in to design the eclectic courthouse that can still be seen today (with restorations made in 1972) in the middle of the San Marcos Square.
Hays County Historic Courthouse
111 E. San Antonio St.
San Marcos
512/393-7779
www.hayshistoricalcommission.com/history
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Our intimate affairs with chosen landmarks are often all passion with no responsibility. If you've ever caught yourself lusting after the vertical fins and cantilevered overhang, or felt embraced by the brown banding of this 1947 International Modern house in the Hancock neighborhood, you are not alone. The ardor shared by locals won't come to an end this year if citizens and preservation leaders prevail over a life-changing bulldozer. Due to a crack team of speakers from Mid Tex Mod, Preservation Austin, the Texas Historical Commission, and Preservation Texas, a unanimous vote by the Texas Historic Landmark Commission has so far forestalled tragedy, but saving this lover from the railroad tracks remains an uphill battle.
Mid Tex Mod
www.midtexasmod.blogspot.com
Preservation Austin
P.O. Box 2113
512/474-5198
www.preservationaustin.org
Texas Historical Commission
512/463-6100
www.thc.state.tx.us
Preservation Texas
512/472-0102
www.preservationtexas.org
Texas Historic Landmark Commission
www.austintexas.gov/hlc
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Todd V. Wolfson
Where once clunky chain-restaurant formula sat, a glorious expanse of grace and efficiency now resides. Austin architectural legend Michael Hsu and design branders FÖDA Studio have given Shawn Cirkiel's chavez – located at the corner of Congress & Lady Bird Lake in the old TGI Friday's – a modern and casual flow worthy of the real estate. Chavez beams with warm woods, hieroglyphic letters, bright tile, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering guests an appreciation of the landmark spot – home of Austin's nightly bat exodus. Outside, four single-stream fountains create perfect arcs to accentuate the surroundings and highlight what is now, clearly, way more than some after-thought chain hotel pool. This is a gentle relaxation station delivered with vision in the bustling heart of a vibrant city.
Radisson
111 E. Cesar Chavez
512/478-9611
www.radisson.com/austintx
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There he goes, riding high in the Texas sky! The lone pickle! Commuters and rootin' tooters who take the toll road, aka SH 130, peep this bright briny greeny on signs along Pickle Parkway, named for J.J. "Jake" Pickle, U.S. Rep from the 10th congressional district of Texas, 1963-95, champion of Social Security and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The green-and-white signs are a keen reminder of this cool guy who repped Texas in the U.S. House. If you're on that stretch of highway, headed south past Mustang Ridge, you are, according to Wikipedia, zooming along the "highest posted speed limit in the United States." That's one fast pickle!
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John Leach
John Anderson
A college campus in a mall sounds like some grotesque joke in a dystopian movie about the gradual reduction of everything into a shopping experience. But, that's not what this is. In fact, it's the opposite: Austin Community College has bought what was Austin's first indoor shopping mall (1971) and is turning it into a modern education center, saving the building from probable demolition after years of decline. At 6,000 students in its first phase, this will be one of ACC's largest campuses. Oh! And if you wanted to shop at any of Highland Mall's remaining stores – business is expected to continue for the rest of the current tenant's leases. Everyone wins.
Austin Community College Highland Campus
6101 Highland Campus Dr.
512/223-7300
www.austincc.edu/highland-campus
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This sweet retreat on sylvan Cypress Creek in Wimberley is abundant, indeed. Fresh air: Fill those lungs. Long stretches of silence: Lounge near water's edge and dare to not feel content. Gentle friends: Check the bin for deer chow. The nice women who run the place keep it well-stocked. There's a routine: Ladle piles of the crunchy feed out along the stone wall between the lovely main house and cozy cabin. Then go back inside, stake out a window, and wait. Here they come! Bambi and dozens of doe-eyed buddies mosey up to enjoy the abundance of your generosity.
Abundance
330 Mill Race
Wimberley
512/517-0742
www.abundanceretreat.com
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It's not until we find ourselves atop the Contemporary's Jones Center – to enjoy an arcane movie, a band, some party or another – that we remember. The sun is setting; even at the end of the hottest day, a breeze is blowing, and the sky is turning deep blue (ringed with violet if you're lucky). You look up toward the Johnson (that Johnson) family penthouse; you glance back toward the Capitol; you gaze down Congress. It's not the widest city view, but it has a comfortable familiarity you feel in your bones, and it's the one that inevitably makes us appreciate being in Austin, right here, right now.
Moody Rooftop at the Jones Center
700 Congress
512/453-5312
www.thecontemporaryaustin.org
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The burly columns of the historic two-story Charles Johnson House frame a perfect party loggia from which to enjoy the sprawling lawn that tumbles down to Veterans Drive, just west of MoPac, along the banks of Lady Bird Lake. Built in the mid 19th century by Swedish immigrant Johnson, the stately mansion has housed American Legion Travis Post 76 since the group purchased the property in the Twenties. Keenly aware of the architectural jewel in their possession, Post 76 hosts all of the social and military honor events you'd associate with a veterans' group. Not only do they produce their own music series fundraisers to keep the old gal in tip-top shape and to support veterans' charities, they also offer this gorgeous piece of Austin history for rent for your next fiesta.
American Legion Travis Post 76
404 Atlanta St.
512/767-0788
www.travispost76.org/index.php?id=1
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Bret Brookshire
While zipping along Austin's ever-developing 360, blink and you might miss a little hidden gem. Bring your date to Tuscany Market, and you might get a shoulder punch when you pull in: It's a gas station. A Wag-a-Bag to be precise, part of their migration south from dominating Austin's northern ring (Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, Georgetown) but only recently plopping in ATX proper. But as cute as that W-a-B dachsie mascot might be, that's not even the thrill of this find. Go inside, and to the left, you'll encounter a small takeout counter of a mini-Austin Java, offering grab-and-gos (sandwiches, pastries, tacos) and their full coffee menu. Pretty great, right? Add to all of this, the real treat: an intimate and cozy deck with see-through railing to soak in all that Hill Country view. What a great little hideaway to enjoy a cuppa joe and a hand-hold, gazing out at the green. While Austin Java closes at an insane 6pm on weekdays (sunsets, people!), the Wag-a-Bag stays open 'til 11pm every eve (except Sunday, 10pm) for you late-night wooers. Grab some Hot Cheetos and your hot cheeto and take in that warm, sunset glow.
Tuscany Market Wag-a-Bag
3310 N. Capital of Texas Hwy. #100
512/306-1302
www.wagabag.com
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No matter which way one turns, a climb on the stairs of the majestic St. Edward's Main Building affords a splendid view. The first "Main" was built on one of the highest points of Travis County back in 1888, the same year as the Texas State Capitol. Her limestone walls have withstood much, and this year marks a great restoration effort. At the end of the project, and for the first time in over two decades, students and neighbors of the campus will hear the peals of the original bell, set in the tower back in 1904. Once the scaffolding is cleared away, sit on the steps, and take in the view to the north. Across the track field and beyond the puff of treetops, Austin's Downtown seems full of promise and hope.
St. Edward's University
3001 S. Congress
512/448-8400
www.stedwards.edu
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We dream that, after death, we at least will leave a trace of our passing in stone and soil. But like the flesh, even the most imposing tombstone will crumble. The volunteers of nonprofit Save Austin Cemeteries seek to preserve not just the stones themselves, but the meaning of funeral rites. Since 2004, they have not only helped preserve graveyards and built a photo archive of tombs monumental and meager, but have also educated Austinites on how and why we say goodbye.
Save Austin Cemetaries
512/917-1666
www.sachome.org
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Once a lone outpost in Downtown Austin, the Alamo Drafthouse's initial experiment in moviegoing has grown over the years into a thriving enterprise, multiplying many times over within Austin and across America. Yet rather than seizing on a winning formula and engraving it in stone, owner Tim League and his colleagues keep tweaking the model and pouring what they’ve learned from each theatre into the foundation of the next venue. Each movie house improves on the one that came before, which makes the newly opened Lakeline multiplex the apex of the Alamo line … that is, until the one that’s under construction on South Lamar is finished next year.
Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline
14028 Hwy. 183 N.
512/861-7070
www.drafthouse.com/austin/theater/lakeline
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Idle hands don't have anything on this scenic playground. This drive snakes through Wimberley and Blanco, offering picturesque views of the 400-mile-long Balcones Fault (and some pretty lavish homes). But watch out for deer ... and hitchhiking ghosts who have been reported to take the forms of Confederate soldiers and pioneers. Don't believe us? Stop by the Devil's Backbone Tavern and hear the stories straight from the horse's mouth. Oh, did we mention that there are tales of ghost horses, too?
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Before you shriek in terror, don’t run away from this adorable Victorian house just yet. It may look exactly like the home of Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it’s actually its architectural twin. Both houses were built in Round Rock in the early 1900s in the “pattern book” style, and Burkland-Frisk was taken down and restored in Georgetown in 2006. With its embellished eaves and retro paneling, it’s like staring at an eerie gingerbread house – definitely worth a visit whenever you find yourself a bit to the north.
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Todd V. Wolfson
Shelley Hiam
Through a series of abstract yard sculptures, Austin-based artist Bobby Pearl re-creates the stories her grandmother told her about life in the shtetl through bronze abstract figurative work. "Pogrom!" interprets her great-grandmother's escape from the Cossacks, with a female relief hunched over a dangerous-looking, barren ground. Pearl created the narrative series, which traces her grandmother's courtship, marriage, and escape from Russia to the U.S., as a way to preserve and honor her family's history. She propels viewers through space and time with her art, creating work that also functions as living, breathing history lessons that gain nourishment from the small surrounding naturescape. Pearl's tinkling Bone Tree Sculpture Garden may honor the dead, but her bronze abstract figurative work honors the living; you can see fragments of yourself reflected in the faces of Pearl's sometimes faceless sculptures, and it's this intimacy that's inviting enough to get you out of your comfort zone and take a peek into someone else's private property.
Bobby's Sculpture Garden
1410 Travis Heights Blvd.
www.bobbyloupearl.com
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The concrete gorilla of West Lynn could put even the most die-hard fashionista to shame. This sexually ambiguous, inanimate piece of yard art always appears dressed to the nines in accordance with the upcoming holiday or local event – a UT win, a wedding, a tiki party. We salute you, West Lynn Gorilla, in your efforts to keep the neighbors' calendars and simian awareness in check.
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Sure, the name Gourdough's is synonymous with overabundance, but who knew that their almost religious adherence to the ethos of excess extends to their ... ahem, royal residence? Go ahead, and sit on the throne in the ladies' loo. (You don't actually think we had the energy to pop a squat once we began to digest that "Big Baller" doughnut burger, did you?) There it is, right in front of you, a freakin' barge of toilet paper. Seriously, it's a case lot of rolls stacked as if to say, "Friend, we will never leave you wanting. Ever." The fluffy white cylinders luxuriate on a long-ass basket worthy of floating Moses down the Nile or keeping the Christ child warm in the manger. Which is exactly what they are concocting just on the other side of that wall: infant-sized mounds of masa and sugar served perchance with a wedge of lettuce? Some deep-fried bacon? And dared to be called a "salad"? Bastards. But don't hold it against them. Gourdough's only wants to keep you satisfied. And if the doughnuts the size of your face don't prove it, the bulk pack of TP will.
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Austin's latest alternatel is located right smack in the middle of the Dirty Sixth vortex, with some surprising upgrades for the budget-conscious traveler. Though outfitted in a clean, modern style, the features of its eponymous 19th century building are cleverly showcased throughout. With on-site laundry and breakfast included, this hostel gives travelers walking-distance access to all sights from Clarksville to the East Side. Just add bicycles, and it will give them the key to the city.
Firehouse Hostel
605 Brazos
512/201-2522
www.firehousehostel.com
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Todd V. Wolfson
Todd V. Wolfson
Next time you're stuck on southbound Airport Boulevard near 183, look to your right. You may catch a glimpse of Draka the Dragon, a 100-foot-long art car built on a Ford Econoline van and two flatbed trailers by artist Lisa Nigro and a team of metallurgists in 2000. Once a fire-breathing, wing-flapping titan, Draka, who is also furnished with a full bar, mirrored mosaic ceilings, and a trailer for music equipment in her tail, won art car competitions and traveled to Burning Man multiple times in her heyday. Now moldering impressively in the Brother's Produce parking lot on Springdale, her scales are rusted and her carpet's half rotted away, but the propane tank in her open maw connected to a giant red button on the dashboard recalls more glorious times. Draka appears to have retired from active service, but she keeps on giving: a beautiful, surreal piece of sculpture in an otherwise blighted landscape, she also appears to be the perfect locale for amorous stoners to get handsy in the middle of the night. Not that we would know.
Brother's Produce Warehouse parking lot, 979 Springdale
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Two parking spots. That's it. It took two parking spots, a couple of gutsy visionaries, a brilliant planting plan, and the idea that Congress Avenue should be put on center stage to make the pocket park at Royal Blue one of Downtown Austin's premier business and social hotspots. The very best place to pull up a chair and watch the reinvention of the avenue. The craft beer, bottles of bubbly, and smorgasbord of gorgeous nibbles are just lagniappe.
Royal Blue Grocery
609 Congress
512/469-5888
www.royalbluegrocery.com
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When Charles Moore came to UT-Austin in 1985 to chair the School of Architecture, our city also became the beneficiary of a late, great work by the (still) undervalued postmodern architect. Take a tour, and you'll witness diverse materials shimmying playfully up to one another, bookshelves and walls displaying significant architectural tomes and folk art. Queerly patterned Moosehead capital columns, a hyper-masculine horny chair, and the bright blue gabled breezeway are only some of the masterful flourishes that make this compound a home only a true postmodernist could enjoy. A cause for envy: Today the compound plays host to artists, architects, and scholars in residence who get to live in situ.
Moore/Andersson Compound
2102 Quarry Rd.
512/220-7923
www.charlesmoore.org
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Devotees of the storied Airport Bar & Grill and the beloved Bernadette's may be in for a shock. While business owner John LaTouf completely stripped down and built back up the old building that housed both of those watering holes, he's managed to maintain the mysterious character that kept folks loyal. We're not talking some cheesy TV show makeover that ignores the context of Austin, either. LaTouf insisted on retaining the bar's feel by reupholstering many of the original booths and bar stools and appointments while upgrading it into a viable live music venue. There are some new touches, but the color scheme is the same, the little paper lanterns still light the bar, and the backyard is still cozy and a smoker's delight. However, now words like "ventilation," "sound system," "air conditioning," "structural integrity," and "no possums" are not just dreams, they are reality. And the new reality is grand, as every time we've visited the Skylark, old regulars from both the Airport Bar and Bernie's seem to coexist peacefully with new neighbors and live music lovers. The only things we recommend? Bring back the weekly Lizzy Caroloke nights, and don't completely rule out some sort of undergarment as ceiling decor.
Skylark Lounge
2039 Airport
512/730-0759
skylarkaustin.com
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Celesta Danger
Todd V. Wolfson
Nic Patrizi serves up a powerhouse of homemade Italian recipes (culled from his family's brick-and-mortar in Beaumont) behind the Vortex Theatre. Pastafarians have been flocking to this hidden gem like a moth to a flame, but the truck itself is a surprise gift to the sense of sight. Local artists decked out the exterior with an assortment of kitschy pieces à la Claes Oldenburg – abstract paintings of a zombie JFK, cockroaches, and the characters from Ghostbusters, to name a few. One intent loop around this unassuming gallery should take just enough time until your order is filled and your other senses start kicking in.
Patrizi's
2307 Manor Rd., 512/522-4834
1705 Cuernavaca N., 346/241-1350
www.patrizis.com
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One of the most distressing facts about a city that so proudly touts its state of funkified whackadoo weirdness is its lack of original motor courts and roadside motels still in operation. There are the odd flophouses here and there, but let's not go there. We can point to the twin beauts of SoCo, the Austin Motel and Hotel San José, but those have each undergone such extensive remodels as to render their status as travel courts moot. Down the road a piece, the St-Elmo-Tel sign marks the spot of an old mom-and-pop that dutifully stood at the corner of St. Elmo and South Congress until it was mowed down a few years ago. Some midcentury angel deemed to leave the sign in place, heralding days gone by, when the avenue was the yellow brick road to the violet crown.
Corner of St. Elmo & South Congress
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Todd V. Wolfson
One steep hike up a grassy knoll on the east side of the Capitol grounds lands you in a 19th century "castle" that once housed the Texas Land Office. The function of the old girl now is as a de facto visitors' center for the complex, if not the entire state; the Texas Department of Transportation's tourism center and an entire room dedicated to travelers' info for Texas Parks are both housed here. And for those who want to export some of this fine Lone Star shine to those unfortunate enough not to live here, one of the best Texas-themed gift shops in the city can be found on the second floor.
Southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, 112 E. 11th
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Once upon a time, the two-story house at the corner of East 17th and Alamo Streets in East Austin was nothing to write home about. Brown with darker brown trim and a line of half-dead bushes along the chain-link fence. But that was before Joe and Grace got their hands on the place and transformed it into an art piece extraordinaire: a bright green house accented by pops of red, a private skate park in the backyard (available for parties!) and, the icing on the fencing cake, so to speak – a large metal driveway gate shaped like the quintessential Eighties boombox, complete with knobs and cassette-tape-player buttons. No, you can't put it on your shoulder, and no, it won't blast Grandmaster Flash, but it does add a unique blast of personality to this increasingly eclectic neighborhood.
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It popped up just over a year ago, on the side of the brick building on East Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard that houses the United Way for Greater Austin: a bright blue/green mural with a slice of white bread and a pat of melting butter with the message, written on each element, respectively, "You're My" "Butter Half." And, as if on cue, the couples came: from the neighborhood, from across town, out of the coffee shop just across the street, out of cars merely passing by. Created by website and graphic design agency, Creative Suitcase, and led by designer, now Creative Art Director John Rockwell, the Butter Half mural, as it's known, has, in short order, become a part of the ATX landscape: tweeted and blogged about, made part of a scavenger hunt and painted onto nail art. And, of course, has become the backdrop for countless expressions of love. What's butter than that?
On the side of the United Way for Greater Austin, 2000 E. MLK
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For every public works project there are naysayers, but woe be to those who call Cotera+Reed's “whale rib" lights anything less than glittery spotlights on downtown Austin. When these behemoth cantilevered rods were first being installed, passersby were treated to the optical delights of a full array of ever-changing LED possibilities. Since then, those lamps have helped people get back to their cars safely, served as a spindly awning for Sunday church services for Austin's Christian homeless, and effectively stitched together the West and East sides. And … you know … that spot, placed squarely between “dirty Sixth" and “even dirtier Sixth," is just ripe for a Nineties-style rave. Glow sticks at the ready!
Cotera+Reed
812 San Antonio St. #406
512/472-3300
www.coterareed.com
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These ploppy, upside-down, vase-shaped containers on stilts are well-suited to house the most discerning of flying furry friends. Think of it as a bat B & B - where the bats who just want to get away from the colony can go. Oh, and that stuff they excrete, guano, is good for garden soil. A two-fer.
Barbara Attwell
2012 E. 16th
512/263-2054
www.barbaraattwell.net
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Barely a year old, Riverside's rebirth of the late Beauty Bar has become a sparkling hot spot, drawing in local, regional, and touring acts, proudly carrying on the tradition of its Red River ancestor with a come-one, come-all, genre-hopping ethos. The new ballroom's 750-capacity trades the old salon for a modern, saloon-style venue, but the real standout is the glitz. Enough glitter to fuel a drag ball coats the walls, adding extra twinkle and punch to light shows and a great air of fabulous refinement.