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Credit: ImagesFromTexas.com
There are so many incredible things about our city that sometimes it’s hard to keep track. We’ve made it easy for you. Here’s an essential list of authentic Austin favorites from A-Z. [Read more…]
Credit: Charlie Aguirrie
When it comes to giving gifts, my favorite part is the hunt for the perfect one. This joyous obsession may very well lead me to bankruptcy some day. But let’s not go there, yet.
If you have a list of names and an unsettled feeling in your stomach–because all you hear is crickets when it comes to knowing what gifts to give–this Austin gift guide is for you!
We’ve compiled hyperlocal suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving experience as simple as possible. Unfortunately, we can’t do the actual shopping for you. You’ll have to brave the hoards yourself. But fortunately, this ultimate guide will only lead you to local Austin treasures. No big box shopping nightmares from us. [Read more…]
One of Sam Olivo’s favorite stops is the Capitol, where he can always find a few folks to serenade.
To know Sam is to love Sam. You know that guy who rides his horse in downtown Austin? That’s Sam Olivo, the 6th Street Cowboy.
If you saw Olivo riding on a horse alongside someone else at the recent Texas Book Festival, that someone else was me. He was kind enough to let me tag along on a peaceful jaunt down Congress Avenue, as he told me his story and sang a few songs.
Our journey had us trotting through downtown Austin, and culminated with an intensely personal Native American ceremony at a sweat lodge. Along the way, Olivo told me about his second shot at life, why he rides his animals downtown and what his mission in life is now.
Olivo’s story is an important one. It’s the story of a man with an old world mentality, living in a city growing at a breakneck pace and struggling to maintain its identity. Olivo refuses to change, in a city that’s constantly changing. [Read more…]
When my husband and I started The Austinot in our living room at the end of 2011, we had no idea what it would become. The last thing I expected is that I’d be celebrating 1,000 articles after three and a half years, written by an extraordinary collection of volunteer Austinites who caught our vision.
Our vision took time to develop. Like I said, I had no idea what The Austinot would become. Despite our online marketing background, The Austinot started out as more of a personal hobby blog. We published silly articles we never would now, like this one. Even the name of our blog was chosen on a whim, using an online name generator called Wordoid. Yes, Austinot is a play on “astronaut” because we’re exploring the city. But then, why didn’t we spell it Austinaut? (Answer: because [Read more…]
Looking toward the Austin skyline from Barton Springs Pool
Austinites have socialized, fished, waded and swum in the clear blue waters of Barton Springs since the 1800s. The water’s temperature stays at a steady 68-70 degrees while the setting around it changes drastically throughout the year.
I wanted to compile a short guide on what makes Barton Springs Pool quintessentially Austin. In order to scratch the surface of this historical gem, I met with Wayne Simmons, Aquatic Program Manager for the City of Austin, and Clark Hancock, Exhibit Coordinator at the Nature & Science Center. [Read more…]
When you see a gentlemen biking through Austin in a beige colored g-string and you don’t do a double take, is when you know you’re a true Austinite. In Austin, we see some crazy things: dogs being pushed in baby strollers, hipster beards for days, festivals for everything and endless tacos. So many tacos….
In the spirit of “a picture’s worth a thousand words,” check out these posts from Twitter and Instagram, all of which sum up Austin beautifully.
Photo taken by Christopher Sherman during our interview on the Saturday of SXSW Interactive 2015
It’s a sleepy Saturday morning during South by Southwest and the city of Austin is not fully awake yet. The sun is minutes away from making its debut when I meet Christopher Sherman, of Over Austin fame, just south of the river next to the Zach Theatre. We have a perfect vantage point to do a little flying and capture beautiful panoramas of the downtown Austin skyline. [Read more…]
The year is 1960 and Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy is on the campaign trail with a charismatic senator from Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson. The threat of nuclear war is ever present with families around the country building fall out shelters. The small city of Austin, Texas with a population of 186,545 takes the looming threat seriously as well. If a nuclear bomb were to fall on Austin, would residents be prepared? [Read more…]
As the new year begins, we’re taking a moment to look back on 2014 and celebrate the articles our community loved most. Walk with us down memory lane as we present Austinot.com’s 10 most popular articles of 2014.
Grilled cheese sandwich at Burro Cheese Kitchen (Credit: Bill Tucker)
You’ll enjoy our list best with a local snack in your hand, and we have just the thing you need. We rounded up the best 7 grilled cheese sandwiches in Austin, from greasy spoon joints to [Read more…]
I miss you when you're not here, I said. My words failed to penetrate as you continued to gaze deep into the small screen in your hand.
— Very Short Story (@VeryShortStory) August 12, 2014
Five years and nearly 200,000 Twitter followers ago, Sean Hill created a Twitter account. He wanted to test out some of his improv skills in a burgeoning format, so @VeryShortStory was born.
At first, Sean tried to craft longer stories with other Twitter users writing back and forth, but it never quite flowed right. “So I started asking my followers to suggest a noun and I kept all of them in a file. I had a batch of nouns ready for whenever inspiration struck,” Sean Hill told me. Two or three nouns were more than sufficient to create a story within 140 characters that left a lasting impression. This was still the early days of Twitter, when a simple and elegant idea was enough to grow a massive following.