Why do writers have such a love-hate relationship with their writing devices?
Where Old Typewriters Go to Die
Turning Silver at the Saxon
How does a beloved Austin music icon thrive for 25 years in a city on growth steroids?
Into the Depths and Beyond
You can't go much deeper than the magical Sacred Blue Cenote in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
You Say You Want an Evolution?
The evolution of Austin, Texas has been swift. Or has it been a revolution?
If It’s Wednesday, It Must Be Wordless
If it’s Wednesday, it’s wordless. Those are the rules. God Bless Johnny Cash, who was never wordless in his life.
The Broken Spoke, one of the definitive Texas dance halls, is disguised in a rustic dark red building on South Lamar and now completely enveloped by new upscale development.
All Decked Out For the Holidays
Vanishing Austin—the ongoing photography series that tries to stay ahead of the wrecking ball—is looking pretty festive this month, at its first appearance at Austin's annual anti-mall, shop small, holiday gift show, the Blue Genie Art Bazaar. The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is decidedly aimed at Austinites who believe that to live local, you shop... Continue Reading →
The Pattern of Change Is Change
It takes a whole lotta cranes to hoist up a new Marriott in downtown Austin, where change is changing faster than you can say change. The upcoming architecture at 2nd Street and Congress Avenue demonstrates the pattern of change in a city where urban = big growth. Is it too late to keep Austin Weird?... Continue Reading →
Overcome by Tall Towers and Big Cranes
We'd honestly like to see more of the Tiniest Bar in Texas. It's just that these days, cranes and other towering structures are rapidly closing in on it. Makes it kinda tough to spot such a tiny bar. Hang on, Tiny Bar! Don't let the Tall Towers and Big Cranes bring you down! ♣ Related articles Tiniest... Continue Reading →
Walk Back to Weird at Wiggy’s
Walk or Don't Walk, it's up to you at Wiggy's I have long been fascinated by juxtapositions. In fact I've tried to build my entire Vanishing Austin photography series around them, and this one always grabs me as I look towards downtown in the early evening. Despite the other towers rising all around and high... Continue Reading →
A woman you meet at a gallery opening has loved a real cowboy, and had a varied career as a founding designer for Texas Monthly, as an LA Times art director, as a NY restauranteur and now plans to be a screenwriter. The temperature soars past 100 and locals tell you that's about 20 degrees... Continue Reading →
Yes, there's reason to worry that Austin is no longer weird. But if you look around—weird is everywhere.
How Does Austin Beat the Heat?
Sunny and 102°?! How to Beat the Heat? How else—with frog legs, fried pies and air conditioning. Indulge in some cocktails, then splurge on some Texas beef, after breakfast. Throw in some towers. Oh, and did we mention . . . beer? ♣ Recognize this Vanishing Austin icon? BUY A PRINT: Choose from 99+ Vanishing Austin prints and a... Continue Reading →
An Austin ghost sign that has long served as an iconic landmark, and dates from the time a pack of Wrigley's gum cost you a nickel, is now forever hidden from view by a new Marriott.
Speeding into the Sunset
Austin Speed Shop is bidding farewell to South Lamar, to make way for, yes, another luxury apartment development. Its new location near by is still under wraps, but it's not likely to have the Keep Austin Weird charm of, say, the floor—where original owner Francis Reissig inscribed "1959" with his initials into the building's wet concrete after it... Continue Reading →
Jann Alexander :: Pairings 