Hatin’ on the traffic.

On Halloween night, I would love to post about the wondrous spookiness that ensues around the wonderful city of Austin.  There will be a post about that. . .later.  Today, I have to hate.

Traffic.

Austin, I love you, but honestly, the traffic in this city every day from around 4pm (depending on the road you have to take) until 8pm.  Now, it could just be that I missed the memo that declared 5:30pm to be city-wide “every road becomes a parking lot” time, but based on the angry faces of the people around me, I’d guess that isn’t what’s going on.

Here’s my suggestion:  if people a) let people merge in a slow and steady streaming pattern (instead of pretending not to see them and rushing on ahead, forcing the next person to come to a complete stop. . .you get the picture,) b) remain patient and not become too agitated when you drive (which leads to accidents, or at the very least, unhappy other-drivers,) and c) switch to public transportation (granted there isn’t an ongoing strike, of course,) the roads would be a little less clogged and a little more happy.

I think this is important to keep in mind, particularly in lieu of the Cap Metro strike. Here’s hoping a settlement is reached soon!

If you have other “happy driving” suggestions, post ‘em.

-Caitlin

Capital Metro Strike

Sorry!  I know it’s not my day to post, but I thought this was too big to not mention.

Captal Metro is (more than likely) going on strike this Wednesday (Nov. 5).  During the stike, limited service will be offered on what are considered the “busiest routes.”  These include the 1, 3, 7 and 10 buses, along with several others.   A complete list of buses that will run, on limited service, during the strike can be found here.

Statesman transportation columnist Ben Wear has some useful information on his “Shortcuts” blog.  Wear writes:

The transit agency expects to run 70 vehicles — less than one-third of its usual 246 — on the first day of the strike.

“This is a conservative guess,” said Terry Garcia Crews, head of Capital Metros’ unit that supervises union workers

Service would run on 10 main routes from 6:00 am to 7:30 p.m with service at least every 45 minutes, possibly more often, depending on how many drivers are available.

It’s unclear when both sides of the dispute will meet again at the negotiation table.  The union had planned on striking Monday, but with Tuesday being election day, decided to delay the strike to Wednesday (gee, thanks).

As for how this strike will affect UT students and campus shuttles–it shouldn’t.  At least, that is, not directly.  The University issued a e-mail statement Friday morning:

At this time, we anticipate the UT Shuttle system will operate as normal, with increased ridership because of displaced mainline riders.

For those of you that utilize the mainline bus system to get to campus, please review the following information:

*Capital Metro will operate on a reduced level of service and only between the hours of 6am and 7:30pm on the following routes:

1L/1M, 3, 7, 10, 17, 20, 37, 101, 142, 214, 300, 331, 990

Finally, the Daily Texan story about the “looming stike” can be found here.  As someone who doesn’t have a car here and takes the 7 to work every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I’m more than a little concerned.  Arriving to work, sweaty from my bike ride to 9th Street does not seem like a legitimate alternative.

Bikers, Bikers Everywhere!

Let me begin by saying that this post could just as easily have been written from the “hate” perspective (and probably will, soon).  But for the time being, let’s appreciate the bicycle program that we have in Austin.

As someone who has been struggling to find the beauty in the flatness of this area (oh, I know—it’s the “Hill Country”), I can at least be glad that bike travel is extremely easy in this city.  A tremendous number of major-artery streets have designated bike lanes that are adequately broad, and most of the pavement in Austin provides for a smooth ride.  As a result, and coupled Austin’s year-round biking-condition weather, cyclists hit the streets in droves.

This kind of thing doesn’t happen by accident, though.  In fact, Austin’s Public Works Department has set up a Bicycle Pedestrian Program.  In their own words:

The purpose of the Bicycle Program is to integrate bicycles into the transportation system of the City of Austin. The program works with all City departments, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (formerly the Austin Transportation Study), Texas Department of Transportation and other governmental agencies to create more bicycle lanes, wide curb lanes, paths and other facilities.

The City of Austin has provided a bike map with different levels for

And whether your biking to work or for adventure, the city has also set up a comprehensive map of the area, detailing bike routes and their “ease of use.”  Seen here is a portion of the map.  According to the map creators, the green routes are the easiest to use for bikers, followed by blue, and red is the worst.  Red routes have “high traffic volume and narrow lanes that “could act as barrierst to cyclists.”

This is good, but of course, it could be better.  The City of Chicago’s bike program, for example, is truly impressive.  Online users can truly contribute to making that city’s program better.  Chicago’s Department of Transportation has provided for download a “Bike Plan Vision” through the year 2015.  There’s also a place where residents can request a bike rack where there currently is none.

Do we have a great city for biking?  Sure.  But I think a quick look around at other successful programs will show us that there’s plenty of room for improvement. 

Vintage Shopping!

The city of Austin has over 30 vintage stores! Most locations are central, but there are many in north and south Austin as well.

Vintage shopping is a great way to “Go Green” by wearing used clothing; you are recycling the garment and reducing emissions from factories and vehicles used to transport new items.

At a vintage store you can get one of a kind clothing from any era, and at most stores- dishes, furniture, accessories and décor are also available.

Shopping used/vintage is typically a more affordable way to go, and still is. However, since vintage clothing is popular for its trendiness and the city of Austin is heavily populated with musicians, college students and other eccentrics who vie for these items, what previously cost you $5 is $10.

interior of Austin vintage store Homegirl (credit Ana @ apartmenttherapy.com)

When buying vintage items there are a few things you should do, that you wouldn’t at a “first-hand” clothing store:

1.    Be sure to check the condition of the item; look for holes, stains, and tears, make sure zippers work and that the size is right for you.

2.    Talk to the store clerk and ask about their return policy before buying. Many stores do not allow items to be returned.

3.    Be patient, at vintage stores  organization methods vary and clothing isn’t always separated by size or type (normally just Men’s and Women’s). Therefore, you really have to look through a lot before you find that vintage gem.

The City Search editorial winner for 2008 was Blue Velvet. Room Service Vintage is a four-time “Best of Austin” winner, for the Austin Chronicle.

My personal favorites include: Room Service, New Bohemia and Feathers.

Furniture at Room Service Vintage (credit roomservicevintage.com)

Vintage shopping can be a lot of fun, get some friends together and make a day of it- you never know what treasures you may find.

Good Luck!

Go here for a complete listing of Austin Vintage stores.

-Samantha

#19: Bats

Oh, I know, I know. They’re so damn cute. They’re a symbol of Austin. Countless generations of Austinites have been conceived under the Congress Street Bridge during dubious ‘bat-watching’ dates.

But I have to ask: how much do you really know about the common Mexican Free-tailed Bat?

By which I mean, how sure are you that they aren’t a really fiendish horde of blood-sucking demons who leave the Congress Street Bridge by night to feast upon the living?

Eh? Eh?

Cute, huh? Now imagine his teeth in your neck. (Credit J Centavo)

Oh, I know. You think they live on mosquitos. But look at those teeth and tell me those are for bugs. You ever kill a mosquito? Know how they squish real easy ’cause they don’t have any bones? So tell me: if you’re living off flying invertebrates, why would you need teeth like that?

The answer, of course, is that you don’t.

I’ll tell you what’s happened here. With their big ears and whiskers and scrunched-up little cat faces, the bats have tricked us into thinking they’re harmless. Instead of being terrified by the possibly demonic presence just blocks from the Capitol, we’ve made them our city’s unofficial mascot. We’re in mortal danger, folks, of waking up one morning to find the bats in control and ourselves as their undead minions.

But it’s not too late. We can still take back our city.

I’m not, of course, advising violence against bats. I think that, for all their possible evil, they’re still pretty cute. We need more of that in this city. Also, I’m not certain they can be killed.

So instead, I present you with the top-eight list of things we can do to help avert the Bat-ocalypse. 

1. Ban The Bat City Review. A literary magazine telling the bats that the city is already theirs? Seriously, whose side are you guys on? It’s only by the grace of God that bats prefer pulps and cheap gothic romance, or else they would have caught on to this by now. Knock it off.
2. Stop going to the Congress Street Bridge on dates. The risk of vampiric bat infection is just too high. Even if you don’t mind waking up to your significant other sucking the life-fluids from your neck, what if he or she cheats on you? Don’t put the rest of us at risk.   
   

   Marcos, his fuzzy whiskers concealed behind a black ski mask, plots the humans' demise. (Credit Distra)

3. Call in la migra. This one seems like a no-brainer. They’re Mexican bats, eh? How many of them you think have green cards? Now, true, the Mexican Free-tailed bat can live up to 18 years, and it only takes 14 to become a naturalized citizen. And, of course, any bat-lets (trust me, this is the correct scientific term for a newborn bat) born under the bridge would probably get to stay. But I think the INS could probably help us sort through the problem. I mean, these are the people who are afraid of terrorists sneaking in through Mexico, right? Well, which is a greater threat, Al Quaeda in Nuevo Laredo or a million bloodthirsty carnivores right in the heart of Austin? I thought so. Which brings me to:
4. Spend some of Will Wynn’s leftover campaign money on an ad-campaign linking the bats to terrorists. Personally, I’d suggest the Zapatistas-no one’s ever seen their Subcomandante Marcos without his ski mask. Could he, in fact, be a bat? Seems suspicious to me. 
5. Every night at sundown, burn a hipster at the stake under the Congress Street Bridge as a warning to the creatures of the night. True, true, I don’t know this one will work. But dammit, in a time like this, aren’t you willing to take the chance? 
6. A UT/ACC joint ‘Defense Against the Dark Arts’ class. Personally, I’m a little surprised that this hasn’t happened yet. Might create more interest for the struggling UT Affiliated Studies program in Transylvania.
7. Stop advertising for them. This means you. And you. One of these days they’re going to get internet access down there, and they’re going to realize how harmless we think they are. And then it’ll all be over.
8. Bat chili.

That’s a start. But we need more.

Thoughts?

Mozart’s Coffee Roasters

The first place I really fell in love with when I came to Austin is Mozart’s Coffee Roasters. It’s located on Lake Austin Blvd, right past the Brackenridge student apartments.
Honestly, as someone who was raised in Seoul, South Korea, which is one of the world’s largest and expensive cities with over ten million inhabitants, Austin was a little too boring for me. (I hadn’t discovered sixth street then.) I didn’t know the right places to go to, and all my friends were foreign exchange students as well, so they didn’t know either. Mozart’s was the one place they knew, and every time someone new came over they would take them to Mozart’s. We always complained how Austin didn’t have anywhere nice to just hang out – it’s only recently that the concept of interior design has been introduced to Austin, and it took a while for me to get used to Austin’s, let’s say “authentic”, sense of style.
Mozart’s doesn’t have great design, and come on, it’s a coffeehouse, so it isn’t really the most exciting place to go. But something about it just appealed to me. I think it may be the sense of peace you get there. In the evenings it does get a little louder with the live music but in the mornings it’s so peaceful to just sit there with a book, gazing at the lake while eating freshly baked quiches from their bakery.

Below is a video I made about Mozart’s, when I was first learning how to use final cut and get B-roll. It’s not a great video, but you’ll get a pretty good feel of what it’s like.

It’s pretty large, with a huge main deck where all the live music goes on, two inside areas, another deck, and then a downstairs deck right on the water. They have free wireless internet too, so you can sit there for hours and just study while drinking great coffee with no one bothering you. They have a great variety of coffee and awesome cheesecakes.
If you need a place to study but don’t want to stay in a stuffy library, Mozart’s is the perfect place to go. It’s also a good place to go and sit and have a real conversation with your friends instead of going to a bar or restaurant and have to yell over the loud music. All in all, I love Mozart’s!

Comm School Love

Ok, so it’s time for a little love. I will admit that, being from a small town where I graduated with 130 seniors, getting used to UT was hard. I felt so lost at first – a veritable small fish in a big sea. My freshman year was full of doubts, wondering if I had chosen the right school, if maybe coming to a place so big was a mistake. But it didn’t take long for me to realize I was exactly where I needed to be – and to fall in LOVE with the UT Comm School.

The Comm school here is really amazing. We have The Daily Texan, one of the nation’s top rated newspapers. There is also TSTV, one of the few FCC licensed student-run TV stations. We have an incomparable faculty, including my personal favorite Mr. Michael Whitney, a lecturer and J315 professor who worked as a producer for 60 Minutes and has won over 20 Emmy awards for segments he has produced. I have had a few great teachers, but he was the best!

I feel great belonging to a school ranked top in the nation for what it does. As a journalism major, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be!

The eyes of Texas are upon us: Austin Politics

I need to start this post with a confession.  I’m not from Austin.  I’m not from Texas.  I’m not even from the Southwest.  Let’s just say I’m from a Mid-Atlantic battleground state with 21 electoral votes that, if John McCain doesn’t win, could gift wrap the election for Barack Obama.  It also rhymes with Bennsylvania.

Photo Credit: Jeff Bechdel

But, with that caveat in place, I must say that I love it here.  In particular, I’ve been drawn to the political commentariat that’s based in Austin.  A daily “must read” for me is Eileen Smith’s “In the Pink Texas.”  Smith, who last year was hired as the editor of Texasmonthly.com, told me last fall she began writing “blog posts” in e-mail form, before the phenomenon known as Web logging even began.  (Thank goodness it did, or else I’d be talking to myself right now.)  I interviewed her for a really terrible story that ended up running in “The Texas Journalist,” but you can read that it here:  “Over 100k blogs are created daily”  As a side note about this ever-so-compelling title, from the use of the word “over,” to the fact that it’s a sentence, to the fact that I feel asleep halfway through reading said sentence, I could go on for days about the editors that picked it.  But in the interest of adding different content to this blog, there you go.

Smith adds her unique take to local and national politics in a truly funny and fun to read way.  An excerpt from one of today’s posts will give you a sense of Smith’s wry, self-deprecating style:

As I said earlier, I spoke to the Austin Lawyers’ Auxiliary this morning about the Internets and social networking. I am something of an expert on this topic since I spent a better part of this year begging total strangers to friend me on Facebook. The meeting was held at a beautiful house in a rich neighborhood where I don’t belong.

Another giant in the Austin political blogging scene is the Burnt Orange Report.  I’ll admit to reading this site a little less frequently, but they offer up a pretty satisfying menu of local topics.  Concerned about Prop 2?  Have no idea what Prop 2 is, but want to change that?  Or, as is my case, want to know enough to add a witty comment when the topic’s brought up and then fade the background while smart people discuss the issue?  You’re covered at the BOR.  Like a traditional news organization’s editorial board, they take it upon themselves to take a stance on the issue and inform their readers.

And one last plug before I go:  Whether you lean right or left, the Burnt Orange Report does a great job of collecting links they dub as “The Best of Texas Left” and “Best of Texas Right.”  You’re sure to find something in this list that will quench your political thirst.  But you better get drinking now, because the new legislative session begins in January 2009.

A little hate, a lotta love.

Last Friday, the fabulous Jason Mraz graced Austin with his groovy tunes and positive outlook on life.  This leads me to many things I love about Austin.  First, we attract such fabulous musicians to our city.  And while sometimes scenes get left behind, the diversity, not to mention the sheer number, of concerts hosted here is remarkable.  Last weekend alone, Jason Mraz, Ray LaMontagne, and Ben Folds all visited our capital city – and those are just the big names!  We have fantastic venues, like Stubb’s, where Mraz laid down his jams.  Stubb’s is great, because it is pretty gigantic (particularly considering it is in the middle of a large city,) and outdoors.  And Friday, Austin weather was absolutely perfect, as it (in my humble opinion) so often is.  It was cool and breezy, perfect for swaying your hips to “Dynamo of Volition,” off Mraz’s new album, “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”

Jason Mraz taking a step back to take in the crowd at Stubb's in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Kate Hawkins)

I also love the vibe of Austin crowds at concerts.  People sing, dance, and are generally avid fans of whatever group they see.  It’s practically a guarantee that whether I attend a concert with a friend or alone, I will always end up with a few new pals by the end of the night.  And, for hipsterish me, it’s also a joy to have mini music contest showdowns, comparing notes on new up-and-comers or trying to out-name old songs by the musician you are there to see.  (I can foresee this being something others hate, of course.)

I do have to hate on Austin a little bit.  Tragically, not all fans are awesome fans.  This is obviously not an “Austin only” phenomenon, but because Austin hosts so many concerts, poor concert behaviour is a trait that turns up a little too often.  For example, when you are standing in line for two hours, and just as the line starts moving, a giggly group walks up from having just parked their car and sneaks into line with that long-lost “friend” that always seems to be a little more devoted than they are, and jumps in front of you…this is obnoxious.  Apparently, certain concert-goers believe that they are a little more special than the rest of us.  It is NOT acceptable, and I stand in my place thinking about all of the bad karma you are building when you pull these stunts.  Then, there are the yucky fans in the venue.  Tempers rose due to the crowded nature of the show; it was sold out, and Stubb’s has a capacity near 2500 people.  People on the balcony dropped ashes from their cigarettes onto fans below.  And far too many people took themselves far too seriously and did not dance!!  Considering Mraz’s new album continues the words, “We Dance,” this seems a little silly to me.  Indeed, the most obnoxious are the people at shows just to “be seen,” who stand at the back of the venue, alcohol and voices flowing freely and loudly.  At the very least, they keep to themselves in the back, which is a kind of courtesy.  But keep it down, for cripe’s sake!!

Ultimately, though, Austin concerts are wonderful, wonderful experiences.  And even though many fans were too young to recognize Mraz’s Steely Dan cover (consequently making me feel ancient,) the show was an absolute blast, made perfect by my happy memories.  Thank you, Austin, for wonderful music.

-Caitlin

#1: Austinite Exceptionalism

I’m sitting here typing with one eye closed, thanks in part to a sparring match gone bad but mostly to Austin’s four-season allergy season (which is #5 on my list of things I hate about Austin, putting it somewhere ahead of ‘traffic’ but behind ‘UT business majors’ and ‘Spiderhouse Coffee‘). Luckily, it doesn’t take much depth perception to bitch about things I hate about this city. And number one on that list is ‘Keep Austin Weird.’

I hate to do it, kids, I really do, but I have to shatter a cherished, long held myth. This is going to be like the time your parents told you where Easter Eggs/Christmas presents/babies really came from. It’ll hurt, you may cry, but in the end you’ll be so much happier that you know the truth.

That’s this: Austin isn’t exceptional. Austin is cool. Austin is trendy. Austin has a lot of well-dressed, attractive people. I can’t think of anyplace I would rather live as a student. But it isn’t exceptional.

This whole thing is actually two combined myths. One, that Austin is this Promised Land which isn’t actually part of Texas; two, that it’s this rich, diverse, local town. These myths, by the way, have been picked up by every snotty Northeasterner who has ever told me that, ‘Oh, you’re from Austin? I’ve heard Austin is the only cool place in Texas.’

First off, no. You are wrong. In a state of 20 million, there damn well better be other cool places to go. Second off, why exactly do you think Austin is so damn exceptional? Because Travis County consistently goes Democrat? Because there’s a lot of green space? Because women are allowed to go topless in public parks? (If the last, I concede that this is awesome, but only, I repeat only, in theory)

Because let’s face it. The ‘Keep Austin Weird’ parts of Austin are pretty stultifyingly monocultural: upper-class trendy liberal white people (some of whom may be slumming). Get outside those areas, and you’re either on the East Side or in the suburbs. In either case, you could as easily be in parts of Houston, or Dallas, or-for that matter-San Diego.

(And as for the liberal thing: you remember we’re in a ridiculously conservative state? With a reactionary legislature? Where do you think those people hang out?)

When people say Austin’s ‘weird,’ they mean it has a local character. Fine. It does. But so do lots of places in Texas. And Austin doesn’t have the cultural resources or immigrant neighborhoods (yes, yes, I know, except for the East Side) that Houston, or Dallas, or San Antonio do. And, partly, because they are so much larger and so much more diverse, those are all a lot more interesting than Austin.

Not that I’d rather live in any of those places. I like this town. But stop acting like it’s so damn special. You’re still in Texas. Get over it.