This month I celebrate my five-year anniversary in Austin. It's been a rocky time; my first year I was living on less than unemployment wage, my third year one of my housemates packed up her stuff one night and disappeared, the last year I've been living alone in not-the-best neighborhood. But since I've moved here I've found things in Austin that I absolutely could not imagine living without. Any city has its ups and downs, but Austin has lots of great places and people. It's no wonder Austin wins so many visitors over!
I'm about due to talk about the things in Austin that I love the most! I'm going to exclude UT and the places I work/have worked, since there's an obvious bias there! But here is a break-down of my top five favorite things in Austin that have been staples in my life and I absolutely adore and extol to no end:
5. Austin Books & Comics
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Austin Books & Comics[/caption]
I lived a few blocks away from this place for three years yet only visited it for the first time this past year. They have a giant Hulk, a back issue collection that will make any comic nerd green with envy, a FANTASTIC toy section with every Pop Funko Vinyl toy imaginable, and pretty much every Adventure Time thing that has ever come out. Some things are overpriced (Futurama Issue #2 for $20?! Quoi.) but the selection is amazing and the layout is wonderful. You can lose hours perusing this place. And not to mention the Guzu Gallery next store… or the Side Kick Store…
4. Kerbey Lane
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Sweet Potato Fries at Kerbey Lane Cafe[/caption]
It took me a while to finally eat at Kerbey Lane as well. I'm one of those vegans that tends to just cook at home, because getting a 'sandwich' at a 'fast food' place that is essentially salad on two piece of bread just doesn't appeal to me. Kerbey Lane, though? The vegan breakfast platter is amazing, I recently had their tacos, and their new vegan queso is loaded up with tasty nutritional yeast. They also have a killer espresso chocolate peanut butter cake. Charlie and I love hitting them up for late night dinners, as each location is open 24/7. It's a definite go-to for me now. Plus… sweet potato fries!
3. Strut
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Strut[/caption]
I stumbled upon Strut accidentally one day while I was killing time waiting for laundry to dry at Spin Cycle laundromat. Strut is an adorable boutique based on Austin; they have a location near campus on Guadalupe, down on S. Congress, and tucked away on S. Lamar. Strut is a great example of what style should be all about: community, affordability, individuality. They carry small amounts of all of their clothing and accessories, and they're all adorable, well-made, and incredibly easy on the wallet. You can spend the same amount here on a great outfit than at Target, but here you know you're getting something special. They also work cooperatively with vintage shops around town for their displays and have great sales.
2. Wheatsville
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Wheatsville Co-op[/caption]
Wheatsville is my favorite place to go for tasty treats. They have in-house vegan pizzas available to carry out, vegan GF pumpkin chocolate chip whoopie pies, they carry Daiya and Uptons, as well as Chicago Soy Dairy's vegan marshmallows, and the hot bar always features tasty vegan mac n cheese. It's not the cheapest place to buy groceries, but is definitely the best. Its also a co-op, and if you invest in the co-op as an owner you get specials deals, can request products to be stocked at the shop, and get to take advantage of discounts during Owner Appreciation days. It also happens to be on my bus route home, so I can also reduce my carbon footprint by taking the bus there and home.
1. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
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The Alamo Drafthouse[/caption]
Umm, I feel like this one goes without saying. The Drafthouse is the best place to see mvies, period. End of story. New films plus incredible special programming, including the regular Lebowski Quote-a-long, sing-a-longs, paired food and films, and lots of great cult movie nights. The food is great, though getting a bit pricey. My go-to is the Mexican wrap (sans cheese, with tofu), and their in-house black bean burger is also super tasty. Great atmosphere of movie-loving moviegoers, and an owner that just straight-up loves movies. Less seats and more space from the front row to the screen means super comfy, super tasty movie nights. And in the mornings they do brunch, including scrambled tofu!
I'm nor sure how anyone could not love Austin with all of its incredible local businesses, great food, and plethora of pools. Here's to another fantastic year!
I'm about due to talk about the things in Austin that I love the most! I'm going to exclude UT and the places I work/have worked, since there's an obvious bias there! But here is a break-down of my top five favorite things in Austin that have been staples in my life and I absolutely adore and extol to no end:
5. Austin Books & Comics
[caption id="attachment_2587" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Austin Books & Comics[/caption]I lived a few blocks away from this place for three years yet only visited it for the first time this past year. They have a giant Hulk, a back issue collection that will make any comic nerd green with envy, a FANTASTIC toy section with every Pop Funko Vinyl toy imaginable, and pretty much every Adventure Time thing that has ever come out. Some things are overpriced (Futurama Issue #2 for $20?! Quoi.) but the selection is amazing and the layout is wonderful. You can lose hours perusing this place. And not to mention the Guzu Gallery next store… or the Side Kick Store…
4. Kerbey Lane
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Sweet Potato Fries at Kerbey Lane Cafe[/caption]It took me a while to finally eat at Kerbey Lane as well. I'm one of those vegans that tends to just cook at home, because getting a 'sandwich' at a 'fast food' place that is essentially salad on two piece of bread just doesn't appeal to me. Kerbey Lane, though? The vegan breakfast platter is amazing, I recently had their tacos, and their new vegan queso is loaded up with tasty nutritional yeast. They also have a killer espresso chocolate peanut butter cake. Charlie and I love hitting them up for late night dinners, as each location is open 24/7. It's a definite go-to for me now. Plus… sweet potato fries!
3. Strut
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Strut[/caption]I stumbled upon Strut accidentally one day while I was killing time waiting for laundry to dry at Spin Cycle laundromat. Strut is an adorable boutique based on Austin; they have a location near campus on Guadalupe, down on S. Congress, and tucked away on S. Lamar. Strut is a great example of what style should be all about: community, affordability, individuality. They carry small amounts of all of their clothing and accessories, and they're all adorable, well-made, and incredibly easy on the wallet. You can spend the same amount here on a great outfit than at Target, but here you know you're getting something special. They also work cooperatively with vintage shops around town for their displays and have great sales.
2. Wheatsville
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Wheatsville Co-op[/caption]Wheatsville is my favorite place to go for tasty treats. They have in-house vegan pizzas available to carry out, vegan GF pumpkin chocolate chip whoopie pies, they carry Daiya and Uptons, as well as Chicago Soy Dairy's vegan marshmallows, and the hot bar always features tasty vegan mac n cheese. It's not the cheapest place to buy groceries, but is definitely the best. Its also a co-op, and if you invest in the co-op as an owner you get specials deals, can request products to be stocked at the shop, and get to take advantage of discounts during Owner Appreciation days. It also happens to be on my bus route home, so I can also reduce my carbon footprint by taking the bus there and home.
1. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
The Alamo Drafthouse[/caption]Umm, I feel like this one goes without saying. The Drafthouse is the best place to see mvies, period. End of story. New films plus incredible special programming, including the regular Lebowski Quote-a-long, sing-a-longs, paired food and films, and lots of great cult movie nights. The food is great, though getting a bit pricey. My go-to is the Mexican wrap (sans cheese, with tofu), and their in-house black bean burger is also super tasty. Great atmosphere of movie-loving moviegoers, and an owner that just straight-up loves movies. Less seats and more space from the front row to the screen means super comfy, super tasty movie nights. And in the mornings they do brunch, including scrambled tofu!
I'm nor sure how anyone could not love Austin with all of its incredible local businesses, great food, and plethora of pools. Here's to another fantastic year!
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