Austin Rush

A HOPEful Relocation A Perfect Fit

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The Live Music Capital of the World Food for Thought 25 The Culture Behind the City

FALL 2018

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Meet the Editors

Molly Rhode

“Current mood: unimpressed”

Luis Mata “90% of the time I have no idea what’s going on”

Shivani Regan “I’d agree with you but then we’d both be wrong”

Lucia Rubio Lobo “I want to decompose and become my bed”

Harsha Venkataraman “There’s no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people” Photos by Brynn Lampert.

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Top Austin Attractions A HOPEful Relocation What’s happening to Austin’s most iconic tourist spot?

History of Austin A Perfect Fit

How Austinites inspire the Austin style

Keep Austin Stylish The Live Music Capital of The World

A city defined by it’s music

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The Most Popular Music Events in Austin Puzzle Page Food for Thought

A story behind the food that makes the city

Austin Top 10

The best restaurants in Austin

The Culture Behind the City

The climate of the capital of Texas

Letter From the Editors

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Domain

Texas Capital Lady Bird Lake Congress Bat Bridge Zilker Park

Top Austin Attractions Chosen by the Editors

By Harsha Venkataraman Photos Courtesy of austintexas.gov

In summer, people can see thousands of bats fly over their heads, in the evening, at the Congress Bat Bridge.

The Domain is a great place to spend an afternoon shopping in Austin with a variety of stores.

The Texas Capitol is a great place to learn about Texas’ history with a great spot to picnic!

Zilker Park has a variety of things to do there from biking to walking the trails.

Lady Bird Lake is a beautiful spanse of nature where one can enjoy Austin’s great outdoors.

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A HOPEful Relocation

What’s happening to Austin’s most iconic tourist spot?

By Molly Rhode

Some of the many graffiti walls at HOPE. Photo by Molly Rhode.

From local Austinites to tourists from all over, the HOPE gallery is a favorite spot to visit, and its endless walls of graffiti and murals have become a part of what makes the signature slogan “Keep Austin Weird” what it is.

announced they were going to relocate and that construction of a new six acre park on the southeast side of Austin was underway. Street artist and the HOPE gallery’s Artist Project manager, Miles Starkey, said the relocation was necessary.

The HOPE gallery isn’t just any ol’ graffiti park, though. Since 2011, the HOPE organization has provided jobs for artists, programs for children and adults, plus many other activities for the community.

Of course, with success comes struggle. Due to rising tax rates, maintaining a nonprofit organization is difficult.

In 2017, the HOPE team

“The land that we’re borrowing right now is someone else’s property, that’s kind of how it’s been from the get-go,” Starkey said. “When the park first started, there were different needs than there are now.”

Lucas Aoki, a mural artist from Argentina who’s been with HOPE from the start, said some of the current struggles of the HOPE gallery.

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“Guide me home,” a mural by Tatiana Suarez and Yoskay Yamamoto on Barton Springs Rd. Photo by Molly Rhode.

“The HOPE gallery right now is a complete mess in terms of how it’s hard to enforce people to actually stop painting over the murals,” Aoki said. “On top of that, a lot of people just park everywhere, a lot of kids kind of mess around in people’s private

“I think the old location is kind of played out, it’s served its purpose.”

Aoki said, private property is defaced. A solution would be to have employees supervise the grounds, but combined with the various struggles they’re already enduring, many of these problems can be solved by relocating and implementing more resources and tools available at HOPE’s new location.

“I think the old location is kind of played out, it’s served its purpose,” Nathan Nordstrom, an austinite, graffiti artist, and advisory board member said.

Despite the mixed feelings from locals and tourists, those behind the park are all very supportive of the relocation and the many new things it will bring. Public restrooms, parking spaces, and Austinite, graffiti artist and even a snack bar will all be at the advisory board member, Nathan new location.

Nordstrom, professionally “100 percent excited,” Starkey known as Sloke One, shared his said. “I’m ready to go.” feelings as well.

-Nathan Nordstrom, grafitti artist property, some places get either trashed or painted.”

Because of the park’s not-soconvenient location behind a sports center in a neighborhood in downtown Austin, vandalism has been prevalent. Although the park itself is completely legal to tag, many visitors don’t respect the limits and, as

Street art by an artist by the name of “Tits” on Springdale Rd. Photo by Molly Rhode.

Owl mural at the HOPE gallery by Hayden Carley. Photo by Molly Rhode.

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1700 The Spanish set up

temporary camps where Austin is today.

1830

Austin is settled by Anglo-American settlers.

1836

Texas gained independence from Mexico.

1839

1845

It was decided to build the “Republic of Texas� and named it after hero Stephen F. Austin.

1853

Texas was annexed by US, but kept Austin as the capital.

1880 One of the first known serial killers is in Austin.

The first capitol was built.

1881

Austin city public schools admit first classes and the first Capitol burned down.

History of Austin

By Molly Rhode

1883

The University of Texas founded.

1888 The second Captiol building finished construction.

1893

Great Granite Dam was built, will soon collapse.

1900

Great Granite Dam collapsed, killing several and wiping out power in Austin.

1929

The Great Depression began.

1950

After recovering from the Great Depression, lots of technology companies and research laboratories were founded, bringing high tech companies and innovative thinkers to the area. This attracted more people and modern amenities, like swimming pools, movie theaters, and a library.

1970 Austin becomes

the city it is now!

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A

Perfect Fit

How the Austinites inspire the Austin Style

By Lucia Rubio Lobo

Clothing is an essential element that makes Austin what it is. From pants, to skirts, to dresses, to shirts, to jacket, to shoes, Austin has many forms of style.

Maya Krauss, owner of Austin boutique Maya Star, said Austin is different from other cities in Texas.

“Austin is just a place with good vibes, everyone is smiling and happy, it is a very warm and friendly place that if you arrive new with a business it really makes you feel at home, and the people are really supporting and caring about what you do,” Krauss said.

Lucy Jolis owns Sunroom, a

clothing store in Austin. Austin’s clothing stores varie in fashion style depending on the owner.

“I would definitely say easy and relaxed, nothing too stuffy more casual, everyone really wants to be comfortable, everyone is moving around a lot,” Jolis said. “Not going home to change, go to

People show off different outfits at ACL Music Festival. Photo courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

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From left: Girl showing off her outfit.

Three excited girls at ACL Festival. Man shopping for a shirt. Photo courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

office, then pick up the kids, then go to a restaurant, so something that is casual yet put together.”

Doing so many different activities at a time can make it hard to know what to wear to a certain occasion or event. Different outfits can create different impressions on people.

“There are plenty of things to do in Austin but I think that being able to know what to wear to each occasion in this particular city is important, because different events in Austin can have a very different impression,” Krauss

Having a business is a lot of work and dedication, but every owner grows a connection with their said. “Another thing I really like businesses for different matters. about fashion, how what you wear Jolis shared her thoughts on what can make an impression on other made her business in Austin so enjoyable, she was able to open people.” another store outside of Texas.

“I think connecting with the customers, and realizing you are impacting people in ways that you didn’t imagine, you know it’s more than selling clothes.”

Jolis said, “People send thank you notes, and say how happy they feel everyday having clothes to put on and fit them well and say how good they fill in them, you know -Maya Krauss, it’s more about having a deeper impact with the customers than boutique owner I’ve ever imagined I would.”

Clothing is a necessity whether

“Clothing represents one’s personality and I think that is something very special.”

From right: Girl poses with a fan. Girls enjoy live music. Photos courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

“I think connecting with the customers, and realize you are impacting people in ways that you didn’t imagine, you know it’s more than selling clothes.”

-Lucy Jolis, boutique owner

you are a fashionable person or not, and clothing can change your mood by the way you feel.

“My favorite thing about it is that you can tell what a person is like, or what they do by what they wear,” Krauss said. “It is kind of beautiful in a way, clothing represents one’s personality and I think that is something very special.”

There are many different styles of clothing and it can be difficult to find your certain style.

Different stores have different generals styles they believe the public will appreciate. But these small local businesses have a free pallet to explore their creativity.

Austin is full of different people and they each contribute to the Austin style.

“I think it’s totally a representation of my style,” Jolis said. “We have a lot of nicer items in there… those are pieces I would wear when I do get dressed up, which is not that often, but when I do those are the types of things I would put on. It’s all things I would wear, all things I think are cool and other people should wear cause they would feel good in.”

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Kendra Scott Necklace Elisa rose pendant necklace in Platinum Drusy

Uptown Cheapskate Shirt Thrifted, light tan, tight, turtleneck, longsleeve shirt

Maya Star Skirt Mini, multicolored, pencil skirt

Keep Austin Stylish

By Lucia Rubio

Uptown Cheapskate Heels Thrifted, maroon, heeled, booties

STAG Provisions for Men Jacket Shearling-Collar Demi Jacket, Bismarck Wash

Service Menswear Shirt Light tan, short sleeve, desert print, shirt

STAG Provisions for Men Jeans Taper trouser, Neppy denim jeans

Uptown Cheapskate Boots Brown, leather, ankle, boots

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The Live Music Capital of the World

A croud of people cheer on as the ACL concert continues. Photo courtesy of C3 Presents, by Charles Reagan Hackleman

A city defined by its music by Luis Mata Austin is the capital of two things: music and Texas.

Austin is home to some of the most popular music events in Texas: ACL and SXSW. In addition to live music events, Austin is known for its diverse music like mariachi which is normally found in Mexico According to Austin Relocation Guide, Austin officially became the live

music capital of the world in 1991 due to the fact that Austin had more live music venues per capita than anywhere in the nation. Home to many artist and music event like Guy Forsyth, Eric Johnson, ACL, and SXSW, Austin is world famous. Austin has a huge amount of musical diversity, it has music from other places of the world which would normally be found in other countries.

Texas has a lot of mariachis that can be found in Austin. They are normally found in Mexico, but due to Texas’ proximity to Mexico, you can find a lot of mariachis, like Ismael Mayo, who has been playing for years.

As a musician that plays music normally found in Mexico, Mayo’s job has not been affected by playing music normally found in Mexico

“As you see, regional Mexican mariachi is very accepted in this part of the United States,” Mayo said in Spanish. “People here appreciate their musical roots a lot more than when they lived in Mexico, and here the music reaches your heart, in a country that isn’t yours.”

Anthony Stevenson, co-owner of a music event promotion company Come and Take it Live, said a lot of diversity can be found in Austin.

“Austin is basically a melting pot,” Stevenson said.

Different types of music combine to form new things.

Austin is a place where you can find different combinations of music. This is a testament to what Austin music is so special.

“There have even been recordings of other groups

with combinations of music who did recordings,” Mayo said. “Mariachi music is at a worldwide level,” Mayo said that there are many examples of how other types of music have already been combined with other types of music. There have even already been recordings about that mix of music.

Music in Austin is the same as cultures in the US, the original melting pot. Different cultures in the US melt together to create new things which is the same for music in Austin. The artists that make up Austin make it diverse because they are all unique, yet they still share a common quality.

“Diverse, definitely diverse and just hungry to make a name for themselves,”Stevenson said.

Because the Austin music scene is such a competitive place, local artists have to work harder than they would have to in other cities where live music is less popular.

“I will just say the fact that ....on top of being so talented, they know that it requires kind of a cutting edge to stay ahead of the competition or to put themselves in the limelight,” Stevenson said. “A lot of the artist trying to… take it to the next level and be innovative and in there general and style in order to stand out from the rest.”

Anthony Stevenson co-owner of Come and Take It Live, a music event promoting company in Austin. Photo courtesy The music industry of Anthony Stenvenson.

Ismael Mayo sits with his long-time partner Juan Martinez. Ismael Maya in the left Juan Martinez in the right. Photo courtesy of Beatriz Barajas.

in Austin is very competitive because there are many musicians and they all want to compete to be the best. Music venues in Austin are also very competitive with one another.

People and companies compete to get the watchers attention.

“So on top of there being tons of talent [and] lots of venues there are lots of people here within the industry… [will] put your product in front of,” Stevenson said.

Your success can be completely determined about your company that you are associated with, sadly many don’t make it big or make enough to for a decent living.

This problem stems from more and more people not paying as much to see live music.

“Man … a lot of people moving

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here they know Austins cool and I want to say you know ‘let’s move to Austin it’s more affordable,’” Darr said. “Thinking about it what original put Austin in the map was the music scene but more and more people that moved here kind of forget that,” Emily Darr said.

She is the general manager of a music venue named Stay Gold which does not charge at the door so people can just walk in; however, she feels that Austin is a great city but it needs some improvements.

“People won’t pay a cover which goes to the band to help support them so they can live here and provide live music for them the people,” Darr said.

This lack of support is the sad truth, Darr said, but Stay Gold

“Un lenguaje universal.”

-Ismael Mayo, mariachi musician

wants to pay fairly while making a profit.

“We always guarantee our musicians a certain amount of money you know whether there are five people in the bar watching them play or more than that and if there are more than that they get a certain percentage of our sales,” Darr said.

People need to respect live music more than they do because that’s what makes Austin so special the live music capital of the world.

The Mariachi Azteca and Ismale Maya (center) after finishing their preformence in a resturant.

Courtecy of Beatriz Barajas.

Musicians here are a community of people who care for there craft.

“All musicians kind of know each other,” Darr said. “Everything is kind of intertwined and related.

Its a community in Austin. We have a big community here in Austin and everyone knows each other,” Darr said.

Diversity strengthens Austin community because everyone can find something they like.

“They’re all very passionate about what they do they all love music, they all love playing together and making music, writing music, playing music, they love touring… But it also can be somewhat of a struggle at the same time but their passion is something that is definitely in common with everybody here in Austin,” Darr said.

As Darr sees many different artists in her venue, she has noticed a pattern. The artists here all share the same passion

for their music. Being an artist in Austin is definitely more special than in other places because of the passion everyone has and although it can sometimes be a struggle it is definitely worth it.

Artists have a lot more support from the city mostly because there is more expected from artists from the live music capital of the world.

“There’s just a lot of support for performing arts in Austin.

I would say that Austin has a lot of driven artist vs. other markets,” Stevenson said.

Because they know that making it big in Austin takes a lot of work there are more driven artist compared to other places.

Even if you don’t speak English you

everyone and anyone. Language barriers aren’t a thing in music.

Stevenson has his own reason for why Austin music is so much more special and even better than from other places.

“I would say the diversity and the ability to catch live music of any kind of general on any given night of the week,” Stevenson said.

“Other markets, unfortunately, don’t have as much to offer whereas as Austin has a lot going on all the time.”

The sun sets behind the harmonizing croud. Courtecy of C3 Prensent, by Roger Ho.

are able to communicate with each other in the community because music is a universal language.

“No,well… there is no difference really because music is like another language,” Mayo said. “You can express yourself with music even if you don’t know the language you can still play with people that speak English,”

Mayo said.

Mayo said that this is because music is A universal language.

Music is a language that can be understood by

2018 ACL is ended with fireworks after a fantastic concert. Courtecy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

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The Most Popular Music Events in Austin

By Luis Mata

Austin Event Attendees 450,000

SXSW ACL Music Festival Rodeo Austin

343,000

263,000

Information from: Austin Business Journal

1. SXWS: March 8 to 17

SXSW

South by southwest is an annual conglomerate of film, ineractive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in mid-March in Austin,Texas.

In formation from: Austin’s annual festivals & event list 2017

2. ACL Music Festival: October 5 to 14 The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consectutive three day weekends.

3. Rodeo Austin: March 16 to 30 It host over 100 live music performances during the fifteen-day Fair and Rhodeo. It last the longest out of all three of them.

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Puzzle Page

By Shivani Regan

START

AMYS PTERRYS TORCHYS JUSTINES

SWAY KOME UPPERCRUST HOMESLICE

FINISH

UCHI HANKS GOURDOUGHS FRANKLINS

JEFFREYS FUKUMOTO TACODELI LORO

FINISH START

Food For Thought behind the food that makes the city

By Shivani Regan

Austin may seem like a simple Texas city full of cowboy boots, barbeque, and country music, but it is so much more.

Austin is actually very different from many other Texan cities. Austin has so many unique qualities including it’s amazing food scene.

The Austin population is very diverse compared to many other cities around the world. These qualities lead to a very large and varied food scene where everything from rolled ice cream to fried chicken tacos can be enjoyed.

Kayo Asazu, one of the founders of popular Japanese restaurant Komé and has lived in Austin for 22 years. She has also opened three other restaurants in Austin, Daruma Ramen, Ni-Komé, and Sa-Tén.

“I think being in Austin is keeping myself really creative, people

here are creative and fun,” Asazu said.

According to Asazu, Austin has a great creative environment and there is a lot to take inspiration from.

There’s a lot of things that Austinites look for when making their eating choices.

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A taco from Austin’s torchy’s tacos found at Austin City Limits music festival 2018. Photo courtesy of C3 presents, by Katrina Barber.

Nachos from Chef Tim Love found at Austin’s biggest music festival, ACL. Photo courtesy of C3 presents, by Katrina Barber.

Midnight sun tempura fried sushi with smoked salmon and GoGo sauce from Austin’s Komé. Photo courtesy of Kayo Asazu.

Amanda Kuda is the vice president of marketing and communications at Kerbey Lane Cafe and has been there for about three years now. As the vice president of marketing and

“Austin residents really value knowing where their food comes from and supporting local restaurants and having a lot of the work local,” Kuda said.

Unique food is the way to go for Austin residents and in this city, and it pairs very well with local, naturally sourced restaurants. Amy’s Ice Cream, another popular Austin eatery, values many of the same things as the city’s Kerbey Lane Cafe.

Alan Hixon is the CEO of Amy’s ice cream, has been working there for about a year now and -Kayo Asazu, has done great things to keep the restaurant owner company up and thriving in this environment. communications, Kuda is in charge “Part of our business statement is of social media, advertising, and 100 years, not 100 stores,” Hixon said. event coordinating.

“people in Austin were really adventurous, they are always looking for something new.”

Amy’s goal is to make amazing ice cream that will outlast their competition and be around for multiple generations to enjoy, even if it means only being in one state, rather than having less than quality ice cream but having stores around the world.

A lot of popular Austin Restaurants are focused on quality over quantity. With that, Austin restaurants try to focus on themselves and work on what they can do better in all aspects of their businesses that are loved by so many.

“We can only control what we do and stay true to who we are and just work every day on fulfilling our mission which is to make people’s day,” Hixon said. “And that’s what we stay focused on.”

The goal is to focus on what can be changed because there is always something to be doing better.

“You should be able to find something, small or large, no matter what it is so that’s my job to seek out what we can do better for tomorrow,” Asazu said.

The goal of a restaurant is to make delicious food and keep everyone who comes

through the door satisfied. Being part of a restaurant is meant to keep the owners and customers happy.

“We love what we do, so we get up every day and we just keep doing right with this opportunity that’s been given to us and be focused on our people and what we do every day in terms of delivering a wonderful experience to everyone that comes through the door,” Hixon said.

Along with good values in terms of customer service and growth, many Austinites also look for restaurants that pick their ingredients dishes very carefully.

“Kerbey Lane has always valued fresh, home-cooked, quality food that even if it is not healthy that you feel good about eating it because you know where it came

from,” Kuda said.

Austin has a lot of great, semihealthy food that people can feel good about eating because they know where the ingredients are from and they know that they are eating natural, real food.

“We strive to work with vendors who care for their food and provide good quality products and care for their animals or whatever else it is that the vendor is producing for us,” Kuda said.

Austin restaurants may have a lot of values that Austin residents look for but at the end of the day, it is really simple. The main goal is simply to keep everybody happy.

These amazing values found in restaurants loved by Austinites all had to come from a somewhere.

“David Ayer and Patricia Atkinson, our two owners, were living in Austin and they couldn’t find anywhere that they wanted to eat that was welcoming, pretty healthy, but also pretty affordable,” Kuda said.

Hamburger found at Austin City Limits weekend 2, 2018 from Shake Shack. Photo courtesy of C3 presents, by Katrina Barber. Eggs, hashbrowns, and fruit from Kerbey Lane Cafe founded in Austin, Texas in 1980. Photo courtesy of Amanda Kuda.

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Ayer and Atkinson knew what they were looking for, but they just couldn’t find it. Back when Kerbey Lane first opened the food scene in Austin was much different and a lot smaller. It was very hard to find healthy, delicious, and affordable all in one kitchen. Ayer and Atkinson knew if they wanted to find what they were looking for they were going to have to make it themselves. That is how the very well known Kerbey Lane started and managed to grow into something no one had initially believed was possible.

“I think that both of them would explain our success to you much as an accident in the early years,” Kuda said.

Kerbey Lane’s success may have been an accident but everyone in Austin is sure happy everything ended up the way it did.

“There were about 3 Japanese restaurants here,” Asazu said.

“They were serving great food but not something that I used to eat at my

families house, so I was missing a lot of the stuff my mom used to make.”

Asazu and her husband had the same problem as Ayer and Atkinson, they couldn’t find what they were looking for either. But because of that, they made the bold decision to start their own restaurant which is now one of the many restaurants loved by the Austin community.

“I definitely think that it is not just me playing along, but me opening these restaurants probably encourages more people to try Japanese or Asian cuisine, we definitely see more of these restaurants than 22 years ago,” Asazu said.

Many Austin restaurants may have similar beginnings but that isn’t all: A lot of

Austin restaurants come up with their recipes and signature dishes in a similar way too.

“Amy has developed those very carefully over the years and then our people come up with flavor combinations, we have over 350 now,” Hixon said.

Owners and founders of these restaurants have worked very hard to come up with delicious recipes for everyone to enjoy.

Family recipes are also very popular when trying to gain a welcoming, family vibe.

“Most of the recipes come from what we were eating

Salmon dish, hokkai-don, from Austin Japanese restaurant Komé. Photo courtesy of Kayo Asazu. Fried chicken and pancakes with a side of fruit from 24 hour restaurant Kerbey Lane Cafe. Photo courtesy of Amanda Kuda.

Chicken tacos from Chef Tim Love found at Austin City Limits 2018. Photo courtesy of C3 presents, by Katrina Barber. Custom banana treat from Bananarchy from Austin City Limits 2018.

Photo courtesy of C3 presents, by Katrina Barber.

said.

at my house, what my parents used to cook,” Asazu said. “We try to focus more on authentic Japanese, like something that I usually eat with my parents or something that I still eat with my family.”

Recipes are an important thing that makes a restaurant what it is, what keeps it going, and what helps it grows. No one may ever know what helps a restaurant grow, it could be the recipes, the customers, the advertising, or a million other components, but somehow, restaurants grow and expand. At Kerbey Lane though, it may just be the customers.

“In fact Our Round Rock location when we were just doing what’s called the soft opening,” Kuda said. “We had unprecedented numbers of people showing up, wanting to come in because they had waited and waited so long to have something that was really available in the Austin City Limits available to them kind of on the outskirts of Austin.”

This is just one of many examples Kerbey Lane has to share when it comes to their amazing success and fan base.

Many restaurants focus not simply on growing what they already have but trying something new.

“One of the things that we’re looking at now is expanding into other restaurant concepts,” Kuda

“Specifically, within Austin, we have a concept that we’re announcing shortly that we’ll actually hope to open within the first part of 2019.”

No matter what is causing the growth or how a restaurant expands, these restaurants know that Austin is their home.

“When I think of opening another one here I always want to stay here because I don’t want to leave,” Asazu said.

Restaurant founders from Austin know where their home is and that will always mean something to these amazing restaurants.

“This is Amy’s home, it’s where Amy’s started,” Hixon said.

Austin is a family and a culture, but most of all, it’s a home.

“We are an Austin original, we are founded by people from Austin,” Kuda said.

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Austin Top 10

The Best Restaurants in Austin. List compiled from Austin Eater, Thrillist, CondĂŠ Nast Traveler, Food Network, and 10 Best. By Shivani Regan

Bird Bird Biscuit A homey restaurant serving delicous biscuit sandwiches for breakfast and lunch

Uchi

Odd Duck An upscale restaurant serving creative dishes with local ingredients

Veracruz All Natural

Fonda San Miguel

A sophicsticated restaurant serving sushi A restaurant and food A welcoming restaurant and other creative hot truck serving creative serving traditional and cold sea food tacos and other mexican mexican cuisine dishes dishes

Ramen Tatsu-ya

The Brewer’s Table

A laid-back restaurant serving ramen and other A fun restaurant serving elegant American dishes japanese cuisine and craft beer

Franklin’s Barbecue A restaurant with lines forming at 7am serving a variety of smoked meats

Barley Swine A friendly restaurant with a delicious seasonal menu and a long beer list

Loro A rustic restaurant serving food with a combination of Asian and Texas cuisine

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People enjoy live music at Austin City Limits in Ziker Park. ACL takes place every fall since 2002. Photo Courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

The Culture Behind the City The Climate of the Capital of Texas

By Harsha Venkataraman When people arrive at the Austin Bergstrom Airport with bags in hand, whether they are eager tourists or locals returning home, they are ready to have the Austin experience.

On the surface Austin seems like

any other Texas city. On closer inspection, Austin has a diverse and unique culture. From hiking Lady Bird Trails to listening to music at ACL, tourists and Austinites alike can experience a variety of attractions in just

one day. Austinites can explore their culture through different cultural festivals and museums.

Katherine Wise, Visit Austin communications manager, explained some people may have assumptions about Austin before

they visit.

“I think once they come here, the first time, they see that Austin is way more than barbecue, tacos, and country music,” Wise said.

“In fact, Austin has a rich, unique, diverse culture. Many tourists come to experience Austin’s culture. From wildspaces to museums, there are many different ways to get immersed in Austin life.”

One of those ways is by exploring the cultural centers around Austin according to Laura Esparza, division manager for museums and cultural programs in Austin, who runs several museums around Austin.

“I do think that Austin is much more diverse than we give it credit for,” Esparza said. “We have a city with rich diversity of cultures here from all around the world and all of those cultures, heritages, have cultural traditions that they bring here, not just habits or clothes, but also songs and dances, and even theater that reflects their cultural traditions.”

Austin can be stereotyped as another city in Texas, but in reality it’s very unique.

“We’re a diverse city, we’re a very laid back city, a friendly city,” Wise said.

Diversity helps to form a very distinct image of Austin. Melissa Hand, Austin park ranger, said Austin has a very colorful portrait scene.

“I think of somebody who is on a stand up paddleboard, in tie dye, paddling on Lady Bird Lake, on their way to barbecue, with live music,” Hand said.

In addition to spending time at Lady Bird Lake, in Austin, people have the opportunity to visit cultural sites that they can relate to their own identity.

“I think that there is sector for people who come specifically looking for events that reflect their own caricature,” Esparza said. “People who are African American, for example, will find their way to the Carver because the Carver exhibits and events and

“It’s not really like the east coast, it’s not really like the west coast. It is Texas and it is Austin for sure”

-Melissa Hand, Park Ranger things to do reflect specifically to them and their heritage.”

Even within one tour of the capital, one can receive different perspectives.

“We have an African American field guide, we have an LGBTQ guide, we have a pan-Asian field guide, we have a Hispanic field guide that’s also in Spanish,” Wise said. “So we have all these different cultural diversity elements of this city. I think that a lot of people don’t really understand how diverse it is until they get here, and once they get here it’s almost like a whole new world they didn’t know existed.”

There are many different cultural

centers for different ethnicities that call Austin home. Cultural centers are run by organizations that promote heritage and the arts.

“We speak specifically to our cultures which are Asian American, African American, Latino cultures as well,” Esparza said. “So people find that they feel at home in our centers because they grow up with us, their family is used to using our sites, but also because we are reflective of their cultures.”

Anyone can find a special event they can connect to year-round where people of the same heritage can express their pride. We all have a heritage we can celebrate in Austin.

“We have a whole bunch of events on our year-round calendar specific to heritage and diversity,” said Wise. “I think that Austin is unique in the sense that we’re a welcoming city, we’re a diverse city, and a friendly city, and truly anyone, any color, shape, size, can find something for them within the city.”

Esparza shared how one of her favorite historic places in Austin is the Susanna Dickinson Museum that celebrates the story of the survivors of the Alamo.

“My great-great-great grandfather was one of those who died in the Alamo and my great-greatgreat grandmother survived the Alamo,” Esparza said. “I really appreciate a museum in a historic building that celebrates the story of the survivors of the Alamo, because it was really the survivors that recreated civilization after the war that really devastated San

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Antonio.”

In addition to its history, Austin is known for festivals. One up and coming festival in Austin is the Austin Film Festival. Every year at the end of October and beginning of November people gather to watch films created by local filmmakers.

“I think going to happy hour concert at Continental Club, seeing the Peterson brothers on a Monday, is one of the greatest experiences,” Wise said.

There are many historical buildings in Austin and many of them were designed by Austin architect Hugo Franz Kuehne, whose family was originally from

the few cities who still has them.

“The moon towers, they’re several of them left, they were originally the original street lights of Austin and we’ve purchased them from Indianapolis,” Hand said. “We’ve got several of them in strategic places around the city.”

Many different cities have parks,

Although ACL is in Zilker Park, it is within close distance to downtown. Photo Courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

“Our film festival is getting up there with popular festivals around the nation,” Wise said. “We’re really expanding into these more knit markets, that are attracting people to come here, not only just from around Texas or the nation, but from around the world.”

Wise said that one of the best experiences you can have in Austin are unique. Along with the Austin Film Festival, another unique experience in Austin is the Continental Club.

Germany. One of Hand’s favorite historical sites that Kuehne designed is the Austin History Center.

“He built that amongst a thousand other buildings in Austin, but the Austin History Center was the original library,” Hand said.

Nearby the Austin History Center is another special feature of Austin: the moon towers. Moon towers were originally used as street lighting and Austin is one of

but another unique part of Austin is the greenbelt.

“Other cities have parks and has parks downtown. New York has Central Park, Philadelphia has a big park downtown, but the greenbelt is almost a backcountry space,” Hand said. “When you get out there, you are in the wild.

I don’t think this is something that a lot of other cities have, they have nature, but they don’t have wild spaces.”

Hand explains the importance of

spending time outside in nature, especially in our growingly interconnected world.

“I think that we spend a lot of time out of nature now, but we are still part of nature,” Hand said. “We are still animals, for lack of a better word, we are of the animal kingdom and nature is very important for us in that it helps reduce stress, it

what will bring people here,” Wise said. “You have the big drivers like ACL, South by Southwest, Formula One, concerts in the city, even UT football games.”

When people think of Austin, they tend to think of musical festivals, but they also think of the capital.

There are many different ways to tour the capitol, but Wise suggests

culture, but it is represented in the spirit of Austinites.

“I think that Austin culture really demonstrates that weirdness, that rebellious spirit,” Esparza said.

Hand captures why Austin is a great place to live, visit, or just explore Texas further.

“We’re central to Texas, so if

People gather at ACl to eat food and hang out. Photo Courtesy of C3 Presents, by Katrina Barber.

helps reduce anxiety.”

In Austin, you have the ability to have a wide range of experiences in one day from hiking to outdoor music festivals.

“The live music aspect really draws people in,” Hand said. “I think that if you want to spend a day in the city and then a day in the wild, you can manage it.”

The big Austin attractions can also create a great experience.

“I think the classics in Austin are

her favorite.

“I would say the best way to view the capital is an Austin detour tour,” Wise said. “These tours are my absolute favorite because they are lead by a local musician, so you have a local’s perspective, someone who is within the community, who is going to give you those insider facts, those little tidbits, that you never knew or can’t really read about, whether it’s a local legend or something like that.”

It isn’t easy to define Austin

you’re here and you want to go anywhere else in Texas, we’re almost in the center,” Hand said.

“And I think that overall that it is still a unique place to be. It’s not really like the east coast, it’s not really like the west coast. It is Texas and it is Austin for sure.

And we’ve got great food.”

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From the Editors

Dear Readers,

Since its revolutionary beginnings, Austin has had a special culture. Austin has a rich history, great outdoor spaces, and plenty of places to go, cuisines to eat, and styles to explore. Each of our editors has chosen to focus on a unique element of Austin and how it makes Austin the special place to visit and live in it is. We also have included a guide of the food, music, clothing, and tourist attractions here, along with a timeline of Austin’s history. This magazine doesn’t just include run-of-the-mill attractions like ACL or Barton Springs, but also uncommon experiences. Austin Rush was created to celebrate the diversity of the Austin experience. Where will you go?

Photo by Brynn Lampert

Fans enjoy an ACL concert during the first weekend of Austin’s biggest music festival. Photo courtesy of C3 Presents, by Greg Noire.

Drone photo of the Austin skyline. Photo by Jose A. Rubio