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Austin

Austin, Fashion/Design, Hipstercrite Life, Travel

East Austin Named One of America’s Hippest Neighborhoods (pics)

Forbes’ named East Austin the  no. 7 hippest hipster neighborhood in America, beating out other popular spots  such as New Orlean’s Warehouse District and Downtown Portland.

Though there is nothing remotely groundbreaking about this honor, it’s always fun to see our little neighborhood mentioned in the press.

The Armageddon-like proportions of Austin’s allergies are making it difficult for me to walk, let alone think right now, so in lieu of a waxed poem about my beloved neighborhood, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite East Austin photos I’ve taken over the years.

Though I’ve had my ups and downs with the neighborhood, there is no place else I’d rather live in Austin (except for maybe Hyde Park).

 

Selfie at Longbranch Inn on 11th Street

Geoff at Thunderbird Coffee on Manor Road

An adorable (and tasty!) Iced Latte with homemade vanilla syrup from Vintage Heart Coffee on E. 7th Street

Delicious homemade bread bowl soup from Gourmands on Webberville (more…)

September 24, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Everything I Know About Wine I Learned From Sideways

 

Tonight I’m nervously speaking at the event, “Georges Duboeuf’s Beaujolais & Burgers: A Night of Perfect Pairing“, with wine writer/entrepreneur Mark Oldman at Parkside.

This should be interesting considering my entire wine knowledge can be traced to the film Sideways.

All I know is that Merlot is wrong. I don’t drink Merlot because Paul Giamatti told me not to.

Truthfully, when I first read the word “Beaujolais”, I thought it was a new clothing boutique on 2nd street.

I can’t act my way out of a paper bag, but I’ve perfected the art of acting like I know a thing or two about wine. If you find yourself at a wine tasting, remember the four S’s:

1.) Swirl

2.) Sniff

3.) Sip

4.) Speculate

The most important part of acting like you know something about wine is the “speculate” part. Furrow your eyebrows and look off into the distance as if deep in thought about what you just drank. If someone asks you want you think about the wine, mumble the words (more…)

September 19, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Pop Culture

Billy Bob Thornton, Won’t You Come Out to Sing?

There are so many reasons why I love Austin and now I have two more to add to the list: 1.) Billy Bob Thornton reportedly moved here and 2.) Club de Ville is trying to coax him out with a Billy Bob Thornton Welcome to ATX Karaoke/Costume Party tonight from 8PM to 2AM.

Not only is Club de Ville trying to bring out the Billy Bob, they’re also going to project his image on a giant wall and hand out BBT masks.

Heart!

Which Billy Bob are you going to dress up as?

Karl from Sling Blade?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willie from Bad Santa?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ed from The Man Who Wasn’t There?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Davy Crockett from The Alamo?

Or just plain ol’ Billy Bob?

 

September 17, 2012 by
Austin, Fashion/Design, Pop Culture

Good Grammar is Sexy (And Other Curated Curios for the Curious Consumer)

Hey Gang!

Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend. The weather has finally dropped down in the mid-90s in Austin, which translates to cardigan and scarf-wearing.

Fall is such a magical time of year in Texas. It means rather than finding ways to have as little fabric touching your burning skin as possible, one can start giving a crap about fashion again.

I’ve been perusing some neat-o finds on the new Scoutmob Shoppe to amp up my fall wardrobe and X-mas gift cache for the loved ones.

If you haven’t been to the Scoutmob Shoppe yet, it’s like Fab.com, but ten times better. That gang has some seriously awesome curating going on over there with an emphasis on keep it local.

Check out some of my favorite picks from their shop below!

Also, if you’re an Austin craftsman and you’d be interested in potentially having your products featured on the Scoutmob Shoppe, shoot me a comment down below.

 

Assorted Love Cards, 5- Pack $15

Good Grammar is Sexy Tote, $12

Stache Anything (more…)

September 10, 2012 by
20-Something, Austin, Pop Culture

In Defense of the Hipster

My blog’s name is “Hipstercrite”.

I often write about hipsters for my website and others.

Those articles are often my most trafficked.

They’re also the ones that evoke the most wrath.

I can go off about our empathy-challenged Governor or how scared I am of the Republicans, but neither of these subjects compare to the flack I receive for writing about hipsters.

I recently wrote an article for CultureMap about the “10 Most Hipster-Inspired Restaurants, Food Trucks and Bars in Austin“.

It led to a slew of negative comments, though it’s currently one of the site’s most read articles.

My favorite comment being, “The worst part about hipsters is that they’ve led to the existence of Hipstercrite”.

People often comment on how much they dislike hipsters, how hipsters are ruining Austin, how smug hipsters are, etc.

I (not surprisingly) have people that simply won’t read me because of my writing moniker. They make sure to tell me this. They make sure to tell me how stupid (more…)

September 6, 2012 by
20-Something, Austin, Music, Pop Culture

JD Samson Shows Her Support For Austin Music Venue Cheer Up Charlie’s

One of my absolutely favorite owners of the lady mustache, JD Samson, will be DJing at one of my absolutely favorite hangouts spots, Cheer Up Charlie’s, tomorrow starting 3PM-10PM.

Dream combo!

Samson will be there to support Cheer Up as they grapple with the city’s noise ordinance to shut down music before 10PM on weekends and 8PM Sunday through Thursday.

To learn more about the Cheer Up Charlie’s vs. The City & One Cranky Neighbor story, go here.

Details about the event can be found here. Starts at 3PM, $5 at the door, free beer, 1104 E. 6th St.

A Note from Cheer Up Charlie’s about the event (this event is too cool to even have a flyer):

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR CHEER UP CHARLIE’S AND ALL MUSIC ON EAST SIXTH!

The government is telling the kids to turn the music off at 10:00 PM.

You know what? That’s fine. The night salts out game anyways. We are going to turn it up so loud during the daytime for the neighbors, the government, and God herself to better see us.

August 31, 2012 by
Austin

Everything You Always Wanted to Know (Or Not Know) About Getting Your Wisdom Teeth Removed

Dudes, I got my wisdom teeth out last Friday.

Let me tell you something, the sound of your teeth cracking like  splintering wood is something you never forget.

NEVERRRR.

After a long gestation, I decided not to go with sedation against the recommendations of many friends.

Luckily, I was only having two teeth removed (one tooth never came into existence and the other is in hiding) and they were relatively easy extractions, otherwise I would have maybe, maybe, gone under.

But not only was it $400 cheaper not to be sedated, but, I’ll be honest, voluntarily putting myself into a  coma is a terrifying thought. It’s even more scary when you hold the knowledge that THREE SEPARATE PEOPLE you know of have died while in the dentist chair. THREEEE!

The alternative to being knocked out is Novocaine, which worked out perfectly.

Since sharing my wisdom teeth perils with friends online and in real life, I’ve discovered that a lot of twenty-somethings are in similar situations that (more…)

August 28, 2012 by
Austin

Announcing the Winner of the Everyone Loves Austin Giveaway (while on painkillers)

Hey Gang!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of the Everyone Loves Austin Tee or Tank Giveaway.

I was in a creative funk this week and in a lot of pain due to my wisdom teeth.

Good news is, I got my wisdom teeth out about two hours ago!

Now you’ll have to listen to me announce the winner of the giveaway on painkillers with my eyes half-closed.

Please email me at laurenmodery at gmail dot com if you’re the winner!

Everything is a-ok right now.

 

August 24, 2012 by
Austin, Fashion/Design

Even in Death, Cronkite Wows Your Pants Off: Ben Rubin’s Art Installation “And That’s the Way It Is”

Compared to cities like New York and Chicago, Austin is not known for its public art pieces.

Not only are there few pieces to gawk at, but their rating on the scale of epicness falls a little short. Stand out pieces include a bunch of blue solar panel flowers on the side of I-35 to make a freeway big box exit look less uninviting (not sure they succeeded), a foreboding statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn that looks like he wants to eat your young and street art by Daniel Johnston made famous by Kurt Cobain. I’ve also spotted a giant metal spider in a planned community, some Shepard Fairey pieces and yarn bombing around town, but it terms of big! and abstract!, there is little to see.

That is why when I walked through the campus of University of Texas last week I nearly fell backwards upon seeing, “And That’s the Way It Is”,  Ben Rubin’s Walter Cronkite-inspired installation art projected on the college’s Radio-Television-Film building. If you live in Austin and haven’t seen this phenomenal (more…)

August 17, 2012 by
Austin

Giveaway: Wear Your Austin Pride with Everyone Loves Austin!

photo via Everyone Loves Austin, featuring Matt Maust from Cold War Kids

 I kind of like doing these giveaways. They’re a lot of fun and a great way to share with you the things I love!

I’m really really f’ing excited to be doing a giveaway with one of my favorite Austin organizations.

Everyone Loves Austin is a preservation and pride movement created by the lovely Sophia Veronica Erian (read more about ELA’s manifesto here).

When I found out about Everyone Loves Austin, it reminded me of my enthusiasm when I first moved to this city. That excitement has barely wavered and I proudly wear my Everyone Loves Austin tank when I feel particularly gushy about Austin. The tank is frequently a conversation starter with others who love this amazing city too!

The Giveaway

We are giving away one Everyone Loves austin t-shirt or tank to one lucky boy or gal!

All you have to do is:

1.) Hit “like” on the Hipstercrite Facebok page and the Everyone Loves Austin Facebook page (if you haven’t (more…)

August 14, 2012 by