Austin, Texas

I love this city.  I came here last year on my trip and fell in love with the place.  There is art everywhere you look, the people are weird and there are plenty of places to eat out of a food truck.  What is not to love about that?

During this short stay, I wandered around to several galleries on the East Austin Studio Tour.  The tour is pretty spread out so you won't be able to cover everything in a day.  I just stumbled upon several of the galleries, ate at some food trucks and met some amazing artists.  I loved finding The Wonder Craft.  It's an Airstream filled with handmade goodies that everyone loved.  You could see it in their eyes as they walked in. I know my face must have looked the same as I stepped inside.  It was the, "ooooo look at all of the hand made goodies!" face.

Along the tour route, I was able to chat with many of the artists and a few photographers I particularly enjoyed meeting were Sarah Wilson and George Brainard.

There is something for everyone in the city.  If you decide to tour 6th street downtown, you will get a completely different feel, when compared to the East Arts district.  There is always Congress Street, which is not to miss.  You can stroll the streets and find many vintage shops, restaurants and even eat cupcakes made in an Airstream.

Max also enjoyed the city since he was able to play at one of the many dog parks they have.  I know I will have to make a point to come back.  There are too many things to see and you just can't do it in a few days.

Here are a few photographs I took as I walked along the streets.

Music On The Street

There are artists everywhere.  As much as I enjoy going to art shows on the street, I also love to listen to solo performers and bands jam outside on corners or busy intersections.
I especially enjoy it when the performer is just hanging out by himself/herself and is there for the music and perhaps some cash if you can spare a buck or two.

Music is life.  Sometimes I get in a rut and listen to the same artist over or the same station on Pandora that usually plays the same songs.  It's refreshing to hear something new that you wouldn't listen to otherwise.  You can change your entire mood by putting something different on in your home.  Try classical or jazz if you like rap (I know I do...I'm a big fan of old school rap), or opera if you usually listen to country. You get the drift. When you're not plugged into your ipod, there is music all around us...especially in the city.

My New York trip was unforgettable.  There is so much energy coming from the streets, it's hard not to feel a buzz flow through your body when you find a quiet space at the end of the day.  For me, it can be a little overwhelming since there is so much stimulation everywhere you look.  In fact, it would take me about 30 minutes to walk 3 blocks with my camera out...snapping away at everything that seems interesting. In the city, everything seems interesting to me. There is something going on in every direction at every moment.

Complete coordinated chaos.

You can find street musicians everywhere.  I've heard them on the streets of Los Angeles, Austin, New Orleans, New York and Boston...just to name a few on my travels.  I've included some photographs of my favorite performers on this blog.

Get out.  Listen.  You might find something you really enjoy.