Hello Austinites!

After the long, hot and harsh Austin summer that broke the record for the number of 100 degree days, it’s good to know that fall is just around the corner. To celebrate, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in south Austin is hosting their annual Fall Plant Sale where they will sell plants from “nearly 300 species of hardy Texas natives bred to deal with our Central Texas climate” – like the extreme summer we just went through!

In addition to selling plants, the festival will highlight several books that celebrate Austin and Texas. As part of the the Wildflower Center’s Fall Plant Sale the photographer and writer of “Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait” Peter Tsai and Tiffany Hamburger will be signing their book from 1-4 PM pm on Sunday, October 16th, 2011.

Come out to meet the creators of the Austin Photo book! The Wildflower Center will have plenty of copies in the book store, so you can buy a copy there.

For more information about the event, go to http://www.wildflower.org/plantsale/.

A little more than two months after the book launch, things are going great thanks to great support from the Austin community (and kitties too).

To show our appreciation, this post serves as a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that has supported Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait. We’ve gotten tons of great feedback in person, on Facebook, and on Twitter! The Testimonials page on the blog shares a sampling of the positive feedback we’ve received.

We’d like to thank all the individuals who have wished us well! We’ve also been recognized in several publications and blogs on the Internet. Please consider checking out the publications and blogs mentioned below.

SPECIAL THANKS to the following Austin supporters:

Austin Monthly Magazine – This long running Austin magazine needs little introduction. In the July 2011 edition, Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait was featured in the July Hot List of things to watch (excerpt pictured above).

The Rebeccamendations – Local blogger extraordinaire Rebecca Otis interviewed Peter Tsai, the photographer of Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait, on her entertaining blog. They talked about the ins and outs of creating and publishing the book as well as behind the scenes insights about the pictures in the book.

I Live Here: Austin – Annie Lenore’s blog explores the lives of individuals living in Austin, Texas and serves as a platform for them to share what Austin means to them. Annie photographed Peter and featured his Austin essay on in which he mentions the book several times.

N Housing Blog: Austin Corporate Housing – The N Housing blog highlights noteworthy events and attractions in the Austin metropolitan area for newcomers to the city looking for fun things to do. They suggested using the book as a “reference point for things to see & do” in Austin.

Austin Urban Gide – Austin Real Estate Agent Catherine Thomas, who loves Austin as much as anyone, has been a very vocal supporter of the book from the beginning. She specializes in downtown condos, writes her own Austin blog, is active on Twitter, and says that real estate clients love the book as an introduction to Austin.

Austin Globetrekker Joseph Cooke has traveled and blogged about his extensive travels around the world but he loves his home in Austin, Texas and is an all around great guy. On his travel blog he notes that Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait “answers the ever looming question… Why do people LOVE Austin so much?”

Thanks again to all – we love that everyone has been super supportive of the book. As always, please leave a comment and if you would like to purchase the Austin, Texas Photo book for yourself, go to our Where To Buy page.

Two years in the making, the Austin photography book entitled “Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait” is on sale now!

While you can read about this 128 page, hardback Austin coffee table book on the About page on this blog, we all know a picture is worth a thousand words.

So, I put together this hands-on video that gives a better feel for what you can expect from the book.

As the video shows, the book is packed full of colorful photos and insightful captions for over 100 landmarks around Austin. Whether you are new to Austin or have lived here your entire life, there’s something for you in its pages.

As I mentioned in the video, you can buy the book online at BarnesAndNoble.com and Amazon.com.

We Austinites all like to “Keep Austin Weird” as well – BookPeople has the book but it’s not in their computer system yet. When you go into the store, you will have to search the Texana/Texas History section manually. When I went in, it was on the far shelf, next to the Texas Nature section next to “Trillin on Texas”. If you head to Barnes and Noble, my book will be in the Texas section (although it’s cheaper to buy online at BarnesAndNoble.com).

If you represent a hotel or corporation that wants to buy at least 5 books, please use the following form to inquire about a bulk order discount.

You can also order individual prints or licence photos from the book at on the photo prints page.

In closing, I would like to thank you to all of the Austinites around town that helped in the making this book about our awesome city! I could not have finished this multi-year project without you.

To stay in touch, please subscribe to this blog for more cool info about Austin and possibly future events related to the book. You can also find me on Twitter @AustinPhotoBook and @supertsai.

Tell all of your friends! Thanks a million!
Peter

Like the recent “Play Me, I’m Yours” Street Piano art project, the beautiful custom guitars of the Guitartown Austin art project graced many popular public spaces around Austin for almost a year starting in November of 2006.

But like all good things, the Guitar Austin project came to an end in October of 2007, when the guitars were auctioned off in the name of charity, collectively raising over half a million dollars to benefit non profit organizations around Austin.

If you want to enjoy the guitars today, you still can, but where can you find them? The Gibson website tells us where the guitars used to be, but nowhere online is there a single placethat that tells you where the guitars are today… until now!

There are two public places where you can find the Austin the art guitars today: up and down Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, and in the baggage terminal in the Austin Bergstrom Airport.

On Congress Avenue, there are 3 guitars:

The real mother-load of Austin art guitars is inside the Austin Bergstrom International Airport in the Baggage terminal on the ground floor. On baggage carousel #3 you will find at least SEVEN of the guitars sitting right next to each other.

The guitars in the Austin airport include the following:

The next time you are downtown or going through the airport, make sure to check out these cool pieces of art! They are just one of the things that keeps Austin “weird” and a makes it a great place to live!

Just a friendly reminder that everyone’s favorite Austin family event on 6th street is coming back on May 7th and 8th, 2011. The Pecan Street Festival is full of live music, carnival style street food (think turkey legs, funnel cakes, alligator on a stick, and kettle corn), and many local artists showing off their wares. Going strong for 33 years, the Pecan Street Festival (which carries the old name for 6th Street) is an Austin tradition and institution.

So, what’s good at the Pecan Street Festival? As far as the music goes, one of my favorite local bands, Brownout! will be playing on Sunday May 8th @ 6PM. They play drum and horn driven 70′s soul / breakbeat music with a Latin flare. Even if you aren’t familiar with Brownout!, know their alter ego, the popular Austin salsa / cumbia band Groupo Fantasma (most of guys are in both bands).

Food wise, in addition to the tasty (and super greasy) treats I mentioned above, Austin food favorite Torchy’s tacos will be on hand as a solid option. It’s most likely going to be a hot Texas weekend during the festival, so make sure to bring plenty of water.

I’m not much of a shopper myself, but there will also be plenty of stuff to buy at the festival, with over 100 vendors selling everything from arts and crafts, to jewelery, candles, clothes, and more.

If you want to escape from the crowds, there are a couple of cool vantage points to take in the festival from. The photo above (which is in the book Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait) was taken from Maggie Mae’s rooftop patio, which is a nice breezy spot away from the busy streets below (if they are open). If you cant get into Maggie’s, the Iron Cactus upstairs patio is a nice place to people watch as the thousands of Austin festival goers pass by below.

For more information on the Pecan Street Festival, visit their official site or follow them on Twitter @pecanstreetfest.

Colorfully painted, playable pianos have been popping up in popular public spots all around downtown Austin. Who do we have to thank for this infusion of cool in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World?

The Austin Art Alliance is sponsoring “Play Me, I’m Yours” a month long event that puts pianos in public places around Austin and encourages everyone to play.

Austin is just one stop along the way of the Street Pianos tour, which has visited 17 cities since 2008. Next stops? Geneva, London, and San Juan!

Those who have lived in Austin for a few years will remember a similar public art exhibition called Guitartown Austin, which placed huge, elaborately painted guitars in popular Austin places in 2007. The art guitar in the photo on the left (which is featured in the coffee table photobook Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait), entitled “Vibrancy” was on exibit in front of the State theater back then and is still on display today on Congress Ave.

While Guitartown Austin was really cool, the “Play Me I’m Yours” tour brings more people together, as impromptu concerts have become the norm in places all around the world.

Lou Neff Point Street piano with a foster dog from Austin Pets Alive!

For the next month at 14 locations around downtown Austin, don’t be suprised if you hear live music from a street piano. The art project runs only from April 1st – May 1st 2011 so if you want to be a part of this movement, you need to act soon.

The photos in this blog post are courtesy of the photographer of the book Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait. To see more Austin Street piano photos, go to his blog at www.petertsaiphotography.com.

Also, to keep up to date with both The Art Alliance Austin and the Street Pianos movement, follow them on Twitter at @ArtAllianceATX and @streetpianos.

Baby Bluebonnet photo from the book Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait

It’s April and Bluebonnet season in Austin is back, and soon everyone will want to take bluebonnet pictures in Austin!

While the location of the bluebonnets varies year to year, there are a couple of sure ways to take a great bluebonnet picture in Austin. The first option is to head to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in South Austin, where as their name suggests, they have large fields of bluebonnets throughout the gardens.

The other surefire way to see bluebonnets is to plant them in your own yard! You can buy the seeds at your local nursery if you live in Texas, or you can buy Texas bluebonnet seeds online at Amazon.com.

The other way to find bluebonnets is to scout out fields in public parks, school playgrounds, office parks, and alongside roads (not recommended!). The photo at the top of this post was taken in an open field near the Dell campus in Round Rock, Texas. There’s also often lots of patches up and down Interstate 35 (I-35) and Mopac (Loop 1).

This year (2011) I have definitely seen medium sized patches bluebonnets along the sides of north Mopac, on Highway 79 in Round Rock, east of I-35 and also I’ve seen smaller patches in Zilker Park near the Frisbee golf range.

In previous years, I’ve seen patches in the playgrounds of elementary schools, in people’s yards, and on college campuses such as Saint Edward’s University on South Congress.

Seen any Bluebonnets this year in Austin? Let us know in the comments!

A Photo of The Salt Lick BBQ pit from Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait

Texas is well known for it’s BBQ and Austin has it’s fair share of BBQ joints. Perhaps none is more famous or more popular than the Salt Lick BBQ, just south of town in Driftwood, Texas. This place is always packed full of people on weekends, and there is usually a wait. However, most people view the wait as part of the experience.

The Salt Lick is in a dry county, meaning that alcohol cannot be sold there. As a result customers at the Salt Lick BBQ are encouraged to bring their own beer (BYOB). Cheap alcohol and a cool location inspires many to turn the Salt Lick experience into an all afternoon affair, drinking on the spacious outdoor patio area followed by stuffing their face full of all you can eat meats including pork sausage, beef brisket, and pork ribs.

There are other dishes at the Salt Lick that aren’t on the all you can eat menu, such as BBQ turkey and pulled pork, but most people go for the never ending meat fest I described above.

For the full story on The Salt Lick, check out this video below, which is courtesy of InTheMO, an online city guide website which I happen to be a featured contributer on!

If you are in Austin for a while, head down to Driftwood for a fun afternoon, but go prepared to wait at least 30 mins to eat with a beer in hand. The Salt Lick does do have a north location at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock that doesn’t have a long wait, but the Driftwood location is the original location known for it’s atmosphere (and BYOB policy).

Not a fan of crowds? if you are more into making your own BBQ, check out this article on how to cook a brisket on the Austin based TastingBuds Food Blog.

Downtown Austin will be packed this weekend as 100,000 visitors cram their way into the Austin Convention Center for SXSW Interactive 2011, but you don’t have brave the crowds to have photo fun.

This Sunday, March 13th, 2011, Peter will give a presentation on the Austin Photography Coffee Table book, Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait at the Austin Photography Group’s monthly meetup, which takes place at the Galaxy Dance Studios on South Lamar.

His presentation will cover the ins and outs of publishing a photo book, covering legal aspects book publishing, challenges faced, and lessons learned. If you have ever thought of writing your own book or self publishing, this is a great event to attend, come with lots of questions ready!

If not for Peter, come to the Austin Photo Group to network with other photographers and to share your work. At the end of each meeting, people share what they have been working on and talk about all things photo related.

For more details on the meet-up on March 13th, 2011 go to the following website:
http://www.meetup.com/photo-438/events/15978052/

For more information on the Austin Photography Group in general, check out their homepage at http://www.ausphotogroup.com

“Keep Austin Weird” has become a rallying cry that has come to symbolize maintaining the unique (and non cookie cutter) character of the city by supporting local businesses, culture, and the arts. One of our favorite “weird” things about Austin is the numerous iconic murals around town that make the Austin a cool place to live.

Austin’s decorative murals, shown here using photos from the book Austin, Texas: A Photographic Portrait, make a great backdrop for a photo and will bring a smile to your face whether you are visiting Austin for the first time (maybe you are here for SXSW 2011 or Austin City Limits) or if you are an Austinite down to your core.

If you only have time to check out one mural in Austin, the Austintatious Mural in the Renaissance Market is the one to see. Painted by 3 friends known as the Austintatious Artists, this massive mural comically depicts both the landmarks of downtown Austin on one side of the square, and on the other, the entire state of Texas. At Renaissance Market you can buy all sorts of hand crafts and jewelry, and with the student oriented Drag shopping strip around it and the Univerity of Texas directly across from it, there’s plenty to do when visiting this mural.

Just 1 block over from the Austintatious Mural, the corner of 24th and Guadalupe is home to 2 beautiful murals, one gigantic movie themed mural on the old Intellectual Property / Tower Records building and a dreamlike warped mural on the side of the Wells Fargo Bank (former GAP building). At the street level of the old Tower Records building you will find many stencil based pieces featuring famous rock stars by the prolific Austin artist Federico Archuleta.

Hi How Are You? Frog Mural

The iconic Hi How are You? Frog might as well be the poster child for Austin weirdness. Painted in 1993 by musician Daniel Johnston, the Frog has been a fixture on the Drag ever since, surviving building remodels and the occasional prankster vandalism. The Frog has spawned an entire industry around it – you can buy a T-shirt with the picture of the frog at Storyville on South Congress and the iconic amphibious street art has even inspired an iPhone game it featuring music by Daniel Johnston.

Located on the side of the Roadhouse Relics building on South 1st street and Annie, this iconic, vintage looking Austin mural is a great tourist photo opp or an engagement photo shoot favorite. Once you’re done taking a few snapshots here, head over to the nearby Trailer Park Eatery, where you can enjoy a Torchy’s taco or two. The South First neighborhoods around the mural are also great to take a stroll around.

South Austin Music

Another mural depicting Austin music legends on the side of the South Austin Music building on South Lamar. Aaron Sacco created this full wall mural to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Austin institution, the South Austin Music store. The wall features over 30 local Austin musicians and spans 40 feet long. Artists highlighted on the mural include: Alejandro Escoveda, Patrice Pike, Guy Forsyth, Kevin Fowler, Papa Mali, and more. To see more of Aaron Sacco’s work, go to www.aaronsacco.com

Rhapsody Mosaic Mural

Rhapsody, the huge, colorful mosaic mural in East Austin by artist John Yancey is on the southwest corner of East 11th Street and Waller. Yancey, an associate chairman and professor of art at the University of Texas, designed the mural to reflect East Austin’s rich African American history.

Live Music Capital of the World Mural on 6th Street

On 6th street near San Jacinto, this mural seemingly popped out of nowhere one day in 2009. It covers up the site of the burned down Black Cat Lounge and is a welcome addition to 6th street and the music scene it gives a home to, that earned Austin the title of “Live Music Capital of the World”. Austin music legends featured in the mural include: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, Townes Van Zandt, and Roky Erickson.

South Congress is come to numerous murals and graffiti pieces, some done by notable artists like Shepard Fairey, who designed the Obama “Hope” poster. You can find many murals on the walls of stores and in back alleys (the Fairey piece is behind Home Slice). The particular mural is by Fredrico Archuleta and features the same mural of Mary, mother of Jesus that appeared on the Drag – it’s located across from Guero’s on South Congress and Elizabeth.

George Washington Carver Library and Museum

This colorful and huge mural entitled “Sesquicentennial” was created by John Fisher. It depicts the hardships of slaves during middle passage and is located at the George Washington Carver Center in East Austin at Angelina St and Rosewood Ave. Originally created in 1986, the mural was restored last in 1999.