Stop by the best little abandoned house as art space that Austin has to offer this Saturday night for an opening celebration that might just bring about the end existence as we know it. more ›

The E. 7th st. Improvement Project began seven years ago, in 2003. Public meetings were held for three years, until 2006. Utility upgrading began in 2007, and then construction crews began ripping up pavement over a year ago, in March of 2010. Finally, three years of construction on East Seventh between Navasota Street and Pleasant Valley Road in East Austin ended Sunday, August 7, 2011. more ›

While still in need of some funding, in.gredients, the first package-free, zero-waste grocery store in Austin (and the nation), has announced it will set up shop in Central/East Austin. The spot they've chosen is 2610 Manor Rd. "Being close to Austin’s food desert - where corner stores selling highly-processed food are sometimes used as grocery stores - helped determine our location," their announcement post states. For more information on the upcoming store, check out our interview with co-founder Christian Lane, posted earlier this week. more ›

The Austin Creative Alliance has teamed up with the East Austin Studio Tour folks to offer artists loans to improve their spaces with the Frameworks E.A.S.T. fund. The effort represents local support for those needing to get their spaces up to code for the November E.A.S.T. tour. There's a fundraising event coming up, get the details here. more ›

I work hard to offer variables and layers. Invention is an apparatus that must be experienced. The patient viewer is rewarded. Clouds pass before the light (sun?) at the pace of the second hand on the clock motor. For some, I've noticed, it's too slow for their naked eye. more ›

Earlier this month, Domy Books opened As Above so Below - The Art of the Secret Society, a show of the art and artifacts from various fraternal orders. Organized by lodge art collector and owner of Webb Gallery, Bruce Lee Webb, the exhibit is an alluringly spooky more ›

On Saturday, from 5-10 pm, Artpost, Bay 6, Big Medium, and Pump Project will open their studio doors for the second edition of Springboard. Make your way on over to the eastside for a mid-year visual snack before the year-end buffet that is E.A.S.T. more ›

• If you didn’t get tickets to the Fleet Foxes show tomorrow at Stubb’s, you can just watch it on NPR's livestream! Score!
• If you were thinking about subscribing to satellite radio just to listen to “Willie’s Place” don’t bother, because it’s (mostly) gone.
• There was actual jousting that took place in Austin earlier this month!

Ahhh. Life on the ranch. After a hard day's work, it's every cowboy’s job to get right on down to the business of relaxation. For example, popping open a cold one and lounging outside under a cool Texas evening breeze. And delighting in the comfort of a fresh, lovingly prepared meal right from your own backyard while chit-chatting with your favorite friends. The folks from Contigo Ranch in South Texas want to bring the taste and culture of ranch living to urban confines of East Austin with their new restaurant endeavor, Contigo, opening May 7. more ›

Among the craftsman houses and hipster bars, the remnants of last week’s Fader Fort and hole in the wall Mexican restaurants are dozens of artists who call the East Side of Austin home. The cheaper rents have long been a draw to Austin’s artists, many of whom live and work in the same space. According to the City of Austin this is a big problem. more ›

For some reason the more blatant title, An All American Orgy, seemed more appropriate than Cummings Farm for last year’s AFF hit about a group of three couples who decide to take a trip to a Louisiana farm and have an orgy as a means of sexual exploration. Ohhh okay, you get it now: "cummings." Each couple is at a different stage in their relationship, and all seem very unlikely participants for an orgy. The film supposedly has no nudity, but every review we’ve read so far says it’s hilariously raunchy. more ›

A cautionary tale as Central Texas warms up and pools open: on Friday, April 2nd, the Austin Fire Department's HAZMAT team was sent out to an East Austin neighborhood. A garbage collection truck had noticed smoke emanating from a trash heap and called it in. Upon investigating the cause, it seems the unit arrived just in time to avert a potential chemical fire from breaking out. more ›

Rama Tiru, a local artist, has self-published a photo essay book called Austin - East of I-35. Tiru calls herself a "people and place person." She roamed the neighborhoods, visiting, taking pictures and listening to stories. The people photographs - expressive and at ease - are clearly her strength. Bright colors dominate the places. The personal stories read like a casual conversation - engaging, informal, yet not quite as satisfying as a crafted narrative. She also included some personal observations along the way. more ›

Open less than a month, East Side Show Room has managed to make Austin's hipsters, foodies, and interior décor enthusiasts all terribly weak at the knees. The vibe. The precious entrees. The steampunk-meets-Amelie aesthetic. Oh, and they support local farms! (Of course they support local farms). Can you help ESSR's diners from becoming near-evangelical? more ›

Someone tossed a brick with a note through the window of Barbara Frische's house in East Austin in the early morning of July 24th. The police are now investigating. A black string wrapped around the brick secured a printed message. The firm strokes looked almost chiseled onto the page. If the plain words revealed little more than a protest, could that lettering hold any clues? Two well-known handwriting analysts offered to have a look and offer their opinions, with the following caveat: they had seen only the picture, not the original note. more ›

A forty-home development called Solutions Oriented Living is coming to a close-in location. Chris Krager of KRDB, an Austin design/build firm focused on affordable smart designs, brings solar panels, efficient heating and cooling systems, and heavily insulated (SIP panels) affordable homes ($200/S.F.) to a close in location at 1121 Perry Road. Sixteen of the homes are reserved for those earning 40-60% of the median family income. The realty group the GoodLife Team will be holding a pre-grand opening celebration on July 23rd from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. that is open to the public. more ›

The kids in the above photo broke into a French Place home yesterday morning while both owners were at work—and one of them got to see the whole thing happen online! more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

YouTube user WiseGeorge365 might not appear to be the most employable kind of guy, but he's utilized YouTube in one of the most brilliant ways we can imagine. Over 365 days, he's gone to a different bar or food/bar combo locale and videotaped his experiences. more ›

Photos by Ann Harkness from Friday night's Recycled Fashion Show at Treasure City Thrift Store. more ›

Since the 1998-1999 school year, Austin-basedAnthropos has teamed up with low-income Austin schools to provide alternative educational experiences for kids. Professional musicians from the area act as instructors and mentors for the at-risk youth, providing them with a creative outlet while utilizing cultural diversity through music to help express themselves in ways never before imagined. more ›

East Austin art studio Big Medium—formerly known as Bolm Studios—will host its first fundraising event this weekend. "Night Owl and Early Bird" is an interactive two-day affair that starts tonight and runs through tomorrow morning. more ›

A group hoping to capitalize on the anti-gentrification push in East Austin is now peddling a line of clothes emblazoned with the slogan "Defend East Austin." more ›

Austinite John Langmore spent more than a year capturing on film the lives of those in East Austin. The result is a collection of intimate photographs that document the people, places and culture of the gentrified area where condos and new homes are replacing century-old houses and crumbling taquerias. more ›

To quote the poetry oft-spewed by Tim's Molson Gold-swilling step-dad, we were "Young, dumb, and full of come." more ›

The Democratic party of Williamson County didn't order enough ballots; some precincts had used half of their ballots before the afternoon and evening rush. Today is the day of judgment for some of Craddick's Democratic supporters. Austin's Pluck purchased by Demand Media. Alfonso Royal, aide to Gov. Perry, named as chief of staff for TYC. The man who tried to steal copper from an East Austin electrical substation last week has died. more ›

Reason the power was out in East Austin Wednesday afternoon: a copper theft gone seriously wrong. The Cowboy Breakfast this morning kicked off the rodeo in town by providing a free breakfast to everyone there at 6am. Slightly reminiscent of "Daisy": Obama campaign unhappy with Hillary's new "Children" campaign ad. Clinton attends funeral of Dallas cop who died while serving in her motorcade. Huckabee makes campaign stop in Waco today. Show your voter registration card and ride the bus for free on election day. more ›

"We're not publishing the list in our news columns, period": Statesman Editor Oppel on why the paper will not include a listing of precinct voting locations on election day. McCain stopped in San Antonio today. Bill Clinton spoke in town today. On the primary race between Glen Maxey and incumbent Nelda Wells Spears. Power outage in East Austin this afternoon. While her father was tied up, a robber sexually-assaulted a 15-year-old girl in a South Austin apartment yesterday morning. Semi veers off Dallas highway ramp and falls onto Continental Avenue; at least 3 are dead. more ›

Modern art can baffle and delight, and sometimes leave you wondering, "What in the what was that artist thinking?" more ›