An Introduction To Texas Pronunciation

Posted on January 29, 2012 by netteee

Pronunciation is important...or is it?

Just a week or so after Nathan and I finally moved into our first apartment in Austin, I learned just how hard-fast the pronunciations of certain words were in this town. I got on the bus and asked the driver if she could let me know when we reached Manor (I pronounced it like “MAN-er,” or something like that), and she looked at me super confused. Then she finally got it and said, “Oh! MAY-ner! You must be new here. It’s pronounced, ‘MAY-ner.’”

Growing up around central Texas, and visiting Austin regularly, I was already familiar with the often Anglicized Tex-Mex vernacular, but it never bothered me for some reason until after I moved away and came back. For your education and pleasure, here is a list of common Austin pronunciations:

Manchaca: MAN-shack

Manor: MAY-ner

Burnet: BURN-it

Guadalupe: GWAD-a-loop

Pedernales: PER-duh-na-lis

San Jacinto: SAN Juh-SIN-toe

Koenig: KAY-nig

There you go. Now, these are just approximations of what the accent sounds like to me. I am, by no means, a linguist. This is more or less how locals pronounce these words (mostly street names, Pedernales is a river here), including my parents and most of my friends here. These pronunciations are part of the local accent, and many who move here quickly adopt these pronunciations. But, man oh man, does it bother the bajeezus out of me. Okay, I’ll admit, I pronounce San Jacinto with the hard “J,” and I’m sure I have plenty of other words in my vocab that would bother someone. Hey, I’ll even purposely mispronounce some words just for the fun of it. But for some reason, maybe just because I am who I am, when someone says, “Man-shack,” a little part of me twitches. I don’t want to impose or anything, so I don’t go so far as correcting others, but I do choose to keep my pronunciations, despite being often corrected by some insistent locals. That’s okay Austinites. I still love you.

Did I miss any other (mis?)pronunciations common here? Do you love it? And who doesn’t love “y’all?” I love “y’all.” =)

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Improvised Shakespeare And The Long Center: Thou Art Awesomely Impressive

Posted on November 5, 2011 by netteee

The Long Center has curves.

This past Thursday I got to visit The Long Center for the Performing Arts! The Improvised Shakespeare Company performed a full improvised Shakespearean Play. It was amazing. I was pumped from the second we pulled into the parking garage!

Enjoying the view from The Long Center's parking garage!

The Long Center (“Austin’s Creative Home”) opened in March 2008. It’s been a part of Austin just about six months longer than I have, and I feel a certain affinity for it. It’s like when you meet a new friend and they tell you they’ve been around about as long as you have. Something about that makes you like them a little bit more. Commonalities are attractive.

The building is a pleasant, though unexpected, site at Riverside and South First. It kind of looks like a fancy airport or some kind of alien spaceship landing site, in a good way. At least, it’s exciting to me. With lots of curves and loops, it’s shape blends in well with its surroundings. Nathan and I arrived super early to the 7:30pm show. Nathan grumbled about this (he’s not a fan of being unfashionably early like I am), while I pranced around (literally). Parking wasn’t a problem, as it was a smaller show. The garage costs $7, which is usually expensive for me (I like free), but it’s The Long Center and we felt fancy.

The view is AMAZING, even from the parking garage. And when you walk up to the entrance of The Long Center, above the box office is a platform where you get an even better view of the downtown skyline, and, let me tell you, around sunset it feels pretty darn romantical. Yes, I said romantical.

Romantical!

Inside, the lobby feels comfortable while maintaining the ambiance of a “night out.” The restrooms are alright. So far I haven’t met a restroom I like better than Contigo Austin’s though. Now there’s a restroom to write home about.

In the smaller theater.

The actual show was mind-blowing. The Improvised Shakespeare Company features some of the best comedic improvisers and performers in the country, hailing from one of the major comedic centers, Chicago. You can check out some videos of their performances on their website. If you haven’t seen improv yet, you really should. To see performers create something on the spot and with often only the inspiration of a one-word suggestion is a pretty impressive sight. Austin has a lot of great improv fortunately, so after these guys have left town you still have plenty of opportunities to watch funny people. And if you happen to be in Chicago, The Improvised Shakespeare Company performs regularly at the Del Close Theater. Go there.

And The Long Center is pretty cool, too!

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October IN YOUR FACE!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by netteee

Hi! I am still here everyone! This has been a very busy month. Busy in the “I-have-a-lot-to-do-but-also-I-am-very-good-at-procrastinating” kind of way. You know what I mean, right?

Well, it has been busy. Busy and exciting. I plan on writing an actually interesting (hopefully) post this weekend, and I’ll get back into the swing of regular weekly posts soon.

In the meantime, here’s an Austin picture:

Downtown Austin Building At Dusk

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ARW! Austin Restaurant Week!!

Posted on October 2, 2011 by netteee

Fall Leaves

Fall is by far my most favorite season of the year. Scarves, cooler weather, pumpkin beer, oh, and MY BIRTHDAY. Let’s just say it’s an exciting time.

Fall in Austin is even better. There are a ton of exciting festivals around this time: Austin City Limits, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, Fantastic Fest, Austin Pride Parade, Fun Fun Fun Fest and, one of my favorites, Austin Restaurant Week! Austin loves its festivals and events, and it does not slack in this one. Austin Restaurant Week runs over the course of two weeks, Sept. 25-28 and Oct. 2-5 (this coming Sunday through Wednesday). It happens again in the Spring. Basically, some of the fancy-pants restaurants in town offer multi-course meals for significantly less than regular price, like, a three-course meal for $35. Not too shabby.

Crispy Salmon from Paggi House

Reading the menus once they are posted, eating the meals in my head as I peruse the text, and then finally going out to eat those dishes that have been dancing in my dreams, mmm, I love it. Last year I went to Uchiko on my birthday, and it was DIVINE. A friend of mine ended up going there three times during that week. Yes, it’s that good. Did you know the executive chef at Uchiko (Paul Qui) is going to be on this coming season of Top Chef?! He is also co-owner of East Side King (YUM).

This coming week I have dates for Uchiko and Uchi. Last week I went to Sienna Ristorante Toscana for a birthday lunch. The ambiance was classic, and my group had fun pretending we were among movie stars. This is how little I go to fancy things.

Austin Restaurant Week is one of my most favorite times of the year here. Take advantage of the foodie-friendly and Top Chef-hosting city’s delights and be cheap(er) while you’re at it!

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Contigo Austin

Posted on September 13, 2011 by netteee

Tortilla Chips: Perhaps the rarest delicacy in Buenos Aires.

When I lived in Buenos Aires, one of the few places to find certain delicacies (cilantro and tortilla chips, for example) was China Town in the neighborhood of Belgrano. China Town was unfortunately about an hour and a half away from my house by bus, but I would still make the trek, determined to exhibit the glory that was GUACAMOLE to my Argentine friends.

Another unexpected find in Buenos Aires’ China Town was the concentrated assortment of Peruvian restaurants. My favorite was Contigo Peru. Yum. I went there many times, and I have lots of wonderful memories with that place. The food was amazing, but the atmosphere was lacking. Sparse white walls and sad aquariums begged for some attention, and the service was just okay. I remember eating a delicious dinner one night with friends during a huge thunderstorm, and the entire place was flooding. It was hilarious that the restaurant was even open still; water was seriously streaming down one of the walls. By the time we left there was about a half inch of water on the floor. We were good sports about it, but, living in Buenos Aires, we had gotten pretty used to being good sports.

Graffiti in Downtown Buenos Aires

Contigo Peru was one of my favorite restaurants in Buenos Aires, even if it didn’t have a great atmosphere, but Contigo Austin (no relation) marries the best of both worlds. The food is delectable AND the ambiance is great, too!

Hanging out at Contigo Austin

Contigo Austin is a new-ish restaurant near the Mueller development. Most of Contigo Austin is outside, but comfortably so. There are essentially four sections of seating: by the bar, at tables under covering, at picnic tables (dogs allowed), and standing only tables alongside an area set up to play washers. Yeah, washers! The style of the place is ranch-life, without the horse poop/smell. The view from wherever you sit feels like it’s been thought out, and the whole place feels so comfortable you almost want to take your shoes off and just hang around all day.

Burger and Fries from Contigo Austin

The food is great, too! There are a lot of tasty things to choose from, from appetizers to small plates to entrees. I haven’t had one thing I didn’t love. My favorite so far? The hamburger and fries are rich and delicious, but I think my favorite dish is the Texas Okra. Lightly pan-fried okra with jalapenos and some kind of delicious vinegar; oh man, it’s good. The cocktails are great, too. Every drink I’ve had is very tasty, but my favorite is El Pepino, with tequila, cucumber water, mint and lime. Yes.

Rabbit and Dumplings from Contigo Austin.

So far I’ve only gone to Contigo Austin for date-nights, but it’s a great place for bigger groups, and I am definitely bringing out of town friends here.

Whenever I’m at Contigo Austin I think about my favorite Peruvian restaurant in Buenos Aires, Contigo Peru, but they are similar only in delicious food and catchy names. No worries of flooding in Austin (HA!), Contigo Austin will be a haven for outdoor lovers who also value not sweating all over their clothes while eating good food.

ADDENDUM: I can’t BELIEVE I forgot to mention how amazing the restrooms (I can only speak for the ladies’) are! Perhaps my most favorite restrooms of all time, I could quite possibly spend all day in these restrooms. Let me tell  you that I am tempted in every visit. I drink more water than usual, *just* to visit it again. Seriously. These are quality restrooms. The end.

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Out of Bounds Brings The Funny

Posted on August 30, 2011 by netteee

Oh my gosh, it’s Out of Bounds!! Oh my gosh, I’m studying for the GRE!! AGH!!

For those of you not in the know, Out of Bounds is a comedy festival full of improv, stand-up and sketch that happens here in Austin, and it is one of the most fun times you can have. Who doesn’t love to laugh?

Some of the shows are sold out already, but many are not! Check out the schedule and go with your gut. You can’t go wrong. Especially if you check out tonight’s show at 8pm at the Hideout. You’re Not My Real Dad, Magician VS Clown, and iZarzamora!, all three featuring some of the best of Austin improv. I highly recommend it! The rest of the festival will be awesome, too. Tim Meadows, people! Guaranteed good times.

Now back to studying. Until tonight!

 

 

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Austin Fashion Week: Bumping Austin Out Of The Worst-Dressed List? Do We Care?

Posted on August 23, 2011 by netteee

Hey y’all, it’s Austin Fashion Week! I’ll be honest with you, I am not a big fashion person. I have never put much effort into my clothes (and I wear make-up about twice a year. GASP!). But, I enjoy dressing up; actually, I LOVE dressing up, but I am a stumbling fool when I do it. Most of my shopping (and I shop for clothes maybe once a year) is at thrift stores and sales racks. Oh, I do love a clothing swap though. I drool over Modcloth.com stuff, but just am not at the place where I can justify spending much money on fashion. I’d rather spend it on delicious food honestly.

I’ve always liked Austin’s fashion sense. It’s relaxed, casual and pretty much anything goes. This is how I dress, too, but it doesn’t always look fashionable, definitely fits the weird criteria at times. I went to a hip art show a couple of nights ago and saw plenty of people dressed up, but plenty others wearing cut-offs. It’s Austin. This is just what you get. Did you know GQ named Austin the 18th worst-dressed city in the US? It’s not a great article, and the cities and rankings seem haphazard, but, yeah, fashion is not the biggest priority in this city. Still, it’s pretty cool that we at least get a week of fashion events led by those in the know.

Austin Fashion Week! When the fashion-forward come out to play and those who care take note, while those who don’t at least can enjoy looking at pretty people wearing pretty things. Even if you aren’t into fashion, parties are fun, eh? Ooh, and I bet there will be snacks at some of the events, too! ;-)

Check out the schedule here. Austin Fashion Week is a breathe of fresh air for many, I imagine, but when it goes I can guarantee you Austinites will continue wearing those cut-offs. And I will continue to wonder if that’s even a relevant fashion reference. And that’s okay, too.

For those of you like me, who could use some help in the closet, think about contacting Austinite Laurel over at Trophy Boutique. She helps people dress well, and her blog has great tips! Seriously, I have gotten some great advice just from visiting her blog.

Next week we get excited about the Out of Bounds Festival!! This is that time of the year when Austin tries really hard to get people out of the house, despite the heat. It’s so hot, but the events are so fun (and mostly air-conditioned)! It’s a tough life, yep.

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To Be Or Not To Be Social At Epoch Coffee

Posted on August 14, 2011 by netteee

Argh! We are pirates!

My housemate, BFF and boyfriend, Nathan, is out of town for a week gallivanting around NYC and performing with his troupe, Oh, Science, at the Del Close Marathon. This is awesome for him, but makes for a boring house for me. The upside of this is that it’s making me get out of the house more, if for nothing but to escape the solitude. I can only take so much talking to myself and puttering around in my own filth. I am a much cleaner person when I live with someone. I know this now.

Epoch Coffee, in the Austin North Loop district.

So, I decided to get some work done at Epoch (pronounced ee-pok) Coffee today. Epoch is one of my favorite coffee shops in my ‘hood. It’s great for people watching and serves tasty drinks and snacks (with baked goods from Quack’s!). I almost always love the music here, which tends to be in the folksy, ambient, indie, or otherwise obscure genre. I’ve heard people complain about it, but I dig it. Sometimes at 2 or 3 in the morning they’ll just play crazy experimental albums. I kind of love it. It’s open 24 hours, and it can get packed at peak times.

I’m always taken aback by how busy almost all the coffee shops around town can get. A new coffee shop, The Monkey Nest, just opened on Burnet not too long ago, and it’s already regularly busy, even with at least 5 different coffee shops within a mile radius of the area. Despite the newest local coffee establishment, Epoch continues to stay busy. I can’t really notice a difference at all in the number of customers.

People here love their coffee shops. Like most college towns, it’s the place to be social without necessarily being social. You have the option of staying in your bubble and people watching, or chatting up the neighbors or meeting a friend. Or you could just ignore everyone and enjoy being around warm bodies. We are social creatures whether we like it or not.

There’s a lot of buzz about the new Slacker remake coming out, which gets me thinking about “old” versus “new” Austin, whatever that means. Hanging out at Epoch totally makes me feel the “old” Austin mentality, as I remember it (let’s just say “old” Austin is Slacker-Austin and “new” Austin is the 2nd Street District, just for kicks). At Epoch you’ve got crazy diverse people (and sometimes just crazy people) chatting and playing chess and just generally being friendly people. I also think you could take any character from the original Slacker film and transplant them to Epoch today and no one would be the wiser.

Classic scene from the original Slacker film written and directed by Richard Linklater.

The spring break of my freshman year in college, I got sucked into the inner circle of a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon. Oh, man, it was such a bizarre experience! I never knew how intricate and dramatic a coffee shop culture could get! Funny enough, I got sucked right back out by the time school started up again, but it was definitely an eye-opening period. I can see Epoch having a similar internal drama. There are regulars who all know each other, and I like to imagine there are plenty of interesting stories and juicy soap opera story lines playing out amongst them. That’s fun.

Unfortunately, because of the tendency for this place to pack up, I’m currently sharing the table with a very creepy dude who bangs (types?) on his laptop and laughs at it like he’s plotting the murder of his arch enemy. I’m sure he’s a very nice fellow, but his tattoos say otherwise. In the meantime, I sit and study for the GRE, doing word problems and every now and then listening in on other people’s conversations. Talks of web design, siblings teasing each other, relationship advice, and creepy dude now talking on the phone consoling a friend. Maybe he’s not so bad.

Never a dull moment at Epoch.

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Reader, Meet Austin’s Underrated Upper Burnet

Posted on August 4, 2011 by netteee

 

Nathan bravely ventures to the North of North Loop on Burnet.

Burnet (however you want to pronounce it) Street has gotten some recent recognition since its new dubbing as “Lo-Burn.” But the moniker only refers to Burnet from 43rd (where Burnet starts) to North Loop (basically 53rd). What about the rest?! From North Loop on up is also awesome, and there are plenty of places that make it so. A little note: My heart is attached to the little mid-section of Burnet, up until Highway 183 intersects it. I’m sure there are great things beyond, but perhaps my world is not ready for it yet. I have much to discover!


View Larger Map

 

Burnet Goodies Above North Loop:

  • Recycled Reads, 5335 Burnet Road – This is the place that library books go when no one wants them anymore. In here you’ll find all kinds of gems you didn’t even know you were looking for. Soft cover books are only a dollar, people. They also have movies, records, magazines, music, and best of all, book art (also for sale!)!

Book art!

  • Out of the Past, 5341 Burnet Road – This store is in another dimension. I highly recommend checking it out. If you’ve seen the show Hoarders or have a relative who is a hoarder (it’s always a relative, hm?), this place will look familiar.
  • Dancer’s Shape, 5350 Burnet Road, #7 – I used to go here when I could afford it. Hardcore classes taught with love and fun music. Loved the teachers here!
  • Monkey Nest Coffee Shop, 5353 Burnet Road – Gelato, sandwiches, coffee, salads, baked goods. I’m not sure what this place doesn’t have! <– (Said in my best commercial voice.)
  • Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, 5434 Burnet Road – Chicken Shit Bingo! Dale Watson! Free hot dogs! I’ve only been on Sundays obviously, when these things are plenty.

It's a tight fit in Ginny's Saloon.

  • Uptown Modern, 5453 Burnet Road – A great little vintage stuffs shop.
  • Legally Yours, 5603 Adams Avenue (just off Burnet) – Their sign says, “Affordable Legal Coverage, Identity Theft with Restoration, Antiques and Things.” I like the thought that was put into their name. Also I’m pretty sure the antique ally next to it is haunted. Just sayin’.

Totally haunted.

The Light Bulb Shop

  • Extra Storage Space, 6412 Burnet Road – I used to go putt-putt golfing around here when I was tiny. No longer a putt-putt golf coarse, I still think about that every time I pass it. Remnants of the golf course are still there for some reason.
  • The Poodle Dog Lounge, 6507 Burnet Road – Great dive bar with shuffleboard and plenty of space!

Poodle Dog Lounge

  • Pour House Pub, 6701 Burnet Road – This bar is relatively new to the scene. 32 beers on tap! And it’s right by the farmer’s market! Burnet even has a farmer’s market (Sat, 9am-1pm)!
  • Oh my gosh, I am getting tired of this list! Quick blast of the rest of Burnet that sticks out to me: Top Notch Burgers (the same from Dazed and Confused!), Dallas Nightclub (haven’t been, but I’m happy it exists), Buddy’s Place (favorite dive bar), and on and on. TOO MANY AWESOME THINGS.

Okay, what did I miss? Any North Burnet gems we should know about? Tell me please!

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Austin’s Lo-Burn District

Posted on July 26, 2011 by netteee

Exploring Burnet on a snow day. Much better than on a 105 degree day!

One of my favorite parts of town is Burnet Street in North Austin. I live near Burnet, so I’ve come to know it pretty well. It’s an unassuming street with a hodge-podge of stores, restaurants and businesses of the seemingly random sort. I recommend it for visitors or locals who want a little step outside of the usual Austin tourist route.

Burnet (locals pronounce it “Burn-it,” but not me; look for a post on Texas pronunciations coming soon!) runs North-South on the Northwest side of central Austin. It starts at 45th, where Medical Parkway ends, and goes on until it splits way North and turns into two other roads. That part interests me less, mostly because I know it less (seeing a pattern here?). The part that warms my heart is from 45th up to Highway 183. Explore this area and you will find so many cool gems you won’t even know what to do with yourself but to shop and eat and take pictures of that weird store with the funny signs.

So what kind of gems can you expect to find on Burnet? I seriously find something new every time I am on that street, but I’m going to go ahead and list some neat stuff I’ve found so far. The Austin local business alliance has just recently dubbed the area of Burnet from 45th to North Loop the “”Lo-Burn” district, to promote the section. Let’s look at that part first starting at 45th street.

Upper Crust Bakery – On the corner of 45th and Burnet, this little bakery and cafe is a nice stop for a treat, whether that be for something sweet or for lunch. I like atmosphere here.

La Cocina de Consuelo – I seriously just type that name and I start salivating. This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. It’s food made with love by a sweet lady and her family. Seriously, everything here is super delicious. Good things to know: It’s BYOB, closed on Saturdays and breakfast tacos are sold only until 11AM (but you can get migas and other breakfast plates after that on the weekend). Also, this is one of my favorite places for queso.

Cafe Pacha – I haven’t actually been to this place, but it’s on my list. Last I heard it was without Wi-Fi, which I find pretty refreshing. They serve food and organic coffee.

Phoenicia Bakery and Deli – This is a great place to go for any of your Mediterranean grocery needs. The baked goods are delicious (the macaroons! the macaroons!) and the falafal wraps are good, too!

Simplicity Wine Bar and Apothecary Wine Bar – Two wine bars across the street from each other with very distinct ambiances. Simplicity is more laid back and spacious. Apothecary is more intimate and fancy. I like them both!

The Omelettry – This place strikes me as your usual run-of-the-mill greasy breakfast joint, but I like the mural of anthropomorphized eggs on the building.

Top Drawer Thrift Store – There are a lot of thrift stores and vintage shops on Burnet, but this is one of my favorites. The proceeds here benefit Project Transitions.

Billy’s on Burnet – One of my favorite bars. They have a great happy hour and an even better “happiest hour” from 4-5 on weekdays. I like the bartenders, and the food is really good! Try the vegetarian burger, and you’ll know that they really care.

Lucky J’s Chicken and Waffles – Used to be a food trailer, now in a building!

Nathan pours syrup over a delicious and sinful waffle taco.

Torchy’s Tacos – One of my must-stops for visitors.

Mi Victoria Bakery – Cheap and decent breakfast tacos. Tasty Mexican baked goods. A really cool and mysterious looking hat store just opened next door! Grab a taco and ponder the mystery here!

Mi Victoria from the inside!

Okay, there’s a little handful of some of my favorite spots in our newly named Lo-Burn district. I especially like the new moniker because it avoids the whole pronunciation debate (in which I am pretty sure I’m the only participant). Next post: My favorite spots on upper Burnet, maybe one day called “Hi-Burn?” Hm…

Any places you want to give a shout out to in Lo-Burn? Does it feel a little funny calling it Lo-Burn, like when a friend wants you to start calling them B-Thug all of a sudden?

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