With Thanksgiving gone, it's time to focus on the coming flurry of gift-giving holidays. Luckily, CultureMap has you covered.
Everyone has an opinion about Austin — and the fine people who live here — so why not make a list poking fun at the reputation we've garnered? Today we present the first installment in our Holiday Gift Guides: What to buy for the stereotypical Austinite.
The best part is that, stereotyped or not, we'd all probably like to find a few these under our tree.
Since we're not "from" Austin:
Filson Medium Duffle Bag
Stag, $325
Since everyone living in Austin is from, well, not Austin, we spend a lot time schlepping home for the holidays. Might as well make sure your beloved Austinite travels in style with this bag from South Congress boutique Stag. While Stag is technically a men's shop, this durable and stylish tote is perfect for men or women.
Since we all have dogs:
Melly Collar - Brody
Mellycollars.com, $24.95
Handmade in Austin, these Martingale-style collars come in a variety of colors and patterns, including a bunch of reflective options perfect for walking your pooch at night. As if stylish collars weren't enough, Melly donates a collar to area rescue organizations like Austin Pets Alive! with every purchase.
Want to check them out in person before you buy? Mellys are available at independent retailers around town.
Since we only drink beer:
Local beers
Whip In, prices vary
There is no shortage of fantastic local breweries in Austin. Want to surprise the Austinite in your life? Head to Whip In and grab enough beers from these local breweries to stock the fridge: Austin Beerworks, Hops & Grain, Argus Cidery, (512) Brewing Company, Jester King Brewery, Kamala Brewing, Rogness Brewing Company, Real Ale, Adelberts Brewery, St. Arnold Brewing Company, Independence Brewing Co., Thirsty Planet Brewing and Guadalupe Brewing Company are all available at this South Austin staple.
Bonus? Pick up a Whip In growler and have the bartender fill it up from the draught. Delish! Double bonus? Grab yourself lunch; you'll need fuel for your holiday shopping.
Since we're all obsessed with breakfast tacos:
Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day by Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece
BookPeople, $14.99
Local "taco journalists" Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece have been blogging about Austin's favorite food for a while, but last summer they complied the best of their work into a tome dedicated to the delicious breakfast taco. With suggestions for best places to grab a bite and more than 40 recipes to test out at home, this book will make sure that no one in Austin is ever deprived of the most important taco of the day.
Bonus? If you want to go the extra mile, order directly from Rayo and Neece's blog and receive a signed copy.
Since we live for barbecue:
Fire cupping session
Hiatus Spa + Retreat, $45 a la carte
Standing in line
Franklin Barbecue, free
So here's the thing about living in Austin. Since everyone from Texas Monthly to Anthony Bourdain to Bon Appetit named Franklin Barbecue the best in the country, people have flocked to the little shop on East 11th Street, bringing with them a very, very long line.
Want to create the ultimate day of indulgence for your Bat City giftee? Stick with the fire theme and book them an early reservation for a fire cupping session at Hiatus Spa + Retreat. While they're being pampered and detoxified, offer to spend your morning in line at Franklin. When they emerge from their treatment, you can retoxify them with gift of some of the best barbecue in the world — and the luxury of waltzing right in with you.
(Disclaimer: this might not make you the most popular person with your fellow line-waiters, but it's guaranteed to score you mad gift-giving points.)
We don't want you to move here:
"Welcome to Austin" T-shirt
Kong Screenprint via Etsy, $20.00
Maybe we should have kept our mouths shut about Austin's barbecue, beer and babes, because like it or not, people just keep coming here. In 2012, Bruce Braden and Ryan Burkhart of Kong Screenprinting printed their "Welcome to Austin, please don't move here" T-shirts, which proved so popular people have started creating imposter shirts.
We only watch movies at places we can eat or drink:
Gift cards
Various cinemas, various prices
We only eat locally, organically grown and seasonal:
CSA Box
Johnson's Backyard Garden, $33 per delivery
We patronize Wheatsville Co-op, the city's bevy of farmers' markets and restaurants where we know the produce is as fresh and local as possible. Even when we go to Central Market, the grocer in the produce aisle will saunter over to fill us in on the exact location of the farm where our carrots were grown.
Surprise your loved one with a home delivery of a Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA box. For $33, the person on the receiving end will get a large box of local, seasonal and organic produce delivered right to his or her front door.
It's not just JBG that offers these boxes; Green Gate Farms and Urban Roots Farm also offer CSA box memberships.
We are stuck in traffic all the time:
One audio book per month
Audible, $150.00
This American Life app
iTunes, $2.99
For a relatively small city, Austinites spend a lot of time commuting. A mile on I-35 during rush hour can easily take the better part of an hour. Want to give us the best gift ever? Give us the gift of distraction. A yearly subscription to Audible allows users to download one book a month directly through the company's app.
In case one book a month isn't enough to get through the grind, surprise your Austin loved one with the This American Life app, which brings the show's entire 18-year history directly to your smartphone. For $2.99, it's a true bargain.
Download the This American Life app for your friend to listen to while in traffic. Cause we're always in traffic.
