This week we’re doing something a little different – we’re staying inside and taking a look at a well-established local ATX blog: A Taste of Koko.
When asked to feature a blog that I’m inspired by, Koko’s blog came to mind for many reasons – it’s aesthetically pleasing, posts are easy to read and well organized, unique local destinations are featured on every post and there’s a ton of content to peruse. There’s good reason why A Taste of Koko is Austin’s top food + travel blog.
I’m particularly inspired by the ways in which Koko is using her platform to promote local businesses and post helpful information in this time of need. It’s quite hard to run a lighthearted local blog in the midst of a global pandemic, and she has found a way to do so – benefitting readers as well as the local businesses who give Austin its flavor.
One of Koko’s most recent posts includes a comprehensive (seriously, it’s organized by location + genre of food) list of local restaurants who are still serving the community. She adds a brief description of each restaurant, including special hours/ways to order food. There’s also contact info for local businesses to email Koko + get added to the list.
Another recent, helpful post from Koko focuses on informing readers about free resources for those of us who are working/taking classes at home.
The list includes creative + educational resources, such as a free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud and free online classes, as well as important outlets for our mental health, like ways to watch Netflix with our friends virtually.
Due to the major changes brought by this pandemic, I have been stuck in a creative rut for the past couple of weeks. This has made it particularly hard for me to find motivation to continue creating and working on my blog.
I’ve wondered if it is insensitive to continue content creation in a time like this; I’ve also wondered how to make meaningful content without being entirely negative. However, A Taste of Koko is a great example of how to continue running an impactful local blog in a confusing, dim time in history.
Koko has inspired me to find ways to document this time of my life + still shine a light on the Austin community without putting myself or others at risk.
Please show A Taste of Koko some love, and use her content as a resource to keep yourself sane and the local businesses you love afloat in the coming months.
For my first touristy Austin outing, I wanted to include my three favorite things: shopping, sightseeing and gluttony. To accomplish this, I spent my Saturday visiting a famed antique shop, a hidden corporate food park, and a rooftop bar fit for the bourgeoisie.
A foreword: since this is my first blog post with actual content relevant to my topic, I’m going to lay down the law in regards to my format. Each post will be done like this one. There will be a “main attraction”, a renowned tourist hot spot or popular destination that I will break down in detail and rate on several criteria relevant to the experience. There may also be some “honorable mentions”, or less well-known places I stumbled upon, to compliment the main attraction. I will give them a shout out and describe my experience, but will not rate them in great detail.
Uncommon Objects is a well-known antique shop in Austin. It used to be located in the beloved shopping district on South Congress, but has recently relocated a little further south to Fortview Road. Even though it’s more tucked away now, it is still acclaimed as one of the best antique collectives in Texas.
I had not been here since I was a wee little lass with a wee little memory, so this was essentially like going to an entirely new place for me. I was instantly saluted by the same, familiar smell that haunts every antique shop: a comforting bouquet of scents emitted by a melting pot of objects that have outlasted their heyday.
This store was absolutely packed with an array of strange, old things. You know, uncommonobjects. I felt as though I was snooping through an abandoned estate, full of expensive, cursed items. It felt intrusive, but in a fun way.
Here’s a gallery of some of my favorite finds:
I fell in love with the giant papier-maché cat, but she was $550.
As you can see, there’s a little bit of everything, from taxidermy, to art, to glasswares, to toys, and even to ominous leather bags that have the word, “blood” painted on them. I happily spent over an hour rummaging through all of these things. If you’ve ever dreamed of going to a museum where you can break the “no-touching” rule, you would adore this place.
The Beans: Uncommon Objects
Someone call Bush’s because we are spilling beans, not tea, on this blog.
Accessibility: Parking was a breeze – much easier than at the old South Congress location. This is much appreciated as someone who is terrible at parking. 5/5 stars.
Pricing: This is hard to objectively rate. I couldn’t really afford anything in here, and things do seem overpriced… however, it is important to consider the hard work that goes into curating and maintaining these objects. I’m going to give them 3.5/5 stars on this, but it is important to note that consumerism isn’t a focus at this store. If you’re looking for value, go to Goodwill.
Service: Perfect! The store associates are friendly and available if you need help, but leave you alone as you browse. 5/5 stars.
Crowd: I visited on a Saturday afternoon, and was pleasantly surprised by how not-packed this store was. There were a few moms with children, a group of high school kids, and a few other young adults browsing. Nobody was obnoxious, and I wasn’t claustrophobic, so 4/5 stars.
Overall experience: As someone who loves creepy, odd things, as well as the idea of going through other peoples’ things in a non-problematic way, 5/5 stars. Uncommon Objects gave me everything I want in an antique shop.
When it came time to eat, my friend and I stumbled upon a hidden gem inside of an office food court: TLV Israeli Street Food.
We really didn’t expect much, this being located inside of an office food court, but we were actually served some of the best Israeli food we’ve ever had. Everything was perfectly seasoned, beautifully cooked, and quickly made – I’m also awarding bonus points for the friendly cashier who told us how to make their tasty pomegranate soda!
We ordered two of the main dishes: I got the Falafel Be-Pita, and my friend went for the Chicken Hawaiej Hummus Manot. The pita was fresh and fluffy, with delightfully spicy green falafel, hummus, and crunchy, pickled veggies inside. The manot was comprised of a bed of hummus, with piquant, tender chicken, veggies, and seasonings laying comfortably on top.
We set up shop on the hilly astroturf lawn outside, inhaled our dishes, and enjoyed the afternoon view.
I feel that we are not alone in this, but my friend and I have an affinity for rooftop bars. The rooftop bar to beat all rooftop bars in Austin happens to sit 20 stories high, upon the swanky Westin Hotel on 5th Street. It is a place where rich folk sip $14 cocktails whilst literally looking down upon the poor, so we had to sneak our beggarly asses in.
I’m kidding, we did not have to sneak in. Azul Rooftop Bar is open to the public. But it felt like we needed to sneak in, as I was wearing my beat-up high top Vans, ill-fitting $15 mom jeans and dingy white t-shirt. I plastered my best, “I belong here,” expression across my poor, bare face and booked it up the stairs as soon as we entered the hotel.
We eventually found the elevator and arrived at the twentieth floor, where the bar is located. Even though we didn’t fit in with the rest of the crowd, we felt an odd comfort. Typically we’re very obviously looked down upon when we infiltrate rich hives like this, but everyone was minding their business, enjoying the incredible sunset view.
Ambient indie music played in the background as we enjoyed our overpriced, yet delicious, cucumber gin cocktails and discussed how the entire day felt like a vacation.
In this moment, I realized that this blog is actually worth something. I felt accomplished. The idea of exploring your hometown like a tourist isn’t just an excuse to do something fun on the weekends, it’s a way to see your city from an immersive, new perspective. We actually felt like we had traveled to a new place, and in a way, I guess we did.
the local tourist 