EXPERIENCE | BAT PADDLE
Town Lake in Austin is also Lady Bird Lake and it’s not a lake...but it is. Just accept it. Ok, now that we’ve covered that, you should join the Rowing Dock for their most popular and spectacular of excursions! (Unless you suffer from Chiroptophobia - then stop reading here.) Paddle solo in one of their kayaks or go with a friend just two miles to the Congress Avenue Bridge, home to the largest urban bat population in the world. The. Entire. World. Watch and listen as over 1.5 million bats fly overhead on their way to their nightly feeding. It looks like some sort of apocalyptic black cloud revolving and rolling like a parallel tornado of darkness. It’s awesome! The sounds are indescribable, so we won’t even try to explain, but go ahead and get your tickets here. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a colossal whirling bat cloud!
CAFFEINATE | CHAPARRAL COFFEE - LOCKHART
Lockhart is on the up and up y’all. Lockhart, Texas? Yup. Magic Mirror Vintage, Loop & Lil’s, and Love & Lattice Baking, just to name a few. Not to mention one of our favorite studios and producers/engineers, Danny Reisch of Good Danny’s relocated there from Austin, Texas. (Miss you, Danny!) So go visit Lockhart, and while you’re there hit up Chaparral Coffee. We love finding lil’ gems in small towns, and this family owned and operated coffee shop is one of ‘em. It’s positively simple, classic and approachable, warm service with high quality coffee. The menu isn’t overwhelming and has just the right amount to choose from. Coffees, teas, pastries, bagels, sandwiches, and always a couple of fine beers on tap. Like we say about all the smaller joints we feature that are often cornerstones of communities, this one is tip-top and this world needs more sincere one-of-kind places like Chaparral. Go support ‘em!
VISIT | OWL BUREAU - LOS ANGELES
As technology develops, we like to promote and uphold the tactile arts. Actual paper in addition to pixels. Real oils and watercolors as well as cybernated CMYK’s. So it’s with open arms that we welcome the Owl Bureau. Heralded by the New York’s Times as a veritable shrine to analog culture, LA’s Owl Bureau sells rare, out of print, and contemporary books. The brick and mortar shop is owned and operated by founder of Chandelier Creative, Richard Christiansen. The inventory features titles from Christiansen’s own private collection along with other notable works on architecture, fashion, art, and design curated in partnership with Mast Books. Located in the northeast LA neighborhood of Highland Park, LA based artist Waka Waka and Machinehistories created an elaborate carved wood bookcase to house the ultra-special tomes. Owl Bureau is a rare oasis in the digital desert. If you’re in LA, we recommend checking out their book signings and events. They plan to add a coffee shop soon. Yessssss! Inspired paper literature + toasty caffeine beans is our love language.
WATCH | LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Directed and produced by Joe Talbot, this film is his feature directorial debut and is partly based on the life of Jimmie Fails. “We built these ships, dredged these canals, in the San Francisco they never knew existed.” Another lifetime ago, Jimmie Fails’ grandfather built a Victorian home in the heart of SF and now Jimmie dreams of reclaiming it. His friend Mont joins him is his difficult quest of trying to belong in SF, a city that is changing so rapidly that they barely realize where they are anymore. Struggling to connect with the past and to rebuild his community he has lost is impossible. The street merchants, homeless denizens, skaters, authors and artists all join the adversities and misfortunes of a disappearing dream. The Last Black Man tells of how hard we will work to hold on to a home we love and the people that keep it alive. The praise, accolades, and top reviews herald this one for every award imaginable so don’t miss it.
READ | TO WAKE THE SLEEPING SELF: A JOURNEY FROM OREGON TO PATAGONIA, AND A QUEST FOR A LIFE WITH NO REGRET
We’ve all heard quotes similar to, “In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take,” or, “I'd rather fail than never try and live with the regret of not knowing.” This true story is about a guy named Jedidiah Jenkins (yes, that’s his real name), who makes a decision to quit his dream job and cycle from Oregon to Patagonia. That’s 14,000 miles and it took him 16 months. Woah! Why in the heck would he want to live on a bicycle in dangerous terrain for well over a year? He says that when you’re a kid your brain knows that everything is new and that life’s every day routine is the enemy of time - he wants to be aware of every day that he’s alive. Grab this book so you can join him on his journey. It’s worth it. Soul-stirring, terrifying, brutally honest and laced with failure, joy and freedom, Jedidiah shows us what it means to live with no regrets. Watch this short video for a taste of the adventure.
GIVE | THE LAST MILE
There has been a 700% increase to our prison population since the 1970s. Annually nearly $48 billion is spent on prisons for state and federal institutions, yet the rate of recidivism is over 55%. The Last Mile is an organization laboring tirelessly and wholeheartedly to bring that number down. How? They prepare incarcerated individuals for successful reentry through business and technology training. What began as a venture capitalist volunteering to speak to a group of prisoners, is now a full on Technology Accelerator in the prison system.The prisoners involved seek business knowledge and training, and TLM is there to nurture and assist...and it’s working. You can read more on the website about how they started, how the program works and what you can do to help. Be sure to check out some of the partner, volunteer and student stories to see true and real results of TLM’s program. So good.