Amanda O'donnell

It’s been two decades since brothers and mumblecore mavens Mark and Jay Duplass called Texas home. But shortly after taking the stage at Austin’s Stateside theater during this year’s South by Southwest festival, Mark Duplass told an easy-to-laugh crowd what he’s been saying publicly in interviews for years: the brothers cut their teeth in Texas (Austin, specifically), and have relied on the sort of casual creativity SXSW aims to foster since they were twentysomethings with filmmaking aspirations…

While Texans might have previously enjoyed the novelty of a dip in temperatures, the past few winters have understandably left folks feeling a little skittish. In February 2021, we struggled through an extended deadly freeze and grid failure that left 11 million Texans without power for days. Two years later, another ice storm (albeit milder and more localized to Central Texas) again plunged tens of thousands into the cold and dark for days on end, with many feeling that they were on their own.…

Like many before her, Amanda McCarty had a come-to-Jesus moment during an impromptu trip to furnishing-and-decor megastore HomeGoods. It was there, among the endless aisles of vases and picture frames, with stacks of throw pillows looming, that she realized: “I was looking around like, ‘Oh my God. So this is where all the stuff at Goodwill comes from.’ ” HomeGoods falls outside the rotation of Texas thrift stores and antique malls where McCarty, who lives in Austin, purchases most of her…

When I first tried to find Blackbird Books & Spirits, I was in the wrong building. I watched the restaurant customers around me intently, trying to spot when one of them ducked into my hidden destination. Glancing around at paintings hung on the wall, I tried to guess which one could also serve as a door and came embarrassingly close to testing a couple. But, hey, looking for a speakeasy brings out the amateur detective in all of us. A note for future visitors: Blackbird Books & Spirits is l…

The first weekend of this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival was like living a dream. Walking through Zilker Park free from the threat of heatstroke, the sun emanating a gentle warmth instead of looming overhead like an omnipresent hell ball, you start to remember that music festivals are fun. Nothing but respect for the festgoers who weather triple-digit-temperature days each year in pursuit of a good time, but what a little treat for us all this weekend proved to be. In terms of fashi…

A lone, goggled swimmer cut through the markedly empty waters of Austin’s Barton Springs Pool on Wednesday evening. “Excuse me, sir?” said a man in a suit and tie, standing next to a lifeguard chair and speaking into a megaphone. “We’re clearing the pool now for the tree.” The remaining swimmer, who continued his strokes undeterred, didn’t seem to be the only one newly clued in to the evening’s planned celebration of life for a beloved, albeit leaning, pecan tree called Flo. “It’s sick,…

This episode is part of a sponsored content series with the Perini Ranch Steakhouse. Hear more stories here. Over the last 40 years, Perini Ranch Steakhouse has catered numerous events, but few more memorable than that of September 11th, 2001. In this special episode, Tom and Lisa Perini share their unique perspective from the historic day as they prepared to cater the Congressional Picnic at the White House.

“I must see this magical woman.” “Weird way to invite me to Texas, but thanks.” “You’ve nearly convinced me to fly from Chicago for this lady.” “WHERE DO I GO.” Do these sentiments, culled from the comments on a TikTok that’s received 1.3 million views, seem over-the-top? Or are you just not one of the many desperate to achieve the status earned by a pair of well-worn and well-fitting vintage jeans? Because what Caitlin Brax is promising is truly the stuff of legend: a vintage denim…

The Farmers’ Almanac says its largest readership is in Texas. We talked with the editor about why that might be—and what’s in store for the state this winter.

Put the umbrella down. A viral Facebook post offers some bad advice to Texans about how to stay cool in this summer’s record-breaking heat.