Contributor post by Tracy Castro of Fair Morning Blue
Hello, dearest Poppytalk friends. I have just returned home to Austin after a very long trip. My summer has been filled with an abundance of pleasant, unhurried days with my sweet family, but isn't it true - there's no place like home? Oh, how lovely it is to sleep in my own bed again, to share really good barbecue with friends, to swim at Barton Springs pool.
Interestingly, when I sorted through my images, I realized that all my favorite shots focused on typography. And this prompts me to wonder: is there a typography of place?
If Austin has an identifying typography, I would have to say it is hand lettered, maybe washed out by the Texas sun, or starting to deteriorate a little.
We have some of the most amazing neon signs here. Neon artist Todd Sanders makes vintage inspired signs in his shop Roadhouse Relics on South 1st. Todd has a fantastic gallery here, too.
Most of the places I've included in this post have been in Austin for many years. They are the places I remember from my road trips down to Austin in high school, the places I frequented in college. Probably this is because I've been homesick all summer. This last photo is from a relative newcomer to the Austin scene, Frank. They have done a particularly good job integrating modern with vintage. Plus, they have the best hot dogs ever. Austin is growing and changing so quickly - I'm curious to see how the overall feel of the place changes, how the storefronts and typography will reflect that change.
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Tracy Castro is a native Texan and the artist behind Fair Morning Blue. Find Tracy on her blog, facebook, or twitter.
