the hardest working cupcake in austin

Each time I visit, I fall harder for Austin, Texas–the pride in local, surfeit of vintage, and funktacular food entice me into scheming ways to make migas my regular breakfast.

Yesterday, the delightful Rosental Alves, who directs the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, invited me to talk to his journalism class preceding one of the Knight News Challenge meetups I am in town to convene.

At breakfast before class, he explained his surprise at his ‘migaddiction’–he especially likes the migas at Kerbey Lane near campus:

This morning I discovered more Austin surprises when I followed a sign to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden.

Striking sculptures, mostly from a decade I also like vintage from,

at umlauf sculpture garden

were positioned near pink waterlilies rising from the pond that centers this peaceful park.

waterlilies at umlauf sculpture garden

waterlilies at umlauf sculpture garden

To keep things interesting (and appropriately Austin), there is a warthog across from…

sculpture of a warthog

Eve.

eve at umlauf sculpture garden

A likelier (and auspicious) combination followed at the South Congress Cafe, an establishment that has perfected the art of brunch: crab cakes and tomato-stilton soup.

crab cakes and tomato-stilton soup at south congress cafe

Across the street from the cafe is the Hey Cupcake truck, home of the Michael Jackson cupcake, and I considered it.

And then, I decided to get on up and explore other vintage neighborhood scenes, happening upon Sugar Mama’s cupcake shop:

Sugar Mama’s has a James Brown cupcake. That easily trounced that other one.

sugar mama's james brown cupcake and milk in austin, texas

If you need a refresher course on funk moves, the Godfather of Funk illustrates:

As I watched the darkening skyline at the Uncorked wine bar on 7th Street tonight, I thought about sunsets, swan songs, flights, and one of my favorite James Brown dance moves, the robot (it’s in the video above).

uncorked in austin, texas

Tomorrow and Sunday, I will be surrounded by robots and inventors and creative energy at Maker Faire; here’s to the sexy machines of the immediate future—

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Posted Friday, October 17th, 2008, 11:24 pm * Filed in Art, Design, Food, Photography, Travel, Tribute, Video. * Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.