Readers' Picks

Photo By Jana Birchum

Best Classical Musician

Peter Bay

Photo By Jana Birchum

Best Art Gallery

Women & Their Work

Met Dean at Spider House in Austin on my way up from Mexico, still reeling from cheap tequila and the desert sun and burnt-skinned girls who sold oranges on corners. The place was nestled behind a barbecue joint and a blood bank (go figure) yet was thick with that musty, laid-back feeling of old. Serenity, to put it casually, was overpowering. Got the coffee dark and loaded it with vanilla, and we sat outside under Christmas lights in rusty lawn furniture, talking over cigarettes and hummus on pita bread about how the town was changing around us and how hard it was to find places like this nowadays, places where life could slow. College kids rolled in and out, lots of black clothes furiously scribbling in notebooks, a little Miles Davis floating lazily through the speakers, and Dean said at that moment it felt like he could stay in that place forever. Thank God some things never change.

2908 Fruth, 480-9562
austin.citysearch.com/E/V/AUSTX/0000/58/09/

And it's not just a great art gallery. It's a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting women's contributions to culture, to supporting women artists both technically and financially, and to creating spaces where women in our region are able to present their work. Women and Their Work presents more than 50 events every year, including not only visual art but dance, film, music, theatre, and literature. It's an amazing gallery and an amazing organization.

1710 Lavaca, 477-1064
www.womenandtheirwork.org

With three floors of exhibits, a 400-seat Imax theatre, and a 60-foot timeline wall with interactive stations that guide visitors through the sights and sounds of Texas history, this new museum offers a different approach. As a noncollecting museum, they have more flexibility of changing the exhibits on a regular basis, allowing them to present an ever-changing panorama that tells the Story of Texas from the first encounters between the Native Americans and the European explorers to the future of our great state.

1800 N. Congress Ave., 936-8746
www.thestoryoftexas.com

Since he's taken the baton as music director of the Austin Symphony, Peter Bay has led a resurgent orchestra that shows signs of ever-improving morale and stellar artistic execution. Bay has managed to program a sparkling variety of works during a time when satisfying audiences often means resorting to gimmickry. Not so for Maestro Bay, who has a knack for mixing the tried and true with the experimental, to the great satisfaction of his knowledgeable Central Texas audience. Even the work of composer Gustav Mahler, long thought taboo, saw a welcome return last season. Bay has made his mark, not only on the podium, but throughout the Austin arts scene, taking an avid interest in the city's diverse arts life. A charming and modest man, Bay is well-suited to life in Austin, and, with a new contract recently inked, is here for at least a few more years. Bravo.

Austin Symphony Orchestra: 1101 Red River, 476-6064
www.austinsymphony.org

Mary Doerr was a member of the "Students Older Than Average" club at UT when she returned to get her bachelor's and master's degrees in Fine Art and follow a lifelong dream. Since turning pro as a full-time artist in 1985, she has managed to capture the heart and soul of Austin in her realistic watercolor paintings of the bats of Congress Avenue Bridge, Barton Springs Pool, the state Capitol, and other unique views of the city.

Images of Austin: 4612 Burnet Rd., 451-1229
www.images-austin.com

We haven't known Sarah Bird to versify, but she is one hell of a novelist. Her latest, The Yokota Officers Club, had one Seattle newspaper suggesting that she should get the Pulitzer, at the very least. In the meantime, the praise of her fellow Austinites is happily noted here.

c/o Alfred A. Knopf, 299 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10171, 212/751-2600

This year's three-way tie just goes to show how blessed Austin is with outstanding dancers. All three are thoughtful, adventurous artists whose movements mesmerize. Ariel is the sprite, a modern dancer of exuberant physicality whose exhilarating leaps and spins create an opening into a spiritual dimension. Gray is the hoofer, a master of old-school tap whose marvelously rhythmic feet communicate an irresistible joy. Hay is the Buddha, the modern dance pioneer whose smiling serenity translates into playful and graceful explorations of the body in space.

Ariel Dance Theatre, PO Box 27338, 458-4258; Gray: Tapestry Dance Company, 507 Pressler, 474-9846; Deborah Hay Dance Company, 1507 Kinney, 707-2512
www.tapestry.org

Ruh roh! Marc Pruter's scrappy Bad Dog club has fallen prey to the Curse of Financial Doom accompanying its venue near the northeast corner of Congress & Riverside. It's d-e-a-d, in other words, after little more than a year of bringing us such top-dog comedy acts as Margaret Cho, Richard Lewis, the Upright Citizens Brigade, and three swingin' weeks of The Penis Monologues. And judging from this year's poll results, the ol' Dog is gonna be sorely missed.

110 E. Riverside

Under the direction of Stephen Mills, Ballet Austin brings the dance to life as surely as Degas did. With exceptional vision and support, this pioneering dance company has flourished, providing beauty and culture to a hungry city.

3002 Guadalupe, 476-2163/476-9051
www.balletaustin.org

When it comes to directing, here's a man who's equally at home with the light (Rockin' Christmas Party), the dark (Jelly's Last Jam), and the weirdly in-between (The Rocky Horror Show and the current Little Shop of Horrors). The irrepressibly hardworking Steakley, Zachary Scott Theatre Center's artistic director and all-around promoter of musicals beyond your ordinary stage fodder, is an unsurprising choice in this coveted category.

1510 Toomey Road, 476-0594

Her talent, looks, and well-honed skills shine as bright as a lone star, in roles from the sublime to the ridiculous: in Anton in Show Business, A Macbeth, and Women Who Steal, most recently. So it's little wonder that this stalwart of downtown's State Theater (who also passes on her experience as one of the main instructors at their School of Acting) is considered with such high regard by theatregoers throughout Austin.

State Theatre School of Acting: 719 Congress, 472-3160
www.statetheatercompany.com

Okay, so they're ridiculously talented. But do they create breathtaking, original productions? Okay, so they're ridiculously talented and they create breathtaking, original productions. But don't they stick with only small, easy-to-mount shows? Okay, so they're ridiculously talented, they create breathtaking, original productions, and they stage spectacles so elaborate you'd suspect some connection to the DreamWorks guys. Okay. But do they gladly offer their time and effort to the community, helping at-risk youth and others learn the joys and disciplines of theatre? Okay, yes, they do. And we love them.

2211-A Hidalgo, 476-7833
www.rudemechs.org

One of fewer than 25 remaining theatres in existence designed by John Eberson of Chicago, Austin's Majestic Theatre (the Paramount's original name) seated its first audience on October 11, 1915. Part Classical Revival (its original 1915 style), and part Baroque Revival (after its 1930s renovation), Austin's favorite theatre has audiences and performers agreeing that its style can bring the house down.

713 Congress, 472-5470
www.theparamount.org

Planning your weekend while sitting at your computer? Bet you're visiting Austin360.com, letting it show you around the weekend in its user-friendly way. It provides one-stop shopping for information on local music, movies, galleries, and performances.

305 S. Congress, 542-7430
www.austin360.com

Austin's own "Christmas Affair" is the largest Junior League market in the country. This annual bazaar features 300-plus vendors and helps raise money for local charities such as Austin Habitat for Humanity, Communities in Schools, Humane Society of Austin, and SafePlace, among many others. The bazaar also helps to fund the JL's other annual projects, like Coats for Kids, Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, and the Town Lake Park Project.

5416 Parkcrest #100, 467-8982
www.jlaustin.org

There's nothing sweeter than gathering with your friends around a pile of nachos and some messy Mexican martinis at Trudy's Texas Star after a hard day at the office. Their downstairs bar and groovy deck seating make it a good place for groups both large and small to meet and snack and drink. And there's even parking.

409 W. 30th, 477-2935; 8820 Burnet Rd. #600, 454-1474; 4141 Capital of TX Hwy. S., 326-9899
www.trudys.com

Even in a town full of beautiful people, nights can be lonely if one doesn't know where to look. Yet, companionship (nightly or eternally) can be found in the reservoir of bars and clubs along Sixth Street, thick with primped and tan Austinites from all over. Peak times are between Thursday and Saturdays or whenever there is a full moon.

Downtown Austin, Sixth Street

Okay, so it's not news that the well-coiffed lads down at Oilcan Harry's come up with the prize again. What is news is that lesbian-owned and operated coffee nook Gaby & Mo's ties with that well-established drinking/dancing establishment. Could it be kooky theme night and parties (50s Butch/Femme, L80s Night, Dragmaster 2000)? Could it be the cozy outdoor deck? Could it be the new jukebox and pool table? Or could it simply be the same delicious formula that works for their elder Oilcan bro: babes, babes, babes?

Gaby & Mo's: 1809 Manor Rd., 457-9027; Oilcan Harry's: 211 W. Fourth, 320-8823
[email protected]; www.oilcanharrys.com/

Every hour is cocktail hour at this joint, with a sophisticated, well-dressed clientele lounging amid gorgeous interiors and lush sounds. As if the interiors weren't enough of a draw, Speakeasy offers a superb rooftop patio with to-die-for views.

412 Congress, 476-8017
www.citysearch.com/aus/speakeasy

Six years in a row it's been voted best jukebox. Why? No telling, but there's nothing quite as fabulous as playing pool hearing Patsy Cline and the Ramones and Nina Simone all during the same game, or watching Ray Harryhausen movies closed captioned on the television and imagining the Argonauts are lip syching to "King of the Road" or "Sweet Angeline" or "Who Made Who." Pass the chicken wings, baby!

517 E. Sixth, 469-9330

It isn't every Live Music Capital of the World that has a venue like Stubb's. A place whose cup runneth over with music history, Stubb's first opened in Lubbock, where the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Ely cut their teeth. Modern-day Stubb's has been transported to Austin and has hosted performances by the Fugees and Russell Crowe. Stubb's has an intimate indoor stage and a full-on stomp-your-feet, raise-your-lighters outdoor stage. If your favorite band is coming to Travis County, you can bet money they're coming to Stubb's. You can also put your money where your mouth is, because Stubb's serves up some mighty fine grub to boot.

801 Red River, 480-8341
www.stubbsbbq.com

This Austin institution has the perfect atmosphere for seeing your favorite live band. A haven for open mike nights and after-class chill outs, the Cactus Cafe is as much a part of UT as the Tower itself. The sound at the Cactus lends itself equally well to acoustic and plugged-in performances. The club's sound system is always clear and well-balanced, providing very enjoyable performances overall. The intimate nature of the Cactus and its granite walls also allow sonic vibrations to reverberate beautifully for maximum audience pleasure. Performances by Texas luminaries like Lyle Lovett and Nancy Griffith show just how good this place is for a show. The Cactus is the destination for people who deeply care about what's happening onstage.

Texas Union, UT Campus, 2030 Guadalupe, 475-6515
www.utexas.edu/student/txunion/cactus

Um, duh! Of course Polly Esther's has the best metro retro dance music: Let's do the time warp, again and again, baby, once in the Polly Esther palace with the hottest diva dance hits from that disco vortex known as the Seventies and once in the Culture Club, as you leapfrog into the wacky Reagan-flavored Eighties. Ouch! Do you really wanna hurt me, baby? Do you really wanna make me cry? Oooh, then don't even mention Club Expo, where even our recently dearly departed Nineties bust a move into oldiesville.

404 Colorado St., 472-1975
www.pollyesthers.com

Why is the Alamo Drafthouse the coolest? And why do our readers and critics go so nuts for it? Number One: Because they are a community place, a happening center like no other for Austin film folks, music folks, art folks, and just plain folks to make and experience aesthetic collisions and events they may have thought could only exist in their wildest imaginations, and to do it together. For example, they reach out and incorporate the music side of Austin by getting bands to score silent films live -- like that Golden Arm Trio/Battleship Potemkin thing and ST-37/Metropolis thing, and other history-making episodes of which you are only dimly aware. Number Two: Tim and Karrie League are the most creative theatre operators/party throwers who ever have or ever will exist. They create and host multitudinous happenings: the "QT" Tarantino series, SXSW film fest, premieres of locally made movies such as Bob Ray's Rock Opera, not to mention the wildly popular Mr. Sinus Theater and Something Weird Wednesdays, and of course, the supremely original notion of providing the audience the option of a top-notch salad with their movie. Lastly, these Alamo Drafthouse people are discerning students of film who gently guide their patrons toward an appreciation of filmic endeavor the likes of which may seem trivial, profane, or rightfully obscure, and thus enhance and broaden the minds of their clients. Plus, they took the old Village Theatre on Anderson Lane and turned it into the new Alamo North, expanding their bookings to first-run titles. How cool is that? So if you haven't yet got on the bandwagon, climb aboard now.

Photo By Jana Birchum

Best Museum

Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

Recapping, the Alamo Drafthouse is the coolest ever because:

Photo By Jana Birchum

Best Theatre Space

Paramount Theatre

1. They have a sublime community consciousness;

Photo By Jana Birchum

Best Movie Theatre

Alamo Drafthouse

2. They show creativity in all their endeavors; and

3. They demonstrate a critical integrity in their movie bookings.

409-B Colorado, 2700 W. Anderson; 476-1320 for both locations
www.drafthouse.com

Vulcan Video persists as the top choice for films of all types: cult, international, and new releases, as well as a host of other styles. Arranged by genre, director, and employees' picks, these films are sometimes hard to come by any other way than at Vulcan. We think that makes them a pretty good resource for interesting film.

609 W. 29th, 478-5325; 112 W. Elizabeth, 326-2629
www.vulcanvideo.com