Image via Complex Original
"The Alleys of Austin" is the most famous song of the city's Cosmic Cowboy musical era for good reason. A lot has changed since Michael Martin Murphey penned his ode to proto-Slacker Austin. Even as newer, taller buildings have raised, and the surrounding walls and the neighborhoods around them have become more bustling and less languid, the alleys of Austin remain. These semi-hidden scenic backdrops are "the footnotes to the avenues" according to David Berman, and they're great places to snap pictures off the beaten path. From the obsessively decorated to the desolate, these are The Most Instagrammable Alleys of Austin.
Alley Number 68
Austin's downtown alleys have a uniform width of 20 feet and were a significant element in the original downtown grid planning, where they bear the numbers of their city blocks. Alley 68 connects San Jacinto and Brazos streets between Sixth and Seventh streets, and like many of the downtown alleys is lined with brick buildings. Those brick walls provide a backdrop that could have existed today or a hundred years earlier. Facing toward Brazos Street yields a view of the Driskill Hotel's classic facade.
East 14th Street
Between Navasota and Comal streets, East 14th becomes a narrow alley that buts up against Oakwood Cemetery, Austin's oldest city-owned cemetery and the final resting place for a number of notable former Texans. It is surrounded by just a low chain-link fence, providing a clear view of headstones dating back to the 1850s. The fence and memorials combine for a unique backdrop for action shots or meditative close-ups. There's also the possibility of photographing wildlife: A healthy population of gray foxes make their home in the cemetery.
Alley Number 64
This alley connects Sabine and Red River streets between E. Sixth and Seventh, just a block before the east-west streets cross I-35. For years the back entrance to beloved, grimy rock club Red 7 was in this alley, and the club commissioned a large mural along its exterior wall. Now the club is shuttered, but so far this remains a colorful downtown spot both in daylight and when it's a pathway for Red River's music fans at night. Walking west gives a straight, clear view of some of downtown's high rises.
Hyde Park's Alleys
The neighborhood north of the UT campus has a network of unpaved alleys that were such a problem for a while that the city threatened to stop trash pickup in them. They're clearer now, but some still retain the look of a dusty little neighborhood. It's possible to picture Hyde Park's recent past as a center of low-priced rentals for students and artists while walking down a quiet dirt path. The alley that runs between Guadalupe and Home streets between 35th and 37th streets was once famously known as "Reflector Alley”—a mysterious proliferation of reflectors appeared on every stationary object in the alley and made for a surprisingly illuminated drive for anyone turning down it at night.
45th and Guadalupe Streets
Just south of the Triangle on Guadalupe is The Wok 'N Express. This location was a 7-11 in a former life but now has a hybrid business model—part convenience store, part Chinese takeout operation. The rear is a hybrid as well, since the alleyway doubles as a gallery for the large murals painted on the back of the store. Occasionally, unofficial murals need to be painted over as tag wars play out on the wall. Its brightness contrasts with the classic white walls and blue awnings of the Conquistador Apartments on the opposite side of the alley, and as it continues south, increasing tree cover makes for a green overhang and backdrop.
Elizabeth to Milton Streets West of South Congress
Let everyone else pose in front of the "I love you so much graffiti" and head a little bit southwest for photos. South Congress teems with restaurants, bars, and retails, and the alleyway that runs behind its three busiest blocks is one of the city's busiest. During South by Southwest, stages pop up in back of Güeros' Taco Bar and the Yard Dog Gallery, and year-round it's a well-worn walkway and a frequent backdrop for impromptu fashion shoots for the nearby boutiques. Shots of the rear of Güeros reveal its feed store past while live oaks and pecan trees spread out overhead. Wooden privacy fences stand opposite graffitied cinderblock walls, and the height and character of the alley vary so much from building to building that there are a dozen different scenes in just those three blocks.