austin recreation

Jude Galligan | March 8, 2013 | 1 Comment

Republic Square Postured For Awesomeness

The ABJ is predicting the next niche of downtown to blossom will be anchored by Republic Square Park – which was a surface parking lot through the mid-70s.

The Plaza Lofts kicked off the modern idea of downtown condo life overlooking the park. Next came the AMLI on 2nd. The Post Office site is now controlled by a joint venture between Endeavor and Andrews -Urban. The Federal Courthouse is now complete, and it is pretty good looking as courthouses go. Travis County deployed tons of cash to buy the block immediately south of Republic Square.

There’s a new master planning effort underway for the park. Our take is that the park needs more concessionaires, to give people a reason to go there in the daytime.

Oh, Republic Square is also going to be an anchor for the upcoming MetroRapid.

No doubt, Republic Square Park’s rejuvenation is largely due to excellent stewardship. Kudos to the Austin Parks Foundation and Downtown Austin Alliance.

The area of downtown centered around Republic Square has begun a slow transformation from a bland, parking lot-studded section into a center of urban activity. – Austin Business Journal

Filed Under: around town, austin lifestyle, austin parks, austin recreation

B-Cycle Chosen For Austin Bike Share Program

Jude Galligan | January 23, 2013 | 5 Comments

Jude Galligan | January 15, 2013 | 2 Comments

Austin Bike Share Enters the Homestretch

It’s been almost two and a half years since I started advocating for Austin Bike Share in the state capital. It became the highest rated of any SpeakUpAustin initiative, ever. Because of incredible grassroots support, generous financial support by several local businesses, and hard work by City staff, Austin Bike Share is finally happening for Austin.

Austin City Council this week is expected to approve an important step in the process, which will allow the city to form a partnership with nonprofit Bike Share of Austin to operate the bike share program.

The City and Bike Share of Austin are aiming to have the bike share program up and running by spring 2013. A separate contract with a bike share vendor for the purchase of bicycles, kiosks, and the bike share system network is scheduled to come to City Council for approval at the next scheduled council meeting, which would be Jan. 31.

It has long been rumored around town that Austin is going to pick B Cycle, the same bike share operator as San Antonio, to supply the bike share system for Austin. San Antonio’s system is a phenomenal success and expanding.

According to the City, the bike share will bring about 40 bike share kiosks, with as many as 400 bikes, to Central Austin area. That’s a good start.

It was around 2009, when traveling in Montreal, that I was first introduced to a robust bike share system. That system was called BIXI, but it was the same bike design used in Minneapolis. The system works impressively well. You can become a member, or pay-as-you-go. The three-geared bikes are comfortable and well maintained.

That Austin’s Bike Share initiative seems to be heading for the final stretch is superb news, and I’d like to thank all of our City Council members and all the folks at the city who are working to make this happen.

We can expect a draft map of the locations within the next couple of months.

I’ve learned that City staff’s process of identifying possible sites for bike share kiosks is based on several criteria:

Proximity of bike infrastructure such as bike lanes or cycle tracks
High employment density
Nearby parks, recreation facilities, tourist attractions, or other destination
Favorable topography
Public transit services

Get it out there.

For the sake of getting bike share off the ground, I really hope the City doesn’t let perfection get in the way of progress. I, myself, would be in favor of a phased launch and the City says, “we are putting half the stations in these spots. Deal with it. However, we would like to hear from the public about where we get the other stations set up at.”

That would get Austin Bike Share rolling, with kiosks being put into the ground, instead of letting all the zealots debate the minutia and delaying having something the public can actually use.

-Jude

Filed Under: around town, austin recreation, austin traffic, austin transit, city council Tagged With: austin bike share

amber gugino | October 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Partying for a Cause – Ghoulwill Ball at The W Tomorrow Night

I have been honored to have served on the host committee for Goodwill Industries of Central Texas’ 2012 Ghoulwill Ball event, being held at The W Hotel in downtown Austin tomorrow evening. Helping promote a very worthy cause (GICT’s mission is to generate lifelong connections to work) has been rewarding. All proceeds of this event will go to GICT. Free food, free drinks, a killer DJ, at one of the swankiest downtown hot-spots, AND you get to dress up in a Halloween costume. I couldn’t think of a better time!

And, if you live in The Residences at The W – you can literally just stumble home after the party.

Buy your tickets here.

Filed Under: 2nd Street District, austin bars, austin condos, austin lifestyle, austin lofts, austin recreation, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, downtown austin, high rises, life, life in austin

amber gugino | September 19, 2012 | 1 Comment

ZOMG – Topfer Theatre at ZACH Theatre Brings Austin Theatre Back to the Forefront of Austin Culture

Be on the lookout for performance of famous balcony scenes to happen at this exterior, front-facing balcony of the theatre. I'm also told that the balcony will actually end up being made of glass, rather than the metal pictured here.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a personal tour of ZACH Theatre’s new mainstage, The Topfer (pronounced top-fur) Theatre earlier this week. This theatre allows ZACH to truly make the jump from a small professional theatre to premiere regional theatre by providing a new, state of the art performance facility as part of downtown Austin’s already growing culture and arts scene. Downtown Austin needs a real regional theatre, and this structure and the excitement it will bring to the theatre and arts community is a huge step in the right direction.

Per an article in the Austin Chronicle (link) – ZACH Theatre had been contemplating building a third theatre in its complex as early at 1985, when they held over some funds from that year’s bond election to help fund building a third theatre. In 2000, the economy stalled, putting the project on hold, but, through a kick-start of funding of $10 million through the 2006 City of Austin bond election, and then fueled by direct private donation – the project was revived in 2007. Overall, it’s a $22 million project, and they still need to raise about $2 million for completion.

The ZACH Theatre compound falls within the Zilker Neighborhood Association, but it is easily accessible to downtown Austin condos and homes and, really, feels like a part of downtown to many. I was told the ZNA was supportive the variances Zach Scott needed to build the Topfer Theatre.

As a college Theatre Major and all around theatre nerd, I was soooooo impressed with the Topfer Theatre and Kuykendall Stage.

Some tidbits:

Celebrated Austin actress Karen Kuykendall has her ashes kept under the stage, isn’t that crazy?! (What’s even crazier is that there are no “r”s in “Kuykendall”!)
The Topfer Theatre has a LEED Silver Certification
Over 70 new parking spots have been added to the ZACH Theatre compound
40 new trees were added to the lot, as well
The AC and other mechanical components of the theatre have a separate foundation from the stage – this is to minimize any possibility of noise and rumbling during performances.
The theatre’s design is taken from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago (the house is a little narrower)
The theatre house seats ~420
The theatre was designed by the same architects who did The W – Andersson-Wise Architects

Now, for the good stuff – the pictures (please note that the theatre is still having final touches done to it – not fully finished yet)!

: The walk up.

: The beloved Martin Burke welcomes you!

: The first floor lounge, where they will have a full bar and concessions.

: Wow. I can’t wait to see a show here.

: The magnificent house of the Topfer Theatre. I die.

: One of 4 actor dressing rooms. Nice digs.

: This is where the two foundations in the Topfer Theatre meet. To reduce any possibility of noise interference during productions, the theatre has all of its clink and rumble-prone machinery put on a separate foundation.

: The women’s restroom at the Topfer Theatre. Quite an upgrade from the old theatre!

: Another view of the sky lounge.

: The interior of the 2nd story sky lounge in the Topfer Theatre.

: The view from the 2nd story sky lounge at the Topfer Theatre. At night, it’s supposed to be even more incredible. Imagine sipping a cocktail with this view!

: Be on the lookout for performance of famous balcony scenes to happen at this exterior, front-facing balcony of the theatre. I’m also told that the balcony will actually end up being made of glass, rather than the metal pictured here.

For more incredible pictures and theatre fun facts – check out Bryan Kosarek’s Gay in Austin Texas Blog.

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Interested in searching for Austin homes for sale in or near Downtown Austin? Be sure to check out our property search to view Austin homes for sale.

Additionally, here are some condominiums in Downtown Austin that are near the theatre – to learn more about these individual buildings, visit their pages:

Filed Under: austin art, austin condos, austin lifestyle, Austin photos, images, austin recreation, austin small business, austin towers, austin towers and high rises, development, downtown austin, high rises, urban family

amber gugino | September 3, 2012 | 2 Comments

Gyms in Downtown Austin – YMCA TownLake

Being active is a part of the Austin lifestyle. There are tremendous opportunities in downtown Austin for folks to be active, too. Here at Downtown Austin Blog, we’ve written about several things like dance classes at Ballet Austin and personal training in downtown Austin - but we haven’t really explored a lot of downtown gyms, of which there are several.

Probably the most popular among the trendy set is Pure Austin downtown, right across from Whole Foods at 5th and Bowie. I have several friends who have memberships there, and they love it.

However, to be frank, I’m sometimes a little intimidated by the aura of Pure, so I’ve been going to a place that’s a little less trendy, but I think still pretty awesome. The TownLake Branch of the YMCA. I’ve been doing the Zumba classes, and boy are they crowded and fun! Look at [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin lifestyle, austin recreation, lady bird lake, life, life in austin

amber gugino | July 30, 2012 | 5 Comments

Banger’s in Rainey Street District Downtown Austin – MENU, Review, Video, Pics

Today was the grand opening of Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden in the Rainey Street District of Downtown Austin. Our office at the The Shore Condos is just a stone’s throw away, so we wanted to support one of the most anticipated venues coming to the ‘hood. We went, had a beer and some grub, and really just enjoyed the perfectly chill vibe, despite the crazy, terrible, make-me-want-to-stab-my-eyes-out heat.

Some will say this is Rainey Street’s answer to [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin bars, austin lifestyle, austin neighborhoods, austin recreation, austin restaurant reviews, austin small business, downtown austin, Downtown Austin lofts, condos, apartments, high rises, lady bird lake, Rainey Street District

amber gugino | June 22, 2012 | 1 Comment

Rocket Electrics Electric Bike Rental Discount Code – Exclusive for Downtown Austin Blog Readers

I love a good deal. And more than that, I love SHARING a good deal.

Luckily for me, Rocket Electrics over on E. Riverside (just south of Downtown Austin, on the ground floor of the AMLI South Shore Apartments) is offering you lucky Downtown Austin Blog readers a fabulous discount on their Electric Bike rentals. The discount starts TODAY, and is good for a WHOPPING [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin apartments, austin lifestyle, austin recreation, austin transit

amber gugino | June 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

Glee. (Indirectly) Making Downtown Austin a Little More Environmentally Friendly

St. David's should totally enter the O. Henry Pun Off

Oh, Glee. I sometimes enjoy you, but often I am overcome with shame for watching you. But, last week – you actually accomplished something useful. Because of you, Glee, I finally recycled my big ol’ bag o’ batteries.

Okay, let me explain. See, up until last week, I had been keeping this huge Ziploc bag stuffed with used up AA batteries under my kitchen sink. I didn’t know where to take them and I always seemed to forget to Google a nearby location. So, the bag o’ batteries just kept getting bigger.

And then I started seeing this Glee PSA about recycling batteries. Over. And over. And over again. [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin condos, austin lifestyle, austin neighborhoods, austin recreation, austin restaurant reviews, austin retail, austin small business, downtown austin, life, life in austin, miscellaneous, retail, small business, urban family

amber gugino | May 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

O. Henry Pun Off at Brush Square Park in Downtown Austin May 19th

Yes. Yes, O. yes. It’s that time again, folks. Time for the 35th annual O. Henry Pun Off. Taking place this Saturday (May 19th, 2012) at the O. Henry Museum (adjacent to Brush Square), this delightful competition celebrates the pun with two separate competitions – Punniest in Show and Punslingers.

However, a video is worth a million words – so, check out some of these punny finals videos from previous years: [Read more...]

Filed Under: austin art, austin history, austin lifestyle, austin news, austin parks, austin recreation, downtown austin