FLOR coming to Downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District March 7, 2013.

FLOR coming to Downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District March 7, 2013.

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Looks like FLOR will be opening in downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District (209 W 2nd to be exact, where Mercury Design Studio was – they’ve now moved 2 doors down).

They’ll be opening a day before SXSW 2013 starts, just in time for the crazy crowds.  We suspect they’ll do well in the area with DWR and Mercury Design Studio nearby – as well as several high-end downtown austin condos and apartment buildings, and look forward to doing a little shopping there ourselves.

 

austin-flor

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

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...]

Fishing Pier Coming to Lady Bird Lake in Rainey Street, Downtown Austin

Fishing Pier Coming to Lady Bird Lake in Rainey Street, Downtown Austin

Rainey Street Pier Core Health

The focus is on inclusion.  That’s what Nicole Harmon of Core Health Foundation, a non-profit spin-off of Core Health (a for-profit facility focusing on rehabilitation of those suffering with brain injuries), tells me. The project is a fishing pier, located on the northern shore of Lady Bird Lake, just south of the Holiday Inn off I-35 in the Rainey Street District.  The project has been in the works for over 8-years, but was officially approved in 2010, and construction is expected to be complete in 2013.   And while the driver and primary purpose of this project is for [Read more...]

Wanderlust LIVE – Open House on April 13th

Wanderlust LIVE – Open House on April 13th

Wanderlust LIVE Austin

We wrote about the changing face of the Railyard district not too long ago, and one of the new establishment mentioned was Wanderlust, a new Yoga Studio and Live Music Venue that’s opening soon on the northeast corner of 4th and Brazos.

Well, we’ve recently learned a bit more about the concept and wanted to share…..

So a short summary of the back-story – apparently, Austin locals Ashley Spence Clauer and Joanna Kutchey were so inspired by the Wanderlust Festival, that they decided to bring it to Austin!

And here are some excerpts from a press release sent by their marketing department directly to our office:

Located in a revamped historic warehouse in the heart of the entertainment district of downtown Austin, Wanderlust LIVE’s impeccably designed space is not your average yoga studio.  Featuring two studios—one for regular classes and one with a built in stage and top of the line sound and lights—the 6,000 square foot Wanderlust LIVE will offer Austinites a new place to rock out, consciously.

……

Truly bringing the festival experience home, Wanderlust LIVE will feature organic eats by Austin’s Blenders and Bowls—serving healthy and delicious organic acai bowls, natural fruit smoothies, coffee, tea and more. The studio’s outdoor patio seating will provide ample space to eat, relax after class or sip a beverage at Wanderlust happy hour.  At all live music and other special nighttime events, attendees also may enjoy organic beer and hand picked biodynamic wines. And inside, the Wanderlust LIVE Boutique will offer specialty yoga gear and apparel.

It looks like this place is going to have a few uses – retail, restaurant / bar, live music venue, and yoga studio.  What’s not to love?  And, they’ll be hosting an open house on April 13th, the Friday before they open to the public.

I know that I’m getting a little excited about it after reading about it – and will definitely want to check it out!

 

 

Cinco De Mayo Party Worth Checking Out

Cinco De Mayo Party Worth Checking Out

Cinco De Mayo Puppy

If you haven’t made your Cinco De Mayo plans yet – I would check out this event at La Condesa / Malverde in Downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District.  It’s a hip spot with a killer vibe, and I always enjoy myself when I’m there. And there’s no cover, so there’s that….

Malverde has long been one of my fave places to go when I’m feeling a bit hip and want to enjoy a swanky view.  There’s always good music, good people, and good drinks.  The same goes for the restaurant below, La Condesa.  The interior finish out of the place is a reason to go to the restaurant in and of itself, IMO.

The event begins at 5pm (appropriately) at La Condesa.  There promises to be lots of yummy food and drink to enjoy.  Don’t siesta on this fiesta!

Flyer after the jump: [Read more...]

Live (Work, or Play) in Downtown Austin?  Join DANA (Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association)

Live (Work, or Play) in Downtown Austin? Join DANA (Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association)

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Jude and I are both on the board of the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) – a grassroots community organization dedicated to improving the lives of those who live, work, and / or play in the Downtown Austin Community. It’s an organization that we believe in, and an organization that is affecting positive change in our community.

For our readers who are downtown residents (or, who spend a significant amount of time downtown for work or for pleasure), I urge you to become a member of the organization.

A little info: [Read more...]

Dress Shop Austin

Dress Shop Austin

Picture 5

Perhaps you’ve noticed the elegant fashions in the window next to Annie’s on an evening stroll down Congress Avenue. Perhaps you’ve seen the sign with the simple, but apt, words “Dress Shop.”

Perhaps you haven’t.

But you should.

Dress Shop is, you guessed it, a dress shop selling dresses, jewelry, handbags, and ladies undergarments. It’s located 315 Congress Avenue, right above the Elephant Room, and just south of Annie’s. And the dresses are [Read more...]

Fat Guy Cycling Club – Downtown Austin Bicycle Rides

Fat Guy Cycling Club – Downtown Austin Bicycle Rides

fat-guy-cycling-club

My friend Zeke had a vision.  He had a vision to make workouts fun and accessible to guys who don’t usually work out and who generally don’t really like working out.  He had a vision to blend exercise with exploring.  Zeke (and the other founding members of the group) made his vision into reality with a small (but growing) bike club call “Fat Guy Cycling Club.”  The group does weekly (weather permitting) bike rides around central and downtown Austin, usually followed by a pretty manly lunch.  Downtown Austin Blog loves his concept, and asked him to write a very short blurb on his group….

[Read more...]

Cafe Crepe in Downtown Austin Now One of My Favorite Restaurants / Eateries Ever

Cafe Crepe in Downtown Austin Now One of My Favorite Restaurants / Eateries Ever

The kind lady modeling/presenting in this picture has asked me to let everyone know that she is NOT a drinker, lest this picture be leaked into the wrong hands and the meaning twisted to claim otherwise.

I’m gonna go ahead and file this under ” T ” for “Things I’m Really, Really Pumped About.”

The kind lady modeling/presenting in this picture has asked me to let everyone know that she is NOT a drinker, lest this picture be leaked into the wrong hands and the meaning twisted to claim otherwise.

$4.00/glass, $10/half-liter. Party.

Cafe Crepe: 200 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, TX, 78701-4028, (512) 480-0084

Congrats To Emily – She Had A Boy!

Congrats To Emily – She Had A Boy!

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Hooray for downtown Austin families! While walking on the trail yesterday, we discovered this banner hanging from the Legacy apartments We don’t know Emily, but we couldn’t resist helping her family with the announcement!