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Archives for 2012

Coming Soon: The Changing Face Of The Railyard District

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Let it be known as the Railyard District, that part of downtown Austin, south of 5th Street and sandwiched between Congress Ave and the Austin Convention Center.  You could straddle the convention center and include the area east, around Moonshine, too.

It’s an interesting mix of conventioneers and locals, both feeding on chicken and waffles at Max’s Wine Dive.

For decades, the district has been anchored by the Railyard condos, and recently flanked by the Four Seasons.  Soon, these will not be the only full time residences.

In the past couple of years we’ve seen improvements and new businesses open in the neighborhood, including AF1 Racing, Vince Young Steakhouse, Hank’s Garage (which is gone), and Skinny’s Ballroom.

Walking around a post-SXSW absent is the hyper-pedestrianism of the past 10 days, and I observe a “coming soon” sign.  I see more as I keep walking.  In one lap around the Railyard district, I counted nine businesses or projects “coming soon”!

Nine!

What’s COMING SOON to the Railyard District?   [Read more…] about Coming Soon: The Changing Face Of The Railyard District

How cool it is to live downtown?

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This picture captures so much of the vibrancy of our growing downtown. The photographer, friend David Gottlieb, has one of the best vantage points in the city: Spring condos.

The influx of people for SXSW – traffic be damned – reminds me of what a 24/7 vibrant city looks and feels like.  And, we’re getting there.  Checkout an even cooler picture…

[Read more…] about How cool it is to live downtown?

Street Patio Experiment: Congress Ave @ Royal Blue Grocery

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I love this idea for downtown Austin.  Convert two duck-in parking spaces in front of Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Ave, in order to improve the pedestrian experience and create a retail destination.

“Street patios” have been implemented before in other cities, successfully, under the badge of “parklet” or “pop-up” cafe.

Upon approval by Council, later this month, the initiative would be a partnership between the City of Austin and Royal Blue Grocery, with design coming from Studio DWG and civil engineering firm Big Red Dog.

The street patio in front of Royal Blue Grocery is just a trial run.  If successful we could see more street patios in other parts of downtown.  The results should provide more space for pedestrians and a cafe sitting area, similar to Jos on 2nd Street.  WIN!

More pics after the jump.   [Read more…] about Street Patio Experiment: Congress Ave @ Royal Blue Grocery

Javelina Bar: MENU, Pictures, Short Review, and a Call for Action

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Another bar, ahem – excuse me – I mean to say a real restaurant (golly gee!) has finally opened in the Rainey District of Downtown Austin.  Yes – reader – you may be sensing sarcasm.  That’s because even though, yes, Javelina Bar has a kitchen and a menu – making them technically a restaurant – and even though the owners are touting that they are different than the other bars in the district because they have said kitchen – there’s no mistaking that this place totally feels more like a bar than a restaurant – I mean, it even has the word “Bar” in its name.

But – I will say, I think it’s a step in the right direction. A nice, large step in the right direction.

I visited the brand new establishment yesterday, had a couple of brews and a fairly delish veggie burger (they put queso on it, too!).  Nice, clean, pseudo-rustic environment. Understandably, they were working out some kinks, but I will say, the food was alright and the service was super friendly (shout-out to bartender / server Amanda!).

So, here’s the menu – in all of its glory:   [Read more…] about Javelina Bar: MENU, Pictures, Short Review, and a Call for Action