AG

2nd Street Holiday Celebration TONIGHT – 6-9 pm

AG | December 3, 2009 |

From the website (under Events):

Come downtown for holiday shopping in the true spirit of the season.

Trunk shows
Special Holiday discounts
Music
Bites and bevs

Plan your night, and shop all six blocks:

Begin your evening as early as 4pm. That’s when Soco Designs begins serving up the fun, including 20 percent off all non-sale rugs purchased off the floor.
Then moved on to gallery d and Finch for 15 percent off storewide, trunk shows by Studio 3 and Stephanie Nance Studio PLUS live music from Austin’s own OHN.
Enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at Minx during the Jodi Arnold trunk show and get 25 percent off all purchases.
Sip & save at Wee with 20 percent off all in-store merchandise, plus wine and snacks.
Don’t miss the Branch jewelry trunk show & cocktail party at Eliza Page.
Celebrate some of our favorite Austin designers at Beyond Tradition. Meet the designers in-store and let them help you select the perfect gift for anyone on you list while you enjoy hors d’oeuvres from III Forks and cocktails by Paula’s Texas Spirits.
From 9 to 11 pm celebrate the opening of “Directions in Light,” a series of contemporary shadow boxes with sculptural interiors lit from within, created by artist Brooke Gassiot at milk + honey Spa.

And if you’re near Blu Cafe, Bar and Lounge catch the Peyton’s Place fashion show at 7 pm. See fabulous new holiday arrivals and give-away gift bags and certificates.

Qua Dance Club Now Admits Toddlers

AG | November 30, 2009 |

Well, at least on the first Saturday of every month from 1pm – 4pm…..

Qua No Longer Just for the Butabi Brothers

I read this article in the Statesman over the holiday weekend, and I must admit, I was a little intrigued. Apparently, a group of parents (The Little Lounge Lizards) have organized a monthly family-friendly dance party at downtown Austin dance club Qua (213 West Fourth) on the first Saturday of every month (skipping January 2010) from 1pm to 4pm.

I tend to applaud the daytime use element, and, although I’m not sure I had daytime clubbing for little ones in mind, the Statesman article makes it appear to be harmless enough and to be something that seems engaging….

Qua is probably best known as the dance club at the center of quite a bit of controversy (since 2007) about the shark “exhibit” that doubles as its dance floor, a controversy that has sparked PETA‘s interest and has also unified many Austinites against the club’s use/treatment of marine life.

Per their website, Qua offers daytime student field-trips to the shark tank, in addition to The Lounge Lizards’ dance parties. It seems like, for whatever reason (the pursuit of profit, most likely), the club is trying to extend its money-making hours and demographic reach by incorporating daytime/family-friendly uses.

The Statesman article says that The Little Lounge Lizards group is negotiating with Qua to extend the monthly parties in 2010, however, negotiations aren’t finalized and the venue may soon change. The next dance party will be December 5th from 1 pm – 4pm.

Source: “Kids – and parents too – can get their disco on”

11 Reasons I'm Thankful to Live in Downtown Austin

AG | November 24, 2009 |

I’m thankful for many things in my life. I have a wonderful family, great friends, and I am in good health. But this blog is about living in Downtown Austin, so I’m not going to bore you with all that mushy stuff; I’m going to talk about Downtown Austin and my top eleven (everybody does top 10, which is soooo Letterman, if you ask me) reasons I’m thankful for living here as opposed to other places.

11. I am thankful for our historic buildings, which give our city character and roots.

10. I am thankful for people watching and the fact that downtown Austin is a place where people want to be.

My Yard Before I Moved Downtown. Just Kidding.

9. I am thankful for the lack of yard work, because I suck at it and I hate it.

8. I am thankful for the feeling of neighborhood and comradery. Downtown Austin has a small town atmosphere, where people know each other. I run into several people I know throughout the course of my day, and it’s always a pick-me-up to share a wave or have a quick chat with a neighbor.

7. I am thankful for cool boutiques, where I can buy things like glow-in-the-dark jellyfish.

6. I am thankful for the availability of unique living spaces with high ceilings and huge windows.

5. I am thankful for relative carless convenience.

4. I am thankful for The Ritz, and being able to order a vodka tonic while doing a Michael Jackson sing-a-long with 10 of my closest girlfriends.

3. I am thankful for Town Lake/Ladybird Lake.

2. I am thankful for a reserved parking spot, which means I don’t have to find (or pay for) parking during South by Southwest.

1. I am thankful for the nearby concentration and variety of services like restaurants, theaters, art galleries, coffee houses, bakeries, neighborhood stores, the library, and art museums. (To search a neighborhood directory click here.)

….

Happy Turkey Day, everybody!

Downtown Austin: These Are the Places to Get Your Flu Shot (AKA – It's official. Google literally knows everything.)

AG | November 11, 2009 |

It’s flu season, which means it’s flu shot season.

I just found out Google has launched a new service that will map out the nearest place to get a flu shot, based on your search criteria. The service includes results for shots for H1N1.

I’ve taken the liberty of doing a search for flu shots near 78701 (downtown Austin). The search pretty much gave me every location with available flu shots in Austin. Click here for a map/list of the results. Or look below to get an idea of how many places nearby are offering the shots:

FYI, per Google, it looks like all the places that carry the H1N1 vaccine are temporarily out of stock….

Fantastical Fun Fun Fun Fest

AG | November 6, 2009 |

In honor of Fun Fun Fun Fest (this weekend at Waterloo Park), I thought I’d write a fun, fun, fun and fantastical story that incorporates some of the band names (with links to their Myspace pages or Website) that will be playing. Because word games are fun, and not at all nerdy.

RATATAT!!! Was the sound made by some group of Night Marchers, and heard loudly in the Crystal Castles of Montreal (which just happens to be less than 7 Seconds from the Moonlight Towers, but an incredible distance from Harlem.) Regarding all this noise, Why? Well, the marchers were a group of The Laughing Young Widows, along with their All Leather wearing Street Dogs (whom, by the way, kept running Russian Circles around the Strange Boys that were passing by) and were on their annual Mission of Burma to find the Shonen Knife and to finally come Face to Face with Lucero (who, in his ever Growing power, would grant them the gifts of the mighty Destroyer.)

The plan that this Youth Brigade had was to Broadcast the Atlas Sound and light the sacred D.R.I Torche in The Underground Railroad to Candyland, where hopefully they would meet Lucero. Then, these Cool Kids would Reign Supreme, yelling “Off With Their Heads” to the deaf yeasayers and the already Dead Confederates who made mayhem in the Coliseum there. Things might get Fucked Up, but they were prepared for The Roller coaster, and did not let the bitter warnings of “This Will Destroy You!” upset their brave Foot Patrol or push their Fuck Buttons.

Danzig, the Neon Indian who was their king, donned ceremonial Crystal Antlers atop his Royal Bangs. He seemed to have No Age – to be in perfect HEALTH. Death could not touch him. His Kid Sister, whom they called Mika Miko, however, was definitely one of the Whitest Kids U’Know (or will ever know – trust me on this). Red Sparowes told of how her whiteness was brighter than Alaska in Winter.

As their journey wore on, the group began to Coalesce like a Melt Banana – their purpose was clear and true. There were the Bankrupt and the Borrowers during these Black and White Years, but one Pack of Wolves would begin the New Movement that had been wished for since the beginning, since the time of Vega. It was time….time to conquer, time to entertain, time to get on with things…it was time to go to FUN FUN FUN FEST!

Enjoy everybody!