around town

First Look: The Bowie Apartments in Downtown Austin

AG | October 29, 2014 |

The heavy lifting at The Bowie Apartments is nearing completion, and we were able to get a sneak peak tour to look at some of the units.

Previously named 3Eleven, a reference to the street address of 311 Bowie, The Bowie Apartments are attempting to raise the bar beyond the previous luxury apartment towers, The Ashton and The Whitley.

What we saw was an exceptional building, with pricing to match: studios starting at around $1550/mo, 1 Beds around $2k/mo. Two bedrooms begin around $3300, and large three bedrooms plans begin at [gulp] $9100 per month.

upgraded doors

keyless entry

wine racks standard

The Bowie offers 34 different floor plans. Whole Foods Corporate will have offices on their 8th and 9th floors (which, we are told will have a separate entrance).The Bowie’s interior features & amenities include:

Floor to ceiling windows,
hardwood floors
solar window shades
Gas Ranges (we don’t know of a downtown competing class apartment with this offering)
Full-size, front-load Washers and Dryers
2 outdoor common area decks (w/fire pits, grilling areas, etc)
Rooftop Pool
Catering Kitchen / Clubroom / Conference Room
Concierge Service
Bicycle Storage

The Bowie Apartments will have a heated swimming pool atop their 37th floor, boasting the “the highest pool in Texas!” We can’t confirm this, but it seems plausible.

What’s really going to set this apartment high-rise apart from others is its prime location: across the street from Whole Foods. At least until Seaholm is completed, to truly have walkable lifestyle in downtown, there will be a premium for close proximity to Whole Foods.

Competition-wise, The Bowie is likely to go head-to-head with the Ashton, Whitley, the neighboring Monarch, and individual for-lease units at the Spring Condos. Price wise The Bowie will also be competing with condos for rent at the Four Seasons and W Hotel.

The ground floor of the building will host a restaurant. We are told that there are several inquiries into the space, but no contracts have been signed to occupy the space.

Move ins begin December 15. If you’re looking to get some info on how The Bowie stacks up to other downtown rentals – just contact us and we can walk you through the details.

-A

Some Downtown Austin Events – Family Friendly

AG | October 22, 2014 |

Three family-friendly downtown Austin events happening next week, in no particular order….

Event 1

Trick or Treating with DANA at The Shore Condos, Thursday, 10/30/2014 – 5:30-7pm

Pretty self-explanatory. This event is restricted to downtown residents and their children (or grand-children, etc) and should be absolute cute overload. RSVP required. Click link above for details and RSVP. Here are some pics from last year’s event:

Event 2

DANA Garden Day, Near Pfluger Bridge, Saturday, 11/1/2014 – 9am

Calling all city dwellers! You may no longer have a garden to tend, but come get your hands dirty and meet your neighbors as we beautify part of the hike and bike trail near the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. DANA adopted a garden on Lady Bird Lake (Cesar Chavez side of Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge). It’s a busy spot on the trail and will be enjoyed by all that pass by.

If you are interested in volunteering, please just email DANA at info@downtownaustin.org so they can send you additional information if necessary.

DANA Garden Day
Saturday, November 1, 2014, 9am-12noon
About 999 W Cesar Chavez
map transit

Event 3

Movies in the Park in Wooldridge Square – Beetlejuice, 10/29/2014 @ 7pm

The 2014 Fall Movies in the Park series continues on Wednesday, October 29 with Beetlejuice at 7:00 p.m. This week is sponsored by the Downtown Austin Alliance and will change things up by moving to Wooldridge Square.

Movies in the Park is a series of free films brought to you by the Austin Parks Foundation, and presented by the Alamo Drafthouse. The 2014 Movies in the Park theme celebrates the Alamo 100 – a list of 100 movies deemed essential by our beloved Alamo Drafthouse. The last movie of the season will be The Dark Night on November 13 at 6:15 p.m. in Republic Square.

Dogs, picnics, and lawn chairs are welcome. Alcoholic beverages, glass, and styrofoam are not permitted in the park. Recycling bins are provided, but we ask that you help us out by packing out all of your own trash. Smoking is also prohibited in the park, per city law. In case of rain, please visit http://austinparks.org/moviesinthepark.html for updates.

To pour, or not to pour… concrete… at 3am.

AG | October 20, 2014 |

11/7/2014: Yesterday, City Council postponed this item to 11/20/2014 with direction for it to be heard at the Downtown Commission meeting on 11/19/2014.

10/30/2014: There’s a substitute proposed amendmen t on the draft City Council agenda (currently item #34, as of this update) for 11/6/2014. This proposed amendment unanimously passed first reading. It still proposes an expansion of the area where overnight concrete pours would be allowed, and is also proposing, among other things, to have any and all off-peak concrete pouring in the CBD and expanded areas to end at 2am, in most situations.

10/21/2014: We’ve just been told that, due to stakeholder feedback, the consideration of this proposed amendment has been indefinitely postponed.

At this moment it is difficult to name a residential tower in downtown Austin that is not within earshot of construction. This is one of those topics that reflects the challenges of managing economic growth.

The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) just posted about item #18 on City Council’s draft agenda for October 23rd.

The agenda item in question is in regards expanding the areas allowed for concrete pouring from just the CBD to include the Density Bonus Area (see image below), DMU areas (which would include Seaholm), and the (P) Zoning Districts.

Here’s a map (click on it to enlarge):

The amendment also adds what some would call “weak” language regarding noticing requirements.

The proposed amendment has revealed a bit of a fury from downtown residents – many of whom want the night-time pouring stopped altogether (we’ve been told by several sources that no other major city in Texas allows for concrete pours after 8pm).

Then there are residents who want construction to be completed as soon as possible, thus are encouraging the night-time pours. Some folks on this side of the issue note that ROI is impacted when construction timelines are longer, which could impact things like affordability and the ability to even build some dense developments. They also cite that day-time traffic would be even further gridlocked if some concrete pours aren’t allowed in the late evenings.

Notably, residents of the Spring Condos and 360 Condos are within proximity of Seaholm’s construction, and will be immediately affected if this amendment passes, and residents of Plaza Lofts (with the newly started construction of Hotel ZaZa) has previously expressed concerns about night-time pours in general.

We see both sides of the issue, (personally, I see the benefits of getting construction over with) and believe that downtown should continue to push for vertical growth. Of course, I’ve been woken up by early morning concrete pours. It’s just something we accept as part of growth, but we are watching closely to see how the chips fall at the October 23.

-A

Eyebrow Threading in Downtown Austin

AG | September 18, 2014 |

Warning: This post is VERY girly! If you aren’t into finding convenient beauty solutions in downtown Austin – stop reading now!

But if you are, let’s get REAL girly together, starting now:

pink-girlie — Squeee!!! Fluffy pink unicorns and rainbows and bubbles!

I am a pale, pale lady. And along with my fair skin comes quite a bit of sensitivity. So, I’m not real big on getting my eyebrows waxed, which seems to be the common way most of my other lady friends keep their eyebrows looking spectacular.

So, for a long time, I just managed my eyebrows myself, which – you know – is not fun. And then, in the early 2000’s, I was living in Atlanta and I found a GLORIOUS alternative to waxing or tweezing [Read more…] about Eyebrow Threading in Downtown Austin

Where to Watch the World Cup – Downtown Austin Sports Bars

AG | June 25, 2014 |

I’m not real into soccer. Matter of fact, first soccer game I ever watched was Sunday’s World Cup Match between the USA and Portugal. What an exciting game, though! I literally stood up and cheered when the US made that second goal, and then I moaned and beseeched the soccer gods when Portugal scored to tie.

It was enough to get me excited about the upcoming match against zee Germans, happening this Thursday at 11am (tomorrow!). But, where to watch this epic game in downtown Austin? I have a couple of suggestions.

1. Liberty Tavern, in the Hilton Downtown: 500 E 4th

Liberty-Tavern-Bar — photo by Diana Nogueira

Remodeled in 2012, with 11 big screens, and an airy and spacious atmosphere. Great local beers, and ample breakfast / lunch food. Extremely convenient for those living in the 5 Fifty-Five Condos or Sabine Condos in downtown Austin.

For the World Cup, they’ve also added a 16’x9′ Jumbo HD screen!

liberty-tavern-big-screen — photo by Diana Nogueira

And drink specials galore, including $2 Lonestars!

2. Takoba (downtown adjacent), 1411 E. 7th

Secondary Entrance – where the big screen is!

112″ indoor projector screen
75″ TV outside
covered outdoor seating / misters
$15 buckets a beer

Need I say more?

3. The Mohawk, 912 Red River

The Mohawk has multiple screens, including an indoor screen with surround sound, along with beers and bubbles, and noshes by Frank. Nice dark and cool atmosphere for the big screen area, too!

Don’t like any of my suggestions? Check out a more comprehensive list from Austin Culture Map, which includes my top three, plus other downtown venues like Russian House, Holy Mountain, Fado, and Bar 96, plus places in other parts of the city.