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6th Street Historic & Entertainment District

CAMPO and YOU!

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Everybody knows CAMPO as the sexiest metropolitan planning organization.  And, it wants to talk with you… to learn about you… to discover what you want.  What are your hopes?  Dreams?

You’ve been dreaming about $836,000,000 in project applications, but CAMPO only has $132,000,000 of federal and state funds to spend on you.

How to decide!?

You call your best friends, looking to them for support because you can’t have everything.  They help you by completing this survey.  They join you for cocktails when CAMPO hosts a community meeting Sept. 21 at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, from 6:30–8 p.m., to discuss the various projects, and a public hearing Sept. 26 at Joe C. Thompson Center on The University of Texas campus at 6 p.m.

You’re so predictable: you’re attracted to simple projects that you can grow with.

1) Construction of a Sabine Street promenade that will involve the development of sidewalks, bike lanes and pedestrian amenities between Fourth and Seventh streets ($3.4 million).

2) First phase of bike share system ($2.0 million).

**SRSLY, this is important!  Complete the survey and make sure to indicate you wish to support the above two projects, amongst others.

Sunday, 9/11 on Historic E.6th: Cleaning Up in the AM & Movie Watching in the PM. Join us!

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Come on down to Historic East 6th Street, Sunday evening the 11th, and hang with area residents, visitors and business owners as the Alamo Rolling Roadshow pulls into the 500 block of San Jacinto for a fun screening under the stars of the classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Last year, over 800 people showed up!

To prepare for this event as well as the upcoming Old Pecan Street Festival, ACL Fest, and the usual buzz of Fall events in Downtown Austin, 6th Street property and business owners will be out on Sunday morning sprucing up their buildings and the neighborhood.

More info on both events on the 6th Street Austin Blogspot.

See you there!

Forbidden Fruit Says Farewell To E. 6th Street District

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Kinky sigh.

A familiar icon of Austin small business, a lone downtown Austin retailer amidst a sea of E 6th Street bars, is shutting its downtown doors on August 28th.  The ABJ reports that Forbidden Fruit is redirecting its efforts on a better performing store.  From the article, owner Lynn Rairden says:

“We have seen a dramatic shift in customer base away from this location, with more of our patrons shopping at the store at 108 E. North Loop”

So, is North Loop just kinkier than downtown? I doubt that, but Forbidden Fruit is crowd sourcing their next location.

I will be sad to see it go.  I stepped into the store a couple of times in college, and since then I just enjoyed knowing it was there.  Forbidden Fruit’s downtown store was a beacon of hope for Austin small businesses anticipating that 6th Street can rebalance its mix of commercial use to include more retail.

“Welcome” to the Police State of 6ixth

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It’s a warm and breezy Saturday night in Austin on Texas Relays Weekend. We did up a special store window at Wild About Music in Bob Marley + hip hop theme to welcome our 40,000-ish athletes, families and guests to town like every year. Daytime business was great, both Friday and today. But by 6pm things died off to nothingness and never revived by the time we normally close at 9pm. Totally deadsville. Absolutely not the norm for a weekend evening in Spring.  So we hit the street to see wazzup. [Read more…] about “Welcome” to the Police State of 6ixth

DON’T MISS IT!!! Capitol Tree Lighting, Holiday Sing-Along & Congress Ave Stroll: SAT 12/4 @ 6PM

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UPDATE:  This is last year’s post.  This year’s Holiday Stroll is on Saturday the 3rd!

Once again, KUT and the Downtown Austin Alliance will bring you the annual “Holiday Sing-Along and Downtown Stroll.”  It’s now become an annual tradition.  Last year an estimated 8,000 people attended.  This year, with the beautiful weather expected Saturday evening, maybe 10,000 or more?

It’s all happening Saturday, Dec. 4th.  KUT’s John Aielli will be on the south steps of the Capitol building leading Christmas carols beginning at 6PM.  That is immediately followed by the lighting of the Capitol Tree on 11th Street, at the head of lower Congress Ave.

Then everyone takes a leisurely stroll down “The Main Street of Texas”,  Congress Avenue where many businesses will be open late and have decked their halls and display windows in holiday style.  One sidewalk-adjacent travel lane on each side of Congress will be closed to vehicle traffic from 11th to 6th streets to accommodate the crowds.

Along the Avenue you’ll discover loads of wonderful live entertainment in office building courtyards and on street corners.  Refreshments, children’s activities, shopping, a Bicycle Zoo parade and more are also part of the merriment that will go on for a couple of hours.

There will even be a Santa’s Workshop.  And the jolly big fella himself will be found holding court in the lobby of One American Center at 6th and Congress.

As long as you’re in the area, also make a point of taking in a few blocks of Historic East 6th Street too (before the Saturday night revelers show up after 9pm).  East 6th looks lovely this time of year with holiday street decorations its entire length, the majestic Driskill Hotel all dressed out (don’t miss a peek inside), and many local businesses  are  showing their spirit.

What a fine night for a carriage ride around Downtown, too!  The horses usually line up in front of the Driskill.   (That’s a great photo-op, by the way.)

It is also requested that you share the spirit of the holidays by dropping off a jar of peanut butter at the downtown Christmas tree for Caritas to distribute to those in need.

This event is made possible by generous  sponsorships from Whole Earth Provision Company, Goodwill Industries, The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum , Ballet Austin, InStep, Louis Shanks Home Furnishings.

(Compiled from information from the Downtown Austin Alliance and KUT.  Capitol and caroler photos courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.  Driskill lobby photo in HDR courtesy of Trey Ratcliff, www.stuckincustoms.com)