life

Downtown Austin's Entertainment District: Observations part 2 of 3

Jude Galligan | November 23, 2008 |

Yesterday, I posted about the revitalization study underway for Downtown Austin’s Entertainment District. Below are my observations from our night time tour.

Night time tour
Friday, November 20th, midnight – 3am.
The focus is on the entertainment district as a whole – not just Sixth Street. Five of us rendezvoused at the Driskill hotel at midnight and we were on our way. Our mission was not to drink. We were there to observe. We were directed to walk the alleys, the side streets, and take notes on anything we found to be interesting. In general, I never once felt uneasy or threatened. Most people were out having a great time. Good or bad. For better or for worse. Below is what I observed.

People still wait in lines? I’m getting old!
Sixth Street, east of Neches was desolate. Minimal activity and seemingly an area which only exists to get from Red River or I-35 to the “good” clubs west of Neches.
Police congregate on Trinity and Sixth. Couldn’t they spread out?
Most people looked to be less than 25 years old.
Concessionaires are doing good business (best wurst had a fifty foot line!)
Hoek’s Pizza is blasting music louder than some clubs.
I see and hear more iPod DJs, than I do live bands
There are crews of guys full of alcohol and testosterone that could easily be instigated into a fight.
I see one fight in front of the Texas Lottery Commission.
We stopped and talked with homeless people outside of the ARCH. Some were under the influence of something, but generally not hostile. If anything, they were very chatty and candid about their problems, and the problems surrounding the ARCH. Below are some of the more interesting things we were told.
- Drug dealers arrive from other parts of town to sell to the mentally ill and homeless
- The southeast corner of 7th and Trinity (Caritas) is a big drug corner
- Crack house at 8th and Neches (pic)
- Crack house on Neches btw 8th and 9th (pic)
Why on earth did they place the ARCH across from a major liquor store and a block from Austin’s biggest weekend party?
Red River, IMHO, is keeping the “live music capital” brand alive.
The owners of Koriente maintain a beautiful small garden at the southeast corner of 7th and Sabine. They should be acknowledged for giving to our community.
None of the lights on Waller Creek were turned on. Who’s in charge of this?

Next, I’ll share my observations from our day time tour
-Jude

downtown austin entertainment district still has room for improvement – part 1 of 3

Jude Galligan | November 22, 2008 |

On Friday and Saturday I participated in a tour of 6th street. This wasn’t a bar hop. This was to observe. I’ve joined the ‘Community’ group for the Responsible Hospitality Institute’s (RHI)- ‘Austin Hospitality Zone Assessment for Sixth Street’. This effort is the result of 6ixth Street Austin and the DAA teaming up to develop a revitalization plan for Sixth Street. Our first mission is to tour the entertainment district and simply observe.

The convention center is located east of Congress. Several residential high-rises are located east of Congress. Have you noticed that all of Downtown Austin’s big hotels are located east of Congress! Sixth Street is the anchor. What do you imagine is the experience of visitors to Austin when they visit Sixth Street?

Sixth Street should be Austin’s historical and cultural hub. Landmarked buildings should be required to meet minimum aesthetic standards. Instead, as it is today, Sixth Street is in disrepair and needs to be cleaned up. This is the movement to do just that. There is opportunity to provide a better mix of services and overall experience for hotels guests, the convention center, and all of the residential buildings east of Congress. I’m not alone in this opinion as hotel operators, Sixth Street proprietors, city council members, city staff, police, and many outspoken residents were in attendance at the initial RHI meeting on November 4th.

Still to come, my [not under the influence] observations of Sixth Street.

Progress Coffee keeps it real – Thursday Nov. 20th

Jude Galligan | November 19, 2008 |

Joshua Bingaman is an entrepreneur who really, truly, understands how to create a culture around his business. Click above image for more details. Quoting directly…

“So on Thursday, November 20th, everything we brew, bake, heat or fix at Progress will be FREE. Gratis. Complimentary (with our compliments, of course).
…
“In return, all I ask is that you consider contributing whatever you can to Bread for the World and/or Capital Area Food Bank. Any amount (or no amount) is fine, whatever you’re comfortable with a penny, a buck, a hundred bucks- cash, credit, check or change Progress will take it and donate it all. And if you can’t or just don’t want to contribute, no worries—it’s certainly not a requirement (and nobody will look at you funny).”

[Progress Coffee]

The Official Bird of Downtown Austin

Jude Galligan | November 13, 2008 |

On the morning of January 8th, 2007 something strange happened on Congress Ave. Birds fell out of the sky. Literally. I remember hearing this news and thinking to myself “is this how it’s going to end?” According to Texas A&M these birds fell victim to parasites and a sudden drop in temperature.

The good news is the world did not end. The bad news is that mother nature only claimed a handful of these birds – Grackles. They’re loud, aggressive, and poo everywhere. If you’ve ever been to Whole Foods and decided to enjoy your meal al fresco, a Grackle likely pulled up a chair at your table, looked you dead in the eye, and told you who’s in charge without every saying another word but ‘caw caw’.

I live on the 4th floor of my condo, so my windows meet the tree tops. It’s a stunning view, really. To be downtown with a verdant view is a luxury. Until, this past September when the Grackles took over my tree tops. They must number in the thousands with a communal biological clock which you could set your watch to. These birds became my alarm clock… at 5:30am. My business is real estate and I have no good reason to be up at 5:30. I decided to take action.

At a recent DANA board meeting I learned that Grackles don’t like lasers. Apparently, if you shine a laser light into the tree tops it irritates them so much that the Grackles move elsewhere. The University of Texas used to have a problem with grackles. Their solution was to fire shotgun blanks. It worked, but I don’t think my neighbors would think well of me it I took that route. Light seemed like a harmless way to deal with the problem. I don’t have any lasers, and I’m not sure where to get them, but I do have a powerful Mag-Lite.

I placed the Mag-Lite next to my bed and, like clockwork, at 5:30am thousands of birds erupted in cacophony of noise. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my Mag-Lite and proceeded to illuminate the trees, shaking and directing the light beam over several tree tops next to my building and across the street. (This must have looked very strange to those heading to work in the morning.) It didn’t take more than a second for thousands of birds to migrate to another spot a few blocks away. I did this for two weeks and the Grackles are gone and no longer wake me up at 5:30. Instead, they’ve gone to the other side of my building. So, neighbors if you are reading this, get your self a Mag-Lite and get back to bed.

There is a lively discussion about Grackles on yelp