downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog
According to Downtown Austin Blog friend Yola of the UT Urban Development Society:
“I also wanted to give you a heads up on the Tea Embassy (located at 9th and Rio Grande). If you didn’t already know, they are giving away free chocolate and tea samples on Friday and Saturday from 10AM-6PM. It sounds like a good afternoon Valentine’s Day plan that others might find interesting.”
Thanks, Yola!
Mortgage financing.
Getting a mortgage in this economic environment can be tricky. These guys have proven, in deal after deal, to be the most effective and knowledgeable mortgage guys for financing downtown Austin condos.
1) Brandon Sparks with Barton Creek Lending at 794-4569.
2) Devlin McNamara with Bank of America at 431-1293.
Please RSVP
Thursday, February 12, 2009
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Blu @ 360 Nueces Street. (map)
Please join us at Blu Cafe, Bar and Lounge for this month’s Urban Core Happy Hour on Thursday, February 12th at 6:30 PM. Blu is located at the 360 Condominiums. Sponsoring this month’s event will be 360 Condominiums, where life surrounds you.
Avoid parking hassles and consider planning your trip using Cap Metro’s trip planner.
NOW JOIN DANA!
Loft Decor consolidates its retail at the Domain (link)
W-Hotel goes after back up financing (link)
CapMetro working to quiet railroad crossings on it’s 32 mile commuter rail (link)
Urban Transportation Commission Adopts Recommendations for Downtown Austin Plan (link)
Governor’s mansion is one of Texas’s most endangered historic places (link)
I spend most of my time downtown and take for granted that not everyone knows where everything is. It’s helpful to have a bird’s-eye-view of Downtown Austin’s condos, apartments, and small businesses. I’ve mashed up the data I collected when counting the number of dwellings in Downtown Austin with the street address of every condo and apartment counted. You’ll find many of the less well known apartments included. A handful of local businesses that I regularly visit are included, too.
This map will be perpetually evolving. Let me know if I’ve missed something, or if you have something you’d like me to add.
-Jude
In this video, James Howard Kunstler tells you why suburbia hasn’t been delivering on what it’s been promising: a respite from the industrial city.
The automobile created the opportunity to own a “country” house. As more people purchased cars, more people also wanted to purchase homes outside the city. What happened is the modern suburban experience became a cartoon of the original desire to have a “country” house outside of the city.
Kunstler advocates sustainability through living locally. Love this guy’s passionate delivery.
NSFW for language
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ZeXnmDZMQ]
According to his TED conference bio:
“James Howard Kunstler may be the world’s most outspoken critic of suburban sprawl. He believes the end of the fossil fuels era will soon force a return to smaller-scale, agrarian communities — and an overhaul of the most destructive features of postwar society.”
KXAN
MyFoxAustin
KVUE
Statesman
Blind Pig looks to have paid the biggest toll in this fire.
While there didn’t appear to be much damage to the exterior of Vice, it was clear the fire department had been inside.
We heard the alarms over night, and just woke up to the news of two 3-alarm fires on the 300 block of Sixth Street. Apparently, the fire was centered at VICE on the North side and Blind Pig on the South side. Investigators are uncertain if they are related, (though it would seem unlikely to me that they weren’t). Sixth Street is blocked off from Red River to San Jacinto. The extent of the damage is still uncertain. Photos and details to come.
**Downtown Austin Blog has been given special access to the amazing PBS Downtown TV series. Thanks, DAA!**
One of my favorite clips from the Downtown TV program is the story about Downtown Austin bike messengers. Though I never got into the whole narrow handle-barred-10-speed-sans-brakes thing, I did grow up riding Haros and trying to do tailwhips.
These guys know Downtown Austin like most people never will. They know where everything is and understand the hidden paths to get there. Oh, according to the video, don’t ride your bike past Little City cafe and not expect to be judged by the messengers waiting on their next call.
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I was having coffee earlier this morning and chatting with someone about how most people in the world purchase their food on a daily or weekly basis. In New York it’s routine to drop in to D’Agostinos and pick up a few things for the next day or so. Then, with synchronicity, a few minutes ago I receieved a note from DANA’s Roger Cauvin telling me that at Royal Blue Grocery you can open a “tab”! That’s cool.
“Did you know that you can open a “tab” with Royal Blue? When you sign up, they take your credit card info and enter you in their computer. Then, whenever you buy items at the store, they simply put it on your tab. At the end of each month, they automatically charge your credit card and send you a statement. There is no fee for the service.
One of the benefits of having a dense downtown is that it makes conveniences such as this one viable, due to the sheer number of residents within walking distance of retail shops.” – Roger Cauvin
The phenomenon of the supermarket was an American invention that paralleled the exodus from cities into suburbs. Well, as people move back to the city to become more connected, it’s nice to see an Austin entrepreneur, George Scariano, meet the demand for more neighborhood friendly businesses that are walkable and accessible on a daily basis. Also, see Waltons Fancy & Staple and Emerald City
Royal Blue is located @ 3rd & Lavaca. Their second location, at the ground level of 360 condos, is expected to open next week.
