Downtown Austin Blog

downtown Austin's real estate and neighborhood blog

5 Reasons You Should Sign Up For Jude’s Quarterly Report

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Just posted my review of downtown Austin residential real estate for the first quarter of 2010. This report is only available to registered DAB readers. Why should you bother?

1) You want accurate and timely information on the market
2) You live, work, or care about downtown Austin
3) You are interested in selling or buying a downtown condo
4) You want access to information (like this report) not available anywhere else
5) There’s no commitment, if you don’t like it then unsubscribe with one click

Sign up in the DAB member area, where in addition to the report, you will have access to sales data in real time. As always, we appreciate your input as to how to improve DAB. Check it out!

-Jude

For Sale: 360 Condos Penthouse

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360 Condos' spire and penthouse at dusk

We love penthouses.  There is only one top floor in any building, and this space is currently the highest occupied residence in Austin, Texas.  Located on the 43rd floor, this two-story unit includes a private rooftop terrace.  2,022 ft, 2bd/2ba, and dramatic views by the truck load.  Owned by Taylor Andrews, who along with Novare, developed the 360 condos.  Link to photos and listing.

Before you jump to more information below, did you see that you can now search for downtown Austin lofts and condos on DAB?  You can always click the link in the top right corner labeled “Property Search“.

[Read more…] about For Sale: 360 Condos Penthouse

Art House Movie Theater Coming To 2nd Street District.

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The Violet Crown art house theater is under construction, opening in December

At the west end of the 2nd Street District, directly above the soon-to-open How Do You Roll sushi restaurant, will soon be downtown Austin’s latest cinema – The Violet Crown. We reported back in January that 2nd Street District was getting a new movie theater. The Statesman’s Chris Garcia gets the latest info on The Violet Crown. Scheduled to have four screens, with bar/lounge, and opening in December.

The construction will actually expand the mezzanine level by a couple of feet over the sidewalk.

The Violet Crown should make a great addition to the district. At first glance it would appear they are taking on the Alamo Drafthouse head on. However, the Violet Crown might take on a more refined lounge-like experience, trading high ball glasses for buckets of beer.

The removal of the W Hotel’s street barricades this summer will unclog the pedestrian experience in the 2nd Street District, but will be especially welcome to the 400 block that includes BoConcept and La Condessa.

W Hotel Residences Sneak Peek

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from the vantage point of the pool deck

Members of the DANA were provided with a backstage pass to downtown Austin’s W Hotel Residences. We’ve always admired the sleek monolithic design of the building, and even through the construction dust you can envision the interior will make a similar impact.

DANA members on the 37th floor of W Hotel Residences

The contractor is expected to hand the keys over to the hotel portion in September/October. The doors won’t be open, but that should be the time when the hotel can begin to furnish everything. The Austin City Limits venue and residential condos will be ready in Q1 of 2011.

The most significant milestone will be the removal of the street barriers mid-summer! This is great news for any resident or retailer in the 2nd Street District.

Flickr Slideshow

mezzanine level seating for the Austin City Limits venue

Copa on Congress – Downtown Austin Restaurant and Dance Club

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Copa - 217 Congress Street, 78701

Part-time Salsa dance club, part-time tex-mex dining establishment, Copa (@ 217 Congress Avenue) moves to the beat of many a drummer.  Since my dancing skills are reminiscent of Elaine Benes at a company party (“like a fully body dry heave set to music”), I chose to visit Copa at lunch, lest I be tempted by Salsa rhythms, thereby making the other patrons lose their collective appetite.

And it was pretty decent, if I do say so myself.   I walked in to a warm, cozy environment where brick walls and arches dominate the scene. There’s three areas downstairs: the front area which seems dedicated to dining, the middle bar area, and a third, large and mirrored room with a small stage that’s dedicated to dancing. There’s also an upstairs and a small patio (of which I did not get any pictures – sorry)  Here are some photos:

The architecture is well-done in my opinion, but I’m a sucker for free chips and salsa, and Copa “brings the pain” so to speak, in that department.  My waitress was prompt with hot tortilla chips and mild salsa, and the refills didn’t stop throughout the meal. Yum!  And, my meal was easy to choose because the menu is only a one-pager of reasonably priced food.  I ended up ordering the fish tacos, which my server, Joanna, explained was her favorite item on the menu. At $8.95, they were a pretty good deal – deliciously seasoned and generously portioned:


As I mentioned, Copa also hosts Salsa lessons.  Not having taken lessons there, I can’t speak to the quality of them, but the reviews of the lessons from other folks are generally pretty good, though there seems to be a widespread disdain regarding the fact that they do charge a cover for these lessons.

If any of our readers have been, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!

Overall, I’d recommend giving Copa a try (at least for lunch or dinner)!

217 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 479-5002
http://www.rania.us/copabarandgrill/index.html
www.copabarandgrill.com