Search Results for: car share

11 Reasons I'm Thankful to Live in Downtown Austin

AG | November 24, 2009 |

I’m thankful for many things in my life. I have a wonderful family, great friends, and I am in good health. But this blog is about living in Downtown Austin, so I’m not going to bore you with all that mushy stuff; I’m going to talk about Downtown Austin and my top eleven (everybody does top 10, which is soooo Letterman, if you ask me) reasons I’m thankful for living here as opposed to other places.

11. I am thankful for our historic buildings, which give our city character and roots.

10. I am thankful for people watching and the fact that downtown Austin is a place where people want to be.

My Yard Before I Moved Downtown. Just Kidding.

9. I am thankful for the lack of yard work, because I suck at it and I hate it.

8. I am thankful for the feeling of neighborhood and comradery. Downtown Austin has a small town atmosphere, where people know each other. I run into several people I know throughout the course of my day, and it’s always a pick-me-up to share a wave or have a quick chat with a neighbor.

7. I am thankful for cool boutiques, where I can buy things like glow-in-the-dark jellyfish.

6. I am thankful for the availability of unique living spaces with high ceilings and huge windows.

5. I am thankful for relative carless convenience.

4. I am thankful for The Ritz, and being able to order a vodka tonic while doing a Michael Jackson sing-a-long with 10 of my closest girlfriends.

3. I am thankful for Town Lake/Ladybird Lake.

2. I am thankful for a reserved parking spot, which means I don’t have to find (or pay for) parking during South by Southwest.

1. I am thankful for the nearby concentration and variety of services like restaurants, theaters, art galleries, coffee houses, bakeries, neighborhood stores, the library, and art museums. (To search a neighborhood directory click here.)

….

Happy Turkey Day, everybody!

The State Theatre

Jude Galligan | November 19, 2009 |

Next to the Paramount Theatre on Congress Ave sits another theatre. The State Theatre is managed by a non-profit, Austin Theatre Alliance, which also manages the Paramount. In recent years, you couldn’t be blamed for completely missing the theatre from the street-scape vantage point, though countless photos and postcards highlight the giant “State” neon monument. In 2006 a broken water main ravaged the State Theatre. At the time, its next door neighbor, 721 Congress Ave was under development by Sinclair Black (who was also the designer of the theatre’s renovation in 1994-1995). The two buildings share a basement, and logic dictated that the State Theatre allow 721 Congress to get further along in its development plans.

Cut to November 2009 and 721 Congress Ave is still a shell of a building with little prospect for achieving Sinclair’s vision anytime within the next five years. What will happen with the State Theatre? We don’t know. The State Theatre has not reopened for performances, though its acting school never closed. There’s been no updates published about their renovations or plans going forward. Just as the Ritz Theatre on 6th Street (another mid-century movie house) has been given a new life with its tenant the Alamo Drafthouse, we hope the State Theatre’s best days are yet to come.

Austonian Interior Photos

Jude Galligan | November 3, 2009 |

Downtown Austin Blog was provided with early access to the still-under-construction Austonian in order to snap a few photos of the luxury building’s interior finishes. The unit you are looking at above is the northeastern corner, “D” floor plan, on the 11th floor. This will become a staged model unit within the next few weeks. Beginning at the unit’s front door – made from Italian walnut – the standard finish packages are the highest quality we’ve seen in a downtown Austin residential tower, thus far.

We were impressed with the kitchen features: Scavolini cabinets, white carrera marble counters and back splash, built in Sub Zero refrigerator, Wolf gas-range, Miele coffee maker, Dornbracht fixtures. American walnut floors through out. All units outfitted with solar shades. From the 11th floor you have a clear view of the Capitol.

Link to DAB’s coverage of the Austonian

Keep Downtown Austin Beautiful – Adopt-a-Stop

AG | October 24, 2009 |

Regular readers of the DAB know I primarily ride public transportation, and while I am a proponent of using our bus system to the fullest, I am also aware of some problems with our current system. In my “Carless and Hopeful” post in June, I mention one of my dislikes about riding the bus is the actual bus-stops/shelters. Some bus-stops do not have benches, some benches are not covered, and MOST bus-stops are a little depressing in terms of their look and feel. That’s why when my friend, Alissa Schram, a CapMetro employee, told me about the Adopt-a-Stop program, I got a little pumped.

Here’s the low-down:

Local organizations and business (or individuals) can “adopt” bus-stops and essentially “decorate” them and keep them clean. And it’s only a one-time fee of about $40 (to pay for installation of a sign with your organization’s name). Note that additional decor/etc, will of course cost more. It’s really a simple program and idea, and one that’s been successful in other communities (here is a write-up from a city in Australia that uses the program).

This program is not new (and definitely not unique to Austin), but it’s also not well-known, so I thought I’d share it with our faithful readers. The vision I have is actually one where our Condo Associations adopt their nearby bus-stops, increasing their curb appeal and making these community service stops an extension of their buildings, giving them each a unique feel/vibe, and thereby enhancing the downtown Austin neighborhood and making it a more beautiful and interesting place to live, work, and play. With the vibrant art community that Austin has, I’m surprised that some of these city stops have not been claimed and re-tooled already.

For more information or for answers to any questions not addressed on the Adopt-a-Stop web page, you can contact Alissa Schram directly at Alissa.Schram AT capmetro DOT org.

And here are some pics of some really cool bus stops from all around the world, to maybe give you all some inspiration to get your condo association or company to join up (not that all of these would be a good idea – or even possible – for actual bus stops in Austin, they are just neat):

Historic Brazos Lofts

Jude Galligan | April 30, 2009 |

Historic Austin - Brazos Lofts (orig. Capitol Chevrolet)

The Brazos Lofts embody the definition of downtown loft perhaps more than any other Austin property. From both the inside and outside it feels authentic. Originally constructed in 1925, the Sutton Company completed the downtown Austin conversion in early 1999. Each loft space is separated by a brick wall. Most of the units have original narrow-plank hardwood floors. True to its character, the Brazos Lofts is only three stories (two stories in most of the building) and is home to only 39 condos.

Josh and Marie McJilton are residents at the Brazos Lofts. They’ve decided it’s time to step into more space, and below they share what they love about the building.

“We have lived in our downtown loft for 4 1/2 years and have loved every minute of it. We love our building and our home for many reasons. It has so much character and history. It is truly a one of kind building. The utilitarian past is preserved in the original structure. This combines with the modern design and floor plan to create a feeling of history and the contemporary all at once. The open floor plan creates an awesome sense of space that makes the unit feel much bigger than it’s 1111 sqft.

Outside the walls of the loft, the location of the building is unbeatable. Being one block from the epicenter of downtown Austin, 6th and Congress, puts you within walking distance of everything downtown has to offer. Parking the car on Friday afternoon and not seeing it again until Monday morning is one of our favorite ways to spend the weekend. We love taking walks in our ‘front yard’: the grounds of our beautiful Texas State Capitol building. We ride bikes in our ‘back yard’, the Lake Ladybird Trail and Barton Creek Greenbelt, as often as we can. And, being one block from 6th Street and two blocks from the Warehouse district, we’re never far from a great meal or good time.”

Along the ground level of East 5th Street are a row of spaces that are, in addition to being livable, zoned for light office, gallery, and salon space. Other notable Austinites that have chosen to dwell at the Brazos Lofts include urban planner Cid Galindo and Austin Chronicle writer Marc Savlov. The best barbershop in Austin IMHO, the Good Life Barbershop run by Debbie and Ryan Videtto, is located in the coolest subterranean space in downtown!

-Jude

p.s. More photos can be found here.