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

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Downtown Austin Entertainment District Still Has Room For Improvement – Part 1 of 3
Night time observations on the Entertainment District: Part 2 of 3

The effort to revitalize the Entertainment District is about recognizing problems and offering solutions.  It is about a higher and better use of Austin’s historic landmarks.  It’s about preventing decay.  It’s about offering an array of services to the people who use the Entertainment District everyday.  Adding more day time services is not a slippery slope to J Crews and Baby Gaps!  This is about making the Entertainment District safe for everyone.  This is about visitors leaving Austin with a more positive experience.

Flickr slideshow of day time photos

one of Austins historic landmarked buildings with a plywood sign (???)
one of Austin's landmarked buildings adorned with a plywood sign (???)

Day time tour
Saturday, November 22nd (11am-1pm)

  1. Where is everybody?
  2. Narrow sidewalks, empty parking
  3. “No, I don’t have a cigarette you can bum”
  4. “No, I’m not giving you change”
  5. A sandwich on the sidewalk
  6. Broken glass
  7. An empty Austin Visitors Bureau with a broken neon sign
  8. Landmarked buildings that look abused and neglected
  9. “Couldn’t they at least paint those doors?”
  10. Landmark plaques next to broken windows
  11. An ATM that someone had tried to rob
  12. Jail-style bars on doors and windows
  13. Awnings torn, tattered, and covered in dirt
  14. Too much chain link fence
  15. ATMs are everywhere
  16. A pay phone booth without a pay phone
  17. Waller Creek is shamefully littered
  18. There is 17,000 square feet of unused retail space at 5th & Sabine.

Towards the end of Saturday’s day time tour, Marshall Jones (President of DANA) and I were standing on the northeast corner of 6th and Brazos sharing observations.  We see a guy across the street.  He’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt, picking up litter on the street, and putting it in the trash.  Turns out this was John Erwin, owner of B.D. Rileys Pub.  John had no idea that Marshall and I were watching him do this.  We caught up with him and chatted for a few minutes.  What I like about John, and people like John, is that he is proactive and doing right by our community.  Kudos, John!

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

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typical weekend on sixth street
typical weekend on sixth street

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.

  1. People still wait in lines? I’m getting old!
  2. 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.
  3. Police congregate on Trinity and Sixth.  Couldn’t they spread out?
  4. Most people looked to be less than 25 years old.
  5. Concessionaires are doing good business (best wurst had a fifty foot line!)
  6. Hoek’s Pizza is blasting music louder than some clubs.
  7. I see and hear more iPod DJs, than I do live bands
  8. There are crews of guys full of alcohol and testosterone that could easily be instigated into a fight.
  9. I see one fight in front of the Texas Lottery Commission.
  10. 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)
  11. Why on earth did they place the ARCH across from a major liquor store and a block from Austin’s biggest weekend party?
  12. Red River, IMHO, is keeping the “live music capital” brand alive.
  13. 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.
  14. 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 By The Numbers: How many dwellings?

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What’s the magic number?

This is the first in a series of three articles aimed at uncovering the number of residences in Downtown Austin.  So, how many dwellings are there?  This seems like a simple question, doesn’t it?  I’ve never been able to get a satisfying answer – one that doesn’t try to determine the number of residents using a multiplier, is not rounded up or down, and that clearly indicates what is currently being lived in or is ready for occupancy (not under construction).

You may ask, “why don’t you just search Google?”  Well, I did.  I searched Google for “how many dwellings are in Downtown Austin”.   I used other iterations and synonyms of those search terms and could not find a satisfying answer.  Much of the data available is old and/or disparate.  The last U.S. Census was in 2000.  The next is in 2010.  Because I am your loyal Downtown Austin Realtor (plug!), I am uniquely suited to discover and share with you my count, building by building, of the number of Downtown Austin condos and apartments.

The official Downtown Austin Blog count of Downtown Austin dwellings after the jump.

[Read more…] about Downtown Austin By The Numbers: How many dwellings?

The Official Bird of Downtown Austin

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The Official Bird of Downtown Austin
Grackle: The Official Bird of Downtown Austin

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’.

Big Bird After 6th Street
Big Bird After 6th Street

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