Author Archives: janis

Waller Creek Boathouse

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The Waller Creek Boathouse recently opened at the end of Trinity Street, just east of the Congress Avenue Bridge. This new two-story facility on Lady Bird Lake is part of an overall Waller Creek redevelopment plan extending south from Waterloo Park down to the lake. The shorefront land has been re-landscaped and new docks have been installed.

The boathouse is owned by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and managed by the non-profit Austin Rowing Club. ARC offers amateur and competitive rowing for juniors and adults and hosts several regattas including the upcoming Head of the Colorado (October 27, 2012) and Heart of Texas Regatta (March 2-3, 2013).

A friendly ARC member showed me around the upstairs floor, which has a reception desk, offices, and a large room for indoor ergometer rowing classes. She said that soon a small cafe will be installed and the back overhang will be extended to fully shade the upstairs deck. 

Sculls and equipment are stored downstairs. One bay houses Congress Avenue Kayaks, which has kayaks for rent and offers “Learn at Eleven” classes every morning for beginning kayakers. Future plans include bike and stand-up paddle rentals.

Batfest: 2012

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Last evening thousands of Austines turned out for Batfest, celebrating the colony of  Mexican free-tailed bats that live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Even though Adam West did not attend this year’s event, there was still plenty of live music, unhealthy food, bat paraphernalia, and bat watching stretched across the bridge.

Bill and I can now confirm with certainty that…
…more people come to Batfest when temperatures are under 100 degrees.
…there may be different models of Batmobiles but all are black.
…bat rings can peacefully coexist with other animals.
…the bat tatoos were of the temporary wash-off type.
…cool bat-inspired costumes don’t have to involve capes. 

Random Acts of Bubbles

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Bill and I were ready for Saturday morning’s flash mob, cleverly named Random Acts of Bubbles. On the previous evening, we even made a special trip to CVS to purchase  containers of Miracle Bubbles.
Bubble Blowing commenced at 11:15 AM on the Congress Avenue Bridge. We were instructed to not interrupt oncoming traffic, so everyone obediently faced the lake. But the  wind was blowing toward us so we all gave up and turned around to face the roadway. Drivers will slow down when they see a hundred Bubble Blowers on a bridge.
Most flash mobbers were Bubble Blowing Machines but Bill and I struggled with our Less Than Miracle Bubbles. Next time we’re investing in a more-efficient Big Bubble Wand.
In true flash-mob fashion, the crowd scattered after ten minutes.

And so ended Random Acts of Bubbles. 

Trailer Food Tuesdays

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Ten trucks and trailers lined up on the Long Center terrace for the first Trailer Food Tuesday this week. Cuisines ranged from hot dogs to tacos to ice cream sandwiches. Some are well-known here: for example, Hey Cupcake! with their distinctive pink cupcakes on the roof has several trucks parked around Austin. But others like Evil Weiner (hotdogs) or Be More Pacific (Filipino) were not familiar to us. 

Bill and I decided on the lobster rolls from Dock & Roll Diner. The lobster/coleslaw combination was tasty but it seemed out-of-place to be eating lobster rolls in 100-degree heat in the center of Texas. We decided against getting ice cream sandwiches from Cool Haus because we didn’t want to deal with a melted gooey mess.

In spite of the heat, this initial Trailer Food Tuesday had a decent turnout. Most vendors offered limited menus which helped to keep the lines shorter. Tables and chairs were set up in the shade of the building but some people spread out their own blankets on the grass. 
Trailer Food Tuesdays are planned for the last Tuesday of every month through the end of the year. It’s not clear whether the same trucks will be at the Long Center each time. We’re hoping that different vendors will be invited to participate in the coming months so we can sample other menus…although we wouldn’t complain if that ice-cream sandwich truck came back again in a month or two.

The Pathway

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A new pathway recently opened near our apartment, connecting the Congress Avenue Bridge with the Hike-and-Bike Trail that circles Lady Bird Lake. 
Over the last several months, Bill and I have watched as workers dug out the hillside, set up molds, poured concrete, built impressive stone walls, installed fences, and laid sod. 
This path is already being put to good use by runners, walkers, dog-owners, cyclists, and homeless sleepers. Based on the length and grade, I suspect this is an ADA-compliant ramp. It connects nicely to the existing walkways. But cyclists had better slow down when they reach the sharp curve towards the bottom.

So now that the City of Austin has built this beautiful new path, will everyone stop taking the washed-out shortcut down the hillside? 
Probably not. 

Grease Sing-along

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Ramma lamma lamma ka dingity ding da dong
Shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippity boom da boom
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop
Dip da dip da dip do wop da dooby do
Boogy boogy boogy boogy shooby sho wap sho wap
Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip da do
Ramma lamma lamma ka dingity ding da dong
Shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippity boom sha boom
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop
Yip da dip da dip shoo bopp sha dooby do
Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy shooby do wap sho bop
Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip da do
A womp bop a looma a womp bam boom
Can you can sing this verse from “We Go Together”? Do you know the motions to “Born to Hand Jive”? Do you secretly long to be a Pink Lady? Then you should have been at the Grease Sing-along at The Paramount Theater last weekend! Continue reading →