On Saturday morning, Bill thoughtfully sent this photo while he was running on the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. He suspected that I would be very interested in a Restroom Opening Ceremony. He knows me quite well!
Please Hold It
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Category Archives: Downtown Living
Hello Lamp Post
Hello lamp post, what’cha knowin’? I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’ — Paul Simon
Things might be getting out of hand here. Austin’s buildings, statues, and even light poles are now talking texting back to us.
The Best of 2014
As this year comes to a close, I’ve been reviewing my blog entries and reflecting on my favorite downtown activities over the past twelve months. Bill and I are very fortunate to live in a city that’s as vibrant and active as Austin. Here’s my Top Five picks for 2014…
The Boardwalk Trail
Even though we’re over 200 miles inland, Austin now has a boardwalk.
After years of study and almost two years of construction, the Boardwalk Trail on the south side of Lady Bird Lake opened today. This new 1.2 mile pathway connects the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail near the Austin American-Statesman property to Lakeshore Park on the east side of I-35. Since the city did not own much right-of-way access on the south side of the lake, an elevated boardwalk was built right over the water. This trail completes a 10.1 mile loop from the western pedestrian bridge under Mopac to the eastern dam/bridge at Pleasant Valley.
Austin B-cycle
Austin now has a bike-sharing service called Austin B-cycle. In December, eleven stations opened in downtown and along South Congress Avenue, and more stations have been added since then. The service is expanding to the UT campus and to East Austin this month.
And Now for Some Bus News…
One of the perks of living in downtown Austin is being able to take advantage of the Capital Metro bus system. In my previous suburbanite life, I had never even stepped inside a CapMetro bus. But now I often take the 101 bus back-and-forth to UT, and I’ve found that the Airport Flyer is the easiest and cheapest connection to the airport. Currently the fares for the routes are $1.00 each, although an increase is pending.
Texas Politics
Our Texas State Capitol was certainly an exciting place to be yesterday! I had watched the live stream of State Sentator Wendy Davis‘ filibuster of Senate Bill 5 off-and-on during the day. She was still going strong at 8 PM, so I decided to walk up to the capitol grounds to see what was happening…
Bike to Work Day
Friday morning commuters couldn’t help but notice more cyclists pedaling around downtown Austin. Our local Bike to Work Day was organized by the Austin Cycling Association. Similar events are held in other cities around the nation during May.
They’re Back!
After three months of drought, the water jugs have finally returned to Auditorium Shores.
Dear USPS (Four Months Later)
Dear USPS:
It’s been four long months since you first notified me that the downtown post office was leaving its convenient-to-me-is-all-that-matters location. A few weeks ago you moved to the first floor of an office building on Congress Avenue. The view from the street looks a little strange, but perhaps the empty, glassed-in front room will eventually be removed. I’m guessing you are not using this room because you didn’t like the lingering smell from the cigar shop that used to be there.