About Austin's Downtown

When I moved to Austin from Houston in 1988, I was awestruck by the natural beauty of Zilker Park. This park is truly Austin's jewel in the violet crown. It has everything; expansive views of downtown, large open green areas to play Frisbee or fly a kite, numerous trails to run with your dog or walk with your lover.

Thanks to Ladybird Johnson, wife of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson there are huge towering Cypress trees and Pecan trees along the banks of the lake. She was the driving force behind the beautification of Town Lake and the Texas highways. Ladybird had landscapers and arborists plant trees and numerous native plants along the banks of the lake. These gorgeous towering trees now provide shade on the plentiful trails and provide habitat for our local wildlife. Due to her foresight and planning we now have another asset to our Austin landscape. So to honor Ladybird after her death last year, the city of Austin unanimously voted to rename Town Lake to Ladybird Lake. I think it is a fitting honor that she would have loved.

Allow me to share some photos of Zilker Park with you. I am not a professional photographer nor to I claim to be one. So please bear with me if a few are little blurry. It is hard to focus when its 108 degrees outside and you left your glasses in the car. I hope you enjoy them and that they entice you to get out and take some photographs of your own.

Happy Trails!

Betina

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize as a Buyers Agent and I focus on architecturally interesting homes and green built homes. I have a network of experts to make the process simple and easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.


Betina Foreman, Realtor - Keller Williams

512-771-6318 - Realtor_Austin@yahoo.com www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

The City of Austin has closed the old Green Water Treatment plant downtown. I believe this plant was built in the early 1900's and has treated our drinking water, which comes from Town Lake, AKA Ladybird Lake. This plant will be dismantled and the site will be redeveloped into: condos, apartments, offices and retail. The site is on prime property just north of Town Lake, between Lamar Blvd. and Congress Avenue.

Mayor Will Wynn is attempting to make Austin the greenest city in the USA and this will surely be a step in that direction. By the end of this year at least 12% of Austin Energy's electricty will be produced by renewable energy sources.

They are organizing public meetings to educate the public on renewable fuels and power sources. The first meeting is scheduled for October 22nd, 2008 at Austin City Hall. The goal is for the new utility to use 30% renewable fuels by 2020. The current plan is to use a combination of: solar panels, biomass fuels and wind power to produce electricity. Austin is a front runner in the race to shift to renewable energy sources. We are setting the standard for the rest of the country.

If you want to attend these meetings the schedule is listed below. Come and do your part to help keep Austin on the cutting edge of "Green" energy! Come to the meting and be a part of the solution!

October 22nd- Austin City Hall, 301 West 2nd Street

October 28th- Sunset Valley City Hall, 3205 Jones Road

November 6th-University Hills Library, 4721 Loyola Lane

November 12th-Travis County Service Center, 4501 RM 620 North

November 19th- Metz Recreation Center, 2407 Canterbury Street

Betina

If you are interested in purchasing a "Green built" home, call me. I specialize in these homes and I would love to help you to help save our planet!

www.BetinaForeman.com 512-771-6318 Realtor_Austin@yahoo.com

1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78746

Austin is home to many things: live music, the University of Texas, the state capital; but many people don't realize Austin is also home to the nation's largest urban bat community-and it's right downtown. More than 750,000 Mexican Free-Tail bats make their home under the beams of the Congress Avenue bridge. Following renovations of the iconic bridge in 1980, the bat population took up shelter under the bridge, and it has been their home each summer since.

During the cooler months, the bats make their home in Mexico, but every year during March and April they make their way North to Austin to give birth and feed on the cities abundant bugs (coincidentally, the summer months are when Austin's cricket population reaches its height as well). And before the sun goes down, when they're resting up for their nightly romp around Austin, the bats spend their time under the Congress Avenue bridge. Each evening, just before nightfall, the bats leave their refuge en masse, in an incredible natural exodus-a massive swarm of hundreds of thousands of Mexican Free-Tail bats swirls its way up around the bridge, then dissipates as the bats head off in every direction to feast.

Apparently, the renovations made in 1980 left deep crevices in the bridge, which provide an ideal habitat for the bat colony. Many Austinites consider this an accidental blessing, as the bats are credited with greatly cutting back on the insect population both within the city and throughout the surrounding countryside. In fact, it's estimated that, as a group, the bats consume between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds of insects!

This incredible sight has become an integral part of summer in Austin, and draws hundreds of spectators nightly during the summer months, culminating in late August, when the colony is at its largest-averaging around 1.5 million bats. Austinites have come to treasure and even celebrate this unique natural phenomenon, with a summer celebration called BatFest. Held during the last weekend of August each year, BatFest brings together all of Austin's favorite things-live music, food, people and (you guessed it) the Mexican Free-Tail bats. The family-friendly event features educational displays, arts and crafts, and a whole host of activities centering around the Congress Avenue bridge bats-plus more than 30 bands rocking the weekend away from two different stages.

Austinites love a good reason to party-it's a trait the city is well known for. In fact, BatFast falls just a few weeks before Austin's biggest music festival, Austin City Limits, which draws thousands of visitors a year and brings the country's hottest bands to Austin, Texas, for one sweltering weekend each September. But, unlike ACL or South by Southwest-Austin's other major music festival, which also doubles as a film festival-BatFest is first and foremost about promoting the protection and appreciation of one of Austin's natural wonders.

In a city with such strong environmental pride, and wonderful resources like Barton Springs Pool and Edwards Aquifer, it's no wonder this incredible phenomenon would capture the imaginations-and hearts-of so many.

Ki lives in Austin the coolest city in the world :). He helps clients interested in Austin real estate. If you are interested in the Austin market you can search for homes using the Austin MLS are read about market trends on his Austin real estate blog.

One of the more recent developments in the Austin real estate market are the multitude of loft condominiums springing up smack-right in the middle of downtown. This new push towards urban living reflects an interest in a pedestrian-oriented community, optimal for those who work in Austin's business center, but also attractive to others who appreciate an abundance of amenities offered within walking distance. Downtown Austin has much to offer Austin residents, whether they work, live, or visit this area which truly represents the cultural heartbeat of the city.

Austin's downtown is bursting with shops, cafes, galleries and nightlife. Whether looking for antiques at the beloved Whit Hanks, seeking esoteric ethnic treasures at Tesoros, or shopping for home furnishings at Bella Home or Zanzibar, the shops are local, and the wares are unique. In addition to Starbucks, there are plenty of cafes around, including Little City, and Drogo's Cafe do Brazil. Art galleries, including Art on Fifth and Artworks, are scattered throughout the area, and the nightlife – well, it can’t be beat.

Most of the new lofts are far enough away from the entertainment districts to provide relative quiet, but are close enough to make a night out on the town just a short walk or cab ride away. The bars, music venues and restaurants of the famed Sixth Street district now have competition from the bustling young crowds of the Red River scene. The Warehouse District continues to be one of the most vibrant entertainment areas in the city, although the new 2nd Street shopping and dining area is thriving as well.

Downtown Austin is home to some of the finest restaurants in the city. Louie’s 106 has enticed downtowners with its Mediterranean tapas and steaks for years, and the Driskill Grill offers another close fine dining experience. Eddie V's and McCormick & Schmick offer superlative seafood, and Sullivans, Ruth's Chris Steak House and Fleming's are top-notch steak houses. The varieties of food run the gamut as well – from Spanish food at Malaga, to Italian at La Traviata, from sushi at Kenichi or Kyoto to Southwestern cuisine at Z-Tejas.

One the most attractive parts about Austin's downtown is its proximity to the nature and beauty found at Lady Bird Lake, as well as the Town Lake parks and trails. The plentiful outdoor activities provide the urban dweller with opportunities to walk, run, bike, and boat - all within walking distance of the sleek and sophisticated apartment buildings springing up. Waterloo Park, Republic Square, and other smaller patches of green add to the options for outdoor activity.

Downtowners will find their grocery needs admirably met by the flagship store of the Whole Foods Market chain. This Austin-based business launched their enormous new store in 2005, making fresh and organic produce, dairy, meats and seafood available. In addition to staples, an on-site bakery and international groceries, Whole Foods offers an abundance of prepared foods, from soups, salads and sandwiches, to pizza, seafood and a raw foods stand.

With all of life’s necessities within walking distance, it is no wonder that Downtown Austin real estate is thriving as a residential community.

Ki is an Austin real estate agent. He runs a site with information about Austin real estate and a search of the Austin MLS. He also talks about current events on Austin real estate blog.

The Mexic-Arte Museum is the Official Mexican and Mexican-American Fine Art Museum of Texas, as designated by the state legislature. Although focused primarily on the arts from Mexico, their scope includes Latin America as well as Latino arts, both contemporary and ancient, as well as Chicano art. Its diverse and eclectic collections, exhibits and programs reflect the heritage of the area, which was once Mexico. The population of Texas remains heavily Hispanic, and the Mexic-Arte museum celebrates this culture.

Located in the heart of historic downtown, the Mexic-Arte Museum offers a modern, contemporary space through which over 75,000 visitors a year travel. The main gallery is normally used by traveling exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art from Mexico and other Latin American countries as well as for national, local and regional Chicano and Latino artists. One of the few museums to support fresh talent, their back gallery provides space for emerging artists to exhibit their works.

The museum's Permanent Collection has developed with the intent of showcasing the rich and diverse art and culture of our unique region. The collections include prints from the Taller de la Grafica Popular/Workshop of Popular Graphics, a collection of etchings, linocuts, lithographs and silkscreens created by prominent artists as part of a populist art movement in Mexico. The Ernest De Soto Collection was named for the first Mexican American Master Printer, and consists of contemporary Latin American and American lithographs, fine prints, and etchings by renowned artists. One of the most colorful and attractive exhibits is the Masks from the State of Guerrero, a collection of traditional ritual masks made by Nahua Indians. Over 200 silkscreen prints by regional artists comprise the Serie Print Project.

Traveling exhibitions have included Retablos: Miracles from the Border, Embracing Chaos by young Latino artists, and La Caja Museo Contemporáneo de Arte / The Box Contemporary Museum of Art. The diversity of the arts is clear when exhibitions include Aztec mummy movies as well as The Aztec and Maya Revival exhibition, which illustrates a fusion of Pre-Columbian visual patterns with modern Mexican material culture.

The museum's flagship event for over a quarter of a century, and one of Austin’s favorite celebrations, falls every year near Halloween. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is traditionally the day when Mexicans remember their loved ones who have passed on. The Mexic-Arte Museum celebrates with music, entertainment, and food in downtown Austin on 5th Street, between Congress and Brazos. Altars adorned with traditional offerings including candles, flowers, and images of calaveras (skulls) are on display, as a lively procession of people dressed in skeleton and Frida Kahlo costumes join other revelers for dancing and fun.

Educational outreach is paramount at the Mexic-Arte, which offers after school classes, free guided tours, and an entire program in anticipation of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. A corner of the museum is designated an Interactive Family area, and they host highly regarded scholars in a gallery lecture series. The Mexic-Arte Museum is located at 419 Congress Avenue in Austin Texas.

Escapeso Austin Real Estate is a small company working in central Austin. They run a website with information about Austin real estate. Their site also has information on Austin foreclosures and a search of the Austin MLS.