Tortilla Factory

El Milagro Tortilla Factory stands proudly on E. Sixth (east of IH35) to help maintain our Austin Tex-Mex cred.

Good Morning Sunshine in Capital City

FFP got up early enough today to catch the sun streaking the clouds behind the Capitol and some downtown buildings with orange and pink and purple.

Iron Gate Lounge

This East Side joint obviously has pool and an eagle and, um, an iron gate. Apparently this place has been around a while according to my walking partner (who used to inspect it for the health department).

East Side Mural

This lovely tile mural is one of two in this plaza on East 11th near the Masonic Lodge. This area is much changed in recent years. I walked over there with a buddy to eat lunch at a nice Italian place across the street from this.

Giant Food, Fish and Fowl

If you visit the shopping area just north of Whole Foods (which is between Fifth and Sixth and Lamar and Bowie) you will see that the parking garage north of the Book People, REI and such has atop it a fish, a chicken, a baguette, some cheese, some other groceries. That's the Nokonah Condos behind the garage so some people have food as part of their view! Why is it here? Because where REI and some smaller stores are now was Whole Foods before they built the bigger store across the streets (referred to here as Whole Foods Planet). Of course, Whole Foods Number one was at 10th and Lamar where Cheapo Discs is now.

Congress Avenue Traffic

Congress Avenue was closed (along with Cesar Chavez and the S. 1st and Congress bridges) on Memorial Day for the running and bike parts of some triathlon.

W Going Up

A friend snapped these steelworkers shaping a form for a pillar pour at the W hotel and condo site. They can 'sidewalk superintendent' that site from their balcony at the AMLI on Seond but we can't see it as well.

Not Just Tattoos

The True Blue over on Red River will also do Body Piercing. I've always thought combining bars and these parlors probably let to regrets, but Austin has lots of permanent body decoration.

Downtown Flowers

It's not all concrete downtown. On 11th St. these lovely Pride of Barbados shrubs bloom for your pleasure. We were taking a walk to nowhere in particular when we noticed them.

Boot Store

This big red boot announces this boot store on 8th Street. I don't have any boots. I last had a pair back in the eighties. I might like to get some, though. City Daily Photo has a theme day on the first day of the month. June's is 'feet.' Consider this a foreshadowing.

Just Hot Sauce

I guess you could call this a 'Specialty Shop!' On East Sixth for you shopping pleasure is a shop packed with salsas and sauces designed to tingle the tongue and liven up your dining. Stop by the Tears of Joy for a souvenir when you are in town.

Art on the Avenue

This sculpture is on Congress Avenue in front of an office building on the west side of the street. It is a little modern surprise amid the more traditional trappings leading up to our 19th century Capitol.

The Head Shop Hangs On

Downtown it's not all wine bars and hotels and condos and live music. There is still a 'head shop' as we called them back in my college days. It is over on Sabine between Fourth and Fifth should you need rolling papers or a bong. Haven't been inside but I like their mural incorporating the Lone Star flag, the Alamo and armadillos.

Second Street Shopping--Mercury

We showed a friend our condo downtown for the first time yesterday and walked around Second Street. The always interesting Mercury Design Studio had some new things to look at including a stuffed ostrich.

We have passed the two year mark here at Austin Daily Photo yesterday. (We started posting on May 17, 2009.) We didn't do much to celebrate but if you think we should have...here are fireworks photos. I feel like every day is a celebration at Austin Daily Photo.

Local Comedy

Esther's Follies is a venerable East Sixth magic and comedy club with a decidedly local spin. The troupe makes fun of politicians and pundits and has harbored many great acts over the years. Haven't been there since we moved downtown. Really must catch up soon. This is some of the trompe-l'oeil decor on the outside. Yes, Esther is a reference to Esther Williams.

Happy Hour Competition

Due to the economy I think a lot of places are trying to get Happy Hour crowds in looking for a bargain. The 'dogs welcome' is a new approach. I doubt the under 21 set is really even allowed inside (most places card the customers once at the door to avoid serving the underage folks. This bar was one of many competing on East Sixth.

Small Art/Big Fundraiser

The edgy Arthouse at Jones Center (at Seventh and Congress) is having its 10th Annual 5x7 ArtSplurge and Exhibition tonight. A variety of artists have donated works in the (more or less) 5x7 format and they will be sold to attendees at the event for $100. Last night we tipped a glass with the artists and Forrest posed with some of the work after I asked director Sue Graze if we could take a photo. Tickets are $125 and they say they are selling well. Maybe 5x7 art will be all the rage as people downsize!

One Downtown Perspective

We tried out Max's Wine Dive the other night. Their location between 2nd and 3rd on San Jacinto is sufficiently far from tall buildings to the west that the skyline looms up mightily out their front window. That's the Austonian going up on the left, our building appearing five blocks away and thus in miniature in the middle and the building at right is at 301 Congress. Frost Bank is just out of view to the right. We are still mastering the different downtown perspectives. The building at 301 Congress is almost blocked from our 10th story window by a lower-slung building with just the house-like peak showing.

Bygone Car Company

No, not Chrysler or GM. This refurbed mural is in an alley off E. Fifth. Studebaker? My dad had one of those in the sixties.

Auction Oaks

That's FFP admiring the Auction Oaks. These trees (live oaks) are probably two hundred years old and are in Republic Park. The building behind is our home. The lots for the original downtown Austin (then Waterloo) were auctioned under these trees in 1839 to lay out the new capital city of the Republic of Texas. They have been recently revitalized by city arborists in their home in Republic Square Park. Another awesome live oak survives a couple of blocks west of here, too, next to a bank parking lot.

Austin Bike Zoo

As we walked through Republic Park yesterday between events they were setting up something called the Austin Bike Zoo. We missed the performance due to our own commitments but it looked very interesting with bikes and people costumed as bats and butterflies.

Spring Flowers

Summer is coming fast so I thought I better post this photo of flowers (and colorful houses) that I took a week ago Saturday before Spring has yielded to our longest Austin season. Took this in Old West Austin.

Going UP!

The skyline is lurching into a changed configuration, but it is likely to remain static for a while after the underway buildings are finished because starts have been delayed or abandoned due to the economy. Just right of center is the Austonian which will be the tallest building in Austin. (I believe the 44th story was going on here and it will be 56 stories.) To its right in the foreground is the Ashton, topped but not finished, which is an apartment building. This was taken on Wednesday, May 6. The crane further to the left is on the Four Seasons residences.

This view is from the Headliners Club in the Chase building where we had gone to hear a lecture on downtown Austin.

Mellow Mural

This mural on Guadalupe is for the Mellow Mushroom pizzeria on Guadalupe. The cat appears to be napping on the car hoods.

Bustle after Sold-Out Concert

After we got home from a set with Patrice Pike and a guitar player at Momo's on West Sixth (with an attentive audience of a few score) the sold-out Lady GaGa concert emptied out of the Austin Music Hall. It seemed to be a kind of combo concert and "dress up like prom and graduation." FFP captured cabs, cars, a limo and people on the street below our balcony, an abstract of the bustle that ensued after the last notes.

Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins did a concert here on Sunday. On Monday he was interviewed by Evan Smith on Texas Monthly Talks. Here is is shaking hands with an admirer after the interview. What a wonderful and amazing musician and gracious man.

Guerrilla Homemade Music

Some CD players (other gadgets?) hooked to these pipes were causing a sort of music to emanate as we walked by last night on Lavaca by the City Hall. When we came back from dinner the whole setup was gone.

Skyline Update

This is the view from old West Austin back to the skyline. Note the still growing Austonian just left of middle. It will add about thirteen more stories.

Wings

We went on the Heritage Society's Jewels of Castle Hill home tour yesterday. Photography was not allowed inside the homes but I shot this picture of the interesting sculpture on W. Ninth. One of the docents said the screenwriter for "Cast Away" lived across the street and the wing sculpture was somehow tied to that movie (that was a theme in the movie). I imagine it is possible that Bill Broyles lived (or lives) on W. Ninth. Anyway. Lovely sculpture anyway and landscaping around it.

Pennybacker Bridge

We were at an event at Austin Country Club. I was standing in a place I'd never stood before over there (we don't belong and I've just played tennis as a guest a few times) and realized that the view of the Pennybacker Bridge spanning Lake Austin on Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) looked great from there. This graceful bridge has become a secondary logo of the Capital City...after the Capitol and the Texas Tower. I'd shown you this bridge from Mt. Bonnell before but this is a better look at just the bridge.

Shadow Art

Today is theme day at City Daily Photo and the theme is "shadows." In mid-April we stopped by the Women and their Work gallery and saw a site-specific installation by Megan Geckler. She uses a material called flagging tape to build these architectural structures and the shadows are part of the point so we thought this appropriate for our theme day.

Click here to view thumbnails for all theme day participants.