Downtown
June 18, 2012 - Are we overthinking food trucks?
Yesterday the City of San Antonio released its latest schedule of food truck locations and vendors, highlighting some of the changing dynamics of the program downtown. Gone are the City Hall Hall Annex, Hemisfair Park, and the never really started Maverick Park. Added are Main Plaza, the Weston Center, and Travis Park. The vendors seem to be the same set of vendors launched under the first round of the pilot. This pilot is expected to last through ... Read more »
May 4, 2012 - Let’s keep the party going with Luminaria
I thought I’d get a to take a breather before San Antonio kicks into its summer of festivals. I mean, sure we celebrate Cinco de Mayo here in San Antonio. But after eleven days of Fiesta, it’s really anticlimactic and pales to something as big as Fiesta. However, that little rainstorm we had back in March pushed one of our other big celebrations to May, this weekend in fact. So, for the first time I’m going to experience something all my friends ... Read more »
May 3, 2012 - Food Trucks invade downtown
Yesterday I met a friend of mine who works in the Weston Centre for lunch at one of the food truck pilot locations. It was a good break from the usual downtown dining and also the chance to be a part of something potentially big for downtown San Antonio. While the selection of trucks at the Weston Centre was pretty limited (Cheesy Jane’s and DUKTRuck) the food was pretty good and the atmosphere Puro San Antonio. Far from the penetration of trucks ... Read more »
February 21, 2012 - Downtown living’s getting a lot better
Since moving downtown, I’ve found the experience to be interesting in many ways but it hasn’t really had a true urban feel. Yes, where I’m at is really in the urban core, located right across from Milam Park and between Houston and Commerce Streets. When there’s a march down Commerce I hear the drums and shouts. When Friday or Saturday night rolls around I know it’s best to drive away from the Riverwalk on Houston. When I have a meeting ... Read more »
February 8, 2012 - You can never have enough royalty
This past week I had an invitation from a Facebook friend to attend an event helping Steve McHugh, executive chef of Lüke and a good downtown friend, in his candidacy for King of the Riverwalk. Of course I’m going to be down for that. Steve’s a great guy and one of the friendliest people you’d ever meet. Top that off with the wonders that come out of the kitchen at Lüke and you have a great combination. Besides, I’m all for helping out anything ... Read more »
December 3, 2011 - The Downtown Bug
This past month has made me realize we may be turning the corner into the “Decade of Downtown,” as proclaimed by Mayor Julian Castro and described by Andi Rodriguez of the Downtown Alliance. Ever since I moved downtown over two years ago, I’ve never seen as much activity as I have during this past year. What’s even more encouraging is the level of conversation by people about downtown and what’s happening here. More of my friends are asking ... Read more »
October 22, 2011 - Opportunities in the “Decade of Downtown”
The past several weeks have been busy for anyone following the redevelopment of downtown San Antonio. Last week city council gave the go-ahead to help fund planning and implementation of a downtown streetcar system that would criss-cross downtown. After much negotiations and route wrangling it looks like we’ll have a North/East line that starts at the Pearl Brewery and runs through downtown and Hemisfair Park to the Thompson Transit Center on the ... Read more »
October 7, 2011 - Streetcars–have we finally settled on a plan?
San Antonio’s potential foray into rail-based transportation seems to be getting a lot of play lately, and for good reason. VIA is floating a number of proposals to both the city and the county to help fund a rail project with the most likely candidate being streetcars in the downtown area. While the county seems to be committing up to $55 million for almost any plan mentioned, the city is being a little more cautious on its commitment of funds, ... Read more »
October 3, 2011 - Broadway–the city’s fixer-upper
Yesterday about 15,000 people came down for the city’s first ever SiClovia, a four hour bike, jog, walk, skateboard, Zumba, you name it time when folks just enjoyed a good time “playing in the street.” The event was sponsored by the Mayor’s Fitness Council and was designed to get people out and about Sunday. Everyone I saw had come out to participate but started the day wondering who else would show up. We were all pleasantly surprised and ... Read more »
August 17, 2011 - Time to do some Downtown Placemaking
Tonight and tomorrow night people interested in helping plan and improve downtown San Antonio will come together for two workshops, one including beer along with the fun. The first event, a face to face conversation about how to improve the downtown area, is scheduled for tonight at the Central Library at 5:30 p.m. Tomorrow night Texas Public Radio is hosting the second event called Views and Brews: Placemaking at Warehouse Music over by Tucker’s ... Read more »
June 30, 2011 - Something in common
Today I joined some members of the Downtown Residents Association in a monthly gathering they call the Lunch Bunch. Not to be confused with the DRA’s bi-monthly mixer/happy hour Zocolocos, the Lunch Bunch is a little more subdued but just as much fun. It’s when a smaller gathering of DRA members get together at a restaurant downtown and just catch up on all the things happening downtown, and there’s a lot going on. What’s interesting about ... Read more »
June 12, 2011 - It’s time for a performing arts district in San Antonio
Yesterday I spent some time at Plaza de Armas’ June Readers Forum “World Premiere – The Future of the Performing Arts” held at the Radius Center. It was a panel discussion moderated by Elaine Wolff with a great panel of people involved with the performing arts in San Antonio. The discussion focused on what state the performing arts are at in San Antonio and what’s in store for the future. With the renovation work currently under way for ... Read more »
June 9, 2011 - Is Live-Work design right for the Lavaca neighborhood?
In an article in Tuesday’s Express-News, Jennifer Hiller reported on a new residential approach that won zoning approval in the Lavaca Historic neighborhood just south of Hemisfair Park. The project by designer and builder Hilary Scruggs, the Mews on Devine, is a development of five live-work units with 250 square feet of work space on the first floor and 800 to 1,000 feet of living space in the floors above. The units would be constructed on a ... Read more »
June 5, 2011 - What’s in a name? It depends on your perspective
There has been a lot of discussion about the potential renaming of Durango Boulevard in San Antonio to César E. Chávez Boulevard. After Phillip Cortez proposed the ordinance to rename the street, the battle lines began to be drawn, almost as dramatically as Col. Travis’ fabled “line in the sand” in front of the Alamo. Several opposed the new name for Durango including the San Antonio Conservation Society, citing historical reasons for protecting ... Read more »
February 5, 2011 - A Ferris Bueller Day
Today was a pretty cool day. One of those days where there’s really no agenda or plan, just kicking back with a friend taking in what comes at you. It was a Ferris Bueller Day in my terms. In fact, short of the 1961 Ferrari 250GT Spyder California (Cameron: Less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion. Ferris: It is his fault he didn't lock the garage.) you could say it had all ... Read more »