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Continuing coverage from the 2006 AIA Homes TourEmily Little, Architect!

With the pending arrival of our newest and smallest family member my demands in the home have changed. Now not only do I want a stylish, elegant space, I also demand that space to actually function for living. Yes, I know this is a novel concept that flies in the face of many but when I envision the pitter patter of little feet I also see, spills, falls and toys everywhere. This years Austin AIA show shined a spot light on one architect who has managed to create a home that is not only aesthetically pleasing with a casual elegance but she also made the home a welcoming family friendly environment.

Emily Little’s renovation of a duplex into a single family home was complicated but...

Austin Agave Update

It looks like there is a lot of movement in Austin over at the new Agave neighborhood, with quite a few houses that have either sold or are in the process of selling.  Also the Green Mango Real Estate website has a number of the home plans available to peruse.

Austin - New Mod Downtown Loft For Lease

1 bedroom, 1.5 baths, with dedicated office and covered parking available for immediate move-in, located in downtown Austin!

This is the perfect place for an active professional, close to the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail, less than a mile from 6th and Congress, and under a minute comute to downtown, this almost 1300 foot loft is located in the very cool Pedernales community (www.pedernales.com).

Features and amenities:

*Beautifully stained concrete floors

*Large balcony (approx. 22'x7')

*1 bedroom

*1.5 baths

*Walk-in closet

*Huge live in Living Room

*Modern kitchen

*Stainless steel appliances

*Granite Countertops Throughout

*High ceilings

*New washer, dryer, fridge, oven, and microwave

*Covered parking

*Secure, Gated complex

*Beautiful green-space

*High speed internet available

The Pedernales offers the rare combination of urban living with private community greenspaces.  Offered at $1500 a month, plus one months deposit, the unit is available for immediate move in after April 20th, 2006.  Cats and dogs are welcome, and the unit has a large greenspace located behind it, perfect for Rovers afternoon romp.

[Click to view Craig's List listing]
[Local Contact Information]

More Pictures after the jump!

Current Austin loft and mod projects

Here is a listing of current ModAbode and Loft projects in the Austin, Tx market that I know of, if you are aware of other Austin projects please post the links in the comments section.

1305 Lofts - East 6th
AustinCityHomes
Esperanza - 1111 E 11th
Esperanza-Robertson Hill
Guadalupe 31
Metrohouse
Milago Condos on Town Lake
MoonUnits
Satsuma 53
space2525
The BelAir
The Pedernales Lofts
The Saltillo Lofts
Urbannature
Waterstreet Lofts
wedgeHOUSE

In the market for an Austin Modern pad, then try one of these fine folks to find the digs of your dreams:

Austin Cool
Green Mango
In Town Properties
Urban Living Austin
Urban Space

US and Canadian readers, if you know of any projects in your market, email them to me so we can get a grouping of projects together for the major metro areas, such as: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, etc.

SXSW tickets via cellphone SMS

South By Southwest (SXSW) Austin, Tx., one of the largest film festivals in the U.S., with over 1331 bands playing live across seven days at 58 venues, offered wrist bands early to a lucky few who signed up via cell phone SMS message this evening (Wednesday Night, Febraury 22nd). 

The messages directed the interested to tickets being sold at Waterloo records in downtown Austin.

According to the SXSW official site:

If you are a SXSW Registrant, sign up and receive special notices through the Online Registrant's Directory. SXSW will send you alerts and updates specific to your badge type from last minute schedule changes, special events, breaking news and more. Get the latest lowdown and don't miss a thing!

In addition to an early notice of ticket sales, SXSW SMS, will also will notify you of band schedules, as well as allow you to vote in the Film Festival Audience Award, or vote for your SXSW favorite film.

"To sign up for general updates and alerts about SXSW 2006 just send the text message 'sx add' to '56658' from your mobile phone!"

Click here for more SXSW SMS info! or here for the latest SXSW info!

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Update: According to those who have recieved the text messages, there will be more wristbands on sale to the public Thursday, February 23rd, at Waterloo Records in Austin, Tx.

Happy HolidaysChristmas/Chaunakah/Kwanzaa/Whatever!

Delirium Tremensat Zax Pints and Plates!

Austinites, below I have copied the text of an an email sent to me from Mike Baldwin, one of the two owners of Zax Pint's and Plates, detailing a choice libation currently available for our enjoyment.  Mike has put the very rare, Belgium brewed, Delirium Tremens beer on tap for all of us to enjoy.

For those of you who don't know about Delirium Tremens, it is a very rare beer from Belgium that is often rated the best beer in the world, and on most beer critics top five list, if not the their number one choice (this includes Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter). 

As an example here is a passage from Beer Paradise in the UK:

Definition: Delirium Tremens A state of fevered agitation, trembling of the appendages, hallucination and troubled consciousness, attributable to alcoholic intoxication.

It is often in this state that drinkers begin to see the fabled pink elephants featured on the labels of the distinctive Delirium Tremens bottles.  The beer is brewed by the Huyghe brewery, which has been in existence since 1654 and now exports their production from Belgium.

Delirium Tremens is a beer of fine manufacture and was voted ‘Best Beer in the World’ by specialists in 1997.  Conceived with three different yeasts it presents a beautiful colour, blond and coppery as well as a compact and abundant head. The beer has a  nose of wheat and barley with traces of coriander and orange. Full and round in the mouth it is also spicy, with a pleasant bitterness to the  taste.

Take care though – this beer has an abv of 9% so those pink elephants are never far away!

For those of you who are beer drinkers, I would highly recommend swinging by Zax this week and tasting this Belgium elixir. If you aren't a fan of beer's, I would suggest trying DT, it's flavor and feel are that of a very complex wine or after dinner aperitif.

Original Email:

On Dec 15, 2005, at 5:15 PM, Mike Baldwin wrote:

OK Drew,

True to my word we should have the Delirium Tremens on tap on Friday night.  Whether or not to keep it on will be up to customer response...

..but look for and enjoy it soon.

Mike

You can find out more about this devilishly delicious brew at the Oxford Bottled Beer Database.

Agave! East Austin ModernArchitect Designed Homes.

Agave, a new concept in neighborhood developments, is going up in East Austin today.

The concept, though simple, has been a tough idea to pull off in reality.  Essentially, it is a traditional subdivision with homes designed by some of the best architects specifically for the lots they will inhabit.  With 129 lots to be developed by 7 architects, Agave itself is phase three of Sendero Hills, phase one supplied low income housing by moving and refurbishing antique barracks from the recently converted Bergstrom Air Force Base, and selling them at reasonable prices to families at or below 80 percent of the Austin Area Median Family Income.  Phase two resembled a traditional tracked development, with low to middle income houses.  Phase three, or Agave, is an adventure to sell upscale housing to middle class individuals. 

Houses will range in price from $160,000 to $260,000.  Each home will be custom designed to the lot by one of the following six architects: ...

Hiatus

Today will be my last post for the AustinMod section of LoftyWords until Monday, November 14th. 

I would like to keep writing indefinitely, but my fiancé, whom I will be marrying this Saturday has put her foot squarely down, and asked that I do not work during our wedding and subsequent honeymoon (I know, I don’t get it either…).

Upon my return to this pulpit, you can expect a write up of a new cross-over development "The Belair", going up on South Congress.

Stay tuned!

The Next Hot Spot:Inocente's Cafe

Down on Cesar Chavez, past all the whoopala, is a wonderful restaurant find, Inocente's Cafe!  Run by Inocente himself, and started by his father Inocente in 1985, this cafe has a wonderful selection of inexpensive Mexican fare.  Sit back, enjoy the chips and salsa, pull back on a cold Dos XX, while you wait for your meal to be prepared.  If your desire is to throw back more than a few, ask for the iced "Bucket-O-Beer" for $8.25, a great deal in any town.  Don't expect fan fare, or high end appointments in your surrounding, they put all the effort into the food.  They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You can find Inocente's Cafe at 2337 E. Cesar Chavez St., or call in a take out order at (512) 479-0218.

Ed Note: This place is better than the local king of the road, Juan and a Million.