-
The best meteor shower of 2020 will feature multi-colored shooting stars on Sunday night
A dazzling display is about to unfold in the night sky as one of the most reliable meteor showers of the entire year approaches its peak. Every year, skywatchers around the globe circle Dec. 13 on their calendars, the night that the Geminid meteor shower reaches its climax, although the celestial light show is best seen from a spot north of the equator. This is the perfect event for younger stargazers with an earlier bedtime as the Geminids are one of the only major meteor showers that are active during the evening. Shooting stars will start to streak across the night sky by around 9 p.m., local time, and will…
-
The Cathedral Hosts Socially Distanced Evenings Of Music, Art
NORTH AUSTIN, TX—Enjoy an intimate and unique celebration of Austin’s artists and musicians with a socially distanced evening gathering featuring delicious margaritas. Art + Music at the Cathedral will have safety protocols in place to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including private group seating with 50% max capacity to maintain safety for everyone. Masks are required to enter and temperature checks will take place at the door. Masks may be removed while seated. There will be sanitizer provided by Surgicept throughout the venue. Held on Thursday evenings beginning on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Ticket pricing is per table, with only 1 ticket reservation needed…
-
Austin Restaurants Offering Free Food and Discounts to Texas Voters
Early voting is now open in Travis County, and restaurants are ready to encourage people to go out and perform their civic duties in the form of free or discounted food for voters. With 97 percent of eligible voters registered and 32,000 people voting on the first day of early voting, restaurants offering freebies may have their work cut out for them. It’s important to note that, technically, offering free food and drinks to voters is illegal. However, restaurants can legally get around that by opening up the offers to everyone, even those without “I Voted” stickers. Here are the Austin restaurants offering free food or discounts to voters (and,…
-
Austin, San Marcos to reopen parks, amenities, rec facilities
Updated Sep 11, 2020 at 3:55 PM Two of the largest cities in Central Texas plan to reopen many of their parks and recreational facilities as health officials continue to see signs that coronavirus cases might be waning. Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department on Friday said more park amenities would be made available and some programs would restart as early as Saturday. In San Marcos, city officials announced that parks would reopen starting Wednesday. The Parks Department said the decision to reopen Austin’s park amenities was made in consultation with Austin Public Health and city leaders. As of Friday, Austin-Travis County’s weekly average number of new hospital admissions for the coronavirus has stayed below 20 since…
-
Austin restaurants: Where to eat outside
Health officials have said that dining outside — given restaurants and customers take proper safety precautions regarding sanitation, masks, distancing and more — comes with a lower risk of contracting the coronavirus than eating inside. For many, dining outside is one of the few social joys that connects them with pre-pandemic life. If you’re one of those people, you should consider dining at one of the restaurants recommended below. (This list was current when the Dining Guide went to print in early September.) Note: There are also many breweries now open serving food, and many bars with outdoor areas are in the process of adding food service that will allow…
-
Austin-Area Housing Market Remains Undeterred Amid Ongoing Pandemic
Austin-Area Housing Market Remains Undeterred Amid Ongoing Pandemic AUSTIN, Texas—As the summer-selling season comes to a close, the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) latest Central Texas Housing Market Report indicates the Austin- area housing market continues to exhibit strength, despite economic setbacks amid the ongoing pandemic. The Austin-Round Rock MSA posted robust gains this August, as home sales experienced a double-digit increase of 12.9 percent year over year to 4,019 sales. In addition to an increase in home sales across the five-county MSA, sales dollar volume jumped 35.3 percent to $1,889,382,006, and the median price rose 11.3 percent to $355,000. New listings slightly increased 1 percent to 3,862 listings, and pending sales…
-
Create a moon garden, perfect for night viewing
Under the moonlight, white flowers can beam, while bright foliage stands out. Such a moon garden can glimmer in the evening — as a calming and relaxing retreat. A moon garden — designed to be appreciated especially in the darker hours — is a sacred space for Deena Spellman, 63, of Cedar Creek. When she walks over to enjoy her moon garden, “everyone here knows if I’m there, it’s off-limits,” says Spellman, owner of Bastrop Botanical Gardens, an organic garden featuring native plants and more, including the moon garden. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains: “A moon garden can be enjoyed from dusk to dark — by the light of the…
-
Construction Continues In Downtown Austin Despite Pandemic
AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin’s growth downtown hasn’t slowed down much during the coronavirus pandemic, as more than two dozen projects keep pushing ahead that’ll continue changing the skyline. According to data kept by the Downtown Austin Alliance, only one project has been canceled because of the pandemic. Five others have been completed. There are 26 projects under construction with 25 others proposed or in planning, according to DAA data. “The activity that we see in downtown right now is an indication of the very healthy real estate market economy that we had when we entered this pandemic,” said Michele Van Hyfte, vice president of urban design for the Downtown Austin Alliance.…
-
Austin restaurant named the country’s Pizzeria of the Year
“Few outsiders in the hospitality world have entered Austin from out of state and left an imprint on the city’s dining scene quite the way brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt have.” That’s what I wrote in the Austin360 Dining Guide last year about the brothers who brought attitude and pizza from Detroit to Austin. The operation that started as a humble trailer in front of a dive bar now includes three restaurants and two trailers. Via 313 has been one of the great local success stories of the past 10 years, and the Hunt brothers’ operation has not gone unnoticed nationally. Pizza Today, the influential industry publication that covers all things pizza,…
-
Continued demand, rising listings point to possible return of climbing Northwest Austin real estate market
After slogging through a spring season that saw the Northwest Austin real estate market follow citywide dips in home listings and sales, some new signs of life for sellers, buyers and Realtors are beginning to emerge amid the coronavirus pandemic. Local real estate experts say the promising—albeit brief—uptick in some metrics signifies a recovering housing market. “Austin is one of the best real estate markets in the country from a residential perspective. We’re well-positioned to come out of the [coronavirus] in pretty good shape,” said Vaike O’Grady, Austin regional director for real estate research and analytics firm Metrostudy. While June’s market data returns show promising growth in rising home listings and sales,…
