Downtown Parking Tips

Rather than featuring any particular event this week, we decided to give you some special tips about parking downtown to make all your events and evening entertainment more enjoyable.

• Remember, downtown's parking problems are more a problem of perception than reality. The managers of all major parking facilities report that they do not fill all of their lots or garages on weekend evenings.

• There were over 14,000 available evening parking spaces in downtown for your nighttime fun! This number has increased even more with the opening of the City's new parking garages on 5th Street, near the new Hilton Hotel and the expanded Convention Center, and at the new City Hall on W. 2nd Street.

• It's true most of the parking in downtown isn't free. However, if free is what you want, all on-street parking is free after 5:30 p.m. and on weekends. You may not find a spot right in front of where you want to go, but you probably won't be walking any further than you typically walk during your visit to the mall (Do you even give that a thought?).

• Many of the parking garages and surface parking lots are available for public parking in the evenings. These average in price between $5 - $7. For an interactive directory and map showing the closest parking lots to where you plan on going, you can visit the downtown directory and click on the "district." This will show all the public parking facilities.

• The State parking garages located on San Jacinto are also available for parking and Capital Metro's Starlight and Moonlight 'Dillo service provides a free late night shuttle to and from the entertainment districts until 3:00 a.m., Thursday through Saturday evenings.

• Many businesses also provide valet service for their customers' convenience. Rates, not including what you choose to tip, are comparable to the cost of parking in a garage.

And finally, people say it's the "walkability" and "variety of things to do" that they love and keeps bringing them back downtown. So, enjoy your evenings and have a great time!

Jul 27-31 Men, Women + Monty Python
Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress
(512) 472-5470, austintheatre.org

Calling all Monty Python fans and those who want to experience the mysteries of that man-woman thing.

Jul 29-31: Masculine-Feminine
30, 31: Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Life of Brian

The Paramount will be dark for sound renovation August 1-7.

Jul 29 Always... Patsy Cline Returns
Zachary Scott Kleburg Stage,1510 Toomey Road
(512) 476-0541, zachscott.com

She's back! The one and only Patsy Cline, legendary icon of country music, hits Zach's Kleburg Stage for another run of laughter and the telling of a heart-warming tale of friendship. Special Honky Tonk Table seating available next to the stage!

Still On Stage Downtown...

To 8/7: Petra's Pecado, Dougherty Arts Center, ci.austin.tx.us/dougherty/theater
To 8/13: Annie Get Your Gun, Zilker Hillside Theater, zilker.org
To 8/13: Maestro Improv Comedy, Hideout Theatre, hideouttheatre.com
To 9/2: Improv Twofers, Hideout Theatre, hideouttheatre.com
All Summer: Summertime Funnertime Follies & Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, Esther's Follies, esthersfollies.com
Ongoing: Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey, Texas the Big Picture, Forces of Nature, Fighter Pilot, IMAX® Theatre, thestoryoftexas.com
Ongoing: The Star of Destiny, Texas Spirit Theater, thestoryoftexas.com

Jul 28 Organ Maestro
Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Eighth Street
(512) 472-2445, centralpresbyterian.org

This week's Thursday Noontime Concert features Benjamin Kolodzief on organ.

Jul 29 Cajun Music Under the Star
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress
(512) 936-4649, thestoryoftexas.com

Cajun sounds like you've never moved to will fill the plaza Under the Star this Friday. This week's featured guest at Music Under the Star is Charles Thibodeaux & the Bayou Cajun Band playing loads of foot-stomping Zydeco, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Jul 29 Live from the Plaza: New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin
City Hall Plaza, 301 W. 2nd Street
(512) 974-9310, ci.austin.tx.us

It's a sound all its own. You'll hear New Orleans jazz the way it's meant to be played and heard. The newly formed New Orleans Jazz Band of Austin performs at this week's Live from the Plaza. Music starts at Noon. Free parking is available in the City Hall garage (enter off Lavaca Street).

Jul 31 Strings Sing on Sunday
Wooldridge Square Park, 9th & Guadalupe
(512) 476-6064, austinsymphony.org

The Austin Symphony's Strings Orchestra will have you swinging on the stars at this Sunday's Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park. Free music starts at 7:30 p.m.

Aug 3 Ruthie Foster + Miss Lavelle White
Zilker Park, Barton Springs Road
kgsr.com

They are among Austin's favorite performers, and you'll get a whole evening of Ruthie Foster & Band, and Miss Lavelle White at this week's Blues on the Green. This free show at Zilker Park Rock Island starts at 7:30 p.m.

Jul 28 Freshly Painted Floors
ars ipsa gallery, 503 San Jacinto
arsipsa.com

Downtown Austin's newest gallery presents its first exhibit Freshly Painted Floors featuring new works by new artists: Juan Garcia, Laura Greenwood, Mari Guzman, Logan Hill, Laura Latimer, Katy McCracken, Niall Macrae, Ted Ollier, Clif Riley and Theresa Vargas. Opening Reception 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Exhibit runs through August 12th.

Aug 1 Baby Bloomers
Austin Children's Museum, 201 Colorado
(512) 472-2494, austinkids.org

Baby Bloomers is a special informal play and explore time program for children under the age of three and their caregivers. Join other families at the Austin Children Museum, 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon. Please, children 3 and under only.

Aug 3 Community Nights
Austin Children's Museum, 201 Colorado
(512) 472-2494, austinkids.org

Come out and play EVERY Wednesday night and enjoy the Austin Children's Museum exhibit galleries, story time and a variety of hands-on activities. Suggested donation is a mere $1.

Still On Display Downtown...

To 7/30: Object, d berman gallery, dbermangallery.com
To 7/30: Winter Hung to Dry, Women & Their Work, womenandtheirwork.org
To 7/30: Show of Shows, F8 Fine Art Gallery, f8fineart.com
To 8/1: Defining David de Lara, La Pena Gallery, lapena-austin.org
To 8/2: The Evolution of the Cosmic Serpent, Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, lapena-austin.org
To 8/7: Annie Leibovitz: American Music, Austin Museum of Art, amoa.org
To 8/7: Scanning the Grand Canyon, Austin Museum of Art, amoa.org
To 8/27: Signs of the Times,LBJ Library & Museum, lbjlib.utexas.edu
To 8/4: Young Latino Art Exhibition, Mexic-Arte Museum, mexic-artemuseum.org
To 10/15: Ready, Set, Roll, Austin Children's Museum, austinkids.org
To 10/23: Texas Trailblazer, Capitol Visitors Center, texascapitolvisitorscenter.com
Ongoing: Texas Movies, Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, thestoryoftexas.com

Jul 28 Capital Metro Rapid Bus Open House
City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street
capmetro.org

Learn what's in your travel future! Cap Metro is holding open houses so you can find out all about "Rapid" service scheduled to begin in 2007 on North Lamar/South Congress. You'll learn about the new shelter design, preliminary bus design, and what the service will do for you - shorten your travel times! This Open House takes place 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at City Hall.

Jul 30 Austin Farmers' Market
Republic Square Park, 5th & Guadalupe
(512) 236-0074, austinfarmersmarket.org

All the freshest summer fruits and vegetables are here for the pickin' and a whole lot more!

Aug 2 National Night Out
ci.austin.tx.us/police

The Austin Police Department is sponsoring National Night Out next week. Go to ci.austin.tx.us/police to find out what's happening in your neighborhood.

Aug 4 Austin Farmers' Mini Mart
Plaza Saltillo, 5th Street & Comal
austinfarmersmarket.org

This open air market offers you and your family fresh-from-the-garden goodness, Wednesdays from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Downtown welcomes two new eateries.

Koriente Korean Restaurant & Tea House
621 E. 7th Street, (512) 275-0852
koriente.com

You may have noticed this new jewel - at the corner of 7th and Sabine. It's blooming with landscaping that looks as fresh and inviting as the food you'll find inside. Koriente offers a rare menu of healthy and delightful foods that you won't find anywhere else Downtown - like bulgogi noodles, clear sweet potato noodles and delicate and uniquely prepared meat and fish entrees. Koriente is open Monday-Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Fresh Cup
Hampton Inn & Suites Austin-Downtown
200 San Jacinto Boulevard
(512) 480-9277

Fresh Cup offers "Fine Foods and Coffee To Go!" Choose your favorite coffee drinks, served iced or hot, along with Chai Tea, hot chocolate, Odwalla Juice, bottled waters, Smoothies and Frappes. Enjoy fresh bagels, pastries, salads, sandwiches served on Focaccia and desserts... baklava, French vanilla pound cake, chocalate moose cake, caramel pecan cheesecake, truffles, brownies, flan, carrot cake... Are you enjoying yet?

We'd like to welcome Koriente Korean Restaurant & Tea House and Fresh Cup to the neighborhood!

Don't miss this week's episode of Downtown on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. and Friday at 9:00 p.m. KLRU (Channel 19/Cable Channel 9) and Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. on KLRU2 (Cable Channel 20).

It's all about the Art
Experience building art from nature in Wooldridge Square as part of Austin Museum of Art's Andy Goldsworthy Exhibit. Austin becomes the center of the film, music and interactive universe during SXSW. Still working the same way for generations, Capitol Saddlery continues to please its special clients.

And, enjoy a special extra episode, Thursday & Friday Evening - July 28 (8:30) & July 29 - (9:30) only.

Running, Planning, Dancing
Now's the time to start getting ready for next year's Cap10K--follow runners from the City's largest run and see what it's like. Take an inside look at the Seaholm Power Plant and plans for this facilities' future. Dance the night away with some of Downtown's DJs.

Downtown is also available on Time Warner's Video on Demand- Austin on Demand, Channel 1400.

Jul 28 Streetscapes & Transportation Committee
8:30 a.m.
Southwest Tower, 211 E. 7th Street, 7th Floor Conference Room
Chair: Steve Simpson; DAA Contact: Thomas Butler
(512) 469-1766, downtownaustin.com

Aug 2 Economic Development Committee
Noon
Southwest Tower, 211 E. 7th Street, Room 111
Chair: Kent Collins; DAA Contact: Julie Fitch
(512) 469-1766, downtownaustin.com