2019 Austin Exchange Travelers’ Notes: Version 2019.10.14.13.30
Dear Grand Rapids Tiny World Travelers!
We are delighted and excited about your participation in Tiny World Tours 2019 Austin Exchange! As you know, Austin is a very special city that three of us (out of your four co-hosts) have called home.
Our tour is designed to explore three main topics identified by Rosalynn Bliss and Mark Washington:
Affordable Housing
Arts-Related Economic Development
Mobility
We will explore these topics through different frames, including an array of speakers and curated site-visits. We have planned diverse experiences that we hope you’ll both enjoy and learn from, but we also ask you be open to unexpected, serendipitous surprises that might present themselves….
A broad underlying theme is the continuously unfolding story of Austin's development as one of the decade's most unique and celebrated cities. We will shine a light on its past, present, and future, especially the notable similarities and differences between AUS and GRR. We will continually ask:
"What might Grand Rapids have to learn from Austin?"
"What growing pains are we both facing as we turn another decade corner to enter 2020?"
"How might Austin and Grand Rapids benefit from continued exchanges?"
One of the most important parts of Tiny World Tours delegation exchanges are the rich conversations we each can initiate! Please come prepared to be observant and curious, and to mutually connect as a participant in lively dialogues. No one has a monopoly on meaning, and we'll all benefit from your full participation both as a listener and a contributor.
These Travelers' Notes are intended to serve both practical needs (what to pack, when & where to meet, what's for dinner) as well as to foreground your journey with references and background information intended to make your "on the ground" experience richer.
Before the trip, we encourage you to take time on your computer or tablet and click some of the links to articles and websites we've selected. (We’re also very interested in stories, articles, websites, relationship connections, and information that you find interesting to share with us!)
Within this document you will find a daily itinerary along with important and helpful details to help you prepare. If you have any questions before or during the tour, please don’t hesitate to ask!
We are looking forward to seeing you soon! Thank you for joining us! We hope that our time together in Austin will have multiple positive and lasting effects in Grand Rapids!
Your Co-Hosts,
Rosalynn, Mark (W), Mark (H), and Dana
TRAVELER DETAILS
Our Philosophy: Through unique experiences around the world, Tiny World Tours brings people together in meaningful ways... We open doors to an inside track of special people, places, opportunities and transformative ideas. See our website for more about how we shape our tours.
A few key points to make everyone's experience better:
We've found that the people matter even more than the place, and that bringing together curious travelers with locals and specialists produces the most memorable travel. We encourage you to mix and mingle with those you don't know, try new things, and be eager to learn. That said, everything is optional. If you'd like to opt out of or spin off from participating in any meal, site visit, event, or walk, please just let us know ahead of time so we don't hold up the group. If you have special requests, we'll try to accommodate them. (Unless otherwise noted, all listed events and group meals on the itinerary are included as part of the tour.)
Clothing: Although the weather is expected to be pleasant, it can be unpredictable in Texas at this time of year, so we suggest bringing layers including a light jacket, an umbrella in case of rain, a hat and sunglasses for sun protection, and sunscreen. The average October Austin weather usually calls for dry highs in the mid 80s°F and lows in the 60s°F, but hotter or colder or wetter is possible. Although none of the places on our tour will require formal attire, please feel free to dress up for our evening parties or accessorize as you wish. During the day dress is informal but we strongly urge comfortable walking shoes.
Group Communications: On October 14th, Mark will set up and invite you to join a WhatsApp group that will allow us to be in easy communication with each other collectively and individually. Please download WhatsApp, which works via your digital cell phone plan and/or via any internet connection. We highly recommend you accept Mark’s WhatsApp invitation because it will make timely communications and serendipity possible. Mark will also set up and invite you to join a group photo sharing drive (google drive) for those who wish to share photos or videos with other members of our group.
We look forward to seeing you—please let us know if you have any questions.
Mark Holzbach mark@tinyworldtours.com +1 512.689.6777
Dana Friis-Hansen dana@tinyworldtours.com +1 512.653.8188
ITINERARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16: Arrival in Austin! Evening welcome event at the Austonian
If you haven’t done so already, please inform Mark Holzbach of your flight itinerary.
Please plan to arrive at the Carpenter Hotel on Wednesday afternoon; official check-in begins at 4 pm. If you arrive early and your room is ready, they’ll let you in (of course)! If you arrive early and your room is not yet ready, however, you may leave your luggage with the front desk and make use of the property including the coffee shop called “Hot L Coffee,” the restaurant “Carpenters Hall," or relax by the pool, (if feel like taking a dip, you can change in the nearby the pool bathrooms.) There’s even a poolside red phone from which you may place food and drink orders! One of our hotel’s co-owners is Andrew Knowlton, Editor-at-large of Bon Appetit magazine, so this place invites culinary attention. We selected it because of its ideal location and pulse-on-Austin cultural vibe. Happy Hour at Carpenters Hall is Monday-Friday from 3:00-5:30, and includes snacks and wine, beer, and cocktail specials. The Carpenter: 400 Josephine, Austin, TX 78704 (512) 682-5300
4 PM: Carpenter Hotel Official Check in begins
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Carpenters Hall Happy Hour (there’s a good chance other members of our tour will be here) or you may like to walk and check out nearby neighborhood destinations such as The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool, the Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake, the South Congress (SoCo)district, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, the Zach Theatre (almost next door to our hotel), and the James Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.
6:00 PM – Please gather in front of The Carpenter at 5:30 PM for a ~30-minute stroll OR at 5:45 PM to board the van for a ~10 minute ride). (Please send a SMS Text or WhatsApp message to Mark at 512-689-6777 to inform us if you're going independently, neither walking with the group nor taking the van.)
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM: Welcome Party and Introductory Program, "AUS/GRR Compare/Contrast"
The Austonian Club Room (55th Floor), 200 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 (entrance on the North West side of 2nd St near the intersection with Congress Ave). (512) 827-2700
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM: The Austonian 55th floor Club Room We start our visit atop one of the city’s tallest buildings, home to lux condos. (Note: The accurate name for an Austin resident is “Austinite,” so this prominent building’s name is NOT Austin’s demonym as you may expect – rather it is a sly geographic misdirection). For the first hour, we'll mingle with local leaders while enjoying the views sipping a glass of wine, beer, or soft drinks and dine from a buffet table catered by one of Austin's noted Food Truck cuisine choices, Chi'lantro, which is transforming how people think about Korean BBQ. Get your bearings and enjoy the city views from all four points of the compass! Toast the start of our Austin exchange, satisfy your appetite with tasty Austin local cuisine, and introduce yourself to anyone you don’t already know…especially the Austinites in attendance, many of whom you will likely see again when they speak to our group over the next several days. Don’t forget your business cards!
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM: 55th floor Club Room: Introductory Program,"AUS/GRR Compare/Contrast"
Brian Kelsey, Inaugural Research Director of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, and Owner of economic research and consulting firm Civic Analytics, will kick-off conversation with an introductory presentation.
Taking turns at podium, GR Co-Hosts Rosalynn Bliss, Mark Washington, Dana Friis-Hansen, Mark Holzbach, and Austin Hosts Mayor Adler and City Manager Spencer Cronk will share some insights about our shared urban opportunities and challenges in 2020 and beyond…
8:30 PM – 9:30 PM: 55th floor Club Room: Continue mingling
9:30 PM: This event concludes, and the rest of your evening is free…
Walk or ride share back to the hotel (about 30 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by car) and rest up for the days ahead… or head out on the town. Dana and Mark recommend the Rainey Street, East Austin, South Congress, or South Austin entertainment districts that are home to live music, unique bars, and wonderful restaurants. The South Congress and South Austin districts are the ones nearest to our hotel.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17: Focus: Austin Arts + Economic Development and Mobility Austin City Hall & Austin Central Library
Breakfast on your own at Hot L Coffee or Carpenters Hall , both open at 7:00 am.
9 AM: van pickup in front of The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine St
9:15 AM – 11:30 AM – Austin City Hall, 301 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701. We’ll spend this morning at City Hall, engaging with Austin city officials. Speaker program will involve team members of the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Department.
The City Hall building was designed by Antoine Predock and its form reflects an innovative approach to government architecture. The open floor plan promotes transparency and the building features limestone, copper, glass, water sculptures and terraces. City Hall overlooks Lady Bird Lake and acts as Austin’s living room.
9:15 – 10 AM: Group splits into two subgroups (Group A; Group B)
Group A: City Hall art tour (led by Suzanne Burton w/ Economic Development Dept)
Group B: Meet in City Manager’s Conference Room (City Hall, 3rd floor) for Economic Development & Cultural Arts presentation
Veronica Briseno, Director of the Economic Development Department/Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Assistant Director of the Economic Development Department – Opens (5 minute, possible video from City Works)
Frank Wick, Collections Manager, Art In Public Places (15 minutes)
Alberto Mejia, Program Manager, Cultural Funding & Investments, Cultural Arts Division, and Jesus Pantel, Cultural Funding Contract Management Specialist, Cultural Arts Division
(10 minutes)Melissa Alvarado – Heritage Tourism Manager (10 minutes)
Q&A – (5 Minutes)
Austin City Council will be in session starting at 10 AM and will welcome our delegation. Mark Washington will frame three main focus topics of our tour: Mobility, Housing, and Arts & Culture related Economic Development.
10 – 10:15 AM: Group rejoins in Council Chambers to be recognized by Council
10:15 – 11 AM: Group splits back up and switches
Group B: City Hall art tour (led by Suzanne Burton, Exhibition Coordinator with the People’s Gallery at Austin City Hall, Economic Development Dept)
Group A: Meet in City Manager’s Conference Room (City Hall, 3rd floor) for Economic Development & Cultural Arts presentation
Veronica Briseno, Director of the Economic Development Department/Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Assistant Director of the Economic Development Department – Opens (5 minute, possible video from City Works)
Frank Wick, Collections Manager, Art In Public Places (15 minutes)
Alberto Mejia, Program Manager, Cultural Funding & Investments, Cultural Arts Division, and Jesus Pantel, Cultural Funding Contract Management Specialist, Cultural Arts Division
(10 minutes)Melissa Alvarado – Heritage Tourism Manager (10 minutes)
Q&A – (5 Minutes)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Group rejoins and Frank Wick provides a guided Art in Public Places walking tour along 2nd Street to Austin Central Library, designed by noted Texas architects Lake|Flato, with a brief stop along the way at the newly developed multi-use Seaholm Power Plant campus developed on the site of a landmark 1950’s era power plant with numerous examples of public art.
12:00 PM – 1 PM: Cookbook Café lunch (inside the Austin Central Library) - Mark will order lunch in advance, so please email Mark your lunch selection from the menu (click here to view menu) by 5 PM Friday 10/11/19 - or else risk Mark ordering on your behalf, noting any food restrictions on your tour registration.
1 PM – 2 PM: Docent-led tour of the Austin Central Library (opened in 2018)
2 PM – 4 PM: Our group will have a presentation about “Austin's Mobility Future” by staff from the City of Austin’s Transportation Department and CapMetro. The presenters will describe the many challenges and proposed multi-modal solutions in Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP) and how it relates to CapMetro's “Project Connect”.
2 PM – 3 PM: Presentation from Karla Taylor, Chief of Staff, Austin Transportation Department (time window includes 25-30 min presentation, 10-20 mins for Q&A, and possible time for a quick break/stretch)
3 – 4 PM: Presentation from Jackie Nirenberg, Community Engagement Manager at Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority / CapMetro
4:00 PM: Walk back to The Carpenter Hotel for a break or continue exploring the city… Dinner on-your-own.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18: Affordable Housing Bus Tour and a visit to the Canopy Arts Complex
Breakfast on your own at Hot L Coffee or Carpenters Hall , both open at 7:00 am.
10 AM: large (55 passenger) bus pickup in front of The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine St
This morning will feature a bus tour of East Austin with HousingWorks Austin, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in Austin, providing research, education, advocacy and thoughtful, workable affordable housing policy recommendations. HousingWorks’ Executive Director Nora Linares-Moeller will accompany us. Francie Ferguson, founding Executive Director of Foundation Communities and NeighborWorks’ National Real Estate Program Acting Vice President, will be our tour leader.
10:00AM – Mandy de Mayo, City of Austin, Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, Community Development Administrator - will speak to the group at the Carpenter Hotel
10:30AM - Plaza Saltillo – Capital Metro/Austin Habitat for Humanity/Endeavor - 412 Comal Street, Austin, TX 78702 (6min, 1.5mi)
● Greg Anderson, Director of Operations, Habitat for Humanity– mixed use development with 18% affordable units
10:48AM - LifeWorks –835 N Pleasant Valley Drive, Austin, TX 78702 (3min, .9mi)
● Susan McDowell, Executive Director - serving young adults, single parents
11:03AM - Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation – 1200 Paul Teresa Saldana Street, Austin, TX 78702 (2min, .5mi)
● Mark Rogers, Executive Director - 100% affordable homeownership and rental units
11:17AM - The Terrace at Oak Springs by Integral Care –3001 Oak Springs Dr., Austin, TX 78702 (6min, 1.8mi)
● Darilynn Cardona-Beiler –Director of Adult Behavioral Health Services - permanent supportive housing(PSH)
11:35AM - Wildflower Terrace - 3801 Berkman, Austin, TX 78723 (4min, 1mi)
11:40PM - The Jordan - Foundation Communities at Mueller - 2724 Philomena St, Austin, TX 78723 (3min, 1mi)
● Walter Moreau, Executive Director, low income families with support services;10% PSH
11:55PM - Aldrich 51 - 2604 Aldrich St., Austin, TX 78723 (3min, .6mi)
● Blake Mauldin, Marketing Manager, Diana McIver & Associates (DMA) - workforce housing includes affordable units
12:10PM - Mueller Airport Redevelopment – Catellus/City of Austin/Mueller Foundation - 4500 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723 (18min, 6.6mi)
● Brian Dolezal, Vice President, Marketing, Catellus- multifamily development – 25% + affordability in a shared equity program
LUNCH AND TOUR - 12:45-2:45PM - Community First! Village – Mobile Loaves and Fishes –9301 Hog Eye Rd Suite 950, Austin, TX 78724 (19min, 6.6mi)
Gourmet Boxed Lunch Mark will order lunch in advance, so please email Mark your lunch selection from the menu by 5 PM Friday 10/11/19 - or else risk Mark ordering on your behalf, noting any food restrictions on your tour registration.Choose from the following options:
Beef tenderloin sandwich
Smoked chicken salad sandwich
Gouda and grilled veggie
Choice of one side: potato chips, fruit, or a cookie
Choice of iced tea, lemonade, or water
● Marla Johnson, Events Coordinator– homeless shelter
Note: Community First! was mentioned in this Oct 1st, 2019: New York Times article (click here)
3:05-4:05PM - Big Medium/Canopy - 916 Springdale Rd., Bldg 2, # 101, Austin, TX
● Shea Little, Executive Director (17min, 4.6mi)
Walking tour of Canopy art complex in East Austin, a creative community set within a redeveloped East Austin warehouse, with Big Medium founders Shea Little and Jana Swec. Artist studios, creative office spaces, art galleries and a café are linked together with communal courtyards and covered breezeways, emphasizing the connectedness between art, culture, and the public.
Explore the East Austin neighborhood from here, or board our bus and return to The Carpenter Hotel for a break … The rest of this evening is on-your-own
4:30PM - Drop off at The Carpenter Hotel, 400 Josephine Street, Austin, TX 78704 for a break or continue exploring the city… Dinner on-your-own.
Suggestion: Head to 6th and Chicon St, a five minute drive away (we can direct our charter bus to drop you off there), where the distinctive new ARRIVE hotel features the Gin Bar inside or sit in the garden at Lefty’s Brick Bar next door
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19: Austin's Urban Fabric
Breakfast on your own at Hot L Coffee or Carpenters Hall , both open at 7:00 am.
9 AM: van pickup in front of The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine St
9 – 11:30 AM: Walking tour of downtown Austin starting at Texas Statehouse, focusing on Congress Avenue, parks, cultural venues and other amenities, exploring the nexus of office, retail, residential, and leisure. One notable highlight of this tour will be Republic Square Park, where the weekly Austin Farmers Market takes place every Saturday morning. This park is the site of Austin’s first Public-Private Partnership 2015 between the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Austin Parks Foundation, and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. The award of a Central Parks Conservancy Partnerships Lab grant for Republic Square Park was announced in September.
We have been invited to be greeted by noted Austin architect Larry Speck at his downtown condo home in a downtown residential development that preceded much of Austin’s recent building boom. Larry is the architect of many noted Austin urban projects such as the Austin Convention Center (and expansion), the Austin Airport (and expansion), and the first phase of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, and the Texas State Capitol Campus Master Plan.
Watch Interview with Professor Larry Speck and student D’Jon Green, an Air Force veteran and first-generation college student who receives a life-changing opportunity when he’s admitted to The University of Texas at Austin.
Group lunch nearby, followed by afternoon your own until 5:30 PM
Afternoon Suggestions (near The Carpenter hotel):
● Explore the Umlauf Sculpture Garden
● Walk or run along the Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake
● Swim at Barton Springs Pool, a three-acre pool fed from underground springs
● check out Austin’s unique shopping along South Congress (SoCo) Avenue
● ride a CapMetro bus and/or rent a bike or scooter and ride around town
5:30 PM van pickup in front of The Carpenter Hotel at 400 Josephine St
Enough of the city! We'll head out to the edge of the Hill Country for our final evening together. Enjoy drinks and conversation with fellow travelers, program participants, and other notable Austinites, and we'll pause to reflect upon and share our impressions and ideas worth exploring in Grand Rapids. A Texas-styled feast will be provided by Austin Pig Roast
The special site for all this fun is The Plant at Kyle, an AIA-award-winning complex designed by Lake|Flato Architects. The 1989 home is noted for its adaptive re-use of a 1920s warehouse from the de-commissioned Alamo Cement Plant, turned inside-out and re-assembled for contemporary life, featuring a monumental screened-in courtyard, a sleeping porch, and unique living spaces.
At 8 PM, our van drives us back to Austin where we’ll enjoy our last evening….
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20
End of tour – no planned activities.
Hotel check out, onward departures.
Please let Mark or Dana know if you have any questions, concerns, or information to share.
