Skyscrapers, forumers, and...fish?
 

Last month, I met up with two Austin forumers - Jdawgboy and the Genral, and we wandered around downtown for a bit.

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West Campus - This area is northwest of downtown and west of the UT Campus. It's mostly student housing. About a decade ago taller building heights were approved for the area.

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Next, we made our way downtown to find a place to park.

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5th & West and the Independent.

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The Seaholm Power Plant. The 1950s art-deco style building was transformed into office space. The area around it is mostly residential, retail, and restaurant space.

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5th & West Residences (459 feet 39 floors) and The Independent (690 feet 58 floors).

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5th & West and the Independent, plus the Seaholm Residences on the left.

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New construction - Third + Shoal, an office building (387 feet 28 floors), and Austin Proper a hotel and condos (397 feet 32 floors)

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Next, we made it over to the new Central Library. There's a public reading balcony on the 6th floor overlooking downtown.

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The (former) Seaholm Power Plant.

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South Austin Medical Center - going through an expansion adding several floors to the building.

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70 Rainey, a condo building, (419 feet 33 floors).

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Cropped "zoomed" version of the above photo showing the airport Hilton Hotel in the distance at ABIA - about 6 1/2 miles away. You can just see a jet tail sticking up to the left of it.

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View from the library - This group of buildings is part of the redevelopment of the Green Water Treatment Plant. Third + Shoal, seen here under construction on the left, which is actually on a lot that was not part of the plant redevelopment, replaced the Austin Music Hall. The other three towers to the right of it are part of the redevelopment. The last remaining lot on the lower right will also be developed with a tower. In all, about 3 million square feet of office, hotel, apartments, condos, and retail will be completed in 5 towers. Facebook and Google are tenants in two of the buildings.

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The Independent looms north of the library.

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Looking north toward West Campus, the area we drove through earlier.

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500 West 2nd - the "Google Tower" - I'm happy with it. I like the details.

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The dreaded Seaholm substation smack dab in the middle of density. Hopefully, someday, this will go away.

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The Independent

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With the closing of the power plant and water treatment plant, it was possible to build new sections of streets through those blocks. 2nd Street got a new bridge across Shoal Creek which helps with traffic flow from the west side of downtown to the east.

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500 West 2nd

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Austin Proper

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Northshore and 500 West 2nd.

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Northshore - I like the detail on this one.

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500 West 2nd

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2nd Street

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Northshore

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The Willie Nelson statue outside the Moody Theatre - Austin City Limits studio.

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After we had lunch, we left downtown to go up to North Austin to visit a fish store. Jdawgboy was helping the Genral to pick out some fish and other supplies for his aquariums.

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We also stopped off at a second store in South Austin.

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~Thanks for looking.

Great pictures. Sure wish that power substation and all the overhead wires could magically disappear.

Thanks for sharing!

I was patiently waiting for your photos and once again you capture the essence of this city and our day so perfectly. Love it and so glad you were able to join us.

Yes and if anyone else also enjoys the aquarium hobby feel free to contact me.

Great photos, Kevin!

Fantastic photos Kevin. You got some excellent shots, especially those in the GreenWater district. Thanks for sharing.

Those fish look like they're holding their breath for a soccer stadium and quality transit stadium to be approved! :)

Very nice set. I especially like this WC view. Talk about a plateau. If 21 Rio didn't get a zoning variance, the plateau would be complete. 21 Rio was an early WC project, and I'm surprised there haven't been more zoning change requests. The area allowing 175' buildings is pretty much spoken for.

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I agree, one would think that at some point the city will want to revise the West Campus overlay to allow for taller buildings. Not sure how much more space is left but they won't be able to add much more if they won't allow additional vertical density. West Campus has become a skyline in its own right. Having a couple of 25-30 story buildings would go along way in giving it height variation and form.

Lol, I actually feel bad for them then cause they'll be holding their breath forever.. Lol jk

Honestly I do feel bad for them since they are purposely bred to have that deformity (and it is a deformity even if it's done on purpose) if those bubbles pop, they frequently get infections and die. Im not an advocate of unusual deformity breeding simply because it may look cool or different.

already looks better than dallas

:runaway:

Great pictures Kevin, I sure with that substation by the library was gone, it's a sore thumb.

Great photos indeed! That’s a pretty cool library, makes me realize there’s a lot of places in Austin to be explored.

I wonder what was nature’s logic behind those last fish.

Great pictures Kevin.
Isn't the 34th floor cantilever on the Independent supposed to go to the edge of the building? seems odd they haven't worked on it at all.

No logic natually behind it. As I stated in my post above they are intentionally bred with deformities which are deemed cool or interesting. Those poor things wouldn't last a day in their species native habitat. They only exist in the aquarium hobby. If those bubbles pop they frequently get infections and die. I'm a vocal opponent against deformity breeding simply because it might look cool. I breed fish as apart of my hobby and hopefully side business.

It comes down to educating the public because as long as people want to buy those types of fish, breeders will continue to selective breed deformities due to popularity. If people stop buying them then breeders won't continue to breed them that way.