What we’re about
This walking group explores the dynamic past and present of Austin's built environment. Tracing the origins of Austin street names, walking streets in their entirety, and stubbornly circumventing limitations posed by half-baked pedestrian infrastructure plans of yore, these events are intended to be adventures but not guided tours. Librarians and blacksmiths, photographers and mechanics, sociologists and forensic accountants alike should feel welcome, provided we have at least two things in common: a deep curiosity about the city of Austin and two strong feet to carry us where curiosity leads.
This monthly group won’t be the fastest hiking group in the city, but we’ll cover long-ish distances, up to 7-10 miles in cooler months. I won’t assume everyone has a car (I don’t), and if you don't you should have the ability and patience to navigate Austin’s far-from-perfect patchwork of bikeshare, public transit, etc. if needed to get to and from the start and end points.
At the end of these walks we’ll find a place to rehydrate, get some food, and talk about it all.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Cesar Chavez's 98th Birthday East Side Loop WalkAustin Central Library, Austin Public Library, Austin, TX
Praised by Martin Luther King for carrying on Gandhi’s tradition of nonviolent activism, founding the National Farm Workers Association, and eventually earning a Presidential Medal of Freedom, Cesar Chávez was born in Yuma Arizona in 1927 before moving with his family to California during the Great Depression. The child of Mexican immigrants, he worked as a migrant farmer, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and then developed his skills as a laborer organizer on his return to migrant farming.
In 1993 the city of Austin honored the legacy of Chávez by renaming Water Street after him. Though Chávez himself never lived in Austin, the city’s East Side has a notable history as a Mexican American settlement. The city honored this history in 2011 when it declared a stretch of 5th Street as the Mexican-American Cultural Heritage District.
A day before Chávez’s 98th birthday, our 7.25 mile loop walk will honor both the cultural heritage district and Chávez himself. Departing from Austin Central Library, we’ll follow Chávez Street all the way to its east end by East Side Bus Plaza (Greyhound), and then loop back along 5th street.
Thanks to today’s heirs of Chávez in the farmworkers' industry, downtown Austin enjoys an abundance of food. Those interested in this food can stick around to join us for lunch somewhere TBD near the library.
ROUGH TIMELINE:
- We should complete the walk itself by around 1 pm
TRANSIT LOGISTICS:
- Official walk map here
- For those who drive, I can’t guarantee free parking downtown, but the library parking garage seems to have reasonable rates. There’s otherwise an abundance of free street parking east of Chalmers/ south of Chavez a couple miles into the walk- just send us a note and we’ll look for late joiners by East First Grocery (Chicon/Chavez) around 10:45-11.
- If you aren’t able to complete the entire walk, CapMetro #2 (Chavez) and #4 (7th Street) can get you back downtown.
