An Englishman in Hyde Park:
Walking and Mapping the 'Hood

Dear Neighbors,

"Hyde Park is clearly one of the best neighborhoods in Texas"; the readers of the Chronicle were not wrong in their recent poll. The area's first entrepreneur, Monroe Shipe, was a man of great vision, way back in the 1890s; he should be applauded for his foresight by all.

As an Englishman living in Texas, I can think of no better place to be. I recently moved to Hyde Park, and have spent several days strolling through the leafy avenues, sketchbook in hand, plotting numerous beautiful, historical and curious features. Although there is already an excellent pamphlet featuring selected architectural wonders of the region (printed by the Tourist bureau, and available at the Ney Museum), I felt that it would be helpful to produce a walking map of the neigborhood, from 38th to 45th street and from Guadalupe to Duval. The map includes historical buildings, little-known facts, coffee shops, restaurants, and a checklist for kids.

With the help of a few local shops and services, and sound advice from knowledgeable residents, I printed 1000 copies of my "unofficial" map and distributed it widely. These have all been snapped up, mostly, I assume, because they were free!

If anyone wants a copy of the map, perhaps for a weekend stroll with or without visitors to Austin, please contact the Neighborhood Association; they will provide you with a copy for a small fee to cover printing costs.

Depending on the interest of advertisers, and the amount of time I have between archaeological contracts, I intend to produce another bigger and better publication, with more of the historical anecdotes that did not make the original print-run due to lack of space.

A Happy New Year to y'all!

K.E.S. I NSTALLATIONS   25 Years EXPERIENCE   Laminate & Hardwood Flooring   Sales, Installations & Repairs   Kenny Steward (512) 626-5080 or 281-4911