After a Fashion
Your Style Avatar gets allergic smelling hay and hails a cab
By Stephen MacMillan Moser, Fri., June 4, 2010
SKY HIGH I spent a couple days high up in the Spring Condominiums, in a unit owned by my friend Charlotte Herzele. Charlotte wasn't there and hadn't completely moved in, but Stephen Rice and I made good use of the fabulous view. In a wraparound panorama, we could see across the city, from the antennae high up in West Lake Hills over to the UT Tower, soaring past the Monarch to the Capitol, the Frost Tower, the 360, the Ashton, across Lady Bird Lake, and over to the majestically lit Long Center. Breathtaking. Charlotte's aerie was solid white with only a distinctive collection of brilliantly colored Turkish rugs to relieve the simplicity. The effect was that of a blank slate with the windows vivid canvases framing the views. But that, of course, doesn't preclude the art that Charlotte has collected over her career – stacks of it in the corner of the bedroom, all carefully clad in bubble wrap, hidden delights begging to be unfurled. We've spoken about Charlotte's collection before – she has a huge Silver Elvis by Warhol, among works by Picasso, Dalí, and many others, so who knew what lay under all that bubble wrap? Well, I missed the unveiling – to thank Charlotte for her generosity, Stephen had our friend Marc Harmon (www.marcharmon.com) come and hang the art for her. It was no surprise to me that I could have easily stayed there the rest of my life and been happy. The peace, so far above the street, envelops like a warm cloak, and Stephen and I sat and looked at all the colored lights in the city and were particularly taken with the Frost Tower, which was reflecting the colors from the side of the Monarch that we couldn't see. And the Spring's proximity to the Monarch reminded me of living in New York. Seeing the full face of the Monarch is like watching a huge video monitor playing hundreds of channels all at one time. With all those lives going on in there, we got glimpses as residents crossed by windows and sliding doors, sometimes busily, sometimes leisurely, and sometimes deliberately. Suddenly, my dream of being Eva Gabor on Green Acres was coming true ....
REAL ESTATE Buying a house for the first time? HGTV may want to speak with you and your agent about filming you for My First Place. There are a few requirements to be met, but homebuyers, including singles, couples, and families, who would like to be considered for the program should contact Megan Golliday at 303/712-3283 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Go ahead, open up your private life for the world to see, and you, too, can be a reality TV star.
TAXI DRIVER Here's a shout-out to one of the kinds of taxi drivers that make Austin a great place to take a cab. Rather than drive me back to Manchaca, my friend Graydon Parrish sent me home in a taxi, and I wound up with a driver named Leo Morini (cab No. 141). Leo was vastly entertaining as we shared memories of old Austin while traveling from Tarrytown to Manchaca. If you'd like a driver who's knowledgeable, friendly, and a real pleasure to ride with, give Leo a call at 507-8245. Thank you, Leo!
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