This week I’m speaking with Liz Lambert. If you’ve visited Austin’s South Congress over the last twenty years, chances are you have Liz to thank, though you may not realize it. While the pandemic certainly escalated the migration to the Live Music Capital of the World, the trend began far earlier, and one could argue that a sea foam green motel was the spark that ignited a wildfire.

Shortly after leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and returning to her home state of Texas, Liz found herself standing in the parking lot of the Hotel San José with a bottle of champagne in one hand and the keys to front door in the other, with nothing more than instinct and her fundamental understanding of what Christopher Alexander called ‘the quality without a name’ to guide her.

A trained storyteller, not even Liz could have written the adventure that would follow, which culminated in her transforming over half a dozen properties throughout Texas and Mexico as well as establishing herself as one of the most influential hoteliers of our time, only to see her legacy taken from her in a twist even Liz admits she didn’t see coming.

It’s easy to draw parallels between Liz’s experience and that of the town she helped to make famous, but as with any hero’s journey, the road back leads to resurrection, and it’s safe to say both stories are far from over.

Often imitated but never duplicated, please enjoy Liz Lambert on The Days Between..