AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[StoOgE]

Austin and Portland were at least weird at points in their history.

Indy and Louisville are bland AF cities that feel like an algorithm generated "middle america" cities.

[sjk]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

Austin and Portland were at least weird at points in their history.

Indy and Louisville are bland AF cities that feel like an algorithm generated "middle america" cities.

Having lived in Indy from 2014-2017, I agree that it is quite bland in comparison with other cities of similar size. It used to be nicknamed "nap city", which it seems they are trying to get away from. Some of its suburbs like Carmel are nice though.

[We vs us]

I lived in Louisville from 2014 through 2016 -- it's not weird, per se, but definitely interesting. Bourbon, horses, surprisingly artsy, great food, great ring of victorian housing around the center city. I mean -- pretty charming, now that I think of it.

But not truly weird.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by We vs us

I lived in Louisville from 2014 through 2016 -- it's not weird, per se, but definitely interesting. Bourbon, horses, surprisingly artsy, great food, great ring of victorian housing around the center city. I mean -- pretty charming, now that I think of it.

But not truly weird.

Fourth Street is pretty decent for a small town bar strip, too.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Fourth Street is pretty decent for a small town bar strip, too.

TBH, 4th street is old news at this point. The pandemic really hasn't been kind to it. On the other hand, Market Street/NuLu is pretty awesome (just saw that they're getting the first Bunkhouse hotel west of the Mississippi) as is Main St, with its distilleries and the Yum Center, bars and restaurants, etc. Anyhoo, I'm a big fan. It's a lot like Austin minus decades of tech hype.

[mercury6]

lived in Louisville in the late 90s, back then Bardstown Rd and the Highlands were the place to live and hang out.

[Echostatic]

Carmel is nice. Roundabout capital of America. Westfield is nice too. But I wouldn't want to live in Indy proper, and the whole place is far from weird.

[H2O]

Both cities have great bones in terms of urban design layouts, parkland and building stock, but lack in economic and cultural vitality.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin pic in the facebook glasses announcement. The second pic, maybe the first one too.

https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/09/faceb...#disqus_thread

[kingkirbythe....]

20 Years after 9/11, Austin’s Frost Bank Tower Remains a Symbol of Strength

https://austin.towers.net/20-years-a...l-of-strength/

With numerous taller towers now prominent on Austin’s skyline — and even more on the way — the 33-story Frost Bank Tower at 401 Congress Avenue isn’t quite the symbol of the “New Austin” it once was at the time of its opening in 2004, remaining the city’s tallest building until the completion of the 360 Condominiums in 2008. But as the first really architecturally iconic tower to rise here since the 1980s, the building’s striking pyramidal glass crown and other aspects of its design from acclaimed architecture firm Duda/Paine subjected the structure to a level of scrutiny that new projects around here just don’t face these days now that the appearance of something tall and new on the skyline is less of a shock and more of a Tuesday.

[enragedcamel]

I have a request...

Can the OPs of various threads we have be regularly updated with the most recent renderings people post? Sometimes I'll get curious about what something will look like when finished, and end up spending a lot of time scrolling back through the thread to find the most recent postings because the stuff in the OP (if any) will be horribly outdated.

[kingkirbythe....]

Dry Creek Cafe, an Old-school Dive Bar on Lake Austin, Is Closing After 68 Years

You’ve got until October 31 to stop by for a cold one.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-t...-cafe-closing/

Calling all dive bar enthusiasts! Sadly, it appears that the final last call at Austin’s beloved Dry Creek Cafe & Boat Dock is nigh. The historic and ever-rickety cash-only dive, which has peacefully sat on the backside of Austin’s Mount Bonnell since that part of town was considered the city’s outskirts, is set to shut down at the end of October. Barring a miracle, there’s a “99 percent chance” that October 31 will be the last night in business, bar manager Elly Barksdale tells Texas Monthly. “We’re surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes, and we don’t have foot traffic,” she says. “The profitability just isn’t there.”

Many who have ever called Austin home—or even just passed through—will fondly remember the little joint for its ice-cold longneck beer, sublime 45-rpm honky-tonk jukebox, and beautiful sunsets from the ramshackle rooftop deck. And for those who had the pleasure of dropping in before the turn of the last century, there was, of course, Sarah. Nobody who ever encountered Sarah Ransom, the late, great, longtime proprietor, could forget her or her admonitory “bring your damn bottles down” mantra. She notoriously possessed a short temper and an even sharper tongue (in her 2009 Austin American-Statesman obituary, her son observed, “She was like living with a bobcat or a black widow spider”).

According to Barksdale, the bar will say goodbye with a raucous celebration on October 30 and 31: “There’s a very strong sense of family and community here. We are gonna party!” There will be live music, as well as koozies and postcards for sale. In case you’re unable to make it by in person, all is not lost. Fans of the joint are advocating for it to become a historic landmark, a designation that could help preserve the building. And some kind soul has seen fit to assemble a 109-song-long Spotify playlist titled “Dry Creek Jukebox.” Pop your own top, sit back, and relive those glorious evenings of your misspent youth. And be sure to pour a little out for this soon-to-be-lost old saloon of the old school. Cheers!

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Dry Creek Cafe, an Old-school Dive Bar on Lake Austin, Is Closing After 68 Years

You’ve got until October 31 to stop by for a cold one.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-t...-cafe-closing/

Calling all dive bar enthusiasts! Sadly, it appears that the final last call at Austin’s beloved Dry Creek Cafe & Boat Dock is nigh. The historic and ever-rickety cash-only dive, which has peacefully sat on the backside of Austin’s Mount Bonnell since that part of town was considered the city’s outskirts, is set to shut down at the end of October. Barring a miracle, there’s a “99 percent chance” that October 31 will be the last night in business, bar manager Elly Barksdale tells Texas Monthly. “We’re surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes, and we don’t have foot traffic,” she says. “The profitability just isn’t there.”

Many who have ever called Austin home—or even just passed through—will fondly remember the little joint for its ice-cold longneck beer, sublime 45-rpm honky-tonk jukebox, and beautiful sunsets from the ramshackle rooftop deck. And for those who had the pleasure of dropping in before the turn of the last century, there was, of course, Sarah. Nobody who ever encountered Sarah Ransom, the late, great, longtime proprietor, could forget her or her admonitory “bring your damn bottles down” mantra. She notoriously possessed a short temper and an even sharper tongue (in her 2009 Austin American-Statesman obituary, her son observed, “She was like living with a bobcat or a black widow spider”).

According to Barksdale, the bar will say goodbye with a raucous celebration on October 30 and 31: “There’s a very strong sense of family and community here. We are gonna party!” There will be live music, as well as koozies and postcards for sale. In case you’re unable to make it by in person, all is not lost. Fans of the joint are advocating for it to become a historic landmark, a designation that could help preserve the building. And some kind soul has seen fit to assemble a 109-song-long Spotify playlist titled “Dry Creek Jukebox.” Pop your own top, sit back, and relive those glorious evenings of your misspent youth. And be sure to pour a little out for this soon-to-be-lost old saloon of the old school. Cheers!

Good post. You are becoming one of my favorite posters.

[The ATX]

Dust Devil filmed in Rainey yesterday.


https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/

[KevinFromTexas]

^That's pretty wild. I remember the first time we took a road trip to Colorado and were driving through west Texas we saw one out by Big Spring that was wider than the 2 lane highway we were on and was probably a couple of hundred feet high.

[kingkirbythe....]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Good post. You are becoming one of my favorite posters.

[kingkirbythe....]

New book on Mountain Cedars challenges long-held myths

https://sanantonioreport.org/new-boo...ng-held-myths/

In a compelling new book, Austin environmental planner and ecologist Elizabeth McGreevy asks Hill Country landowners and land managers to put down their chainsaws and rethink their relationship with Ashe juniper, locally known as Mountain Cedar. Her 578-page paperback, WANTED! Mountain Cedars, Dead and Alive, lays out the case for reconsidering Texas’ most hated tree.

"For example, contrary to popular belief, Mountain Cedars are not an invasive species. The tree has been native to Texas for millenia. Juniper pollen was found in a cave in north central Bexar County and dated to be more than 10,000 years old. The Spanish in the 1700s and the Germans in the 1800s used Mountain Cedars to build their homes, missions, and barns."

[drummer]

Article re: construction workers taking up many of the parking spots in city parks.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/in...4-bc2a549a5ec8

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by drummer

Article re: construction workers taking up many of the parking spots in city parks.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/in...4-bc2a549a5ec8

I was wondering why the limited parking at Auditorium Shores is all taken at 5:30AM.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by The ATX

I was wondering why the limited parking at Auditorium Shores is all taken at 5:30AM.

Yeah, it's certainly something that requires attention. I can't fault the construction workers for taking personal, mitigated risks in order to save money to get to work. However, it obviously affects things beyond them. You can't guarantee parking in an urban area, so getting developers to provide that could prove difficult, but some sort of remote parking and bus/van system might not be out of the question for larger projects.