Originally Posted by austlar1
Since this is supposed to be a thread about the Waller Place project, just let me say that I love this project and hope it gets built.
Now that I got that out of the way, let me respond to Jdawgboy's comments:
Jdawgboy, I am guessing you are fairly young (under 40) and presumably single. Of course, you and your friends are going to spend a lot of time downtown. I used to spend more time downtown too, and this was before all of the recent development down there. That older version of downtown may have lacked a lot of tall buildings and had too many parking lots, but it was still a place where you could have a lot of fun. Now that I am older, I find that I have fewer and fewer reasons to go there. Most of my friends are over 40. Very few of them go downtown on a regular basis even for special events or festivals. Most of them used to go to these things, but their priorities have changed as they got older. Most of the locals that I know would probably choose to dine or go to a movie outside of downtown because there are lots of good local choices available that don't require dealing with expensive and elusive parking and large crowds. To be honest, a few of them do still venture downtown to hear a favorite band or go to the theater, but there is a reason why streets like So.First St, So. Congress, So. Lamar, E. 6th St., North Loop, Burnet Road, etc. are full of good local dining options and, also, increasingly with interesting local shopping options. It is not like you have to choose between downtown and Applebee's here in Austin. There is more to Austin, lots more, than that which is available downtown.
You mention the 60,000 to 100,000 night-time/weekend population figures for downtown. Let's stick with the more typical regular weekend 60,000 figure. I am guessing that half of that number is comprised of out of town visitors staying at the nearly 10,000 hotel rooms located downtown and nearby plus probably another 15,000 to 20,000 or so UT students. The remainder are probably local young folks out for an evening on the town. That is a large number and it is a good thing that downtown attracts this demographic. I don't have a problem with that. I am just taking exception to your assertion that MOST Austin residents regularly use downtown Austin. That is just simply not true. Downtown Austin is used by the folks who work there, by the new highrise dwellers who can afford to live there, by the area's large singles population who like to party there, and by an endless stream of visitors who stay in hotels and, blessedly, spend lots of money there.
Increasingly it seems to me that MOST Austin residents try to avoid going downtown. Like me, they gaze in amazement at the new skyline as they slug past the place on crowded freeways or surface streets. They view it as being expensive, crowded, and touristy. I constantly hear friends (young and old) complain about the traffic jams, the endless street closures, the constant "special events" both downtown and in the nearby parks. Believe it or not, there are some Austin residents that don't like the fact that Zilker Park is basically rendered useless for several weeks out of the year by the huge venues that set up shop there and trash the place or that streets in and around downtown seemed to be closed to traffic almost every weekend.
I know that change is inevitable. I have always loved big cities. I like tall buildings and urban density. I have lived in several of the biggest and most interesting cities in this country. None of that should prevent me from sometimes waxing nostalgic about a simpler time and place. I was initially attracted to Austin by the fact that it seemed to have the potential to grow into a really vibrant big city while at the same time it was charming, funky, and laid back. The changes have been happening at a fast and furious pace lately. One day, Jdawgboy, you too might reach a point in life where you fondly recall the good old days. Cut me some slack in the meantime, if you don't mind.
PS- I have no use for Tovo or her ilk. She is an idiot who seems thinks she is starring in a Netflix series about a ravishing young politically correct city councilwoman. This impression is gleaned from spending too much time at city council meetings.
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