AUSTIN | Project Updates Thread Part II

[We vs us]

Punchbowl signs a letter of intent to occupy first floor of the Scarborough Building, SW corner of Sixth and Congress.

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restau...-social-second-location-downtown-domain/

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Punchbowl signs a letter of intent to occupy first floor of the Scarborough Building, SW corner of Sixth and Congress.

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restau...-social-second-location-downtown-domain/

It occurred to me that there're two other adult recreation mega-bars popping up within a couple of blocks of this one -- Susan Sarandon's ping pong bar SPiN on 5th and Lavaca, and The Goodnight bowling alley bar, on 6th and San Antonio.

Guess I'm surprised our DT nightlife is mature enough to need large complexes like these.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by We vs us

It occurred to me that there're two other adult recreation mega-bars popping up within a couple of blocks of this one -- Susan Sarandon's ping pong bar SPiN on 5th and Lavaca, and The Goodnight bowling alley bar, on 6th and San Antonio.

Guess I'm surprised our DT nightlife is mature enough to need large complexes like these.

I'm not sure about SPiN, since it's ping pong only, but the other two would seem to be following the money. With all of the office space going in downtown, there's a lot more opportunity for company parties, "team building" events, happy hours, and whatnot.

[MichaelB]

[QUOTEPunchbowl signs a letter of intent to occupy first floor of the Scarborough Building, SW corner of Sixth and Congress.

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/restau...-social-second-location-downtown-domain/[/QUOTE]

UGH..... on Congress? It's Dave and Busters.
Hate to see that.

[Syndic]

Sorry guy. Millennials like DOING 🞵🞵🞵🞵 while they drink. Clubs are gross and tired. Regular bars are fine but get old. I rather go to a friend's place and play board games. It's pretty hard to get me to go downtown at night (not counting Rainey Street) but if I know I'm going to be doing something fun, I may just go.

WeWork's office is right across the street from this future Punch Bowl Social and Facebook's office is right down the street. This place will have plenty of clientele.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Syndic

Sorry guy. Millennials like DOING 🞵🞵🞵🞵 while they drink. Clubs are gross and tired. Regular bars are fine but get old. I rather go to a friend's place and play board games. It's pretty hard to get me to go downtown at night (not counting Rainey Street) but if I know I'm going to be doing something fun, I may just go.

WeWork's office is right across the street from this future Punch Bowl Social and Facebook's office is right down the street. This place will have plenty of clientele.

My only point is the unfortunate big box Dave and Busters approach on Congress.
I personally think thats cheesy.
I'll just keep trying to be pro local and Unique .
I like living here and hate seeing it become "anywhere".

Oh..and sorry guy...but like every other suburban family loves Dave and Busters.... so I kinda don't think it's something new for ... nor does it represent .... all Millennials.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

My only point is the unfortunate big box Dave and Busters approach on Congress.
I personally think thats cheesy.
I'll just keep trying to be pro local and Unique .
I like living here and hate seeing it become "anywhere".

Oh..and sorry guy...but like every other suburban family loves Dave and Busters.... so I kinda don't think it's something new for ... nor does it represent .... all Millennials.

Uhm... I get not wanting some corporate chain on Congress...but have you been to punch bowl social? It is definitely not like D&B. It is much more casual, adult, and refined.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Uhm... I get not wanting some corporate chain on Congress...but have you been to punch bowl social? It is definitely not like D&B. It is much more casual, adult, and refined.

Yep... thats what really bugs me....I get I'm a hold out of hoping Austin can maintain more unique character... and I appreciate you asking.
I poked my head in at the Domain and my thought was.... yeah I get how the Domain needs this. It's not bad.
But then we left.
Its fine for what it is... just don't think it has a place on Congress.
Its just a sad state of the City if that's where we are headed.
.... to me.

[chundercracker]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Yep... thats what really bugs me....I get I'm a hold out of hoping Austin can maintain more unique character... and I appreciate you asking.
I poked my head in at the Domain and my thought was.... yeah I get how the Domain needs this. It's not bad.
But then we left.
Its fine for what it is... just don't think it has a place on Congress.
Its just a sad state of the City if that's where we are headed.
.... to me.

I know what you're getting at... I'm a fan of Numero 28 on 2nd street, but detest the fact that North Italia opened across the street. There's just this generic Domainy/Dallasy big box vibe that just doesn't feel right in downtown Austin.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by chundercracker

I know what you're getting at... I'm a fan of Numero 28 on 2nd street, but detest the fact that North Italia opened across the street. There's just this generic Domainy/Dallasy big box vibe that just doesn't feel right in downtown Austin.

I feel the same way. Part of me acknowledges that there wouldn't be nearly enough local stuff to fill all the new locations, so the trendy chains take up that slack... but the negative result is that space gets so expensive that the handful of really cool local downtown venues (that could exist when downtown was dead) can't stay.

Shame there isn't a way for both to exist.

[Syndic]

Okay, so, this place, Punch Bowl Social, has locations in Portland, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit... it's not this lame suburban Dallasite company. You just have that impression because they first opened up in the Domain and you hate the Domain.

I like the Domain because it introduced a bit of New Urbanism into the zip code I grew up in. My position all along has been that I don't care what kind of stores exist there because the important thing is the urban architecture and infrastructure being built. So, in a sense, Punch Bowl Social did open up in an urban environment to begin with.

Anyway... 6th Street is lame. I worked down there for 2 years, at 6th and Congress. Y'all know where I work. Admins can check my IP. The clubs are lame, not fun, they're for children, college kids. At least this place, ironically, feels more adult.

And why wouldn't you want to get the cool things that other cool cities get? It puts us in an elite club.

If this place were unremarkable and normal, a lame club, you wouldn't even care about it opening up. But since it's actually something interesting and different than what exists in Austin, you do.

Fact is: with a Goodnight bowling alley and a SPiN ping pong parlor opening up, along with Kung Fu Saloon moving to a bigger location, this Punch Bowl Social fits in perfectly with the culture developing on West 6th. Now we just need a legit board gaming bar down there.

We grew up in a time when Austin was about live music. But Austin is bigger than just one thing. It needs to be allowed to grow and progress into a bonafide metropolitan place. A worldly, diverse city. You think Brooklynites are poopooing the opening of an Alamo Drafthouse in their borough? No, I bet they embrace it. Because the Drafthouse is cool and it gives them one more cool thing to do.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by Syndic

O But Austin is bigger than just one thing.

This is absolutely true. Maybe now more than ever.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Syndic

Fact is: with a Goodnight bowling alley and a SPiN ping pong parlor opening up, along with Kung Fu Saloon moving to a bigger location, this Punch Bowl Social fits in perfectly with the culture developing on West 6th. Now we just need a legit board gaming bar down there.

Punchbowl social is a lame-🞵🞵🞵 casual dining spot with a fake hipster theme. They are horrible. I got drug to the one in downtown Indy (and downtown indy is basically one giant casual dining restaurant, and we were told this was the hot new place).

They had (uncredited) recreations of several famous pieces of street art. Mostly Banksy, but they had the "I love you so much" graffiti perfectly recreated on their wall as well.

It's Dave and Busters masquerading as an actual cool place. Goodknight and Kung Fu are at least locally owned and have some level of authenticity to them.

I'm not happy that this is going right in the heart of downtown. It's a giant L for Austin. The upside is given their rapid expansion they will be in most downtowns and will probably be the 2020s equivalent of Hard Rock Cafe and will be a blight on most downtowns in the US, so we won't be unique.

[austin242]

Yep the corporate gentrification of Congress. A lot more soul cycle, Equinox, Soho house. And what did they replace. All of them replaced stuff that was already there and cool. Replace unique Austin with Cool 🞵🞵🞵🞵. Frans replaced with torchy's. Uncommon objects being replaced with a hotel. Docs, A local gym, Zanthor wax museum, and some clothing stores being replaced with the Equinox, Soho house, a hotel and two hotel restaurants. Vulcan Video being replaced with something, probably a chain. Saint Vincent de Paul being replaced with nothing. El sol y la luna being replace with snack bar and then nothing. The list will continue to grow till it's like Times Square (devoid of any NY culture just a bunch of flashy international chains.)

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by austin242

Yep the corporate gentrification of Congress. A lot more soul cycle, Equinox, Soho house. And what did they replace. All of them replaced stuff that was already there and cool. Replace unique Austin with Cool 🞵🞵🞵🞵. Frans replaced with torchy's. Uncommon objects being replaced with a hotel. Docs, A local gym, Zanthor wax museum, and some clothing stores being replaced with the Equinox, Soho house, a hotel and two hotel restaurants. Vulcan Video being replaced with something, probably a chain. Saint Vincent de Paul being replaced with nothing. El sol y la luna being replace with snack bar and then nothing. The list will continue to grow till it's like Times Square (devoid of any NY culture just a bunch of flashy international chains.)

Holy 🞵🞵🞵🞵, what? I didn't know Uncommon Objects closed!!!

Ugh. Austin being consumed by its own success. I guess like every major city, like you mention, Times Square. Riverwalk in SA feels the same way. Rent goes so high that only big corporate chains are able to afford space there. All the businesses that made the area cool are now gone and it is a facade of its former glory. I really hope that doesn't happen to our Congress Ave

[The ATX]

Uncommon Objects moved south near Ben White last year. Where is the info about the old Uncommon Objects site becoming a hotel? Last I saw, the space was being advertised for a retail lease, and a hotel at the location would be quite small.

[jbssfelix]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

and downtown indy is basically one giant casual dining restaurant

As someone who was raised in Indy, this is painfully, painfully true.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by jbssfelix

As someone who was raised in Indy, this is painfully, painfully true.

It's funny, I went to google street view downtown Indy to see what you meant. I started at memorial Monument circle and went south down Meridian Street. First thing I see: Qdoba and Jimmy Johns. Next block down, there's the Hard Rock Cafe. One more block...oh, there's Punch Bowl Social!

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by chundercracker

I know what you're getting at... I'm a fan of Numero 28 on 2nd street, but detest the fact that North Italia opened across the street. There's just this generic Domainy/Dallasy big box vibe that just doesn't feel right in downtown Austin.

#28.... tartufo pizza!!!!! The best!
And those guys are hilarious !
I get ya... I've there a little more just to support them.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

It's Dave and Busters masquerading as an actual cool place. Goodknight and Kung Fu are at least locally owned and have some level of authenticity to them.