AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[kingkirbythe....]

This is cute.



The Austin Decoder Ring: A guide to speaking like a local

https://www.statesman.com/story/ente...wn/6613588001/

Do you speak Austin? You'll get the hang of it.

With all the new folks moving into town (hello pals), we thought it would be a good idea to demystify some of the phrases and names a person is likely to hear around this joint. Consider it your very own Austin Decoder Ring, now that you're in the club. It's certainly not a complete list, but it should make a newbie feel that much more at home.

And if you're a townie or a long-hauler, you might still find out the meaning behind something you took for granted.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by The ATX

I spend time mostly lurking on forums for Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston in addition to SSP for Austin and San Antonio info. If the forum posters were representative of the cities they post about, this would be the general attitude about other Texas cities in my opinion:

Houston: Somewhat competitive with Dallas and in recent years resentful of Austin. Very little mention of Fort Worth and San Antonio.

When I post in the Austin sub-section of the forum about 98 Red River they get pretty bitter. If it was for Houston they’d be all over it.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

When I post in the Austin sub-section of the forum about 98 Red River they get pretty bitter. If it was for Houston they’d be all over it.

It's cool. We can wave at the haters in Houston from the roof of 98 Red River.

I seriously don't get city rivalry outside of some healthy and civilized variety of it. I always consider what is happening in other Texas cities to be a good thing for the whole state and for Austin. They shouldn't get jealous, and we shouldn't let it go to our head. I doubt Austin would have been as important or successful as it is without the rest of the state being as successful as it's been.

[Tyrone Shoes]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

It's cool. We can wave at the haters in Houston from the roof of 98 Red River.

I seriously don't get city rivalry outside of some healthy and civilized variety of it. I always consider what is happening in other Texas cities to be a good thing for the whole state and for Austin. They shouldn't get jealous, and we shouldn't let it go to our head. I doubt Austin would have been as important or successful as it is without the rest of the state being as successful as it's been.

Not trying to start anything with our Houston or Dallas friends but I'm kinda shocked that there isn't a proposal from either of the two cities that'll top 98 Red River.

[KevinFromTexas]

So, I wiped out on the Mueller pump track last night. lol I rode this thing on my mountain bike and it was no bueno. I wiped out on the main part where these kids are on their bikes. I wasn't going fast enough and also trying to do this on a mountain bike is a bit like trying to maneuver a limousine in a Whataburger drive through.

• Video Link

[zx14]

Much has been said about the economy and skyline boom lately. It is amazing indeed. But there is so much more to identity than that. What do people in this country see Austin as that live outside of Texas? First Austin is a new comer in all of this. The name as a big city is so new that it has not been ingrained in American Culture. Austin is known for the same things that it was known 30 years ago for. Ask most people that are not from around here and they will say the same things. Austin is a strange weird place with great music. Austin is the Capitol. Austin is the home of the University of Texas....Lets take a look at other cities that are Smaller metros. Established as big cities. Most people would consider these more as huge cities than Austin. Cincinnati Cleveland Milwaukee Kansas City Indianapolis Nashville Jacksonville Salt Lake Pittsburgh Columbus and even Sacramento. And then there is Las Vegas Buffalo Memphis San Antonio and so on. All these cities were much bigger than Austin for most of our American History. Austin is thought of as the same as Louisville and this is why. First reason is that Austin has only one interstate highway. Austin in the 1950s was not though of as a city that would ever need that. But most of all what does Austin have of a major city that most have. Traffic yes Expensive to live yes Booming economy and Large business yes. But what does it not have. We have no major attractions such as a large ZOO or Amusement Park. We have a huge University. And that is what we are a College Town. We are surrounded by Larger cities that will get the Attractions first. What do we need to get our identity in this American Culture? WE NEED A BIG FOUR PRO TEAM!!!!First MLS is not major. Very few outside of the area cares about Austin FC. As proof of this look at the highlights on ESPN. Where is MLS compared to the other four or even college sports. UT dominates this town and will never let it happen. Another NFL team will go to San Antonio because it cant compete with UT and why should it try. And San Antonio is still a bigger name in American Culture. MLB? This could happen but where is the interest? All this money in the Austin Area and no one is even trying? What the HELL!!!!Elon Musk could move an NFL team here and if JERRY tried to stop it he has enough money to buy him off too. Austin needs an identity through PRO SPORTS!!! Smaller cities are known for this. Ask most Americans that like sports and they know where Jacksonville is and Nashville and Cincinnati is because they have this. Austin? what ever!!! Austin needs a Pro Team now!!! We need this as a way to create a identity and bring the community together. Like most big cities we need a team to root for together. And this is no UT!!!! This is no longer a college town and most people in Austin do not care anyway. They have there own allegiances from their past. But they could root for an Austin Team. So until this happens. In the minds of most Americans Austin will be a weird large college town no matter how big our skyline is.

[kingkirbythe....]

What's the story behind the giant blue sunflowers at Mueller?

https://www.statesman.com/story/ente...ar/9173428002/

They’re not windmills, satellite dishes or patio umbrellas for giants. Nope, those futuristic blue structures you see from Interstate 35 when driving past the Mueller development are sunflowers.

Sort of. Really, they’re art — one the city’s largest art installations.

Longtime Austinites will remember when Mueller’s 15 big blue flowers first sprouted. As the city’s population continues to boom with transplants, though, that art installation in one of the city’s busiest districts might be an enigma to some.

The collection of blue structures is formally titled "SunFlowers - A Garden of Energy." The flowers, ranging from 18 to 24 feet tall, are on the east side of I-35, just south of 51st Street. The whole project takes up about 540 feet in length. The "blooms" stretch 13 to 15 feet in diameter.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin's Harry Ransom Center debuts fall exhibit with dazzling director's reception

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/a...ption/#slide=0

Members, donors, and friends of The Harry Ransom Center gathered on August 27 for a first look at the museum's fall exhibition, The Writers: Portraits by Laura Wilson. Featuring more than 150 immersive photographic portraits of some of the leading literary figures of our time, the exhibition is drawn from Wilson’s latest book, The Writers: Portraits (Yale University Press, 2022).

Wilson has published six books of photographs and text, including Avedon at Work, Grit and Glory, That Day: Picture in the American West, and From Rodin to Plensa. Her photographs have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and London's Sunday Times Magazine, among others.

Celebrating the exhibition opening on August 27, visitors browsed the artist's stunning photographic portraits of renowned authors such as Margaret Atwood, Cormac McCarthy, Zadie Smith, Tom Stoppard, Texas' own Larry McMurtry, Gabriel García Márquez, and many more. The power of each portrait is in its intimacy, capturing each writer in their personal setting — Smith in her kitchen, for example, or McMurtry sipping from a glass on his patio, a tall cactus in the background. The papers of many of the writers portrayed are collected at the Ransom Center.

At the director's reception, guests enjoyed light bites and custom cocktails before Harry Ransom Center Director Stephen Enniss gave opening remarks. Enniss also introduced Laura Wilson, who then signed copies of her book, which contains hundreds of additional portraits.

The exhibit will be on display through January 1, 2023, and copies of The Writers: Portraits by Laura Wilson are available for purchase at the Ransom Center gift shop. Additionally, Austinites will get a chance to celebrate the exhibit with actors Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Andrew Wilson on Saturday, September 24. In honor of their mom, the brothers will host a ticketed afterparty following the Celebration of Film Gala on the same evening.

Tickets to the Afterparty are $100, or are included with the purchase of a ticket to the gala, where Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep will help celebrate the Center's 65th anniversary. The star-studded evening marks a major milestone for the center and will help further its mission to deepen the understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts.

[kingkirbythe....]

Shoal Creek and Pease Park seek Austin's help in flood recovery efforts

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/c...floods-austin/

After weeks and weeks of no rain, Austin experienced a deluge on August 22. While the rain was welcome, more than 4 inches of it in three hours created flooding along Shoal Creek, causing damage to Pease Park and the Shoal Creek trail. The Pease Park Conservancy and Shoal Creek Conservancy (SCC) have come together to deal with damage to the park, trail, and creek. Here’s how you can help.

Donate
The organizations joined forces to raise $25,000 to help with the clean-up efforts. All donations will be split 50/50 between Pease Park Conservancy and Shoal Creek Conservancy

Clean up
Teams from the two organizations have been collecting the trash, limbs, and debris along the trail, but it’s a big job. Come help on Saturday, September 2 from 8 am to 10 am at the Shoal Creek Deep Roots Garden. All tools and supplies provided, but please bring water and snacks if needed and wear close-toed shoes, long pants, and dress for the weather. Masks optional, and all ages are welcome, with supervision.

The organizations also are working to bring out specialized equipment to clear the densest debris, which will be turned into mulch, and to inform and support City officials in repair of fallen retaining walls, massive gaping holes in the land, and trails that have washed away.

Have fun
SCC’s annual Shoal Creek Social, its largest fundraising event, runs through September 15. It includes free, family-friendly weekend events, known as Creekside Hangouts. The first is Saturday, September 3rd, 9 am to 1pm at Northwest District Park-South, 6600 Shoal Creek Blvd, and features refreshments, a kids tent, Austin Subaru showroom, Austin Board of Realtors Culture of Austin station, HEB activities and snacks and REI camp lounge.

Saturday, September 10 features events at two parks, 9 am to 1 pm at Duncan Park, 900 W 9th Street, Urbanspace/Shoal Creek Trail, 301 West Avenue. At Duncan Park, enjoy refreshments, a kids tent, H-E-B activities and snacks, and a Cirrus Logic craft and seed ball station. The Urbanspace event includes Cypress and Shoal Creek project information from SCC and Downtown Austin Alliance and a free coffee or cocktail at Codependent.

For those who just want to walk the trail, check out a new Audio Walking Tour (in English and Spanish), interactive maps, and a scavenger hunt on the SCC website.

Shoal Creek flows 11 miles from near 183 through the heart of downtown, emptying into Lady Bird Lake near the Austin Central Library. he nearly 10-mile Shoal Creek Trail, Austin’s oldest, is enjoyed by cyclists, walkers and runners. SCC is a non-profit dedicated to protecting the Shoal Creek watershed and green spaces along the trail.

Pease Park Conservancy works to restore, enhance and maintain the 84-acre Pease Park, a public green space stretching from West 24th Street to West 15th Street, taking in part of Shoal Creek Trail along with picnic and play areas, splash pads, and open space.

[ohhey]

Originally Posted by zx14

Much has been said about the economy and skyline boom lately. It is amazing indeed. But there is so much more to identity than that. What do people in this country see Austin as that live outside of Texas? First Austin is a new comer in all of this. The name as a big city is so new that it has not been ingrained in American Culture. Austin is known for the same things that it was known 30 years ago for. Ask most people that are not from around here and they will say the same things. Austin is a strange weird place with great music. Austin is the Capitol. Austin is the home of the University of Texas....Lets take a look at other cities that are Smaller metros. Established as big cities. Most people would consider these more as huge cities than Austin. Cincinnati Cleveland Milwaukee Kansas City Indianapolis Nashville Jacksonville Salt Lake Pittsburgh Columbus and even Sacramento. And then there is Las Vegas Buffalo Memphis San Antonio and so on. All these cities were much bigger than Austin for most of our American History. Austin is thought of as the same as Louisville and this is why. First reason is that Austin has only one interstate highway. Austin in the 1950s was not though of as a city that would ever need that. But most of all what does Austin have of a major city that most have. Traffic yes Expensive to live yes Booming economy and Large business yes. But what does it not have. We have no major attractions such as a large ZOO or Amusement Park. We have a huge University. And that is what we are a College Town. We are surrounded by Larger cities that will get the Attractions first. What do we need to get our identity in this American Culture? WE NEED A BIG FOUR PRO TEAM!!!!First MLS is not major. Very few outside of the area cares about Austin FC. As proof of this look at the highlights on ESPN. Where is MLS compared to the other four or even college sports. UT dominates this town and will never let it happen. Another NFL team will go to San Antonio because it cant compete with UT and why should it try. And San Antonio is still a bigger name in American Culture. MLB? This could happen but where is the interest? All this money in the Austin Area and no one is even trying? What the HELL!!!!Elon Musk could move an NFL team here and if JERRY tried to stop it he has enough money to buy him off too. Austin needs an identity through PRO SPORTS!!! Smaller cities are known for this. Ask most Americans that like sports and they know where Jacksonville is and Nashville and Cincinnati is because they have this. Austin? what ever!!! Austin needs a Pro Team now!!! We need this as a way to create a identity and bring the community together. Like most big cities we need a team to root for together. And this is no UT!!!! This is no longer a college town and most people in Austin do not care anyway. They have there own allegiances from their past. But they could root for an Austin Team. So until this happens. In the minds of most Americans Austin will be a weird large college town no matter how big our skyline is.

Lol. Is this a joke?

[austin242]

Is Jacksonville that city in Mississippi that ran out of water? Jk lol. What Austin needs is a museum not a sports team. We need to invest more in our parks. We need to invest in more music venues. I would love to see a grand music/concert venue so we could keep our claim as the live music capital of the world. If they put a bill forward for a billion dollar music venue I'd say hell yes.

[KevinFromTexas]

Sports is boring. While I was outside the other night during that UT game, I wasn't sure if they were winning or losing, and I didn't care, but man, the neighbors on our street sure did. I could hear them cheering up the street. We need more museums, especially the ones connected to natural/earth science. I'm talking an expanded Texas Memorial Museum and an actual aquarium and or a planetarium. We even need those more than we need more parks, though, I would add that it would be a good idea to add certain amenities to our parks in the form of things like skate parks and bike tracks and trails. The one at Mueller was pretty busy when I was there this weekend.

[enragedcamel]

Originally Posted by austin242

Is Jacksonville that city in Mississippi that ran out of water? Jk lol. What Austin needs is a museum not a sports team. We need to invest more in our parks. We need to invest in more music venues. I would love to see a grand music/concert venue so we could keep our claim as the live music capital of the world. If they put a bill forward for a billion dollar music venue I'd say hell yes.

I would kill for a world-class aquarium, planetarium or a zoo, honestly: something that has strong appeal to families with kids, and also provides substantial educational value.

The way I look at it is that we have a crazy number of young people in Austin and more are moving here every day. In five or ten years from now, a lot of them will be married with kids. It would be great if there were more reasons for them to stay in Austin than just high-paying jobs.

Museums are nice too, but their target demographic tends to be very different.

[clubtokyo]

I would love to see Austin build a state of the art aquarium near ladybird lake.

[N90]

2060
DFW 12.9 million
HOU 11.9 million
ATX 4.7 million
SA 4.2 million
McAllen 1.6 million
BCS 425k
Laredo 420k
Midland 285k

https://247wallst.com/special-report...w-decades/amp/

[kingkirbythe....]

2059 New Mexico annexed El Paso?

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by N90

2060
DFW 12.9 million
HOU 11.9 million
ATX 4.7 million
SA 4.2 million
McAllen 1.6 million
BCS 425k
Laredo 420k
Midland 285k

https://247wallst.com/special-report...w-decades/amp/

9 million in Austin and San Antonio? San Marcos and New Braunfels might have skylines of their own by then, as they’d likely be regional anchors to a mid-cities population in the ~2 million range.

Basically:

• SA+: 3 million
• Hays/Comal: 2 million
• ATX+: 2 million
• WilCo: 2 million

Add Killen, etc. at likely another 1 mil, and that’s a hugely populated corridor compared to now.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

2059 New Mexico annexed El Paso?

Isn’t one of the fastest growing nationally, so it wasn’t included.

[zx14]

This was not a joke. Austin has nothing to do that most big cities have. Live music capitol of the world. That is something that was made by Austin not a real title. There are many cities in the US that have more live music on any given night. Austin has some creditable Movie credentials and does very well for musicians. But it is not Nashville and not even close. When I drive over the down the hill on 75 and see Cincy the skyline with the two stadiums that seems like a much bigger city than Austin. They have world class Sports entertainment and so much more to do than Austin. Now Austin is bigger than Cleveland metro. Has anyone been there? No Austin is not a huge city but is an overgrown expensive suburb of Dallas Houston And San Antonio. It has a melting pot of people living in it from all around the Country. But it really does not have an Identity of its own and never will as a huge city because it is surrounded by more established ones. It is not really a part of Texas but is a bubble of its own. Sports teams are how large cities are identified in this country. That is just the way it is. But Austin has no interest in one. Austin is the largest city in the World that does not have a major sports team. Most international cities all over the world have Major Soccer Teams in their own or what ever sport is popular in that region. Soccer is not a major sport in this country and nobody outside of Austin cares about Austin FC. So there is only one place in the US that Austin is like to some degree. Austin is the Inland Empire East. A suburb of LA sort of LOL.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by zx14

This was not a joke. Austin has nothing to do that most big cities have. Live music capitol of the world. That is something that was made by Austin not a real title. There are many cities in the US that have more live music on any given night. Austin has some creditable Movie credentials and does very well for musicians. But it is not Nashville and not even close. When I drive over the down the hill on 75 and see Cincy the skyline with the two stadiums that seems like a much bigger city than Austin. They have world class Sports entertainment and so much more to do than Austin. Now Austin is bigger than Cleveland metro. Has anyone been there? No Austin is not a huge city but is an overgrown expensive suburb of Dallas Houston And San Antonio. It has a melting pot of people living in it from all around the Country. But it really does not have an Identity of its own and never will as a huge city because it is surrounded by more established ones. It is not really a part of Texas but is a bubble of its own. Sports teams are how large cities are identified in this country. That is just the way it is. But Austin has no interest in one. Austin is the largest city in the World that does not have a major sports team. Most international cities all over the world have Major Soccer Teams in their own or what ever sport is popular in that region. Soccer is not a major sport in this country and nobody outside of Austin cares about Austin FC. So there is only one place in the US that Austin is like to some degree. Austin is the Inland Empire East. A suburb of LA sort of LOL.

This is an… interesting take.

Mods?