AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics - Page 107

StoOgE · #1 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 4:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAM

Was in downtown Seattle just before covid lockdowns. its a POS. I would not live there.

I have good news, you in fact don't have to live in Seattle, given their real estate market it seems lots of people would disagree with you. I would gladly live in Seattle if it didn't rain every day.

freerover · #2 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 4:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I have good news, you in fact don't have to live in Seattle, given their real estate market it seems lots of people would disagree with you. I would gladly live in Seattle if it didn't rain every day.

Their summers are amazing though.

StoOgE · #3 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 7:51 PM**

I mean, if you grew up in Austin, I wonder what your experience in Republic Square park or Woolridge park was in the 90s and 00s? Because I remember both of those being basically completely unusable as park space.

As someone who frequents the greenbelts more than most there are a lot less homeless people living in them. On the downclimb from 90% of routes on the greenbelt you would see tents just out of site. You really don't anymore. The downtown parks were basically always encampments to the point that you couldn't use them at all. The first time in my entire life I went to woolridge park was like 2 years ago.

Right now the biggest issue seems to be the sidewalk on CC and the area of lady bird lake right behind it. Camping in parks is *still* illegal (and has been since forever) - anyone camping in a park is an enforcement issue.

I think the two large encampments on CC (the one at South Congress and the one on the East side) likely have both moved into the cities definition of "blocking the sidewalk" and either need to be removed or downsized considerably, but *most* of the camping seems to be under freeways which other than looking not great seems an improvement to all of the downtown parks being completely filled with people sleeping on the ground at night.

I just wish people who *don't* like the camping situation would be more honest that Austin's homeless situation was not suddenly created and no one ever camped in urban areas before the change from council. Like, if we go back to the way things were its not like there weren't homeless people downtown.

IluvATX · #4 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 9:28 PM**

Triplets. Opinions?

StoOgE · #5 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 9:45 PM**

they aren't unattractive buildings, but the stucko combover is not going to age well over the next 20 years.

drummer · #6 Posted **Apr 12, 2021, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoOgE

they aren't unattractive buildings, but the stucko combover is not going to age well over the next 20 years.

Echostatic · #7 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 9:50 PM**

They're all modern, tall, and aren't ugly. None of them are very architecturally distinctive, but they don't need to be. They'll help fill out the skyline.

IluvATX · #8 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 11:20 PM**

I personally like Hanover Brazos the most.

Dariusb · #9 Posted **Apr 10, 2021, 11:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Echostatic

They're all modern, tall, and aren't ugly. None of them are very architecturally distinctive, but they don't need to be. They'll help fill out the skyline.

The skyline will look so different in just a few years.

We vs us · #10 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 1:14 AM**

Vancouvery infill.

IluvATX · #11 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 1:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by We vs us

Vancouvery infill.

I feel we will look a lot like Vancouver.

JAM · #12 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 5:09 PM**

Seattle has many beautiful places to live, but downtown is not one of them.

https://thebulwark.com/seattle-surrenders/

StoOgE · #13 Posted **Apr 11, 2021, 6:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAM

Seattle has many beautiful places to live, but downtown is not one of them.

https://thebulwark.com/seattle-surrenders/

My friend lives in Capital Hill and I've spent a *lot* of time there pre-pandemic and it is absolutely one of the most hopping nightlife scenes in the country. The reanimated corpse of Bill Kristol's daily standard isn't going to convince me otherwise.

Also, FWIW, Austin is in fact *not* Seattle and our homeless policies are substantively different.

KevinFromTexas · #14 Posted **Apr 13, 2021, 4:05 AM**

There's a cool Austin mention in this video, and also a view of the Pennybacker Bridge. The mention comes at 59 minutes in, so pretty much at the end of it.

• Video Link

kingkirbythe.... · #15 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 2:10 AM**

This Photo Has Everything You Need To Know About Sixth Street in the 1970s

https://austin.towers.net/this-photo...-in-the-1970s/

The stretch of Sixth Street running east of Congress Avenue in downtown Austin has enjoyed many colorful lives over the 180-odd years since the city’s founding — periods of boom and bust motivated by surrounding growth and changing transportation systems have taken this street from an enclave of minority-friendly immigrant-owned retail stores

paul78701 · #16 Posted **Apr 14, 2021, 5:09 PM**

Mobile Loaves & Fishes plans to quadruple its Community First Village for homeless Austinites:
https://www.statesman.com/story/news...in/7202865002/

JAM · #17 Posted **Apr 16, 2021, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul78701

Mobile Loaves & Fishes plans to quadruple its Community First Village for homeless Austinites:
https://www.statesman.com/story/news...in/7202865002/

Great to hear. 1400 homes for 119M. seems cost effective. be sure to donate. https://mlf.org/community-first/

Here is a non paywall article on it.
https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com...017f83537.html

ahealy · #18 Posted **Apr 23, 2021, 2:06 PM**

So... I think thanks to Austin FC, I've become more interested in major league sports as of late. What would be the chances of Austin getting an MLB team in our lifetimes? Baseball seems to be relatively big with my circle of friends (along with soccer).

Is it an Austin sport? Could we support MLS AND MLB? Just Friday morning can kickin' here....

GoldenBoot · #19 Posted **Apr 23, 2021, 2:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahealy

So... I think thanks to Austin FC, I've become more interested in major league sports as of late. What would be the chances of Austin getting an MLB team in our lifetimes? Baseball seems to be relatively big with my circle of friends (along with soccer).

Is it an Austin sport? Could we support MLS AND MLB? Just Friday morning can kickin' here....

I would say: "Yes, it's an Austin sport." Absolutely.

And, IF there was another major league sport to plant a flag in Austin, I believe it would be MLB. In any case, I also believe any new major league franchise to call Austin home would be a relocation of an existing one. None of the legacy leagues are expanding at the moment. Plus, any expansion fee will be astronomical compared to the MLS.

Novacek · #20 Posted **Apr 23, 2021, 7:12 PM**

I think MLB is also the league that could most feasibly expand beyond the 32 team number that most of the leagues seem to be gradually converging on. It's easier to handle a few more teams when you play 162 games per year than when you play 16(17)

I think Austin is either going to lose out on teams or get them way later than it otherwise would due to our growth coming later than most cities.

Say in 20 years when we're a metro of 4M. There will be NFL and NHL teams in cities _way_ smaller, but they'll be there because they landed there when Austin wasn't big enough to compete.

Edit/add: found this fun wiki chart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...rts_franchises

We're by far the largest city on there with none of the big 4, and by far the largest with only 1 big 6. And that's just today, much less in 20 years.