Austin | Paseo | 567 Feet | 48 Floors | Complete - Page 12

Jdawgboy · #**221** Posted **May 8, 2023, 3:05 PM**

Funny enough, I do most of my errands and grocery shopping DT and I don't even live in DT.

I have to go DT at least once a week, so I also shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, the pet store next to Trader Joe's for my pet supplies. I walk to CVS at 5th and Congress if I need anything there and I frequently enjoy stopping by Toy Joy while running errands. I save more time running errands downtown than I do if I were to shop around my neighborhood simply because of the ease of proximity, that I don't have to drive from place to place. Any big items I wait until the end and just park at Seaholm especially if I need dog or cat food. I prefer DT any day over multiple different shopping centers I have to drive to for shopping.

Oh and there's plenty of restaurants that are not only meant for romantic dinners. I frequently stop for lunch at Sweet Greens on 2nd while I run my errands. There's several other options in close proximity , enough that I could make a whole list but my point is DT has most of what I need and thankful for what it has to offer.

We vs us · #**222** Posted **May 8, 2023, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexal

dr pepper is more expensive at convenience stores than HEB.

i don't have any interest in the amenities or places listed in these comments, but feel free to attempt to convince me i like things that i don't.

there is next to no asian food or asian grocers downtown (my primary diet), i don't like museums or rivers, coffee shops close early so there's nowhere to get work done. it's not a useful place to live.

i don't want to go to violet crown, i have an alamo season pass, which only works at alamo. i don't like the food sold at organic new age grocers. and again, there are zero 24 hour coffee shops downtown that i am aware of, which is absurd and make remote work difficult.

i only have to go to REI once a year at most. the toys at toy joy are uninteresting to me. these are all "austiny" tourist places, but have no practical place in daily life.

target is on the other side of the highway, which is not safe or pleasant to cross. the comment i am responding to was suggesting Rainy is 'walkable' to live in, which it is not. and even if i did like whole foods, it's on the other side of downtown, and you can't carry more than one or two bags of groceries that far, especially if you have a 12 or 24 pack of soda.

I generally agree with you about this. Downtown Austin's ecosystem is still relatively specialized, and IMO is mostly optimized around tourists (who tend to skew younger) and office workers. We're getting there (the fact that we have a Target downtown at all is a coup, TBH), but we're still not a big city in terms of amenities.

But I also think what you would be used to in NYC will never be what you get here. NYC (and Boston, and Chicago, and San Fran, and Seattle and even LA) are our legacy cities, who've been marinating in cultural development and waves of immigrants for generations. Years and years and years of wild diversity, and economic booms and busts, and wars and pandemics and riots and white flight and drug wars and etc etc. A lot of richness there. Austin's had very little of any of that. We're a city on fast forward and so much of our stuff just isn't developed yet.

urbancore · #**223** Posted **May 8, 2023, 4:33 PM**

Downtown also has:
wonderful music venues, with live music 7 days a week. From funky to world class
Festivals almost every month
The ballet
Zilker Park (I consider Z a DT amenity)
Kayaking, rowing, regattas
Loads of food trucks
Multiple world class comedy clubs
Our new library
New huge HEB coming about 2 miles down S Congress (pretty sure the will have loads of DP)
Crux Climbing gym a quick bike ride down S Congress
Loads of trail riding/running of all levels, connected to downtown.
ACC Rio Grande has loads of great classes to learn new skills
9th street pump track is world renown
Great vibrancy for people watching
Quick access to airport. (Less than 20 min)
Picnic on the lawn at the Capitol
Participate in a local fun run
Protest or solicit your congress, sit in the gallery and watch
Attend a local trial….this is a BLAST actually.

Most of the restaurants will serve lunch/dinner at their bar. Belly up solo and meet a new friend or keep to yourself. No need for a date and plenty of others doing the exact same thing.

Legos are cool….for kids.

Vexal · #**224** Posted **May 8, 2023, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbancore

Downtown also has:
wonderful music venues, with live music 7 days a week. From funky to world class
Festivals almost every month
The ballet
Zilker Park (I consider Z a DT amenity)
Kayaking, rowing, regattas
Loads of food trucks
Multiple world class comedy clubs
Our new library
New huge HEB coming about 2 miles down S Congress (pretty sure the will have loads of DP)
Crux Climbing gym a quick bike ride down S Congress
Loads of trail riding/running of all levels, connected to downtown.
ACC Rio Grande has loads of great classes to learn new skills
9th street pump track is world renown
Great vibrancy for people watching
Quick access to airport. (Less than 20 min)
Picnic on the lawn at the Capitol
Participate in a local fun run
Protest or solicit your congress, sit in the gallery and watch
Attend a local trial….this is a BLAST actually.

Most of the restaurants will serve lunch/dinner at their bar. Belly up solo and meet a new friend or keep to yourself. No need for a date and plenty of others doing the exact same thing.

Legos are cool….for kids.

So we agree, it's not *walkable*.

paul78701 · #**225** Posted **May 8, 2023, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexal

So we agree, it's not *walkable*.

Even in places like NYC people sometimes need to use public transportation or whatnot to get to their preferred amenities. Whatever your preferred X number of walkable blocks are, not everything can exist within those X number of blocks.

wwmiv · #**226** Posted **May 8, 2023, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul78701

Even in places like NYC people sometimes need to use public transportation to get to their preferred amenities. Whatever your preferred X number of walkable blocks are, not everything can exist within those X number of square blocks.

Yeah, it can (if structural density exists, planning is adequate, and economies are fair).

paul78701 · #**227** Posted **May 8, 2023, 7:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Yeah, it can (if structural density exists, planning is adequate, and economies are fair).

Theoretically, yes. But that's not reality. Even in places like NYC, one can't pretend that every part of it has a grocery store or pharmacy or whatever within walking distance.

urbancore · #**228** Posted **May 8, 2023, 8:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexal

So we agree, it's not *walkable*.

If you define “walkable amenities” as within a 5 min walk, then you win. Well done.

In NYC, SF, Chicago, I walked my tail off to get where I needed to go, not much was within a 5 min walk. And I rarely took public transport, because walking 20 min, was usually faster than waiting for the next (insert PT of choice).

And what’s so great about walking? Bikes and scooters exist.

austlar1 · #**229** Posted **May 8, 2023, 9:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Funny enough, I do most of my errands and grocery shopping DT and I don't even live in DT.

I have to go DT at least once a week, so I also shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, the pet store next to Trader Joe's for my pet supplies. I walk to CVS at 5th and Congress if I need anything there and I frequently enjoy stopping by Toy Joy while running errands. I save more time running errands downtown than I do if I were to shop around my neighborhood simply because of the ease of proximity, that I don't have to drive from place to place. Any big items I wait until the end and just park at Seaholm especially if I need dog or cat food. I prefer DT any day over multiple different shopping centers I have to drive to for shopping.

Oh and there's plenty of restaurants that are not only meant for romantic dinners. I frequently stop for lunch at Sweet Greens on 2nd while I run my errands. There's several other options in close proximity , enough that I could make a whole list but my point is DT has most of what I need and thankful for what it has to offer.

Correct me if I am wrong, but you drive downtown to do all of this shopping? That's very old fashioned!

Jdawgboy · #**230** Posted **May 12, 2023, 3:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austlar1

Correct me if I am wrong, but you drive downtown to do all of this shopping? That's very old fashioned!

Yes indeed I do

, A lot of it of it of course has to do with my love for DT, but I've found it is simply more convenient for me. There are a couple of stops on my way home that are outside DT but if I can get what I need quickly and conveniently, then that's what I prefer to do and luckily I can get most of what I need DT.

Armybrat · #**231** Posted **May 13, 2023, 1:32 AM**

I used to drive downtown to shop at Scarborough’s, Woolworth’s, Petmecky’s Sporting Goods, Louis Shanks, and eat lunch at the Piccadilly Cafeteria…. all on Congress Avenue.
Parked in the American Bank garage behind Scarborough’s.

Did some shopping at the new Twin Oaks strip center down at S. Congress & Oltorf too.

AusTex · #**232** Posted **May 13, 2023, 5:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armybrat

Did some shopping at the new Twin Oaks strip center down at S. Congress & Oltorf too.

I remember their Great Neon Sign on Congress. It is a shame they tore it down. I've wondered if it is siting in a storage yard somewhere, or if it was destroyed.