AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

So, there's a 2022 movie on Netflix called "Look Both Ways" that was filmed in Austin. They show the Paramount Theatre and Continental Club. I haven't watched all of it, but there are some Austin scenes here and there, and it takes place during SXSW.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14298328/

Sweet! Gonna put it on queue now

[KevinFromTexas]

That rain today as we were coming in on 290.

[kingkirbythe....]

Come for the Nostalgia, Stay for the Pinball

Craft beer, live music, and small businesses breathe new life into Old Taylor High, a repurposed school building from 1923.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/style/o...siness-dreams/

If you were a teenager in Taylor at almost any point during the last century, walking into the town’s former high school is an emotional roller-coaster. There’s the feeling of nostalgia, the bittersweet recognition of the passage of time, maybe lingering stress because you haven’t done your homework. But once you get farther into the reclaimed school building, where classroom doors are decorated with names like the Loose Screw and the Hangout Pinball Lounge, memories are replaced by a craving for a double IPA or nitrogen-frozen ice cream, both of which you can get at Old Taylor High. As I pass through the first-floor hallway with my family, I tell my eight-year-old son Javi that his grandpa graduated from this school. He responds by wiggling his little body into one of the green lockers that still line the halls.

On a sweltering summer Friday, my husband Vic and I select craft brews from the 46 taps at the Loose Screw Craft Beer House and Garden, and then tote our full pint glasses across the hall to the Hangout Pinball Lounge where there are nine pinball machines, dating from 1969 to 2019, in a former English classroom. Javi lingers in the hallway for a bit, checking out the Rubik’s Cube art, since he’s a cuber himself, and then joins us at the Hangout and bellies up to his first pinball machine of the night.

Old Taylor High was a high school from 1923 to 1969 (for white students; there were separate high schools for Black students and Mexican American students before integration), and it operated as the town’s middle school from 1969 to 2000. Now it’s a space where the community comes together for beer, live music, and play, as well as an incubator where entrepreneurs launch small businesses in former classrooms.

The development, which opened in March 2019, owes its existence in part to Taylor’s Janetta McCoy, who once owned a bed-and-breakfast across the street from the mostly vacant and under-maintained school. In 2016, McCoy brought together a task force of neighbors to oversee the vision for the school building’s next chapter. The local school district maintained Taylor High at that time, though the building was no longer used for school offices or activities. Meals on Wheels was operating out of the kitchen, but there were also rumors of squatters. McCoy, once a professor of environmental design and architecture in Washington State, brought her knowledge of repurposing public spaces to the task force. The group reviewed proposals for apartments and a medical facility in the old school. Ultimately, they recommended that the school district sell the building to the Cliff and Kaitlin Olle, a local couple who envisioned a mixed-use development in the center of town.

[kingkirbythe....]

University of Texas at Austin offers Taylor Swift English course this fall

https://www.mysanantonio.com/enterta...e-17389725.php

It seems as though universities across the Lone Star State are increasingly making room for pop-culture centered syllabi. This fall, college-bound fans of pop star Taylor Swift will want to leave a "Blank Space" in their schedule. Students at the University of Texas at Austin will soon be able to take a literary course on the singer's extensive discography.

The course, Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook, will be offered to undergraduate students in UT's Liberal Arts Honors program beginning this fall semester. The class will be taught by Professor Elizabeth Scala.

According to the UT English Department's Facebook post, the class will serve as an "introduction to literary studies and research methods" that uses the songwriting of Taylor Swift as a foundation.

"Let’s turn that Easter Egg hunting and reading in detail to academic purposes!" the English Department wrote in the post.

“I want to take what Swift fans can already do at a sophisticated level, tease it out for them a bit with a different vocabulary, and then show them how, in fact, Swift draws on richer literary traditions in her songwriting, both topically but also formally in terms of how she uses references, metaphors, and clever manipulations of words,” Scala told KXAN.

Other opportunities for students to critically address the work of their favorite singer are available across the state. At Texas State University, a course on Harry Styles will be taught to honors college students in spring 2023.

[kingkirbythe....]

Pink Panther app takes 'detectives' on a tour of Austin's crown jewels and hidden gems

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/e...p-tour-austin/

The Pink Panther is not new in the entertainment landscape, but neither is most of Austin, and many Austinites haven’t fully explored either. A new app merges the two familiar experiences with a twist, encouraging users to get out there and see their city or tour a new one, making stops along an “app-navigated outdoor adventure.”

Bounce, a travel app that makes similar activations, teamed up with MGM to create an itinerary through “popular destinations and local gems” in 10 U.S. cities, including Austin. An animated trailer declares that the Pink Panther diamond has been stolen, and users will solve the mystery while exploring their cities, with a series of clues related to each destination.

“The exciting thing about this interactive Bounce app experience is that decisions have consequences and sometimes you only have one chance, so you have to stay on your toes, pay attention and look beyond the obvious,” said Bounce founder and experience creator David House. “Not to mention, Bounce is designed to take you to areas of the city you may have hoped to see, locations you might want to return to later, or local hidden gems that deserve to be seen as well. … Discover the city you were hoping to see, not the version that you’re ‘supposed’ to see.”

The trailer previews pit stops in “local museums, parks, and cafes” with on-theme interactive elements, such as a choice to view security footage or interview a security guard. Clues are unlocked as places are visited, and since the real idea is to connect people with their surroundings, the app can be paused and restarted on the travelers’ own schedule.

The only other experience on Bounce is available in Philadelphia, as a self-paced Rocky tour that includes stops in Mickey’s gym, Adrian’s Restaurant, The Italian Market, and, of course, the “Rocky Steps.” The Rocky experience is modeled after a straightforward film tour, which makes sense for such an iconic localized theme. Since “The Pink Panther and the Case of the Missing Diamond” is designed to fit so many different cities, it seems to take a form most like geocaching, which operates on a similar mission to get users off the beaten path, using deductive reasoning.

The experience is designed to be equally enjoyed alone or in a group, includes in-app navigation, and covers both driving and walking distances. (A video tutorial mentions some locations “that require you to walk around a bit.”) Although the experience commits to the “travel” angle, it seems equally well suited for friends at home looking for a way to freshen up a local routine, or people playing tour guide in their own cities when friends and family visit.

Tickets ($34.99 per group) are available through the Bounce app, available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. More information is available at experiencebounce.com.

[kingkirbythe....]

Barton Springs closed as Austin Police investigate homicide near Zilker Park

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...e-17397394.php

Barton Springs Pool is closed for a homicide investigation, according to the Austin Police Department. Early reports indicate one person was found dead and that Barton Springs and portions of Zilker Park are closed.

At 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, August 25, Barton Springs employees called APD to report a suspicious vehicle. Officers arrived to find a deceased male in his 20s. At the ensuing press conference, an APD officer confirmed that the body was found on the grounds of Barton Springs but not in the water.

As of now, no one is in custody and APD is looking for possible witnesses to the crime. The officer did not confirm the cause of death despite earlier reports online of a shooting.

This is the second homicide in the area in two days, following a death on Wednesday, August 24, at Auditorium Shores. APD said that it's too early to tell if the crimes are linked, but an officer said that both incidents appear to be isolated.

"We always wish we could explain it and know right away so we could fix it," the officer said. "No death is wanted in this city, especially violent crime. If we could, we would explain it. It’s hard to explain until we can figure each one out."

When asked how the department felt about two homicides in two days in or around tourist hotspots in the city, the APD officer was concise, saying: "It's not good."

The Austin Police Department asked for people to avoid the area for the time being. Barton Springs will remain closed for its regular Thursday cleaning. The Zilker Park playground is also closed, as is the parking lot adjacent to Barton Springs Pool.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

[drummer]

^^ Corruption. But it shouldn't be that easy. And it's interesting to see them actually come down after the fact. In many cases you would see fines or even jail time if word comes out, but they may end up actually using whatever what was built. More often, you see poor construction due to skimping on requirements (i.e., safety features) to save a buck. I saw this happen all the time when I lived in Asia - I had a friend who worked for the government in China and he was always assisting in investigations to chase these activities down. He felt like he was always three steps behind. The sad thing is that he represented the vast majority of people who were working to develop things the right way. Bad apples make it more difficult for everyone - and this is true in every country.

All the red tape that we have here is super annoying at times, but it does help to prevent this kind of stuff. I certainly have grown to value transparency more and more.

[kingkirbythe....]

Keep Austin word: O. Henry Museum Pun-Off returns in person this fall

https://www.statesman.com/story/ente...2/65462019007/

The most punderful time of the year is back. Celebrating its 45th year, the O. Henry Museum Pun-Off World Championships will return in person on Oct. 8.

Traditionally, clever folks looking to keep Austin word gather behind the O. Henry Museum each year to let their best puns fly. The wordplay has gone virtual for two years because of the pandemic. This year, though, the Pun-Off will take place at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (600 River St.), since Brush Square (where the O. Henry Museum is located) is under renovation, according to a news release.

The event features two contests. During "Punniest In Show," contestants deliver a prepared monologue. For "Punslingers," contestants will face off in a battle of puns. Entrants can participate in one or both contests, but each one is capped at 32 people. "Contestants are chosen via lottery and entering doesn't guarantee you a spot in either competition," according to a news release.

Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department holds the annual Pun-Off. "The story is that it started informally as an impromptu performance outside the O. Henry Museum during the Pecan Street Festival, then it became established as an official event in 1979," according to an American-Statesman report from 2019.

The celebrated short-story author O. Henry, aka William Sidney Porter, lived in Austin for a few years in the late 1800s and held a number of jobs in the city, including founder of The Rolling Stone newspaper. The O. Henry Museum at 409 E. Fifth St. is his former residence. Today, he's best remembered for twist-ending tales like "The Gift of the Magi." The Pun-Off honors his wit and gift for language.

Attendees of this year's Pun-Off will find food and live music, and organizers will sell T-shirts to benefit the O. Henry Museum. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Registration opens up on Thursday at punoff.com.

[kingkirbythe....]

Step Inside This Virtual Tour of East Austin’s Historic Oakwood Cemetery

https://austin.towers.net/step-insid...ric-oakwood-ce

Oakwood Cemetery, as Austin’s oldest city burial ground dating back to 1839 and growing through the years to its current size of approximately 40 acres at 1601 Navasota Street, is the resting place for generations of the city’s history — but the memories buried here, reflecting the formerly segregated surrounding neighborhoods of East Austin, were unequally distributed, some forgotten for more than a century. The city’s 2016 renovation of the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel, originally built with a design from Austin architect Charles Page in 1914, discovered that the chapel sat on top of a number of unidentified graves in the “Colored Grounds” of the cemetery.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin-San Antonio is the ‘next great U.S. metroplex,’ says Mayor Adler in final address

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/c...s-mayor-adler/

Look out, Dallas-Fort Worth. Austin Mayor Steve Adler wants Austin-San Antonio to become the “next great U.S. metroplex.” Experts believe we’re already well on our way toward that status.

In his last State of the City address as Austin’s mayor on August 25, Adler touched on the burgeoning notion that the Austin-San Antonio corridor — encompassing 13 counties across both metro areas — is evolving as a mega-region like DFW.

In alignment with that vision, Texas billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Austin-based automaker Tesla, recently floated the idea of building a transportation tunnel between Austin and San Antonio. On Twitter, Musk noted that this futuristic tunnel would be the “fastest way” to travel “between one downtown and another with known physics.” The distance along I-35 between downtown Austin and downtown San Antonio is about 80 miles.

In the past, transportation advocates have pushed for a commuter rail line between the Austin and San Antonio areas, but the concept has never gained enough traction.

Calls for stepped-up transportation and cooperation between Austin and San Antonio come as the two adjacent regions become more neighborly.

Today, the Austin-San Antonio corridor is home to roughly 5 million people. As of the 2020 Census, 2.3 million people lived in the Austin metro area and almost 2.6 million people lived in the San Antonio area. The corridor’s population is expected to reach 6 million to 7 million by 2030.

From 2010 to 2020, two of the country’s fastest-growing counties were the adjoining counties of Hays and Comal. At 53.4 percent, Hays County (part of the five-county Austin metro area and anchored by San Marcos) led growth among all U.S. counties during that period. Comal County, situated in the eight-county San Antonio metro area and anchored by New Braunfels, ranked third on that list with a growth rate of 48.9 percent.

This population growth is occurring as home prices continue to climb in the Austin and San Antonio areas. However, the San Antonio area remains a much more affordable place than the Austin area. In fact, San Antonio ranks among the top spots where both buyers and renters are seeking a refuge from skyrocketing prices for housing in Austin.

In July, the median home price in the San Antonio area was $341,600, compared with $515,000 in the Austin area. That’s a gap of $173,400.

“Austin is in the middle of a housing supply and housing affordability crisis. This is an existential challenge,” Adler said. “We are losing neighbors who can longer afford to live here. With their loss, we lose the diversity that is our biggest asset — our people.”

In November, Austin voters will decide on a $350 million bond program that would add affordable housing for low-income families and homeless people.

“We have quadrupled our investment in affordable housing units in the city since just 2014. And we have invested more in the last six years than in the city’s history up to that point,” Adler said. “And it’s still not enough.”

The Austin Board of Realtors has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the escalating cost and ongoing shortage of housing in the area.

“Although we’ve seen an uptick in inventory recently, we must focus on creating more supply to meet the increasingly high and sustained demand for housing. We must put housing first and use all the tools we have in the toolbox to address this issue,” says Cord Shiflet, president of the Austin Board of Realtors.

The same sentiment likely could be applied to the San Antonio area, especially if the population of the corridor exceeds 9 million by 2050, as former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros has indicated will happen.

In 2020, Cisneros wrote that nowhere else in the U.S. are two connected metro areas expanding so rapidly. As the two areas move closer to the mega-metro level, Cisneros believes Austin and San Antonio can “provide a 21st-century example” of regional collaboration, including the possibility that a single NFL, NHL, or Major League Baseball team could serve sports fans up and down the corridor.

“We can avoid the worst consequences of lack of planning and of erratic growth in the Austin-San Antonio region,” Cisneros wrote in a newspaper op-ed. “We can make wise investments, pursue inclusive growth, and assure environmental responsibility.”

[kingkirbythe....]

Mobile home park residents facing eviction in South Austin can stay a bit longer, judge rules

https://www.kut.org/austin/2022-09-0...er-judge-rules

Roughly a dozen families living at a mobile home park in South Austin who received 60-day notices to leave will be able to stay for the time being after a Travis County judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday.

Residents of the Congress Mobile Home Park off South Congress Avenue were told this summer their leases would not be renewed. Since then, residents who were able to have relocated, but about a dozen families remain either because they haven’t found another place to live or cannot move their homes. Despite the moniker, many homes allowed at mobile home parks are manufactured and, indeed, are not very mobile.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and the Austin Community Law Center sued the property owner on behalf of tenants still living at the park.

“A little bit more time will give them a little bit more roof over their head,” said Rosie Muñoz, who used to live at the park. Muñoz received notice in June that after living at the mobile home park for five years she would have to relocate her RV.

She said she was able to find another place to park farther east, but she is now paying about $400 more a month in rent and fees. The commute to her job at Lowe’s has grown by about 20 minutes.

Muñoz said she feels like one of the lucky ones. Her former neighbors who remain struggle to figure out where they will go.

“Some of them are elderly; some of them are with children. Experiencing the hardship as it is, [they] have no means to move a mobile home. They don’t have a place to put it,” Muñoz said. “They would be in the streets.”

Lawyers allege the property owner, Reza Paydar and his entity Congress Corner LLC, violated state law by not giving residents 180 days’ notice that they would have to leave. (Requests for comment from Paydar Properties were not returned by deadline.)

This additional time is required if the owner plans to change the use of the land. While a search of the city’s permitting database does not show the owner has applied for new permits, the judge noted in Monday’s order that the owner intends to do just that.

The judge’s order is temporary and gives residents some time until a final ruling in the case is made. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.

[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:

Austin: Not much interest in other Texas cities.

Forth Worth: Envious of Austin and frustrated with being in the shadow of Dallas. Not much interest in San Antonio or Houston.

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

San Antonio: Resentful of the attention Austin receives. Not a lot of interest in the other large Texas cities.

Dallas: We're the big dog in the state. Not a lot of mentions of the other large cities. But I would say Austin gets more attention both good and bad than the other cities.

[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.

[kingkirbythe....]

Oopsy post

[kingkirbythe....]

Volunteers who show up at 5:30 a.m. to the Lady Bird Wildflower Center are given an aesthetic gift for hopping out of bed before sunup. Not all of the 28,000-plus lights have been installed yet. The volunteers are mostly there to continue screwing the circular bulbs atop the planted stems. But the undulating Arboretum at the Wildflower Center shines brightly in the haze of dawn.

Stunning Field of Light exhibit to illuminate Austin's Wildflower Center

Opening night is September 9.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifesty...t-17400214.php

Teri Robinson, whose first-ever volunteer shift began on August 26, was stopped in her tracks when she entered the exhibition at the tip of a cul-de-sac on La Crosse road in southwest Austin.

"It was very surreal. It was really kind of breathtaking," Robinson says. "You know, like the Seinfeld episode."

The public will have to wait a little longer for the opening of Field of Light, the newest installation by famed British light artist Bruce Munro. But for now, the 250-plus Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center volunteers get a glimpse of its majesty at sunrise.

Wildflower Center member Dale Merlo, also a first-day volunteer, describes the gorgeous sight she walked into that very morning. She's grabbing bulbs from a green tote bag and affixing them to stems like Robinson, sweating in the hot August sun, but proud that she gets to walk back into the Wildflower Center in two weeks and gaze upon her hard work.

"I can say, 'I was a part of that,'" she says, smiling.

[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.

[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.