AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II - Page 261

StoOgE · #**5201** Posted **May 25, 2009, 8:30 PM**

A theme park in Austin is going to be very hard to do.

San Antonio has two, Dallas has one and there are a ton of waterparks in the state as well.

Houston will certainly be the next to get one (especially since New Orleans lost theirs as a result of Katrina).

Austin's best chance would be a traditional amusement park. Flat rides, carnival games, maybe a small/mid sized coaster. The sort of thing you see all over the midwest/northeast. Think Kennywood.

zx14 · #**5202** Posted **May 25, 2009, 9:36 PM**

Fiesta texas will shut down. Too much comp against seaworld. then Cedar Fair will open the most amazing amusement park in northwest austin. NO not cedar point it will be Cedar Park.

StoOgE · #**5203** Posted **May 26, 2009, 12:05 AM**

good luck with that one :p

Fiesta Texas does halfway decent for Six Flags. It will be years before it gets a major coaster in it though. They built Superman (the only really high profile coaster the park has added) and attendance dropped 8%.

and now they get left overs from closed parks.. and we have two versions of the same ride less than 10 miles apart as a result.

oberthewhat · #**5204** Posted **May 26, 2009, 3:44 AM**

Six Flags in SA is a pretty bad park, I hope that Six Flags will never get the idea of buying land in the Austin area and putting together some ugly park. Austin would do very well with a park that focuses on their image, Busch parks are nice. although looming on being sold.

Austin's park n pizza is a joke.

photoLith · #**5205** Posted **May 26, 2009, 5:05 AM**

Went through downtown Austin for the first time in years and wow is it looking good. Still has a lot of room for improvement but its coming along nicely. Here are some photos I took today.

There was a giant triathalon going on today and it was pretty awesome. Im jealous of you Austonians or Austinites? for having such an awesome city!

Tea baggers at the capital today. Man, these people are about as redneck as they come. Seriously, do these people think that a bunch of rednecks with half their teeth missing are going to be able to draw the attention of the majority of Texans to secede from the Union? Didnt the south do this about 150 years ago? As I recall, it didnt go too well for em. I thought it was hilarious though seeing all of these people around and having the tourists laughing at them.

Paul in S.A TX · #**5206** Posted **May 26, 2009, 6:39 AM**

Awesome pics!

TXLove · #**5207** Posted **May 26, 2009, 6:55 AM**

Those are awesome Photolitherland!

hookem · #**5208** Posted **May 26, 2009, 9:04 AM**

Great pics!

Quote:

Originally Posted by photolitherland

Tea baggers at the capital today. Man, these people are about as redneck as they come. Seriously, do these people think that a bunch of rednecks with half their teeth missing are going to be able to draw the attention of the majority of Texans to secede from the Union? Didnt the south do this about 150 years ago? As I recall, it didnt go too well for em. I thought it was hilarious though seeing all of these people around and having the tourists laughing at them.

Hmm, how do you know those protesters aren't tourists? I mean, it is the state capitol, legislature is in session (or just ended)... lots (if not all) of the activists you'll see at the capitol are not from around here.

StoOgE · #**5209** Posted **May 26, 2009, 11:53 AM**

hookem, could very well be locals. Although a lot of protesters are the capital are imports that show up here for their cause..

Austin is a very liberal town on the whole but.

1) Surrounding areas are still very rural on the whole. Just an hours drive will get you into very "red state" territory.

2) Even the bluest cities in the bluest states had these sorts of protests.

3) Austin does have it's fair share of rednecks in the city limits.

4) We are also home to Adam Jones and his merry band of crazy conspiracy nuts that think the secret society is controlling us all. and we have a higher percentage of libertopians than most cities. Both of these groups are apt to be 'tea baggers' as well. Although, Adam Jones' followers are probably too afriad of the black helicopters to leave their mom's basement.

sss1234 · #**5210** Posted **May 26, 2009, 12:56 PM**

Do you mean Alex Jones?

photoLith · #**5211** Posted **May 26, 2009, 1:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookem

Great pics!

Hmm, how do you know those protesters aren't tourists? I mean, it is the state capitol, legislature is in session (or just ended)... lots (if not all) of the activists you'll see at the capitol are not from around here.

Yes, they were probably all from around the state but most of the people I saw laughing as they walked by were Europeans or Asians. Its great that on their trip here they got to see real Merkins.

priller · #**5212** Posted **May 26, 2009, 2:32 PM**

Nice photos!

KevinFromTexas · #**5213** Posted **May 26, 2009, 5:09 PM**

Very nice photos. You lucked out with Congress being closed due to the triathlon. Great photo-op.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stoOgE

3) Austin does have it's fair share of rednecks in the city limits.

We should get John Kelso to write an article about redneck sight seeing routes in Austin. lol Maybe even post signs that indicate it. I wonder what they'd look like? Haha

Mopacs · #**5214** Posted **May 26, 2009, 5:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoOgE

Austin's best chance would be a traditional amusement park. Flat rides, carnival games, maybe a small/mid sized coaster. The sort of thing you see all over the midwest/northeast. Think Kennywood.

Agreed... Austin would be best served by more of a regional park, catering to locals in and near the metro area (perhaps drawing as far as Temple/Killeen or Bryan/College Station, etc.)

A good example would be something similar to Wonderland Park in Amarillo
http://www.wonderlandpark.com/

FYI... With regards to Cedar Park, there are plans for a regional water park on the east side of the city (roughly halfway between 183 and I-35). Essentially this would replace Volente Beach. Not sure of the status... Seems to be on hold as a result of current economic conditions.

Mopacs · #**5215** Posted **May 26, 2009, 5:46 PM**

Well it seems Wonderland has expanded beyond what I remembered... so perhaps a slightly scaled down version of W.O.W. for Austin. Either way, it would serve the market well, without trying to compete directly with the big guys.

Jdawgboy · #**5216** Posted **May 26, 2009, 5:57 PM**

I found some updated renderings of how the Austonian will look like with the crown. I think it looks so much better than the ealier renderings we have seen and now match the recent renderings of the building from the ground.

priller · #**5217** Posted **May 26, 2009, 8:02 PM**

Except the real glass is more like original dark green tint, and not the Frost-tower sky blue of the renderings.

AustinSkyscrapers · #**5218** Posted **May 26, 2009, 10:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I found some updated renderings of how the Austonian will look like with the crown. I think it looks so much better than the ealier renderings we have seen and now match the recent renderings of the building from the ground.

Ooo. Nice crown. Somehow I just don't like the lighting of it though, the crown. It does have great style though!

Too bad they "removed" the Ashton and T.Stacy Tower...

Northcrossed · #**5219** Posted **May 26, 2009, 10:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoOgE

A theme park in Austin is going to be very hard to do. San Antonio has two, Dallas has one and there are a ton of waterparks in the state as well. Houston will certainly be the next to get one

Sorry to prolong the agony of rehashing this topic (and yet I post) but the State Fair of Texas is considering turning Dallas' Fair Park into a full time amusement park, so make that potentially two for DFW, though in my opinion a bad idea (prevents easy access to the Imax theater, the music hall, the aquarium, all the museums, the gardens, the WRR studios and offices, etc.), even though it is a stop on DART's light rail line.

And let's not forget that Six Flags' Astroworld in Houston fizzled and was worth more as redevelopable land than as an operating amusement park. If the entire population of Southeast Texas couldn't keep a park open even with new roller coasters every year then what chance does greater Austin have getting one built?

zx14 · #**5220** Posted **May 27, 2009, 1:00 AM**

The climate of houston also killed astroworld. Recieving twice as much rain as Austin and the humidity. It just was not an attractive place to be. Also it was just not run well. Austin could support with its economy a large park. We are a metro with almost 2 million and well over with killeen and waco included. Built on the north side it will be more attractive for waconians( is that right?) than six flags over texas. Yes the economy is an issue. You just dont build a little park in a big city. We are not Amarillo. Heck round rock is bigger than that by itself. Well sort of. Parks are close around but why should we be the huge city with nothing to do. If we build a better park than fiesta texas let them go under. Untill we get one or a pro team Austin will just be an overgrown collegetown. Or seem that way to many.