When did old Austin die?

[utee94 15823]

Old Austin died when they closed the Burnet Drive-In.

 

[wd40 1976]

10 hours ago, Continental Op said:

14 hours ago, Terry Silver said:

When the fox and hound on 4th street closed. 
The Jennifer Cave murder.
I’ll add when UT switched to Nike. Nike at that time started pumping crazy money into marketing.
also what about when that old honky tonk on south congress closed? Or maybe it’s just been buried by high rise real estate projects 
 

When Waterloo Brewing closed down to put that shitty Fox and Hound in there to begin with.

last week, I was at Billy's on Burnet and the bartender was wearing an old Waterloo Brewing shirt.  turns out Billy's is owned by the same dude/group, as was DognDuck.  I did not know that.  

next time I go, I'll ask him to bring back the Congress Avenue Burger.

put me in the circa Y2K camp.   someone, probably on hf, posted a good rant on how Austin used to be the home of The Cheap Good Time.  I think that's about when it ended for good.

[crash_davis 23113]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

The above are from 1998...

Damn, that pic speaks volumes. The now skyline is littered with tall ass condos. This puts into perspective how small town Austin was back then.

Growth was bound to happen. With the internet, no great thing remains undiscovered. With the help of the internet, we destroy what we love.

[bolverk 29672]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I’ve posted these before. The skyline shots were just me trying to finish a roll to get processed. Nothing special about these photos except that they are from the time and place we are discussing. Going to stop into C Mart for a Great White.

Anyone remember this West Campus character? John was his name. I wish I had gotten a portrait of him as well as Martha.


 

Yeah, I remember that guy.

What was the name of that carnival/circus themed dive bar that I wanna say was on the I-35 frontage and had a Wurlizter in it?

Edit: Just checked -- Carousel Lounge. Can't believe that place is still open. Don't think I've been there since 1998.

Edited February 11, 2020 by bolverk

[crash_davis 23113]

IMO 3 things changed Austin

1. SXSW, late 90s - when it became a truly international event where people from all over the world regularly were coming, the secret was let out about how cool Austin was. People were telling everyone they knew.

2. The Internet, early 2000s peaking in mid 2000s with FB and Twitter - with the internet, everyone was now espousing how great Austin was. Starting in early 2000s, how many fucking articles in how many different publications were printed about Austin being the #1 place to live and move to?

3. The IPhone, 2007/8 - This led to everyone blogging, tweeting, fakebooking about Austin and then everyone else reading about Austin. 

People started to move here en masse in early 2000s. Shit got unreal starting in mid 2000s.

[bolverk 29672]

Here's the truth of the matter. Austin and Travis County are just continuing on the same trajectory as they've been on since the end of WW2. Just look at the annual growth rates. If anything, they've slowed a bit in the last 20 years. It's just the number of warm bodies to achieve that pace has increased exponentially.

           CITY OF AUSTIN                   TRAVIS COUNTY        
                            Annual Growth                     Annual Growth    
           Population    %    #               Population    %    #
1950    132,459                                160,980        
1960    186,545    3.5%    5,409        212,136    2.8%    5,116
1970    253,539    3.1%    6,699        295,516    3.4%    8,338
1980    345,890    3.2%    9,235        419,573    3.6%    12,406
1990    465,622    3.0%    11,973      576,407    3.2%    15,683
2000    656,562    3.5%    19,094      812,280    3.5%    23,587
2010    790,390    1.9%    13,383     1,024,266    2.3%    21,199
2018    964,254    2.5%    21,733     1,248,743    2.5%    28,060
 

Edited February 11, 2020 by bolverk
Present day Lubbock County is about the size of 1970 Travis County.

[MAUFRAIS 6629]

I remember there was some deal Oprah did in the ‘90s about how great Austin was and it was very exciting to me as a youth. I didn’t realize at the time that that fat bitch needed to shut the fuck up.

[HouTex 1867]

On the tech explosion, recall in the movie/novel Disclosure, based on the Crichton novel, and staring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, Douglas's character was worried about having to take a job in Austin vs. staying in the much preferred Seattle.  The book/movie were released in 1994.  Crichton did his research.  So in the early 90's Austin was playing second/third fiddle to the West Coast tech centers.  Maybe it still is.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

On 2/9/2020 at 12:18 PM, ButtFumble said:

Sematech

This was the beginning of the end. The jobs were mostly either with the state or UT up to that point. Jobs were so scare in the mid 80s you needed a bachelor degree to work at Whole Earth Provisions and some of the independent bookstores.

Edited February 11, 2020 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[yoladu 4094]

On 2/9/2020 at 2:42 AM, Shaggy3.0 said:

When Bergstrom AFB closed and Mueller moved to ABIA.

Surly thread delivers, but this one has some serious validity.

[alincoln 2371]

[NorthLoop 14203]

12 minutes ago, alincoln said:

That's a good one

[utee94 15823]

 

11 minutes ago, alincoln said:

I have no idea what this is.  But

x 1 x

x x 2 3

 

[Lat22 4014]

17 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Why in the actual fuck would anyone eat at Burger King?

The same reason people climb Everest.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

That's a good one

Allow me to one up...

[MirrOlure 14774]

Not sure exactly when it happened, but it was definitely sometime after this picture was taken (1969):

 

[tx 3 putt 76958]

39 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Allow me to one up...

this show was legit. a funnier version of portlandia 

Edited February 11, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[NorthLoop 14203]

35 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Allow me to one up...

I feel like Austin Stories caught the very end of laid back 90's Austin. I came here in 2000 and I feel like I just missed out on that. My older sister was at UT in the 90s and I remember visiting and really digging what Austin was about. It still had it's moments in the early 2000s but you could clearly see it changing for the worse. For me a good indicator was the greenbelt. Hiking out with a cooler of beer and being able to pick a nice spot to chill and swim. We did that all the time from 2000-07. Then it didn't rain for a few years. Then when the rain came back the greenbelt was filled with hipsters who complained about themselves to the city so the city stopped letting you bring beer. 

 

Put me in the Frost Tower camp. That's a good demarcation. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I feel like Austin Stories caught the very end of laid back 90's Austin. I came here in 2000 and I feel like I just missed out on that. My older sister was at UT in the 90s and I remember visiting and really digging what Austin was about. It still had it's moments in the early 2000s but you could clearly see it changing for the worse. For me a good indicator was the greenbelt. Hiking out with a cooler of beer and being able to pick a nice spot to chill and swim. We did that all the time from 2000-07. Then it didn't rain for a few years. Then when the rain came back the greenbelt was filled with hipsters who complained about themselves to the city so the city stopped letting you bring beer. 

 

Put me in the Frost Tower camp. That's a good demarcation. 

 

I agree with you. I was just throwing it up to show MTV already had its eyes on Austin as a “cool city”.

[Guest Lobo]

Wait, I thought those pics were from the Real World set in Austin years later.  "Austin Stories" was funny and even Linklater would tell you that it remained true to the vibe of Austin at the time, though it captured it all just a little too late.  It came on about two years after I moved here and was very poignant at the time.  I'm sure we've talked about this on other threads, but is that show ever gonna come out on streaming or DVD?  I would think Vulcan Video would make a killing off that.  I watched "Slacker" right when I moved here but it was a little hard to connect with since everybody in the show was 10 years older than me at the time.  But Austin Stories really struck a chord.  

Anyway, Let me propose this in terms of when the myriad "cats got out of the bag" (Austin was already these things locally, but these are when everybody else notices):

Austin as tech hub starts with MCC move here in 1983.  Without this and UT (but you can't really point to 1883 as the death of old Austin), Austin never becomes the Tech hub for jobs, money, and Californians/New Yorkers.  

Austin as cultural/lifestyle hub starts with SXSW expansion in 1993/94 (it grows from hundreds to tens of thousands, adds film and interactive and a huge international flavor).  Without this, so many visitors won't know about this city for another 10-20 years. 

Austin as place for business hub starts with Frost Tower.  Before this, downtown is still mostly banks and law firms and bas the architectual stylings and cheap real estate of Wichita on a Tuesday.  After this, office space costs around town go up.  And development absolutely explodes.  From the Domain to downtown to East Austin, everything screams "Build.  Build.  Build."  And even Class C legacy properties that are as old as ArmyBrat start trading at premiums.  Soon it's an arms race just to have an arms race.  And the people, they come...

One last anecdote, she's by all accounts been a great resident.  But I'd add Sandra Bullock moving to Austin.  Only a handful of other celebrities have moved here Part-to-Full Time, but she kinda tacitly said to the coastal folks, "this isn't just some kitsch place to buy a ranch, this is my new home and I'm putting down roots.  Come check it out."  Every other Austin celebrity before that was an Austinite first, or at least a Texan.  But she was the first big Transplant, and holy shit did people follow... 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

As of a few months ago, all episodes of Austin Stories were on YouTube.

[BradInATX 9208]

1 hour ago, NorthLoop said:

I feel like Austin Stories caught the very end of laid back 90's Austin. I came here in 2000 and I feel like I just missed out on that. My older sister was at UT in the 90s and I remember visiting and really digging what Austin was about. It still had it's moments in the early 2000s but you could clearly see it changing for the worse. For me a good indicator was the greenbelt. Hiking out with a cooler of beer and being able to pick a nice spot to chill and swim. We did that all the time from 2000-07. Then it didn't rain for a few years. Then when the rain came back the greenbelt was filled with hipsters who complained about themselves to the city so the city stopped letting you bring beer. 

 

Put me in the Frost Tower camp. That's a good demarcation. 

The greenbelt is still one of the few places in Austin where you can go and hang out with mostly scumbags and potheads and wookies and whatnot. Hipsters don't exercise so the hike is prohibitive. At least for the spot I go to.  It rules.

Edited February 11, 2020 by BradInATX

[gsoda3 3261]

1 hour ago, MirrOlure said:

Not sure exactly when it happened, but it was definitely sometime after this picture was taken (1969):

 

that's a cool picture.  as far as i've seen that's the first picture of a completed jester dormitory.  

[gsoda3 3261]

1 hour ago, NorthLoop said:

I feel like Austin Stories caught the very end of laid back 90's Austin. I came here in 2000 and I feel like I just missed out on that. My older sister was at UT in the 90s and I remember visiting and really digging what Austin was about. It still had it's moments in the early 2000s but you could clearly see it changing for the worse. For me a good indicator was the greenbelt. Hiking out with a cooler of beer and being able to pick a nice spot to chill and swim. We did that all the time from 2000-07. Then it didn't rain for a few years. Then when the rain came back the greenbelt was filled with hipsters who complained about themselves to the city so the city stopped letting you bring beer. 

 

Put me in the Frost Tower camp. That's a good demarcation. 

aug - oct 2007 in the greenbelt was the absolute best it's ever been.  the july rains made for some incredible tubing and stupid decisions.  

[DonnyKerabatsos 86]

when GW Bush moved into the mansion.

[HornPhD 1368]

I lived in Austin at three different times:

First was in the early/mid 70s when my father was getting his PhD at UT. I was in pre-school back then, so I don’t remember much. We lived in the Breckenridge Apartments on Lake Austin Blvd. My sister and I attended Chip-N-Dale Nursery School on West 26th. We used to attend UT Women’s basketball games and sit on the floor at one of the baselines. My father tells a great story about Willie stopping to talk with him and my mother one time at The Armadillo World Headquarters. He told my father he sure was a lucky Yankee to be married to such a fine Texas woman. 

Second time was in 1983 when my father was on sabbatical and doing research at UT. I went to Murchison (which seemed like it was the suburbs at the time) and played football and basketball. Our football team lost in the City Championship game. I still think if Ronald Belvin had pitched the ball to me on the last play of the game, I could have score the game-winning touchdown. The best memories were getting free/cheap end zone tickets to Longhorns football games and being able to go on the field after the game. The field was also open to the public during non-game days. We only lived there for the first half of the year before moving back to NY. 

Third time was 96-03. Like several people mentioned previously, this was a great time to live in Austin. So many places to hear live music or drink on the cheap; however, the city didn’t feel overgrown. For example, Taco Shack added their 2nd location during this time frame. I lived mostly near campus or west Austin. One place was a garage apartment a block off Lake Austin Blvd. $325/month including cable and utilities. And the main house had a pool that I was allowed to use.

In 2002, my now wife and I attended the inaugural ACL music festival. We could walk up to any stage for any band/singer and find a spot. How would things have turned out differently if the ACL music festival never happened or had not been as successful in that inaugural year? Year 2 added a day and more widely-known acts and 40% of pre-sales were from out of town. 

Check out the review and lineup:

http://www.austinnewsstory.com/ACL2002MusicFestvalReview/ACLMusicFestival09282002.html

I’ve been in living in SF or Oakland since May 2003 and not a day goes by that I don’t wish we would move back to Austin. Despite the changes, it’s still the coolest place to live. 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by HornPhD

[XYZ 2154]

Cooler than San Francisco?

[Napoleon 8679]

3 hours ago, crash_davis said:

IMO 3 things changed Austin

1. SXSW, late 90s - when it became a truly international event where people from all over the world regularly were coming, the secret was let out about how cool Austin was. People were telling everyone they knew.

2. The Internet, early 2000s peaking in mid 2000s with FB and Twitter - with the internet, everyone was now espousing how great Austin was. Starting in early 2000s, how many fucking articles in how many different publications were printed about Austin being the #1 place to live and move to?

3. The IPhone, 2007/8 - This led to everyone blogging, tweeting, fakebooking about Austin and then everyone else reading about Austin. 

People started to move here en masse in early 2000s. Shit got unreal starting in mid 2000s.

 

On 2/9/2020 at 11:18 AM, ButtFumble said:

Sematech

Then the response...

3 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

This was the beginning of the end. The jobs were mostly either with the state or UT up to that point. Jobs were so scare in the mid 80s you needed a bachelor degree to work at Whole Earth Provisions and some of the independent bookstores.

Tech... but this is the second arrival.

 

1 hour ago, NorthLoop said:

Put me in the Frost Tower camp. That's a good demarcation. 

Put this down as CHANGING ZONING LAWS.

WHAT CHANGED AUSTIN:

1) Dell Inc was what started the Tech wave. It was founded in 1984 and by 1986 it did $73 million in business. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell  (Sematech would follow as would others in the 1990s.)
- - - As stated above, people could finally make a living in Austin aside from working for UT or a government related job.
- - - Joe Liemandt moves his Trilogy Development Group from Palo Alto to Austin and by 1996 he's on the cover of Forbes. They have 200 employees, mostly software developers, and are looking to hire 100 more nerds who will make a lot of money and spend it this way: "Trilogy became the hot place for young coders to land in the late 1990s. Known for its testosterone-fueled work environment and an alcohol-infused mix of long hours, fast cars, gambling and sex, Trilogy served as the model for Silicon Valley’s boys club. Its programmers were paid like rock stars and partied like them, too." https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2018/11/19/how-a-mysterious-tech-billionaire-created-two-fortunesand-a-global-software-sweatshop/#733d90c6cffe
- - - The mid '90s saw discretionary income being blown at restaurants and downtown bars by people in the 20s, which had previously been a decade of poverty for most who chose to stay in town after graduating.
- - - The "dot.com" bubble bursting in 2000 sent SF Bay area millionaires looking for cheaper real estate where they could have better weather than SF, lower overhead, and bigger houses and more toys.

2) Slackers (1990), the first Richard Linklater film introduced the term and Austin to a whole generation of people looking to go somewhere and not grow up. This also launched Austin as a place where you could become a filmmaker. Linklater choosing to stay in Austin to edit & film "Before Sunrise" and "Dazed & Confused" further solidified Austin as a town you could produce content in. "Office Space" (Mike Judge), "Home Fries" (Drew Barrymore), and several Sandra Bullock projects would follow due in large part to Linklater's path and the Austin Film Commission.

3) South by Southwest going from:
- - - Local Music
- - - National Music
- - - International Music with Film Festival
- - - Tech Festival with VIP badges and VIP parties for investors

4a) DOWNTOWN CHANGES: Zoning Change that allowed buildings in downtown to be taller than the Capitol Building
 - - - Don't know the specifics, but I was told in the late '80s that buildings in downtown Austin couldn't be built taller than the Capital Building. Once that was out the window, all hell broke loose.

4b) DOWNTOWN CHANGES: The Rail Yards Apartments built near 3rd & Red River ~1991.
- - - This introduced living in downtown, formerly a no-man's land, to a large number of young people. The apartments filled immediately and their proximity to 6th Street and the other downtown bars was seen as a huge convenience in a traditional driving town.

4c) DOWNTOWN CHANGES - WHOLE FOODS: Turning a used car lot into a massive flagship store
- - - Also, Whole Foods explosion riding the organic wave brought money, jobs, and influence to Austin in the late 1990s and 2000s.

So in the mid-late '80s, the seeds were planted for change. 

In the 1990s, the pioneers' prosperity became visible and businesses looked to exploit it.

The 2000s saw change, but perhaps a little slower than before and then...

The 2010s saw all reins thrown away and unrestrained growth and development take off that lead to Austin becoming what most hated about Dallas & LA.

[gsoda3 3261]

we might not be dead but we've certainly jumped the shark.

 

Rachael Ray releases guide to Austin, her second home

TV chef Rachael Ray releases her guide to Austin, her ‘second home’

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s pretty clear — Rachael Ray loves Austin.

The TV chef and talk-show host calls Austin her “second home,” and says it’s “one of the coolest places in the country” in an article on her magazine’s website.

But, of course, we all knew that second part.

Ray offers her “Guide to Austin” in the article, and it hits the usual places when it comes to food, drinks, shopping and overall good times.

Ray is a big fan of pitmaster Aaron Franklin, and rightfully so. The first two restaurants in her guide are his projects, Franklin BBQ and Loro. Franklin runs Loro with Tyson Cole, and Ray says that’s always the “first stop in town.”

She’s also a fan of Hopdoddy, ATX Cocina, Elizabeth Street Cafe, Waterloo Records, Jo’s Coffee (home of the “I love you so much” mural), BookPeople, The Saxon Pub and a lot more.

 

her guide

 

 

I fell in love with Austin more than two decades ago because it seemed so utopian to me, celebrating the best of what it is to be American: individualism, the arts, entrepreneurism, and a love of great food. There’s a true sense of community and a surprising lack of ageism; you’ll see a young person and an old one talking to each other on the sidewalk. And chances are both have tattoos and ear gauges and are carrying a guitar case. Because that’s another thing about Austin—it rocks, and it’s often called the Live Music Capital of the World. I love to come here and hang with my friends, catch a show, and support the killer food scene and amazing local boutiques. This is only a partial list of my favorite places there—to share them all would fill a whole magazine. But it’s a starting point. If you’re looking for a good time, look no further than the capital of Texas, the capital of cool.

Eat 

Franklin Barbecue

 

 

A fully loaded barbecue plate at Franklin Barbecue.

Photography by Wyatt Mcspadden

There’s gonna be a wait, but pitmaster (and James Beard Award winner) Aaron Franklin draws lines from morning on for a reason. He claims to use only salt and pepper on his famous brisket, which is cooked on Dr. Seuss–looking smokers he designed himself. The result is without rival not only in Austin—it’s the best in the world as far as I’m concerned. Isn’t that worth a wait? 

Loro

 

 

The dining room at Loro.

Photo courtesy of Loro

OK, I’m on Aaron Franklin again, this time in a collab with fellow Austinite chef Tyson Cole. Loro is always my first stop in town. I’m not kidding—my husband and I go there directly from the airport when we land. Just steal our order: wontons with dipping sauces, the smoked turkey breast, the bavette with shishito pepper salsa verde, and a frozen G&T. The space is beautiful and casual with communal tables. Go and talk to your neighbor! 

 

 

The restaurant’s saucy chicken wings.

Photo courtesy of Loro

I fell in love with this city more than 20 years ago. I’ve loved it longer than I’ve loved my husband!

ATX Cocina

 

 

Cocktails at ATX Cocina.

Photography by @zilkerbark

The fantastic, modern Mexican food comes courtesy of chef Kevin Taylor, who is so unassuming you can’t believe what a culinary badass he is. He cooks incredible cuisine—house-made tortillas, insane tomahawk pork chops. Wash them down with one of the best, not-too-sweet margaritas in the known universe.

Elizabeth Street Café

Larry McGuire owns three of my favorite restaurants in Austin: Clark’s Oyster House (the shrimp toast is my main motivation for going there), Swedish Hill (a bakery, deli, and café), and this Vietnamese boulangerie. The dishes are innovative, beautiful, and fresh—whether it’s a bowl of spicy noodles or a banh mi sandwich—the kind of food you can eat and eat but also feel so healthy and refreshed that you want to go right back in and eat again.  

Kemuri Tatsu-Ya

At this modern izakaya, the sister restaurant of Ramen Tatsu-Ya, you’ll get Japanese food with a Texan twang from chef-DJ Tatsu Aikawa. He was born in Tokyo but raised in Texas, so he’s basically a purist in food from both places. The result isn’t so much fusion as a locally sourced homage. Aikawa just opened a new shabu-shabu joint called DipDipDip Tatsu-Ya that I can’t wait to try. 

Jo’s Coffee

 

 

The famous mural outside Jo's Coffee.

Photography by Madeline Burrows

Go to the iconic coffee bar and get a delicious Belgian Bomber, which cuts the very sweet Iced Turbo with unsweetened cold brew for the perfect afternoon boost. And breakfast in Austin isn’t complete without a breakfast taco—my husband loves the migas tacos, which come loaded with peppers, onions, tortilla bits, and Jack cheese. Then take a picture in front of the famous “I love you so much” mural, which every visitor to Austin does. Seriously. If you don’t post a picture from there, people may not believe you actually went to Austin. 

Austin’s Best Burgers

 

 

Photo courtesy of Hopdoddy

Texas knows beef, and these burgers are no exception. Hopdoddy is an Austin rite of passage. They serve burgers and fantastic cocktails, and there’s always a line but it moves quickly. Up the street is June’s All Day, a French bistro named for the sommelier (June Rodil), so you know the wine will be creative and delicious. But you can also get one of my favorite burgers there, which comes piled with caramelized onions, lots of jalapeño peppers, and sliced cheese on a brioche bun. Everybody else says the chicken sandwich is the thing they daydream about, but I love that burger.

Stay

Hotel Saint Cecilia, Hotel San José & Austin Motel

 

 

The Hotel San José.

Photography by Nick Simonite

Each one in this trio of sister hotels is special in its own right. When I first came to Austin I stayed at the San José, right on the main drag of South Congress, with cozy, low-slung bungalows and a rock ’n’ roll vibe. Of the three, all run by Bunkhouse hospitality group, Austin Motel is the most economic, with an iconic sign and a marquee boasting very Austin messages (“All Ways Welcome Here” and “So Close Yet So Far Out” are good ones). St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and that’s why I love the Hotel Saint Cecilia. It’s a beautiful spot where you can borrow vinyl from the lobby for your in-room turntable. But the true draw is the 300-year-old oak in the courtyard, the heart and the soul of the property. 

 

 

A guest room at the Austin Motel.

Photography by Nick Simonite

 

 

The hotel’s pool.

Photography by Hannah Koehler

Austin is literally a second home for me.

Shop

Take Heart

 

 

Photo courtesy of Take Heart

This well-curated gift and sundry shop has a very modern Japanese-influenced vibe and something for everyone: insanely beautiful ceramics, children’s toys, textiles, jewelry, and apothecary. 

Miranda Bennett Studio

A local designer, Miranda Bennett makes tops, dresses, pants, skirts, jumpsuits, and more. The coolest part is that she’s a zero-waste designer, so she fashions belts and accessories from leftover scraps. All kinds of Austinites wear her clothing as a uniform around town because it’s cool and beautiful. Lisa Reile, the chic manager over at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, is a fan. 

Waterloo Records 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Warterloo Records

I collect vinyl, and Waterloo is a seriously fun place to shop for it. They’re heavy on local artists like my pal Bob Schneider (see below), so come here and buy a bunch of his music before you leave town.

BookPeople

I am a book person. I bought my apartment in New York because of its proximity to an independent bookstore. BookPeople is for page-turners like me, but it’s so much more. It’s a wonderful locally owned place to hang with your family and let your kids play and read. There aren’t enough indie bookstores left in America, so it’s no surprise that one of the most thriving is in Austin, a city that celebrates independence and puts its money where its mouth is. 

Moxie Made

 

 

Photo courtesy of Kar-bn

OK, so this one isn’t technically in Austin, but if you love Austin’s free-spirit, rocker-chick style, go to this site (full disclosure: I own it!) and pick up local designers like Kar-bn (amazing jewelry from my friend Kristin Ann Rudge), Hat Attack, and others. 

Listen

Austin is often called the Live Music Capital of the World, with up to 250 music venues hosting live acts on any given night. Here are my favorite places to catch one.

The Saxon Pub 

This is a great music venue where my friend Bob Schneider plays every Monday night when he’s not touring. It’s worth planning your visit to make sure he’ll be around. 

The Continental Club

This was the first live music club I went to in Austin, and it was such a fun night! We heard all kinds of bands, but especially blues rock. This place is what a Texas music hall should be. 

Justine’s

This French brasserie looks like a set piece from Moulin Rouge. They host impromptu musical acts and mystical, over-the-top parties, and it feels like anything can happen here. After a day in town, Justine’s is where to go to get into trouble. 

Stroll Down South Congress

 

 

Photo courtesy of By George

You can spend an entire day exploring the hip neighborhood’s apparel shops, colorful murals, and Austin-born eateries.

• Get a big, beefy burger at Hopdoddy.
• Stock up on luxe styles at By George.
• Snap a pic at the “I love you so much” mural at Jo’s.
• See a live show at the Continental Club.
• Snag a NY-style pie at Home Slice Pizza.
• Peruse the artsy gift shop at the Hotel San José.
• Kick back with a glass of vino at June’s All Day.
• Marvel at the country’s largest urban bat colony at the Congress Avenue Bridge.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by gsoda3

[HornPhD 1368]

22 minutes ago, XYZ said:

Cooler than San Francisco?

To me, yes. But that’s probably the nostalgia talking. 

[crash_davis 23113]

36 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

The 2010s saw all reins thrown away and unrestrained growth and development take off that lead to Austin becoming what most hated about Dallas & LA.

There's nothing anyone could have done about the growth. Regardless of what city leaders or Austinites wanted or planned for, from mid-2000s to mid 2010s, there were a shitton of people moving into Austin. They were all mostly younger and wanted to be downtown or as close as possible to it. That drove demand for dtown living. I welcome all the downtown condos. That's what most cities, especially in Texas, do NOT have, a vibrant downtown where people work and live. I think it's cool as shit. In that respect, Austin is nothing like Dallas or LA. I lived in Dallas. Dallas area is dominated by vapid soulless suburbs. Dtown area of Dallas is cool but it's offers nowhere near what Austin downtown is. LA is a sprawling mess with cool pockets dotted throughout. Dtown LA is being revitalized but again, nowhere near what Austin is. The folks with kids wanted nicer burbs and schools which drove the explosion of the surburbs like Cedar Park, Leander, Kyle, and Dripping Springs. Shit was going to happen no matter what. The vibe of Austin is still chill and laid back as fuck compared to those two other cities.

People like to bitch about cost, about affordability, about bygone establishments closing down. That shit happens everywhere. Most any city worth living in has had significant growth and increase in costs of living, specifically real estate. There's a reason why shitty cities do not see the appreciation in real estate that Austin sees. It's because they are shitty and no one wants to live there. And some of the bygone establishments closed down because existing on nostalgia alone is not a sustainable business model. Some of those older restaurants sucked but thrived in the old days because there was nothing else, no competition. Now with better options, it's was just a matter of time.

I know it's sacrilege but Top Notch will be the next place to die. People will lament its passing but there are so many better options for burgers (2 Top Notch's w/in 2 miles, 2 P Terrys w/in 2 miles, tons of new better restaurants) and food in that area. Places like Hoovers will forever be around because it makes great food. It's not just existing on nostalgia. if people continued to support these old establishments, they'd still be around. There's a reason why the didn't.

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by crash_davis

[HornPhD 1368]

Interesting read that ties a bunch of threads together
 

https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/1999-12-31/75319/

More than anything else, however, 1999 will be remembered as the year Austin's exploding economy leveled the landscape of live music venues. The Electric Lounge is gone. Liberty Lunch is gone. Steamboat is gone. The Bates Motel is gone. Even less vital local venues such as Dessau Music Hall and Austin Blues passed into the past tense, the latter after a mere six months of operation.

Taking inventory of live music venues falling by the wayside has become an annual rite in Austin. Club closings are a constant in the equation. But make no mistake, 1999 was exceptional in this regard, exceptionally brutal, as four of Austin's most frequented venues are no more. Why? Two words: Mon-ey.

Edited February 11, 2020 by HornPhD
Added some text

[BradInATX 9208]

TV chef Rachael Ray releases her guide to Austin, her ‘second home’

She’s also a fan of ...The Saxon Pub 

 

 

God damnit.

 

[Guest Lobo]

she's annoying and cliche.  But give her credit, she's had a marked interest in Austin food and music for over a decade...long before most of her contemporaries.  Before that Stubb's party of hers turned into a corporate debacle with half-day long lines, it was a fun and intimate time for great music and food.  She's obviously trying to turn her hip take into a money maker on two fronts, but she's at least been sincere in the past about her interest and thrown great parties over the years before they got big and out of control.  

But yeah, Saxon Pub's days have been numbered for years.  And this is not gonna help...

[TwiceHorn 31471]

23 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Why in the actual fuck would anyone eat at Burger King?

69c cheeseburgers on the drag?  When your bowels couldn't handle any more taco bell.

Edited February 11, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[BabaYaga 15298]

43 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

TV chef Rachael Ray releases her guide to Austin, her ‘second home’

She’s also a fan of ...The Saxon Pub 

 

 

God damnit.

 

Or Bobby Flay's proclimation about some of the best Austin BBQ around @ "The Salt Lick"......

[utee94 15823]

8 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Or Bobby Flay's proclimation about some of the best Austin BBQ around @ "The Salt Lick"......

I'm A-OK with celebrities sending the tourists to the Salt Lick instead of good places.  How do we get the hipsters to go there, too?

[BabaYaga 15298]

11 minutes ago, utee94 said:

How do we get the hipsters to go there, too?

Start serving craft beers and triple the price...

[52-80 19158]

Remember when you could do almost anything while tubing in San Marcos?

 

 

[2300 Nueces 163]

Riverside golf course used to be great.  That area has seen better days. 

[Armybrat 40844]

Summer 1959 - I took this pic of Cousin Joanne looking north from the I-35 frontage road by Elmhurst drive - neither one look the same.

[BradInATX 9208]

Or Bobby Flay's proclimation about some of the best Austin BBQ around @ "The Salt Lick"......

I'm saying I'm pissed that she's drawing attention to the saxon pub. Last few times I've been it's remained un-hipstered.

[tx 3 putt 76958]

52 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Summer 1959 - I took this pic of Cousin Joanne looking north from the I-35 frontage road by Elmhurst drive - neither one look the same.

It’s a great thread when cousin Joanne makes an appearance 🤩🤩🤩🤩

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, about every three years I look for her photo on this site/TOS.  And he delivers.  If you really look at it, it so elegantly captures a bygone era.  She could easily dangle that dainty pair of sunglasses with one hand, but she holds onto them with another hand, as if to say, "It's all good right now, but if I'm not careful-they'll fall and we'll spill into another era."  Also, jean shorts.  

[Deej 76791]

December '91. Yogurt Shop Murders and Colleen Reed abduction by Kenneth McDuff.

[JimmyJames 12271]

32 minutes ago, Deej said:

December '91. Yogurt Shop Murders and Colleen Reed abduction by Kenneth McDuff.

I always get slight chills when I drive past that place on 5th street and watch people getting their car washed there,  completely oblivious to what happened. Side note, I believe that earlier that day she was at the old original Whole Foods on Lamar. 

Edited February 12, 2020 by JimmyJames

[Deej 76791]

She was.

[Al Czervik 1229]

On 2/10/2020 at 5:58 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Why in the actual fuck would anyone eat at Burger King?

Maybe that Burger King.  

Younger Al made Whoppers to die for at the Ben White location back before and while old Austin was dying.  

Old Austin died when they renamed 24th street.  I’m sure the ex-mayor with the changing last names had something to do with it.  

[Armybrat 40844]

Carol Manynames?

[Al Czervik 1229]

6 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Carol Manynames?

Yes Sir!