2023 Bum Steer of the Year

[RDCanecutter 26446]

4 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

I'm old enough to remember way back when Zilker Park had a functioning mini train for kids:

 

 

 

x,x,x,?,x,x,x,x,x,x,1,x,x,x,x,x,x,x

[chainsaw 9869]

42 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

vibe distinctive from Houston and Dallas, younger and more fun. It is just in it's late 20s, early 30s now.

That's a low bar, and it's only fun if you're rich.

[Dahobbs 17544]

Just now, chainsaw said:

That's a low bar, and it's only fun if you're rich.

I wasn't establishing a bar at all. Just saying the city feels different than either Houston or Dallas. I really don't know why y'all think you need to be rich to have fun in Austin. It helps certainly, just as it does anywhere, but isn't a requirement. I think y'all just got older and pickier. 

[chainsaw 9869]

17 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

I wasn't establishing a bar at all. Just saying the city feels different than either Houston or Dallas. I really don't know why y'all think you need to be rich to have fun in Austin. It helps certainly, just as it does anywhere, but isn't a requirement. I think y'all just got older and pickier. 

I think we are comparing "old" Austin (00s/10s part of this even though it shouldn't be) with today. What was an affordable lifestyle is no longer so.

[Dahobbs 17544]

10 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

I think we are comparing "old" Austin (00s/10s part of this even though it shouldn't be) with today. What was an affordable lifestyle is no longer so.

I know that's what you think you're doing. The reality is that y'all want to do the exact same things and go to exact same places that you used to. Some of those no longer exists. Others became popular, and thus more crowded and expensive. Do something different. Go somewhere different. There is plenty new, and not all of it requires you to be rich. 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

It’s pretty clear to me personally why Austin isn’t like it “used to be”.  When I moved here in 1984 there were 450k people in the metro area.  Now?  There are 2 million more than that.  That’s a lot of fucking people, nothing can absorb that and stay the same.

[Brisketexan 105151]

14 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

It’s pretty clear to me personally why Austin isn’t like it “used to be”.  When I moved here in 1984 there were 450k people in the metro area.  Now?  There are 2 million more than that.  That’s a lot of fucking people, nothing can absorb that and stay the same.

South Austin's mom begs to differ.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

15 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

It’s pretty clear to me personally why Austin isn’t like it “used to be”.  When I moved here in 1984 there were 450k people in the metro area.  Now?  There are 2 million more than that.  That’s a lot of fucking people, nothing can absorb that and stay the same.

Yeah but every single one of them is the coolest person on the planet, which is nice.

[TexPx 2323]

Conversely, Texas is middle of the pack when it comes to combined national and state park coverage as a % and ranks much better than surrounding states (and it looks like only 6 states have more total acreage).

That map is also misleading because while Padre Island isn't a national park it's a federally managed national seashore. 

Also, Amisted and Meredith are National Recreation Areas. And If you add National Forests and Grasslands it’s another 675,000 acres. USACOE manages over 25 lakes and surrounding areas that are mostly public.

[baboso 6056]

22 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Compared to Houston? Houston is concrete swamp shithole doused in oil byproducts, only redeemed by its great food and good people. Try to aim a little higher 

Houston is a cruel, crazy town on a filthy river in East Texas with no zoning laws and a culture of sex, money and violence. It's a shabby, sprawling metropolis ruled by brazen women, crooked cops and super-rich pansexual cowboys who live by the code of the West -- which can mean just about anything you need it to mean, in a pinch. - Hunter S. Thompson

[Bateshorn 9928]

43 minutes ago, baboso said:

Houston is a cruel, crazy town on a filthy river in East Texas with no zoning laws and a culture of sex, money and violence. It's a shabby, sprawling metropolis ruled by brazen women, crooked cops and super-rich pansexual cowboys who live by the code of the West -- which can mean just about anything you need it to mean, in a pinch. - Hunter S. Thompson

You say this like it’s a bad thing.

[troph 24810]

1 hour ago, TexPx said:

Also, Amisted and Meredith are National Recreation Areas. And If you add National Forests and Grasslands it’s another 675,000 acres. USACOE manages over 25 lakes and surrounding areas that are mostly public.

I didn’t realize there were national forests in Texas. Where?

oddly, lake Meredith is on a weird must visit list for me. 

Edited January 2, 2023 by troph

[conVINCEd 21469]

1 minute ago, troph said:

I didn’t realize there were national forests in Texas. Where?

 

If we drop you off smack dab in the center of the state I’m guessing you go east.

[troph 24810]

Headed to rockport for some redfish hunting. Austin thread but I’ll say I still love being 2-3 hours from the fishing that makes my heart sing. The feeling is visceral. So I guess Austin has that going for it. 

[texasdago 7573]

2 hours ago, Dahobbs said:

I know that's what you think you're doing. The reality is that y'all want to do the exact same things and go to exact same places that you used to. Some of those no longer exists. Others became popular, and thus more crowded and expensive. Do something different. Go somewhere different. There is plenty new, and not all of it requires you to be rich. 

Exactly.  This is exactly it.  My eyes opened to the upside of the newer Austin when I stopped trying to recreate my college experience.  I started working in new places and found there's a lot of cool stuff to do.  The food has gotten better... Austin's food scene used to be average.  More places to hang out... before it was the dirty 6th and now ut is further east and west plus the dirty 6th plus South Congress that was pretty lean in college.  Y'all bitch but part of the problem is getting older, not losing spots.  Yeah... getting older sucks... you can dream about going to 606, El Chino and Dry Creek (RIP that one sucked) and go have a drink at the countless new places that have opened up, many of which still have an old Austin vibe (Far Out is new, Cosmic and Radio are less than 10 years old), Sam's Town Point, etc).  You can still go to places like Donn's, Mean Eyed Cat, Deep Eddy, G&S, Giddy ups, Antone's, Saxon, etc. etc.   Not to mention there are still a ton of music venues in town, in Manchaca, as far as Cedar Park (blech) etc.

And just stay away from 35.  It has sucked for yeeeears.  

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by texasdago

[BrickHorn 18237]

2 hours ago, Dahobbs said:

Do something different. Go somewhere different.

That’s the point. We didn’t want something different from the way Austin was. We liked the way it was. It’s why we came here. Now it’s something different and we don’t like it as much. 

[texasdago 7573]

2 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

That’s the point. We didn’t want something different from the way Austin was. We liked the way it was. It’s why we came here. Now it’s something different and we don’t like it as much. 

Places in the past don't exist anymore.  My mom still complains about missing Rome in the 60s.  It's not coming back. 

[crash_davis 23113]

How many people outside of Austin complaining about Austin come to Austin for vacation?

I live in Austin. You know how many times I've been on vacation to Houston, San Antonio, or Dallas in the last 20 years? Zero.

Yes Austin sucks. Please spread the word so that there will hopefully be a fuckton fewer tourists. All the assholes/companies who own Airbnbs will then sell to Austinites who want to buy homes in Austin. Win fucking win.

[texasdago 7573]

It's not like the change has been hiding 

[Dahobbs 17544]

24 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

That’s the point. We didn’t want something different from the way Austin was. We liked the way it was. It’s why we came here. Now it’s something different and we don’t like it as much. 

I'm sorry, life isn't stagnant. And you should be thankful that Austin isn't either. Or you can stick to Threadgills, the culinary equivalent of going bowling. You only go because you remember that one time you had fun back in day, everyone pretends they are having fun while there, but the reality is that it is bland as hell and makes you feel disgusting. 

And, my original point was to stop trying to find that old feeling at places you used to go. They either don't exist anymore or have changed themselves (e.g., Mozart's). Instead, you'll find that old feeling at some of the new places you haven't dared to try. 

Edited January 2, 2023 by Dahobbs

[RDCanecutter 26446]

Maybe there's a Twilight Zone Austin that I could visit where it sits in a 1998 time warp, and folks visit thinking it'll be fun but their iPhone suddenly turns into a brick and they panic and piss themselves and run up and down San Jacinto trying to figure out how to make it 2023, and I'd love it because I'd be sitting there at the 1998 Crown and Anchor drinking a pitcher of Shiner, watching the piss-panickers scream and run, waiting for my long-lost 1998 buddies to start drifting in untexted and unprompted.

[TexPx 2323]

I didn’t realize there were national forests in Texas. Where?
oddly, lake Meredith is on a weird must visit list for me. 

[burntorangebongos 10722]

All those national forests are in the shitty parts! hahahaha

[troph 24810]

8 minutes ago, burntorangebongos said:

All those national forests are in the shitty parts! hahahaha

Few parts of Texas scare me, those are them. 

[DalTxHornFan 3102]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Maybe there's a Twilight Zone Austin that I could visit where it sits in a 1998 time warp, and folks visit thinking it'll be fun but their iPhone suddenly turns into a brick and they panic and piss themselves and run up and down San Jacinto trying to figure out how to make it 2023, and I'd love it because I'd be sitting there at the 1998 Crown and Anchor drinking a pitcher of Shiner, watching the piss-panickers scream and run, waiting for my long-lost 1998 buddies to start drifting in untexted and unprompted.

1998 is 18 years after Armadillo World Headquarters closed.  You're gonna need a bigger Twilight Zone.

[utee94 15825]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Maybe there's a Twilight Zone Austin that I could visit where it sits in a 1998 time warp, and folks visit thinking it'll be fun but their iPhone suddenly turns into a brick and they panic and piss themselves and run up and down San Jacinto trying to figure out how to make it 2023, and I'd love it because I'd be sitting there at the 1998 Crown and Anchor drinking a pitcher of Shiner, watching the piss-panickers scream and run, waiting for my long-lost 1998 buddies to start drifting in untexted and unprompted.

Crown and Anchor experience isn't really any different than it was for me in 1993.

Except I can't get the jalapeno cheeseburger plus fries combo for $3.45 anymore.  

[Dahobbs 17544]

15 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Crown and Anchor experience isn't really any different than it was for me in 1993.

Except I can't get the jalapeno cheeseburger plus fries combo for $3.45 anymore.  

Similarly, a don juan is still dirt cheap for the amount of food you get. You just have to wait an hour or two to get it. 

[CTC2 2797]

1 hour ago, Dahobbs said:

I'm sorry, life isn't stagnant. And you should be thankful that Austin isn't either. Or you can stick to Threadgills, the culinary equivalent of going bowling. You only go because you remember that one time you had fun back in day, everyone pretends they are having fun while there, but the reality is that it is bland as hell and makes you feel disgusting. 

And, my original point was to stop trying to find that old feeling at places you used to go. They either don't exist anymore or have changed themselves (e.g., Mozart's). Instead, you'll find that old feeling at some of the new places you haven't dared to try. 

I get it. I miss the way I used to “feel” when I was at Mad Dogs, 606, G&M, Matt’s on First St, 10 pm happy hour at Chuy’s or browsing for bootleg records at the Record Exchange   But…

If you have lived anywhere else in this shitty state, you know that there are far more benefits than negatives to life in Austin.  Austin is overall a better place than it was in 1986.  But to admit that, you have to accept that unfortunately, you have changed as well. 

[BrickHorn 18237]

1 hour ago, Dahobbs said:

I'm sorry, life isn't stagnant. And you should be thankful that Austin isn't either. Or you can stick to Threadgills, the culinary equivalent of going bowling. You only go because you remember that one time you had fun back in day, everyone pretends they are having fun while there, but the reality is that it is bland as hell and makes you feel disgusting. 

And, my original point was to stop trying to find that old feeling at places you used to go. They either don't exist anymore or have changed themselves (e.g., Mozart's). Instead, you'll find that old feeling at some of the new places you haven't dared to try. 

My point is not that things shouldn’t change. My point is that Austin had a personality. It’s possible to grow and evolve in a way that’s consistent with that personality. There are examples of New Austin that feel very much true to Old Austin. But they’re few and far between and, overall, the city has grown not into a bigger, newer version of itself, but into something different. 

[Dahobbs 17544]

2 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

My point is not that things shouldn’t change. My point is that Austin had a personality. It’s possible to grow and evolve in a way that’s consistent with that personality. There are examples of New Austin that feel very much true to Old Austin. But they’re few and far between and, overall, the city has grown not into a bigger, newer version of itself, but into something different. 

And my point is that isn't a bad thing. Old Austin had it's charms. But it packed variety. Everything was some variation of the same theme. You can still find that if it's your cup of tea, but now you can find something else if it isn't. 

[HRSchenker 2268]

On 1/1/2023 at 1:26 PM, Cap33 said:

This x1000.  My least favorite aspect of what Austin has become: new people who are hell-bent to change Austin into the place they left.  Some chick told me a few years ago with a straight face that Austin dining and shopping got so much better once so many New Yorkers started to move here.

Fuck. Off.

And yes, I know Austin has always had the "it used to be so much better before all these people moved here" attitude, and maybe it's just a function of me getting older, but it's exhausting listening to new Austinites lecture us about everything that needs to be different to suit their preferences.

I've also been thinking about our exit for a few years now. Once the kids are finished with school and we're ready to retire, peace out. 

McConaughey had a good interview with the statesman about that. I like his line "don't be turning here into why you left there". 

[DaysOff 7951]

I like the way it's shaped.

[Dahobbs 17544]

7 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

And my point is that isn't a bad thing. Old Austin had it's charms. But it packed variety. Everything was some variation of the same theme. You can still find that if it's your cup of tea, but now you can find something else if it isn't. 

Packed was supposed to be lacked. 

[DalTxHornFan 3102]

25 minutes ago, CTC2 said:

 Matt’s on First St

 

Music to my ears!

[After irth 1243]

4 hours ago, troph said:

I didn’t realize there were national forests in Texas. Where?

oddly, lake Meredith is on a weird must visit list for me. 

Come to Lufkin. We’re surrounded by them. 

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

 

1 hour ago, CTC2 said:

I get it. I miss the way I used to “feel” when I was at Mad Dogs, 606, G&M, Matt’s on First St, 10 pm happy hour at Chuy’s or browsing for bootleg records at the Record Exchange   But…

If you have lived anywhere else in this shitty state, you know that there are far more benefits than negatives to life in Austin.  Austin is overall a better place than it was in 1986.  But to admit that, you have to accept that unfortunately, you have changed as well. 

 

There used to be an old house on 21st street right behind record exchange. Upstairs/downstairs duplex. Lived in AC-less squalor there in the upstairs for a couple of years around '86 or so with two other guys. Rent was 1,000/month, split three ways.  I believe there is some sort of Jewish student center there now.

 

[troph 24810]

2 minutes ago, After irth said:

Come to Lufkin. We’re surrounded by them. 

I know east Texas was forest I didn’t realize some of them were national forests. 

[Brisketexan 105151]

 
 
There used to be an old house on 21st street right behind record exchange. Upstairs/downstairs duplex. Lived in AC-less squalor there in the upstairs for a couple of years around '86 or so with two other guys. Rent was 1,000/month, split three ways.  I believe there is some sort of Jewish student center there now.
 

I lived right across the street just a few years after that. Good times.

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

I graduated in 96 and everyone bitched THEN about how bad it had become. Have since lived in midwest and west coast with a 15 year DFW pit stop. Moved back here in 2020 and it’s by far the best city I’ve lived in. I agree the real estate is spendy, but to go boating on lake austin, then downtown for dinner / drinks, jog the next morning at zilker and catch the horns at DKR in a given weekend is hard to match.

Curious what cities all the haters prefer ?

[conVINCEd 21469]

16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I lived right across the street just a few years after that. Good times.

And the reason it hasn’t been torn down for mid-rise condos is because the mitigation from the fumes you released in that building was cost-prohibitive.  Or historical designation.   One or the other.  

[Brisketexan 105151]

And the reason it hasn’t been torn down for mid-rise condos is because the mitigation from the fumes you released in that building was cost-prohibitive.  Or historical designation.   One or the other.  

My farts are of historical significance. It is known.
They took down the moon tower from the parking lot, though. That sucks.

[ztejas 43457]

26 minutes ago, Axle Hongsnort said:

I agree the real estate is spendy, but to go boating on lake austin, then downtown for dinner / drinks, jog the next morning at zilker and catch the horns at DKR in a given weekend is hard to match.

Yes but no one in here complaining does any of those things. 

 

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

Lived in AC-less squalor there in the upstairs for a couple of years around '86 or so with two other guys.

You lived in Austin without AC in the late 80s? Dear God. 

[texasdago 7573]

36 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

And the reason it hasn’t been torn down for mid-rise condos is because the mitigation from the fumes you released in that building was cost-prohibitive.  Or historical designation.   One or the other.  

There are still several super whacked out Co-Ops in West Campus that are as insanely weird as you can get.  The places look so nasty.

 

Btw, some free music this week.

"But I ain't ever heard of any of them!?"

Well, time to go hear them.  Gobs of music, all free!!! So much music in this city... Sorry but Jack-o-Pierce and Soulhat retired.

 

[conVINCEd 21469]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

There are still several super whacked out Co-Ops in West Campus that are as insanely weird as you can get.  The places look so nasty.

 

Btw, some free music this week.

"But I ain't ever heard of any of them!?"

Well, time to go hear them.  Gobs of music, all free!!! So much music in this city... Sorry but Jack-o-Pierce and Soulhat retired.

 

I had to purchase tickets to the Jackopierce Christmas special several years ago (undefeated), and I can assure you that my email account has not been notified of their retirement.

[texasdago 7573]

1 minute ago, conVINCEd said:

I had to purchase tickets to the Jackopierce Christmas special several years ago (undefeated), and I can assure you that my email account has not been notified of their retirement.

Well, either way... (That's some staying power)

[Helobious 9454]

I live in SA and dated a girl in atx most of last year. She broke things off because she “couldn’t do the distance”. Last I heard now she’s dating some tech bro that just moved there and has a pretty big podcast about business & tech news or some shit. 
 

TLDR fuck austin & the douchebags it attracts. I’d like to see that asshole last 2 minutes in South Park mall here in SA. 

[texasdago 7573]

I mean 35 between ATX and SA is brutal... 

[gmr548 16580]

I live in SA and dated a girl in atx most of last year. She broke things off because she “couldn’t do the distance”. Last I heard now she’s dating some tech bro that just moved there and has a pretty big podcast about business & tech news or some shit. 
 
TLDR fuck austin & the douchebags it attracts. I’d like to see that asshole last 2 minutes in South Park mall here in SA. 

Sounds like you’re still working through this. Thots and prayers.

[ztejas 43457]

11 hours ago, Helobious said:

I live in SA and dated a girl in atx most of last year. She broke things off because she “couldn’t do the distance”. Last I heard now she’s dating some tech bro that just moved there and has a pretty big podcast about business & tech news or some shit. 
 

TLDR fuck austin & the douchebags it attracts. I’d like to see that asshole last 2 minutes in South Park mall here in SA. 

Probably a Sox fan. 

[RDCanecutter 26446]

16 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

1998 is 18 years after Armadillo World Headquarters closed.  You're gonna need a bigger Twilight Zone.

I always heard about Armadillo etc when I was there in the 90s, but I always assumed it was old hippies just maundering on, whereas my Austin was perfect. Except for Threadgills. Threadgills was mediocre meat-n-three food that we were all supposed to worship.