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things change in cities true. but what of the uniqueness of Austin? the thing that separates it from other cities? that is what is being discussed here. to some what made Austin unique is gone. it is becoming an LA in Texas. to some thats cool. to others thats copy cat syndrome and its not at all what Austin used to be. quite the opposite. change does not all the time mean progress.
I was just thinking about this today while I was on the bus, just mulling over all of the changes that have occurred. Change is not synonymous with progress, and change isn't necessarily for the better.
There are still small pockets of uniqueness in Austin, but they're quickly being eroded in favor of Newer! Better! Oh -- and far more corporate. I just don't see the appeal of living in a condo on top of a bunch of chain restaurants/stores just because it happens to be located centrally. What's the point of that? Seriously, you find more personality in shady, dangerous areas like the much maligned Rundberg area. Say what you want about Rundberg. At least Rundberg is keepin' it real.
I suspect people come here largely because they still assume Austin is "weird," weird meaning "having a lot of local color." They come here on vacation and are charmed by the food strucks on SoCo, the green space (does anyone remember that?) and the cute little local shops and cafes, well, guess what? Those are gonna be toast, folks. I think these people have Austin confused with the sets in Portlandia. In another few years, mom n' pops will go the way of the Armadillo, and central Austin will look no different than Round Rock or Cedar Park. There will be nothing to look forward to here other than SXSW, ACL and all of the other Uber-expensive mega-festivals that locals cannot a) afford to go to; and b) take time off to enjoy.
Austin is really not that different from Dallas or Houston or Big City, Anywhere with a lot of the Same Old, Same Old. Strip malls, McApartments, McMansions, far-flung 'burbs that look identical to those you'd see practically anywhere. Companies are chomping at the bit to move in downtown and raze quaint historical houses that have been here since the turn of the century so they can put in parking lots. Yes, San Francisco and NYC might be painfully expensive, but at least there's a semblance of culture there.
I'm practically an Austin lifer, having lived in Anchorage and three "Ow! My Wallet!" high cost of living cities: Berkeley, L.A., and NYC. It's a fallacy to compare Austin to any of these. Most Americans do not live in these high-cost cities, and they pay a lot less to live comfortably without having to commute an hour + to work each way.
I'm not saying that I intend to move, but if my Better Half got transferred someplace that offers a more affordable cost of living, I wouldn't be too disappointed to leave. The only things that really ties me to Austin is my family, and that's the reason I stayed here past around the year 2004.
I was just thinking about this today while I was on the bus, just mulling over all of the changes that have occurred. Change is not synonymous with progress, and change isn't necessarily for the better.
There are still small pockets of uniqueness in Austin, but they're quickly being eroded in favor of Newer! Better! Oh -- and far more corporate. I just don't see the appeal of living in a condo on top of a bunch of chain restaurants/stores just because it happens to be located centrally. What's the point of that? Seriously, you find more personality in shady, dangerous areas like the much maligned Rundberg area. Say what you want about Rundberg. At least Rundberg is keepin' it real.
I suspect people come here largely because they still assume Austin is "weird," weird meaning "having a lot of local color." They come here on vacation and are charmed by the food strucks on SoCo, the green space (does anyone remember that?) and the cute little local shops and cafes, well, guess what? Those are gonna be toast, folks. I think these people have Austin confused with the sets in Portlandia. In another few years, mom n' pops will go the way of the Armadillo, and central Austin will look no different than Round Rock or Cedar Park. There will be nothing to look forward to here other than SXSW, ACL and all of the other Uber-expensive mega-festivals that locals cannot a) afford to go to; and b) take time off to enjoy.
Austin is really not that different from Dallas or Houston or Big City, Anywhere with a lot of the Same Old, Same Old. Strip malls, McApartments, McMansions, far-flung 'burbs that look identical to those you'd see practically anywhere. Companies are chomping at the bit to move in downtown and raze quaint historical houses that have been here since the turn of the century so they can put in parking lots. Yes, San Francisco and NYC might be painfully expensive, but at least there's a semblance of culture there.
I'm practically an Austin lifer, having lived in Anchorage and three "Ow! My Wallet!" high cost of living cities: Berkeley, L.A., and NYC. It's a fallacy to compare Austin to any of these. Most Americans do not live in these high-cost cities, and they pay a lot less to live comfortably without having to commute an hour + to work each way.
I'm not saying that I intend to move, but if my Better Half got transferred someplace that offers a more affordable cost of living, I wouldn't be too disappointed to leave. The only things that really ties me to Austin is my family, and that's the reason I stayed here past around the year 2004.
OMG. Nostalgia is not what it used to be. This middle-aged whining is so inaccurate. I too am nostalgic for my twenties in a way, though I suspect I would have been bored out of my bracket in Austin 20-25 years ago. I think there is a lot more weird now than there was then. Go to Bernadette's on Airport on make your own gingerbread labia night and get back to me.
There are probably five times the number of independent bars, music venues, restaurants and clubs downtown than there were twenty years ago. There are certainly way fewer parking lots then they were ten years ago. No green space AT ALL has been lost downtown. Nearly all new construction has taken place on former parking lots??? There are way fewer chain restaurants in downtown Austin than in any other downtown in Texas. People actually live there now. You can see fantastic music events at SXSW for free. Only tourists, halfwits and conventioneers on expense accounts pay for wristbands/badges.
I can walk less than twenty minutes from my apartment and hear a different band and genre of live music seven days a week, 365 days a year. Doubt that was possible 25 years ago or whenever you think Austin was Austin. There is also much better food to eat than there was a decade ago including local favorites like Tex-mex and BBQ, almost none of it chains. There is a single national chain store on the ground level of a new residential development in downtown Austin: "Design Within Reach" on Second Street. Almost invariably, they are home to local businesses. There are also bike lanes all over central Austin, not true for even ten years ago. I agree with you on the strip mall sprawl all over the surrounding hill country, but you can still be in very pretty natural environs in the heart of the city - the greenbelts, Red Bud Isle, Barton Springs etc and in an hours drive too.
Very few, if any, turn of the century houses are ever destroyed. Austin has the strictest historic preservation ordinances in the state. Sure it has gotten more expensive -what desirable area has not? But it is still WAY WAY cheaper than its peers, and larger cities. An equivalent house in Montrose in Houston is going to cost you more than a house in an equivalent Austin neighborhood like Hyde Park. The Austin suburbs are more expensive than the Houston suburbs, so Austin's median price is higher, but the cool parts of Houston or Dallas are as expensive, if not more, than the cool parts of Austin. And if you want to see a completely corporatized neighborhood, go to Times Square in Manhattan - talk about chains and Disneyfication. All of lower Manhattan is a bank these days.
I think the recession has kept most of Central Austin at a perfect and delicate balance - more and better amenities than ever before plus enough grit and realness, except perhaps for Clarksville which is close to white yuppified hell, but even there parts of hippy Austin thrive - Donn's Depot, Sledd's Nursery, Naus etc. I get that you were having a bad day on the bus. I have had plenty of those all over the world, but most of what you have written above, while, no doubt, affectively real, is quite simply FACTUALLY entirely untrue.
OMG. Nostalgia is not what it used to be. This middle-aged whining is so inaccurate. I too am nostalgic for my twenties in a way, though I suspect I would have been bored out of my bracket in Austin 20-25 years ago. I think there is a lot more weird now than there was then. Go to Bernadette's on Airport on make your own gingerbread labia night and get back to me.
Actually, it seemed like there was much more to do 20-25 years ago than there is now. Let me explain ...
Austin's film scene was still nascent, and movies like "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" were coming out, the former being an accurate representation of what Austin used to be like "back in the day."
You could go practically anywhere in the city and see at least one familiar face. You ran into your friends and neighbors frequently.
The Drag (and pretty much all of Central Austin) had a cool, laid-back vibe. Places like Urban Outfitters would have been a joke, and moreover, totally ignored. And everything was cheap. Well, not cheap -- but affordable. Sure, there were your upscale joints, but everyone, regardless of income, could enjoy it.
SXSW wristbands cost $25, and you could see as many bands as you liked. And they weren't bands that were already signed, like you see now ... you actually went into a club, heard a band, and thought, "Wonder if it'll be them?" There was an element of excitement and surprise.
Actually, it seemed like there was much more to do 20-25 years ago than there is now. Let me explain ...
Austin's film scene was still nascent, and movies like "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" were coming out, the former being an accurate representation of what Austin used to be like "back in the day."
You could go practically anywhere in the city and see at least one familiar face. You ran into your friends and neighbors frequently.
The Drag (and pretty much all of Central Austin) had a cool, laid-back vibe. Places like Urban Outfitters would have been a joke, and moreover, totally ignored. And everything was cheap. Well, not cheap -- but affordable. Sure, there were your upscale joints, but everyone, regardless of income, could enjoy it.
SXSW wristbands cost $25, and you could see as many bands as you liked. And they weren't bands that were already signed, like you see now ... you actually went into a club, heard a band, and thought, "Wonder if it'll be them?" There was an element of excitement and surprise.
Austin used to be inspiration, not backdrop.
Who cares about Urban Outfitters? It might have felt like there was more to do, but there WASN'T. There is much more creativity in Austin NOW. Where was EAST on the fine arts front? Live Theater in terms of Rude Mechanicals, Vortex etc? There are way more live music venues today. You don't need to go to SXSW to see them. The music industry has changed globally. Then you played live to get signed, now you put your music out online etc in order to get people to watch you live. Signing is irrelevant. I can see twenty new bands a week if I am willing to make the effort.
Whenever I go out, I see friends and neighbors??? How often do you go out? Slackers? Please - there have been a hundred films shot in Austin since then. The slacker vibe still lives in Austin. Check this board - plenty people complain about it. The difference is there are now a dozen other vibes here too.
The spirit of the city is surprisingly resilient. I travel a lot. Austin is becoming MORE Austin, not less. Check out the bars and restaurants on North Loop, the near East Side, far North Lamar. There are 1300 food trucks/trailers in town, none of them chains. Book People and Bookwoman are no longer the only independent bookstores in this town. Check out Resistencia or Monkey Wrench. There is WAY more now. Some of it is corporate and boring, a helluva lot of it isn't.
Beginnings are always fun, but can be hugely limited. I shudder to think what food was like in Austin 1985. It was shocking enough in 2001 when I got here: Kerbey Lane - stale vomit on an indifferent pancake and don't get me started on Katz's, Jaime's Spanish Village etc. The only place that did not deserve to die is Las Manitas. I miss Dot's too. But this is a long harangue. As far as I can tell, Austin is a thousand times better now than it was twelve years ago.
I still think you are having a nostalgia problem. I spent my twenties in NYC. I hate going back there. I get furious that when I go out, I don't know anyone etc. I believe that Manhattan is objectively worse, but I could be wrong. Maybe everyone interesting has moved to Brooklyn, which we used to regard as purgatory with an extra bedroom.
The drag is still fairly cool and laid back - Hole in the Wall, drag rats, bad jewellery stands, but that kind of do it yourself Austin has moved - first south and then east. It certainly has not died. It is just no longer the only game in town, which I think is a good thing.
Actually, it seemed like there was much more to do 20-25 years ago than there is now. Let me explain ...
Austin's film scene was still nascent, and movies like "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" were coming out, the former being an accurate representation of what Austin used to be like "back in the day."
You could go practically anywhere in the city and see at least one familiar face. You ran into your friends and neighbors frequently.
The Drag (and pretty much all of Central Austin) had a cool, laid-back vibe. Places like Urban Outfitters would have been a joke, and moreover, totally ignored. And everything was cheap. Well, not cheap -- but affordable. Sure, there were your upscale joints, but everyone, regardless of income, could enjoy it.
SXSW wristbands cost $25, and you could see as many bands as you liked. And they weren't bands that were already signed, like you see now ... you actually went into a club, heard a band, and thought, "Wonder if it'll be them?" There was an element of excitement and surprise.
Austin used to be inspiration, not backdrop.
I remember going to see Slacker at Dobie Mall when it came out. My friends and I smuggled in beers and then walked into a warm Austin night, over to Les Amis and the movie just kept on going. We were slackers - lived the life. Hell, I know half the cast.
Austin is better now. Yeah, I know, Les Amis was closed and replaced with a Starbucks and that sucks. I mourn for all those places too - Liberty Lunch, Las Manitas all of it . . .I even have memories of Armadillo World Headquarters.
But Austin is a better city today than it was then. Downtown was decrepit. Half of Congress was boarded up. The other half barely alive. The ONLY sign of life downtown was the strip of bars on 6th St (though there were better bars back then (Black Cat, Cannibal Club, etc.). East side? Breakfast tacos on Sunday - otherwise, no. South Congress? good place to pick up a skanky hooker. South Lamar was one long strip of garages, adult books stores, strip malls, pod malls and decent tex mex - it was horrible.
I think there was ONE decent place to get sushi - and that was a minor miracle. There were a scattering of ethnic restaurants, mostly in far off strip malls. No one went downtown at night. Ever. It was dead. The population in downtown Austin consisted mostly of people incarcerated in the county pokey and bums, Austin has always had a health supply of bums - then and now.
And yeah, I ran into my friends every night. . .every night. ..every night - it was soap opera city.
But it was cheap. God yes, you could eat like a pauper king at Les Amis for a few bucks. And I called some pretty amazing homes my casa back in the day.
Slacker is the perfect movie to show people what Austin was like back in the day. And looking back at Slacker - you realize it was interesting and different and had a vibe, but something of a backwater.
I wouldn't go back to those days for all the green chili in new mexico.
I will differentiate - not all growth has been good.
I'm thrilled with growth in the CBD.
Excited to see what's happening in the central core neighborhoods.
Disappointed by lack of progress in first ring suburbs.
and generally horrified by everything north of 183 and south of Ben White Blvd. . .which I don't even really consider to be Austin.
I will differentiate - not all growth has been good.
I'm thrilled with growth in the CBD.
Excited to see what's happening in the central core neighborhoods.
Disappointed by lack of progress in first ring suburbs.
and generally horrified by everything north of 183 and south of Ben White Blvd. . .which I don't even really consider to be Austin.
By "North of 183," do you mean all of those in the city limits who live north of the "non-tolled" portion of the route??
By north of 183 I mean all that sprawl crap that extends north of the portion of 183 that crosses the north end of Austin.
All that "sprawl crap" is, sadly enough, what beckons most newcomers to "Austin" (and no, I don't consider that Austin, either). The only time I go through those far-flung 'burbs is when I'm headed out of town.
By north of 183 I mean all that sprawl crap that extends north of the portion of 183 that crosses the north end of Austin.
Well I do agree with you there. I only hope that Austin doesn't ever end up as sprawled out as Houston, Dallas, or Fort Worth.
Austin is a great city in MHO, but I do agree that too much sprawl will hurt it. I pray that Austin NEVER ends up like DFW or Houston.
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