Austin's Truthful City Motto - City that Overpromises and Underdelivers (Houston: YMCA, taxi)

[rogramjet]

Here are my reasons:

Any local roofing company!
Claim of liberalism and progressiveness - yet total neglect of the mentally ill by politicians, the taxing healthcare district, and the local mental health agency (just look on any busy street corner).
Austin City Cleaners - absolutely terrible customer service.
Lambert's - good food, ridiculously bad service.
CapMetro - where's the train already?
Watch Channel 17 on Tuesday morning and declare that you're proud of local government.
City Council looking out for its citizens - yet refuses to consider the ban on dangerous panhandling in downtown.
Lady Bird Lake - scenic or garbage dump?
Claims cultural relevancy - but lowest per capita giving to charitable and arts organizations of any large city in the US.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Well, I can't say I have too many complaints so far but we've only been here a short time.

If I had to come up with something that bothers me it's this: the public restrooms wherever I go are absolutely filthy. I mean sometimes there's crap all over the place, (and I mean that literally).

For some reason my family put a high priority on bathrooms when I was growing up. Whenver we went somewhere the conversation would ultimately wind up on what kind of bathroom it was and whether it was clean or not...wherever we were at the time.

Ok, that and the outside of businesses, the sidewalks, the windows,...everything needs a good cleaning.

Sorry.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

Well, I can't say I have too many complaints so far but we've only been here a short time.

If I had to come up with something that bothers me it's this: the public restrooms wherever I go are absolutely filthy. I mean sometimes there's crap all over the place, (and I mean that literally).

For some reason my family put a high priority on bathrooms when I was growing up. Whenver we went somewhere the conversation would ultimately wind up on what kind of bathroom it was and whether it was clean or not...wherever we were at the time.

Ok, that and the outside of businesses, the sidewalks, the windows,...everything needs a good cleaning.

Sorry.

Sounds like you'll have a ball using the outside "trailers" they use as washrooms in the picnic area outside, at Shady Grove.....though they have porcelein fixtures, surprisingly....

......actually, I think Austin has the coolest public washrooms per capita.....just a few I can think of...Opal Devine's mosaics of all colors in the sinks(South Congress location).....the funky bathoom at the top of the stairs in the attic jazzclub over the Tattoo Parlor next to Continental Club....the bathroom in the middle of the mile-long stairs leading up to the rooftop club over Speakeasy(prob to give you a chance to catch your breath).......I could go on.....

[mark311]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

If I had to come up with something that bothers me it's this: the public restrooms wherever I go are absolutely filthy. I mean sometimes there's crap all over the place, (and I mean that literally).

You should never go to a concert at Emo's then. The restrooms there are legendary. You should at the very least bring some hand sanitizer. Sometimes I feel like I should set fire to my hands after going in there. The link below has a picture of the mens room at Emo's.

The Urinals of Emo's Austin

[atxcio]

Have you ever been to the restrooms outside the Town Lake YMCA? The absolute worst. They don't even have running water! They are literally holes in the ground. I'm always worried I'm gonna drop my keys in by accident one day....

[love roses]

The Emo's bathrooms when in was still in Houston were pretty legendary for badness as well. And the smell......

[Nor Cal Wahine]

Antone's has the second nastiest women's bathroom I've ever seen. Remember to bring a handful of cocktail napkins in with you - that's the only paper you're going to find.

The Broken Spoke is hands-down the worst. Shower curtains were still separating the women's toilets the last time I was there. *shivers*

[Nomadic9460678748]

There are two toilets in the women's restroom in Hole in the Wall. I have tag-team peed with many a drunk lass.

[Trainwreck20]

Years ago (so not sure if it has changed), there was one toilet in the men's bathroom in the Hole-in-the-Wall, and it was in a room about the size of a small broom closet. It was generally not a good idea to wash your hands, since about half the time someone was pressing the sink into 'alternative' service .

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by rogramjet

Here are my reasons:

Any local roofing company!
Claim of liberalism and progressiveness - yet total neglect of the mentally ill by politicians, the taxing healthcare district, and the local mental health agency (just look on any busy street corner).
Austin City Cleaners - absolutely terrible customer service.
Lambert's - good food, ridiculously bad service.
CapMetro - where's the train already?
Watch Channel 17 on Tuesday morning and declare that you're proud of local government.
City Council looking out for its citizens - yet refuses to consider the ban on dangerous panhandling in downtown.
Lady Bird Lake - scenic or garbage dump?
Claims cultural relevancy - but lowest per capita giving to charitable and arts organizations of any large city in the US.

I have never seen anything put out by the City of Austin that claims it is a liberal or progressive city. This reputation is of course exagerrated and relative to the state of Texas in any case.

Picking on a private business like a cleaner or BBQ restaurant has nothing to do with Austin.

CapMetro - I think everyone will agree they are a mess.

Interesting that you choose to highlight mentally ill and panhandlers in the same post. There are many who say the city doesn't do enough for supposedly homeless people. Others would like them out of town. What do you want?

There are always lots of things to complain about with any city government, including Austin. But for me - I think they are more than "progressive" enough.