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Indianapolis, about the same size, is just as anamored of U of In, and used to worship at the altar of Bobby Knight, but you do not see Big Red T-shirts everywhere, seemingly as a uniform of sorts(though plenty of IU license plates!)....It might help that they have two pro teams in Indy, one of which is quite good(Colts)...Its not even that Indy has the pro teams, just that they choose to focus on other things besides IU....
You are WAY off here. First of all - it's "Indiana University" - "U of In" doesn't exist. 2nd that university isn't actually in Indianapolis. Go down to Bloomington and it's a completely different story.
Austin nightlife has nothing to do with Bobby Knight! And, the 6 downtown strips (including West 2nd St) are very different from each other in terms of the types of clubs themselves and the people who patron those establishments. More than 85% of the clubs and restaurants are 21 and up. For the 18-21 crowd, downtown Austin is largely off-limits. UT students can hang out on 6th Street, but (thanks to Rick Perry's TABC) that's it - except for Emo's and The Vibe nightclub.
I go downtown all the time and with the mushrooming downtown residents, the average age is skewing older all the time. I have a feeling you're just not going to the right places, or (more than likely) they're out of your 'time-range' [I remember the comment on the another thread about music sounding like 'noise']. There are bars that cater to an older demographic, you should give them more of a try.
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"Don't hate...Congratulate!"
Just my opinion(BTW, was referring to Indianapolis, being the same size as Austin, not focusing so much on their main university)....Red River has a very young crowd as well...I would say that, when they stop barricading the streets DT on week-ends, we might have a mature entertainment district....the barricading is to keep the crowds flowing on the street itself....and that is something you only see on college strips...mature entertainment districts dont have barricades! I've been everywhere out here....sure there are SOME places that are devoid of the younger adult scene, but not many...adult night at antones, when they have 7PM concerts like Marcia Ball, are one of the few times you see an exclusively older crowd...
It isn't hating at all....we really need FAR more options for a city our size...again, we have no live theater district that traditionally seeds an after hours adult crowd area, no art gallery districts that would do the same short of a few isoated stretches on sout congress and lamar and such, and so on....and many of the bars are far far too rowdy for an adult crowd....that Speakeasy area has been the default area for the older crowd for years, and really has nothing much going on..not even worth gicing it a moniker ala "The warehouse dist.".......as you say, it is skewing, but needs to skew and move a lot faster....6th street unfortunately is still the focus of our entertainment, and we need to move it away from there, perhaps pushing it all back to Guadalupe, where the college bars began, and where they should go back to...this way, we can free DT of weekly barricades, and create a more mature, classy atmosphere here(and there).....
lastly, we are too "spead out" as a city, and that goes the same for our entertainment options....we need to centralize the better options, or else 6th st will always be our defacto entertainment dist...the other poster had it right on the money per "skewing up"...all we need to do is kick that skewing up process into overdrive here, and have far more imagination per what we are doing in the central area per entertainment options, especially as the population is increasing so much in the same(and will be the main attractor of new residents to the city, outside of the burbs)
Austin's entertainment is changing, and a work in progress..no, it is not perfect, but it isn't bad either..and it surely is worth commenting on and debating, BECAUSE it is changing, and it is best to mold/focus that change actively, rather than letting the monied/outside interests control the "game"....if we do/did, Austin would be a terrible characature of itself...once it fully reflects the changed demographics DT, and gets rid of the touristy/frathouse vibe in the same, we know we are making progress in the right direction, in having a DT and central area that is livable for folks older than 25
I mean... sure, austin is lacking of a lot of things. But for what it's worth, Austin still has a solid night life. you can't go wrong with it. It's not entirely dependent on UT and even in the summers there's a large crowd despite all the UT students gone.
I have plenty of friends who aren't down with the college crowd and UT football. PLENTY!
You are WAY off here. First of all - it's "Indiana University" - "U of In" doesn't exist. 2nd that university isn't actually in Indianapolis. Go down to Bloomington and it's a completely different story.
IU is a stone's throw from Indy....I agree that the proper term is Indiana University(IU)....Butler, who made the final four, is in the city proper...IU is about a 40 minute drive from the city, but very much a presence, and a huge amount of alumni live in Indy...Bloomington's pop is mostly composed of IU students, so of course it is dominated by IU, after all it IS Bloomington! Austin indeed has UT smack dab in the middle of town, but Austin has grown hugely in the last 30-40 years, and UT still has the influence in Austin it had 30 years ago, per everything centering around it..culture, sports, social life, you name it...
It's rough to get an exact comparison with Austin, but I think Indianapolis comes closest in many ways....both capitol cities, both about the same population(750,000), both forward thinking and politically non top-down, unlike other major cities with patronage and graft, few encumbrances per business, etc.....without being on the national radar at all like Austin, it has its own lively "Live Theater" district DT, a very active shopping dist DT that Austin lacks, and a huge museum complex, per natural history, planetariums, art museums, etc. etc. that Austin sorely lacks, though the Blanton Museum of Art on the UT campus seems to have really taken off here, and thats very good news for art lovers....also, they have a very active arts district in "Broad Ripple", whereas we in Austin are still trying to figure out how to establish one, and have a catch as catch can art scene dispersed all over, with not even enough here to have a single gallery tour.....
The whole point is that, if we take constructive criticism here as an insult, we will never get anywhere per broadening our cultural, social, and sporting base beyond UT...UT should be a subset of that scene, not the main driver that it still is...When we stop barricading our main entertainment district like college towns do with their entertainment strips to keep the drunk kids contained, and create a dynamic, adult atmosphere DT that adults from other cities with very active DT districts would feel comfortable living in, we are on our way to creating the city we deserve.
If not, and we take offense as well, we will be the "Biggest college town in the USA" forever...it's our choice.....
I mean... sure, austin is lacking of a lot of things. But for what it's worth, Austin still has a solid night life. you can't go wrong with it. It's not entirely dependent on UT and even in the summers there's a large crowd despite all the UT students gone.
I have plenty of friends who aren't down with the college crowd and UT football. PLENTY!
It is if you are just focusing on bars....Milwaukee has a lot of bars as well, but I don't think anyone would consider it an entertainment mecca...I do agree that we have to define what a "good nightlife" means...does it mean cover bands and metal bands playing up and down the general DT area?
A live theater district? A plethora of dining options? Large arena? Outdoor arenas?.....
I think that we do have an active nightlife scene, but it is almost completely composed of small bars and clubs, which at best just puts us on par with any other large city...every large city has a bar/club district. I would have to think, only half-joking, that perhaps SLC in Utah would be the only one not to.....Denver, Seattle, Portland, Miami, Chicago, SF, NYC, Boston, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, DFW, Houston....et al...ALL have a club/bar scene....if that is all we have, do we even have a bar/club scene as diverse as these cities, many of which have separate Blues, Jazz, Country and Rock Live districts? Are we comparing, and who are we comparing ours with? Other mid-sized cities have tremendous live music options as well, per Memphis, New Orleans, and Nashville, all not that far from here......compared to who and what?
To me, Austin's music options are about right for its' size, and that at BEST, and only covering music. Most of the city is just typical strip-malls and garden variety housing, and ALL the burbs are.....there are some really fun spots in the central and south area, but that area is very small per the entire metro region and burbs, certainly no larger than any other city per capita, prob less, if anything....what Austin DOES have going for it is PR to kill for...they have sold the nation(and actually trademarked the name) as the live music capital of the nation.
Music city was already trademarked by nashville(serious again)....all cities have live concerts in their parks. Sure, we do at Zilker, and they're fun, but nothing out of the ordinary...We are just another large city, with another entertainment dist, though people will still continue to drink the Kool-aid about how "special" we are....PR can work miracles, for good and bad...it sold this city to the entire state of California as a relocation destination, and to much of the rest as well......and good for them. they have every right to. But its all PR flack, pure and simple, per something unique and extraordinary going on here...and there will always be suckers born every minute to consume the same!
The whole point is that, if we take constructive criticism here as an insult, we will never get anywhere per broadening our cultural, social, and sporting base beyond UT...UT should be a subset of that scene, not the main driver that it still is...When we stop barricading our main entertainment district like college towns do with their entertainment strips to keep the drunk kids contained, and create a dynamic, adult atmosphere DT that adults from other cities with very active DT districts would feel comfortable living in, we are on our way to creating the city we deserve.
If not, and we take offense as well, we will be the "Biggest college town in the USA" forever...it's our choice.....
UT is an engine driver for employment for the region (jobs) as well as contributing to constant new resident migration (former UT students). Yes, but is no longer the fuel that preserves the economic viability of Austin keeping downtown or the central city humming at night. - Just observe how Austin continues to hum practically unnoticeable now during the summer when 40,000+ of the 51,000+ of the UT student body goes back home. The metropolitan area's continued increase in economic activity caused by the escalating growth of permanent residents in the center city, downtown, increasing tourists, and suburbanites (visiting downtown and university area) routinely eclipses the annual economic downturn in the university area caused the students' absence.
Austin is not that small college town (nascent city) anymore; it has rapidly become an emerging big city with a professional population and city government that is adjusting to the economic and cultural issues that a 'big city' brings.[Personally, I didn't want to accept the notion of Austin as a 'big city'. I was extremely resistant to that idea because of the consequences which could befall the urban core if the cultural nature wasn't preserved via contextualized development. I feel more at ease now, even with the California invasion, ie, "California dreaming 2.0" seekers. Most of whom (upon moving) realize Austin is its own liberal beast with uniquely Texas roots.]
Austin now has with UT as a component in its civic machine, no longer as a "Big Brother" patron. We are nationally known as the liberal city of Austin first, the Texas capital second, and home of the University of Texas third.
That's a big difference in a city's mindset.
When comes to downtown, the central city, and its relationship with UT, people can take constructive criticism (from critics such as yourself) fine. I believe civic criticism produces a healthy discourse with will benefit all citizens of a fast-changing city like Austin. Its just that your conclusions regarding these issues seem more attuned to the Austin of 1990 instead of 2010.
Does anyone else think Austin's nightlife is extremely overrated? I was in Austin this weekend and went to 6th street and other parts of downtown. I was pretty disappointed overall after hearing so many great things about it. It reminded me of a cross between Memphis' Beal street and Branson, Missouri. It was fun but also very homogenous. All the bars look exactly the same. They have some type of live band that plays the same type of grunge rock with a blues influence. The non-live music blaring from the bars was often 1990's grunge with Alice in Chains, and a host of 90's bands. People did not dress up at all. Everyone wore t-shirts with blue jeans and by t-shirts we are not talking trendy t-shirts found in LA bars but cheap college t-shirts with some comical slogan. In terms of the crowd, it was not diverse at all. I can see how that scene would be fun but it was very tailored to a specific crowd and it's not for everyone. I know Austin is a college town but I heard it also has a scene for the post-college crowd and it didn't really have that element. There were not a lot of lounges, clubs, martini bars and other nightlife that is typically found in larger metropolitan areas aimed at the 25-35 yo crowd.
Quire simply, you did not know where to go. Austin has plenty of what you describe. Examples: Lanai, Marq, Speakeasy Rooftop/Terrace 52, Malverde, Qua, Union Park, J. Blacks, Malaia, etc.
At last count, there were 10+ clubs/lounges is DT offering bottle service.
Quire simply, you did not know where to go. Austin has plenty of what you describe. Examples: Lanai, Marq, Speakeasy Rooftop/Terrace 52, Malverde, Qua, Union Park, J. Blacks, Malaia, etc.
At last count, there were 10+ clubs/lounges is DT offering bottle service.
I think its really simple..If you are visiting Austin and you like it, come back again..if you don't, then don't....if you moved here and like it, stay..if not, you can always leave as well....or post on CD! LOL!
Quire simply, you did not know where to go. Austin has plenty of what you describe. Examples: Lanai, Marq, Speakeasy Rooftop/Terrace 52, Malverde, Qua, Union Park, J. Blacks, Malaia, etc.
At last count, there were 10+ clubs/lounges is DT offering bottle service.
I saw those places and sadly many of those places would not qualify as upscale lounge type of places found in other metropolitan cities. Many of those had the same qualities I described in my original post. Even if it had bottle service, it's sort of ruined with the live grunge band and guys wearing wranglers and college shirts.
I think some of you have (a) not visited other cities or spent much time in their entertainment districts or (b) are in denial and being defensive
Last edited by azriverfan.; 09-07-2010 at 10:53 PM..
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And, the 6 downtown strips (including West 2nd St) are very different from each other in terms of the types of clubs themselves and the people who patron those establishments. More than 85% of the clubs and restaurants are 21 and up. For the 18-21 crowd, downtown Austin is largely off-limits. UT students can hang out on 6th Street, but (thanks to Rick Perry's TABC) that's it - except for Emo's and The Vibe nightclub.
