What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[Deej 76081]

Well, good news for you...Austin EMS will be ditching ambulances and going with a more eco-friendly way to haul your maimed body to the hospital.

 

[Samson's Wig 3154]

It's sad that something like that isn't immediately recognizable as a joke.

[Gil Bang 25510]

On 1/8/2024 at 2:46 PM, FirstTimeCaller said:

Holy shit:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/apd-homicides-vehicle-thefts-surged-in-late-2023/

Other crimes that have seen substantial upticks include motor vehicle thefts, with 1,785 incidents reported between October and December 2023. That marked a 38% increase from the same timespan in 2022 when there were 1,292 thefts reported.

Arson cases also climbed from 29 incidents between October and December 2022 to 44 cases from the same time period in 2023, signifying a 52% increase.

1,800 car thefts? What's the plan APD?

 

On 1/8/2024 at 3:36 PM, Samson's Wig said:

They will start by banning Kias.  The numbers will drop immediately.  From there, they've got nothing.

Yeah, if you see car thefts up drastically, if you dig deeper it's almost always Kias.   Fucking shitbox cars can be stolen in seconds

[Judge Roybeanbag 11728]

12 minutes ago, Deej said:

Well, good news for you...Austin EMS will be ditching ambulances and going with a more eco-friendly way to haul your maimed body to the hospital.

 

He drew the black bean.  Sorry for your loss.  

[Samson's Wig 3154]

9 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

 

Yeah, if you see car thefts up drastically, if you dig deeper it's almost always Kias.   Fucking shitbox cars can be stolen in seconds

They convinced a bunch of moms to pay $10k or more over invoice for those tellurides, selling a mediocre tin can for the price of an entry-level luxury SUV.  I'd be more impressed if I thought they didn't just do what has been done for decades and slip JD Power, Edmunds, et al. a ton of cash to rank them first in category.  They are the pandemic success story.

[Deej 76081]

It's not just Kia's that have the issue. It's the fact that Kia's have become the car of choice to steal due to TikTok. 

[texasdago 7376]

2 hours ago, Mittens said:

That's when I would have run.

Yeah... WTF.  "oh, look, he's a local gardener working on overgrown shrubbery"

On an unrelated note, gas leaf blowers SUCK

Edited January 11 by texasdago

[bolverk 28887]

1 hour ago, Deej said:

Well, good news for you...Austin EMS will be ditching ambulances and going with a more eco-friendly way to haul your maimed body to the hospital.

 

 

59 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

It's sad that something like that isn't immediately recognizable as a joke.

It's not a joke, but it's also not in Austin.

That's Portland. While the concept might seem ludicrous at first blush, they're testing out concepts for when there are natural disasters such as earthquakes (it is the West Coast, and there are some big ass volcanoes nearby) and roads are blocked or there are fuel shortages. In that photo, it's just a demonstration of what they're going after.

 

[Deej 76081]

1 hour ago, Samson's Wig said:

It's sad that something like that isn't immediately recognizable as a joke.

[demos 2968]

Well, good news for you...Austin EMS will be ditching ambulances and going with a more eco-friendly way to haul your maimed body to the hospital.
 

Someone will finally be using the bike lanes on Congress

[Deej 76081]

4 minutes ago, demos said:

Someone will finally be using the bike lanes on Congress

The cyclists don't even use them. They use the sidewalks or the car lanes. 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11728]

3 hours ago, Deej said:

Well, good news for you...Austin EMS will be ditching ambulances and going with a more eco-friendly way to haul your maimed body to the hospital.

 

Jim Morrison upper right looks like he’s singing “well I just rolled into town about an hour ago….”

[Shaggy3.0 1694]

[Bozo_Casanova 25502]

On 1/9/2024 at 3:44 PM, FirstTimeCaller said:

Man, there is a sharp demarcation in Austin's history -- pre homeless camping rules and post homeless camping rules. 

Haruka Weiser says hi

[Bozo_Casanova 25502]

On 1/9/2024 at 6:29 PM, Ghost of LL said:

With as many people carrying as I assume there are, and as aggressive as the homeless are downtown, I'm really amazed that we don't have more dead homeless people than we do.

Most people who carry would never shoot under any circumstances. The guns are more like shoe lifts.

[MissingInAction 24262]

22 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Haruka Weiser says hi

Whew!

Too soon for me, but prescient. 

[Bozo_Casanova 25502]

36 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Whew!

Too soon for me, but prescient. 

It’s like we conducted an experiment experiment on Meechaiel Criner. Let’s take a kid with complex of serious mental illnesses and cognitive dysfunction, have their family abandon them, run them through through the foster system, subject them to years of physical and sexual abuse from peers, family, and authority figures, give them drugs, and turn them loose on the streets.

What will happen next, other than @crash_davis calling this person human garbage? 

“My theory is that the subject will be socially maladjusted and harder a deep resentment.” - Dr Marvin Monroe

Edited January 12 by Bozo_Casanova

[PvilleStang 2805]

37 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

It’s like we conducted an experiment experiment on Meechaiel Criner. Let’s take a kid with complex of serious mental illnesses and cognitive dysfunction, have their family abandon them, run them through through the foster system, subject them to years of physical and sexual abuse from peers, family, and authority figures, give them drugs, and turn them loose on the streets.

What will happen next, other than @crash_davis calling this person human garbage? 

“My theory is that the subject will be socially maladjusted and harder a deep resentment.” - Dr Marvin Monroe

They'll become the next coach of aggy and make $77MM for not doing their job?

[chainsaw 9441]

8 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

It’s like we conducted an experiment experiment on Meechaiel Criner. Let’s take a kid with complex of serious mental illnesses and cognitive dysfunction, have their family abandon them, run them through through the foster system, subject them to years of physical and sexual abuse from peers, family, and authority figures, give them drugs, and turn them loose on the streets.

What will happen next, other than @crash_davis calling this person human garbage? 

“My theory is that the subject will be socially maladjusted and harder a deep resentment.” - Dr Marvin Monroe

was he even from austin?

[Bozo_Casanova 25502]

18 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

was he even from austin?

Texarkana originally. Came to Austin after running away from a “Therapeutic Foster Home” in Killeen a couple weeks earlier.

This story is from the Texarkana paper. Read between the lines and make the most horrible assumptions you can, and you’ll get the gist of it.

And none of that excuses his actions, btw, but the more you know about his life the more you realize that at least some of Haruka Weiser’s blood is on our hands for not taking  better care of Mick Criner. 

Edited January 13 by Bozo_Casanova

[chainsaw 9441]

1 minute ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

“Therapeutic Foster Home” in Killeen

[Biff Tannen 44921]

On 1/11/2024 at 1:49 PM, Mittens said:

People complain about this noise and pollution.  They are definitely noisy af, but they also cut labor costs by 10x vs raking/sweeping.

There are battery powered versions that are more powerful, quieter, and zero emissions. Two stroke engines are a scourge from the 20th century. 

[Biff Tannen 44921]

On 1/12/2024 at 8:40 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Most people who carry would never shoot under any circumstances. The guns are more like shoe lifts.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

There are battery powered versions that are more powerful, quieter, and zero emissions. Two stroke engines are a scourge from the 20th century. 

It's also the difference between a homeowner and a landscaping crew. Homeowner seems like it's a 10-15 minute thing with minimal fuss. The crews seem to have a dedicated guy that blows the entire time the crew is there and is constantly hitting/releasing the throttle so that the sound cycles up and down.

[Biff Tannen 44921]

9 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

It's also the difference between a homeowner and a landscaping crew. Homeowner seems like it's a 10-15 minute thing with minimal fuss. The crews seem to have a dedicated guy that blows the entire time the crew is there and is constantly hitting/releasing the throttle so that the sound cycles up and down.

Yep. It takes our crew 45 minutes of leaf blowing to clear a 50 yard driveway in my complex. My dogs go insane the entire time. 

[HenryJames 64907]

Wind a few days ago cleared my leaves quietly for free.

[demos 2968]

The cyclists don't even use them. They use the sidewalks or the car lanes. 

On Thursday I watched someone drive down the bike lane and turn right on 6th (where I was stuck at the light for the 3rd time). Just laughed.

[Guest]

What's the mega-box restaurant situation in y'alls hood? I've noticed that A LOT have gone under since Covid in NW Austin. 

Luby's, gone. Brickhouse Tavern (next to Chuy's), gone. Bone Daddy's, gone. Catfish Parlor, gone. Macaroni Grill, gone.

I'm not exactly crying over some of these places, but leaving empty, boarded up buildings in their place for years on end is not good for anyone -- especially when we're supposed to be such a boomtown. 

[crash_davis 23038]

7 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

What's the mega-box restaurant situation in y'alls hood? I've noticed that A LOT have gone under since Covid in NW Austin. 

Luby's, gone. Brickhouse Tavern (next to Chuy's), gone. Bone Daddy's, gone. Catfish Parlor, gone. Macaroni Grill, gone.

I'm not exactly crying over some of these places, but leaving empty, boarded up buildings in their place for years on end is not good for anyone -- especially when we're supposed to be such a boomtown. 

With the exception of Catfish Parlor, all of those places suck. Chain restaurants are mostly dead. People under 30 aren't/weren't visiting any of those places.

[BurntEyes 5614]

On 1/12/2024 at 8:40 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Most people who carry would never shoot under any circumstances. The guns are more like shoe lifts.

As a "gun guy" who knows the average training, skill set and intelligence of most people who carry... let's all hope you're right.

[texasdago 7376]

15 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

especially when we're supposed to be such a boomtown. 

The people that make it a boomtown don't go to those places

[YGIFS 19443]

Much as some would like to think Covid killed those places, it was their real estate.  They had to start charging more than $12.95 for a lunch combo with a 5% margin on food in order to afford a NNN lease at $30/foot+.  So they started to charge more for a mediocre (at best) dine-in experience.  So people just said fuck it.  There’s a dozen empty pad chain stores within just a couple of miles of me and they’re gonna be a lot more within a few years even in a nice part of Austin.  Their business model is dying quick, lockdowns or no lockdowns.  
 

Nothing wrong with craving a macaroni grill or Red Robin platter.  But does anyone genuinely enjoy driving there and eating inside?  Just have ghost kitchens and modular cooking trailers use their ingredients and recipe and have it delivered.  What both parties save on real estate costs can be passed on to the delivery  driver.  And you can crack open for your own beverages at home for pennies on the dollar.  
 

if somebody can tell me with a straight face that they really missed eating out at Applebee’s in 2020-2022, they’re full of shit.  Order potato skins and a dessert to go from grubhub and stay home.  Cheaper, easier, and you don’t have the cringe experience of paying for a $9 draft beer at the bar listening to some 60yo creep hitting on the 200pound bartender. 

[Mittens 7930]

😡😡😡

[Brisketexan 103148]

3 hours ago, YGIFS said:

Much as some would like to think Covid killed those places, it was their real estate.  They had to start charging more than $12.95 for a lunch combo with a 5% margin on food in order to afford a NNN lease at $30/foot+.  So they started to charge more for a mediocre (at best) dine-in experience.  So people just said fuck it.  There’s a dozen empty pad chain stores within just a couple of miles of me and they’re gonna be a lot more within a few years even in a nice part of Austin.  Their business model is dying quick, lockdowns or no lockdowns.  

But here's what I don't get -- okay, the RE value shot up, so the lower-dollar enterprise can't make it there.  But if the RE is so valuable....why is nothing else going in there?

Biggest case in point to me is El Azteca on E. 7th.  They shut down the restaurant quite a few years ago, citing the value of the their property as a big part of the reason.  Cool, after decades running a restaurant, the family is going to cash in their lottery ticket of an appreciated chunk of real estate, I can't begrudge them that choice.  But now, what, 7-8 years later....the empty derelict restaurant is still sitting on that dirt.  Nothing has happened.  WTF?  Why'd they shut down, then?  Goddammit, I miss my cabrito!

[YGIFS 19443]

Well that’s a fucking pisser I did not see coming today.  Great memories of riding our bikes down to Zilker to watch the myriad bands.  Hopefully this’ll be like Trail of Lights where we all truly miss it organically for a couple years of absence and some sponsor steps up and they can put it back on.  
 

on the other hand, my chances of dying of heat stroke on an idle July Wednesday probably just went down a lot.  

[royiv 9043]

28 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

But here's what I don't get -- okay, the RE value shot up, so the lower-dollar enterprise can't make it there.  But if the RE is so valuable....why is nothing else going in there?

Biggest case in point to me is El Azteca on E. 7th.  They shut down the restaurant quite a few years ago, citing the value of the their property as a big part of the reason.  Cool, after decades running a restaurant, the family is going to cash in their lottery ticket of an appreciated chunk of real estate, I can't begrudge them that choice.  But now, what, 7-8 years later....the empty derelict restaurant is still sitting on that dirt.  Nothing has happened.  WTF?  Why'd they shut down, then?  Goddammit, I miss my cabrito!

Property taxes were killing them and the family needed cash to pay for long term care for the Guerras. Yay for killing an iconic business.

[Brisketexan 103148]

1 minute ago, royiv said:

Property taxes were killing them and the family needed cash to pay for long term care for the Guerras. Yay for killing an iconic business.

I get that.  But....did they actually sell it?  Because it's still just sitting there, many years later.  Incurring additional taxes for someone, but earning NOTHING to pay them.  I really don't get it.

[royiv 9043]

Just now, Brisketexan said:

I get that.  But....did they actually sell it?  Because it's still just sitting there, many years later.  Incurring additional taxes for someone, but earning NOTHING to pay them.  I really don't get it.

They did. They needed the cash.

[Brisketexan 103148]

7 minutes ago, royiv said:

They did. They needed the cash.

So who owns it now?  And why have they been sitting on it for, what, 7 years?

[Bozo_Casanova 25502]

5 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

As a "gun guy" who knows the average training, skill set and intelligence of most people who carry... let's all hope you're right.

I’ll put the whole story on the Gun thread some time, but in my LTC class was a reservist who wore mirrored aviators in class, vaped on breaks with one of those box things,  rode a Harley ape hanger to the range in Lockhart from the classroom in south Austin, and wore a custom 10mm Kimber 1911 in a shoulder holster over his white v neck t shirt while projecting “badass” energy. 
He was next to me on the range and his target looked like he was hip shooting a sawed off, scoring a … passing grade of 173/250.

[ChickenSandwich 9749]

27 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I’ll put the whole story on the Gun thread some time, but in my LTC class was a reservist who wore mirrored aviators in class, vaped on breaks with one of those box things,  rode a Harley ape hanger to the range in Lockhart from the classroom in south Austin, and wore a custom 10mm Kimber 1911 in a shoulder holster over his white v neck t shirt while projecting “badass” energy. 
He was next to me on the range and his target looked like he was hip shooting a sawed off, scoring a … passing grade of 173/250.

It was fun meeting you too Bozo. 

[Biff Tannen 44921]

48 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

So who owns it now?  And why have they been sitting on it for, what, 7 years?

Waiting for it to appreciate even more and sell it to the next PE firm. 

6 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

What's the mega-box restaurant situation in y'alls hood? I've noticed that A LOT have gone under since Covid in NW Austin. 

Luby's, gone. Brickhouse Tavern (next to Chuy's), gone. Bone Daddy's, gone. Catfish Parlor, gone. Macaroni Grill, gone.

I'm not exactly crying over some of these places, but leaving empty, boarded up buildings in their place for years on end is not good for anyone -- especially when we're supposed to be such a boomtown. 

45th and Lamar Chilis still packed!

[TKthunder2 4958]

14 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

45th and Lamar Chilis still packed!

If you're looking for the coldest margs and the hottest skillet queso look no further than Chili's, 45th and Lamar.

[Bevo 13418]

5 hours ago, YGIFS said:

Much as some would like to think Covid killed those places, it was their real estate.  They had to start charging more than $12.95 for a lunch combo with a 5% margin on food in order to afford a NNN lease at $30/foot+.  So they started to charge more for a mediocre (at best) dine-in experience.  So people just said fuck it.  There’s a dozen empty pad chain stores within just a couple of miles of me and they’re gonna be a lot more within a few years even in a nice part of Austin.  Their business model is dying quick, lockdowns or no lockdowns.  
 

Nothing wrong with craving a macaroni grill or Red Robin platter.  But does anyone genuinely enjoy driving there and eating inside?  Just have ghost kitchens and modular cooking trailers use their ingredients and recipe and have it delivered.  What both parties save on real estate costs can be passed on to the delivery  driver.  And you can crack open for your own beverages at home for pennies on the dollar.  
 

if somebody can tell me with a straight face that they really missed eating out at Applebee’s in 2020-2022, they’re full of shit.  Order potato skins and a dessert to go from grubhub and stay home.  Cheaper, easier, and you don’t have the cringe experience of paying for a $9 draft beer at the bar listening to some 60yo creep hitting on the 200pound bartender. 

I agree with most of this, but it only tells part of the story. I went to Ranch 616 for dinner last weekend. I used to pay $35-$40 for their Southwestern Mixed platter - Quail and some other stuff. They had excellent food (at least before the owner died and the chef left) so I didn't mind paying the price for good food and atmosphere. Anyway, the price of the platter is now $60 for 1 person so with a couple of drinks, the price would be $100/person. And the appetizers were in the $25 range if one decided to go that route. I'm way too cheap to pay that for a casual night out. I think, and I may be wrong, most people feel the same way. Post COVID and inflation, I find the cost/benefit ratio of going out to eat in Austin out of wack. I think a lot of restaurants will continue to fold as most people give up and get a fast food type meal or eat at home. Mid-tier places such as the Pappas chain, or those lost places in NW Austin or Four Corners are in for rough times.

Edited January 18 by Bevo

[YGIFS 19443]

Well places like the Pappas empire will be fine because their real estate model is wildly different than other chains, but point taken.  Ranch 616 is wrapped in a riddle because it was an almost literal outpost from downtown when it first opened and now it's property taxes are insane.  I don't blame them, as with some other Austin dining stalwarts for not seeing this coming.  I hope places like that survive.  But to many above posts, it's the "There's a lot of landlords, brokers, and franchises that can't make the Central Austin model work for them financially.  But maybe...it'll work for us! (insert meme).  "

[Modessit 5582]

I agree with most of this, but it only tells part of the story. I went to Ranch 616 for dinner last weekend. I used to pay $35-$40 for their Southwestern Mixed platter - Quail and some other stuff. They had excellent food (at least before the owner died and the chef left) so I didn't mind paying the price for good food and atmosphere. Anyway, the price of the platter is now $60 for 1 person so with a couple of drinks, the price would be $100/person. And the appetizers were in the $25 range if one decided to go that route. I'm way too cheap to pay that for a casual night out. I think, and I may be wrong, most people feel the same way. Post COVID and inflation, I find the cost/benefit ratio of going out to eat in Austin out of wack. I think a lot of restaurants will continue to fold as most people give up and get a fast food type meal or eat at home. Mid-tier places such as the Pappas chain, or those lost places in NW Austin or Four Corners are in for rough times.

Yep. Would sometimes take the wife and kids to Applebee's or Chili's because it was close by at the time and I knew they had something the kids would eat. Appetizer, 4 meals, dessert, non-alcoholic drinks - the bill with tip would be $75‐85. The last time we went with the same type of ordering and the bill with tip was $110‐120. Even the "cheaper" places are becoming not so cheap anymore.

There's a steak place in Giddings we sometimes drive out to because they have a drink my wife really likes. Used to cost about $135 with tip (several alcoholic drinks included). Now it's over $200.

Stopping at Whataburger happening more often.

[DigglerontheHoof 20450]

36 minutes ago, Modessit said:

Yep. Would sometimes take the wife and kids to Applebee's or Chili's because it was close by at the time and I knew they had something the kids would eat. Appetizer, 4 meals, dessert, non-alcoholic drinks - the bill with tip would be $75‐85. The last time we went with the same type of ordering and the bill with tip was $110‐120. Even the "cheaper" places are becoming not so cheap anymore.

There's a steak place in Giddings we sometimes drive out to because they have a drink my wife really likes. Used to cost about $135 with tip (several alcoholic drinks included). Now it's over $200.

Stopping at Whataburger happening more often.

Hell, a Whataburger meal is $12/$13; I mostly make my own burgers, now.  

[landman 554]

14 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

But here's what I don't get -- okay, the RE value shot up, so the lower-dollar enterprise can't make it there.  But if the RE is so valuable....why is nothing else going in there?

Biggest case in point to me is El Azteca on E. 7th.  They shut down the restaurant quite a few years ago, citing the value of the their property as a big part of the reason.  Cool, after decades running a restaurant, the family is going to cash in their lottery ticket of an appreciated chunk of real estate, I can't begrudge them that choice.  But now, what, 7-8 years later....the empty derelict restaurant is still sitting on that dirt.  Nothing has happened.  WTF?  Why'd they shut down, then?  Goddammit, I miss my cabrito!

Did they own the dirt?  Talking with Dave Kerbow a couple of years ago (Catfish Parlor 183 owner) he said there were 3 restaurants in the City that owned the dirt they were on - him, Matt's, and Dirty's.  I'm sure there may have been a few others, but for the most part they have a ground lease.

Dave closed because he's in his 80's and the building needed a huge cash investment to update equipment, etc.  Just didn't have it in him and wanted to enjoy life.  He's at the Georgetown one on Tuesdays helping his son.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11728]

4 minutes ago, landman said:

Did they own the dirt?  Talking with Dave Kerbow a couple of years ago (Catfish Parlor 183 owner) he said there were 3 restaurants in the City that owned the dirt they were on - him, Matt's, and Dirty's.  I'm sure there may have been a few others, but for the most part they have a ground lease.

Dave closed because he's in his 80's and the building needed a huge cash investment to update equipment, etc.  Just didn't have it in him and wanted to enjoy life.  He's at the Georgetown one on Tuesdays helping his son.

Username checks out.  

[texasdago 7376]

The BOTG cancellation really sucks.  Honestly... why not charge a small admission fee?  They could have done that and kept it going or they're full of it... what a joke.  I would roll in early, go jump in Barton Springs and then walk over all cooled down.  It was great.

 Bummer.