Airbnb in Austin

For a few days I had the experience of living in central Austin a block away from South Congress. Not the street full of bars, gun shops and hookers of Austin lore. The modern cool South Congress with shops and pedestrians and those pesky scooters. My brother visited with his family and they got an Airbnb. Someone told them they wouldnt like the location but I loved it. The pics below show the house and the real estate nearby including the school for the deaf. That house looks rebuilt inside and on the exterior. We all agreed the foundation was the same. This neighborhood has all kinds of redos. Also lots of houses are old and classic. This seemed like a much better place to rent than a hotel. In Austin they call them STRs - Short Term Rentals. This one was a permanent STR. Other people do it part time. If STRs and help preserve a neighborhood feel and opportunities for regular folks like me and my family to enjoy places like central Austin then I like them.

Iron Works Barbecue Downtown

The look inside and out points to a previous incarnation of a real industrial workplace that literally made iron. Great barbecue is not hard to find in Austin. You don't have to wait a couple of hours starting in the early morning hours. Wake up late. Stay up drinking and sucking down the CBD and sleep in. Go biking around and develop a hunger for the bbq. Do whatever you want to have fun but don't stand in line for bbq. Go to places like the Iron Works Barbecue and you'll get great smoked meat. I can't imagine its still there in five or so years. Like Gus's Chicken place its a relic of the past with amazing food produced and delivered by ordinary people. But it doesnt fit into the current Austin urban geography. I hope Im wrong or that IWB moves to South Austin closer to me.

Grey Space

I'm guessing the fencing is to keep people out and the owners of the property less likely to face legal action when some idiot hurts themselves on this desolate and dangerous lot. Its located between the Austin Convention Center and other downtown buildings and the Rainey Street bars. Whats happening hear? The landowner is waiting for a higher price sale? The city of Austin is delaying approvals for construction which every developer claims? It's a brownfield full of dangerous materials? Im calling it grey space. Its rundown glory.

Turning A Neighborhood Into a Bar

Look at the houses and imagine families living there. Think about those folks coming back to the neighborhood they grew up in and lived in. And they see it has become a drunken tribute to Bacchanalia. I lived in Austin when this transformation happened but Im still surprised by how quickly things change. I start to imagine how family after family moved on and sold out and it began to change forever. It probably will change again in 5 or 10 or 15 years. These little house bars will be gone for some other housing and commercial venture like the other high rises you see around Rainey Street. Then well forget families ever lived there.

Mexican American Neighborhood in Austin

This used to be a real Mexican American neighborhood and theres still a few folks sticking around. But look at the corporate image of most of the Rainey Street area. And this is a cool place in Austin? The Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) you see in the last pic is a repository of cultural knowledge and experience, but its also a poor replacement for a real Mexican neighborhood. Shifting people around with gentrification and segregation rules didnt support Mexican Americans. Pushing hard working people of color out of their traditional neighborhoods didnt help Mexican Americans. Do institutions like the MACC help? In the fourth picture down you see two well-dressed folks we overheard talking. And they're talking politics. About who would be a better candidate for some political office. These kinds of conversations have been happening for decades in Austin among Mexican Americans and progressives. The development of downtown to the detriment of working people and black and Latino folks is obvious from the scenes around Rainey Street and downtown and East Austin. What progress has been made and what social justice has arisen from the progressives in Austin?

Gus's Fried Chicken in Downtown Austin

The sign says "World Famous" and I had a long-time Austinite and Southerner tell me "People swear by it." It was pretty good chicken and the place had an authentic feel and a Austin chill vibe. It's a small one-story restaurant downtown among many tall buildings and skyscrapers. I don't understand how these places still exist amongst big office buildings and condos. A lot of places like Gus's seem to intentionally downplay the upkeep. They look way overdue for replacements and modernization. They must intentionally not do it and I guess people are suckers for it as authentic and a place for the working man. I bought it. And the chicken too. I bet its gone in 5 years, or hopefully just moved somewhere. The real rundown to the place was when Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick showed up. I wanted to yell something at the bastard but I didn't want to upset the other folks there who just want to get tasty chicken. I think everyone should feel comfortable at these kind of public places. Dan Patrick is still a real piece of work, though. I also went scootin for the first time down there. Fun and I totally get why folks do it.

Hero of Rainey Street

The Rainey Street District in Austin was some mythical place in my mind after only hearing and reading about it. Its about seven miles away from my home and I had never actually been there or seen it. I biked through it the other day and now I get what it's about -- drinking and looking cool. What positive social progress proceeds from these kinds of businesses and consumers? Yo no se.

And the word was there was some dude who refused to sell out and kept living in a home he could have sold for over a million dollars. I don't know how he pays for the property taxes which could be as much as $25,000 dollars a year, or more. I only take home about $38,000 bucks in a year. But if I could survive there I might do the same. So many questions in my head about this scene. The first three pics have the infamous house. The next three give you some context. Future posts will explore the space. I mean really explore the space.