Posts filed under 'Austin'
Or, at least it seemed like it.
Tuesday morning I voted, waiting outside in the (relative) cold for about 30 minutes. It turns out there were only five voting booths, and they had set up the check-in tables directly inside the door, so anyone not actually being helped had to wait outside. This didn’t seem to be a good idea, but it seemed they didn’t have very many other options inside the school, since they weren’t going to use the gym or something for voting.
Now, Texas has early voting, but while it probably works well for some people, I like voting on the actual voting day. In 2004 when we lived in Loring Park, I had to wait over two hours to vote, and I think that is awesome. I like being surrounded by people who are taking the time out of their day to voice their opinion.
Anyway, I also wanted to participate in the caucus, because I never have done that before. Caucusing was supposed to start at 7:15, so we were told to arrive at 7:00. I arrived at 6:45 and quickly realized this would be a long night. The parking lots were overflowing. The line to vote stretched down the side of the building - I’m not even sure where the end was. Thankfully I had brought a book.
I went inside and more and more people joined us in the cafeteria. And it started to get a bit unruly, considering there was something people hadn’t realized: the caucus can’t start until all the voting is done, and anyone in line at 7 gets to vote. A lot of people demanded that they be able to sign their candidate’s sheet and be able to leave, but thankfully (as that is against the rules and would make the signature invalid) those in charge stuck to their guns. Unfortunately those guns didn’t seem to work very well, as the entire thing was completely unorganized. No one should leave a microphone out in a room of 400 impatient people, for one thing. Plus, for all the people who were in charge there were more people who felt it was their duty to put themselves in charge.
Somehow, eventually we made it to 10 p.m., when the voting finished. By then we assumed things would be worked out so it would be quick and painless to sign the sheets and begin. Nope. More like mobs pushing to get into a concert.
Everyone was signed in at 11:30, and thankfully the group had thinned out to only about 85 of us who wanted to take part in the rest of the caucus. That turned out to not be very eventful, although sense of order went out the window again when it came time to sign up to be a delegate. You had to jostle for position and then snatch the paper as soon as the person ahead had finished, otherwise you’d be SOL. I was able to sign up and I’m still half-convinced I’m not actually going to be a delegate for the county convention.
Hopefully I will be. I’m interested in working on the issues they want to bring to the state and perhaps national conventions, and I think it would be amazing if I could somehow end up a delegate to national. I might just be a little too optimistic, but I’ve always been interested in politics and I think having a child has made me even more aware of the state of things and how my hand can turn it.
I got home at 12:15 a.m. Tired, but somehow riding a high.
March 9th, 2008
Genuine Joe opened a few years ago and quickly became a popular neighborhood spot. In 2006 they won the Austin Chronicle’s Critic’s Pick for Best North Austin Coffeehouse.
Atmosphere: (7) With tons of seating including three separate rooms and an outdoor patio, GJ can really pack the people in. Unfortunately, that means it can get pretty loud at times as this tends to be more of a social hangout than a place to do work in the evenings. Daytime is much more relaxed, and at all hours I’ve never had to worry about the sound system blaring. If you do need to get some work done at night, just remember to bring headphones - and be aware of the live music on Thursday and Saturday nights as well as the 3rd Monday of the month.
Clientele: (4) The clientele is very mixed, reflecting the neighborhood. I love seeing all the different people interacting, even though the noise can sometimes be too much, like I said above. There’s always a interesting conversation to pop into, though. For those of you keeping track, there’s more (seemingly) single men here than women.
Staff: (5) No pretentiousness here. The staff here is super friendly and doesn’t mind making strange drink requests (chai with a shot of chocolate, anyone?). And knowing the regulars by name helps create that cozy neighborhood atmosphere.
Food: (7) Awesome brownies, plus soup, sandwiches, and other baked goodies, including vegan options. Plus, bowls of fresh buttered popcorn! They do seem to run out of things easily, however. The past few times I’ve arrived at 7 p.m. the bakery case was mostly empty, even though they are open until 11.
Mocha: (9) $3.35 GJ has my favorite mochas, with the right blend of coffee and chocolate. I never have to worry about chocolate sludge on the bottom or an inch of foam on the top. (I hate foam.) At other coffee shops it takes me a long time to finish a mocha because of the overpowering flavors attacking my mouth, but at GJ they drink easily and make me rush back for another.
Coffee: (7) $1.45 The coffee has a nice medium flavor, as it should be when you order the house roast. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste but it is quickly replaced with a general coffee flavor - like how you wish that coffee at IHOP was.
Wild Card: (+1) They love having groups come in, and the two side rooms plus a table in the main room can be reserved in advance.
Total Score: 40
Genuine Joe is located at 2001 W. Anderson Lane.
February 4th, 2008
A while ago I realized that the first year I lived in Austin I visited about a dozen coffee shops. I suppose I have a caffeine addiction. Or just an addiction to places where I can people-watch and write. Every place is different of course, but there is always someone looking for the “best”. And so, in an excuse to visit or re-visit Austin’s coffee shops, I bring you Coffee Wars!
I’ll be visiting as many coffee shops in Austin as I possibly can, and reporting back here with the results of my visit. To try and make the ratings process simpler, I’m going to order the same thing at every place: a regular coffee and a mocha.
Here’s how the 45 points will break down:
Flavor: 10 points each drink
Food: 10 points - selection, taste, price, etc.
Atmosphere: 10 points - seating, noise level, lighting, patio
Price: (not rated) given for completeness
Staff: 5 points - attitude, conversation, etc.
Clientele: 5 points - It may seem odd to rate a place based on who goes there, and this might be something that should go in the Atmosphere category, but the other denizens of the shop can potentially make or break your experience.
Wild Card: 5 bonus points - anything goes
I’ll be keeping a running tally of all the points and post the final list at the end of the year.
January 27th, 2008
Call me crazy. But this week I decided we will be going to the Austin City Limits Festival. Sure, I’ll be 8 months pregnant, and September in Austin is sweltering. But how could I not? I asked the ladies at AustinMamas their opinion, and it went 50/50. We’re going to play it by ear - we can always sell the tickets if we decide not to go. But come on. With having a baby, when is the next time I’ll actually be able to see:
The Decemberists, Bob Dylan, Björk, The White Stripes, The Killers, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Damien Rice, Lucinda Williams, Spoon, Regina Spektor, Kaiser Chiefs, Ben Kweller, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Andrew Bird, Ghostland Observatory, Reverend Horton Heat, Pete Yorn, Yo La Tengo, or any of the others.
I just don’t want the opportunity to pass by and then regret it.
In other news:
I’m 18 weeks pregnant now. According to our scale, I still am the same weight I was in December. My boobs and belly tell otherwise (as does the doctor’s scale).
We own our house. Too bad we don’t move for another two months. At least that gives me plenty of time to decorate in my head. Like I haven’t been doing that the past two years.
Today calls for mini golf, swimming, and sno-cones. And plenty of pictures, thanks to my birthday present.
May 12th, 2007
I wasn’t kidding in my last post title. Last weekend we met with a realtor and looked at about a dozen houses. This weekend we’re meeting up to sign some paperwork because we put in an offer and it was accepted.
So, I think we’re buying a house. Holy crap.
Sadly we’ll have to get a Pflugerville address, but considering the houses in the good neighborhoods of Austin are impossibly expensive for us, this is a good alternative. Plus it is close to my work and the Pflugerville schools rank higher than Austin schools. It seems strange to have to think about those things, but I’ll have to get used to it.
This house was my first choice, but I don’t think it was Bob’s - he was really excited about a house that we’d have to do a lot of work on. Aside from the painting we’ll inevidably do, I don’t think this one needs any work at all. Even the front and back yards are landscaped with lots of trees and other plants. And when we walked in I said, “Wow.” Considering it is the only house I was that impressed by, it’s a good thing the other one was already under contract.
Only downside is that it is a one story, but given that two-story houses in Texas almost always fall victim to McMansion syndrome, this is probably a good thing.
Just wish there was a basement.
April 7th, 2007
It’s SXSW, and there is a band practicing in the yard behind our alleyway (so basically behind our apartment). The poor cats are wandering around the place very put out, and I know how they feel. I get sick of the psuedo-hipsters fairly quickly, and it’s a wonder I even went to that Austinist party last year.
Next year who knows if we’ll be in a neighborhood where this happens. We returned from Paris to find the information about the first round of housing posted. Turns out their lowest housing - the row houses - starts at 240k. Not quite in our price range, especially for our first house, and especially when we know how big of a house that much could get us in other areas. So now we’re a bit back to square one on that front. Try to buy something cheaper or find a good house to rent for a year until we’re a bit better off? Who knows. But the house we almost rented last year still looks pretty tempting.
March 15th, 2007
J and I finally made it to Peter Pan for some mini-golf action last Saturday. I’ve wanted to go ever since we moved to Austin, but I’m not sure what kept us away. The place is charming, in an old, falling apart way. Most of the obstacles need new coats of paint or repairs, and the green is more than a little scuffed. I can’t help but wonder how the place must have looked with everything shiny and new.
The other great thing is that it is cheap. 36 holes are $7, or you can play 18 for $5. The holes are divided into an east and west course, but the east course is much more fun, as there are more obstacles. For some reason, putting a ball through a hole makes the whole game more fun.
We enjoyed ourselves so much that I think we’ll be heading there for one of my birthday outings. This year, I intend to make a weekend of it.
Also: On the recommendation of one of my writing group members, we’ll be going on a 4-hour bike tour of Paris. If we can make it in time, we’ll take the tour on Saturday - right after we arrive. Is there a better way of combating jet lag than this?
February 3rd, 2007
It’s beginning to feel like there is something out there trying to keep us from going to Paris. First off was the problem with buying tickets on Expedia, and my spending limit Wells Fargo supposedly can’t raise high enough for us to buy two international plane tickets. Nevermind that I should be able to spend my money …
Tickets were purchased with Bob’s money instead, and then yesterday we hied to the post office to turn in our passport applications. And it was packed full of other applicants, which meant they had actually “closed” the passport office early in order to service all those people already waiting. And of course, they don’t process passports on the weekend. And the hours during the week, depending on the location, are insane. For instance, the place nearest my work only processes passports from 11 to 1 and then from 1:30 to 2:45. Um… OK. We’re going to try on Monday morning, but I’m not feeling too optimistic. And none too happy about having to use some of my time off so early in the year.
Also: If we leave Austin, it almost seems like the reason will be something to do with really large bugs. In the past month we’ve had three roaches in our apartment. This might not seem like a big deal, but we only had one in the entire year we lived at the old place, and I never even saw one the entire time I lived in Minnesota (although there was one really gross wiggly thing that inhabited my NordEast apartment). I know the bugs don’t actually do much to people, but it’s still too freaky to have one on your bedside lamp while you’re in bed reading.
And: Good news for a lot of my friends - according to the latest issue of Cooking Light, “Research has shown that people with multifaceted interests actually feel less stress than people whose lives are more narrowly focused.” Now, where is that book I started two years ago?
January 6th, 2007
The big topic around Austin these days is whether WalMart will be able to build a two-story, 180,000 sq. ft. store (with three-story parking garage) at Burnet and Anderson, where the Northcross Mall is currently. For reference, those Cabela’s hunting/camping stores are smaller (and almost always located in BFE).
Now, I haven’t been in Austin that long, but I do live close enough to the Northcross neighborhood and frequent many of the businesses around there that I am trying to figure out exactly what is going on with this.
Putting aside my hatred of WalMart (we don’t shop there), I am not sure why this one needs to be built. According to their own store finder, there is a WalMart 2.54 miles from my zip code. According to GoogleMaps, the new location is 3.2 miles from the other. Um… okay. Yeah, I can see how that might be necessary. Can’t have stores more than five miles from each other, of course. It’s probably also worth noting that there are thirteen WalMarts within 28 miles of 78751.
Aside from oversaturation, what seems to be the main reason for people not wanting a huge store in the Northcross location is, well, because it’s in the middle of their neighborhood. WalMart is claiming the store will be urban, but considering that the store will still be set back and surrounded by parking, not up to the street with pedestrian access, sidewalks, trees, etc., it doesn’t sound very urban to me. When I think of urban box stores, I think of the downtown Minneapolis Target. Burnet and Anderson ain’t no downtown Austin, but it certainly isn’t the side of the freeway, where almost every other WalMart seems to be located.
Of course, there are some people claiming that the Northcross location is actually not in the middle of the neighborhood. As far as I can tell, their only reasoning behind this is that there aren’t houses directly across the street from the location, i.e., on Burnet and Anderson themselves. Except, dragging out GoogleMaps again, there seems to be quite a lot of side streets filled with houses surrounding that area.
Another issue driving this debate is that Northcross Mall is kind of crappy and needs an overhaul. But (so we are to believe) no one wants to develop the area except for WalMart. Therefore, people are saying the development will bring a boost to the area. Maybe, but in a country where every town is starting to look like Anytown, I’d rather keep the big box/chain stores far and fewer between.
December 14th, 2006