Friend of mine showed me the future of Austin. It's called urban density. You get more people living closer to the urban center. We visited Crestview City Homes and Crestview Townhomes, a chic housing development that comes with a price. The two story homes are adjacent to the Capitol Metro Rail stop-- near North Lamar and Airport Boulevard. You get fancy, deluxe interior decoration with architectural flair, designed to conceal the minimum of space afforded to each unit. Welcome to the 21st century!
It's cool, I get it. We are running out of urban space and single family homes with sprawling yards don't work in a popular place like Austin. People are tired of sitting in traffic. So this is an alternative. And if you have a job downtown, you can ride the train and get to work without the internal combustion engine fouling the air. These places go for more than $400,000, so they are not very relevant to the discussion of "affordable housing." But let's face it, affordable housing has become an oxymoron. 'Cause none of it is affordable in-close to the city. Affordable housing... that's one train that already left the station.
The positive side is the lively social center extending from the north to the south, the east to the west. Austin is humming but, as Michael Barnes noted in a recent column for the Statesman, people socialize in their own part of town. Who can blame them?!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Monkey's Nest... always a full nest (Review #1)
First stop on my Coffee Crawl was Monkey's Nest (5353 Burnet Rd). I'm checking out the coffee houses within walking distance of my house.
Monkey's Nest hit a good stride almost immediately and tonight was no exception. I got there about 5:00 PM, on a Wed. night, and the line of parking spots alongside the building was completely occupied. The place has a warm, cozy feel especially on a rainy evening. Yes, rain in Austin, Texas! I got to the counter and decided no a cappuccino. Cashier asked "for here?" and I said "yes." Liked the results. Got my sturdy cappy in a sturdy, but graceful ceramic cup. A bit small, around 6 ounces maybe. Took a seat.
Eyed the place over. Very well designed, good feng shui. Counter to the side allows for an easy flow of customers. Lighting well-done. Got attractive globes hanging in the windows and above the counter give off a golden glow. Place is extremely clean and has a neatness and orderliness that coffeehouses do not always strive for. Must be working, they have a loyal clientele. Looks like a large table filled with maybe Iranian students, or some other Middle Eastern group, mainly woman. I glance to my left, a couple. I can hear them speaking.
They start on the subject of minimum wage jobs, and she quickly says "I'm 20 years old." College students. She attractive, slender, auburn hair and describes being tolerant of some wack job she met at a Starbucks. "I thought I'd be nice, talk to this guy. Then, reptiles. He said George Bush is scaly underneath." Can see why she moved over to Monkey's Nest.
Guy says "aloofness." Then he asks her, "Is that really a word?"
She says, "It's okay. I'll accept anything with a ness or an ish. It's a word. That's our generation I guess."
This clues me that we may be on a beginning date.
He says something to the confirm that assumption. "You're above average. Some people below you, most people below you."
"Thanks," she answers politely.
"For how long?" she deflects. Then demurs says "I don't know."
He read an entirely too long Stephen King series, ending up throwing out the window. She asks about "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues." He says "that's always sounded like a gay bar to me." Pretty good line. He suggests "We should do this again." She agrees but in a fairly non-commital way. She mentions "Epoch," another coffee bar in my neighborhood. "It's 24 hours, people go there and hangout. Study. But during the week, it's chill."
He has a joke... "What's the difference between a genie and a genius. One grants wishes and the other wishes for grants."
Not a bad joke, and I think this guy may turn out to be the therapist he plans to be. These two have graduate school written all over them. But she's not buying. They give a perfunctory hug and go their separate ways.
Thumbs up on Monkey's Nest! Maybe Epoch will be my next stop. Can go there anytime of day or night.
Monkey's Nest hit a good stride almost immediately and tonight was no exception. I got there about 5:00 PM, on a Wed. night, and the line of parking spots alongside the building was completely occupied. The place has a warm, cozy feel especially on a rainy evening. Yes, rain in Austin, Texas! I got to the counter and decided no a cappuccino. Cashier asked "for here?" and I said "yes." Liked the results. Got my sturdy cappy in a sturdy, but graceful ceramic cup. A bit small, around 6 ounces maybe. Took a seat.
Eyed the place over. Very well designed, good feng shui. Counter to the side allows for an easy flow of customers. Lighting well-done. Got attractive globes hanging in the windows and above the counter give off a golden glow. Place is extremely clean and has a neatness and orderliness that coffeehouses do not always strive for. Must be working, they have a loyal clientele. Looks like a large table filled with maybe Iranian students, or some other Middle Eastern group, mainly woman. I glance to my left, a couple. I can hear them speaking.
They start on the subject of minimum wage jobs, and she quickly says "I'm 20 years old." College students. She attractive, slender, auburn hair and describes being tolerant of some wack job she met at a Starbucks. "I thought I'd be nice, talk to this guy. Then, reptiles. He said George Bush is scaly underneath." Can see why she moved over to Monkey's Nest.
Guy says "aloofness." Then he asks her, "Is that really a word?"
She says, "It's okay. I'll accept anything with a ness or an ish. It's a word. That's our generation I guess."
This clues me that we may be on a beginning date.
He says something to the confirm that assumption. "You're above average. Some people below you, most people below you."
"Thanks," she answers politely.
Kinda dumb for him to says she's just above average. I think he meant in the intelligence department. But, hey, she wants to be superior in every department, just like all of us. She's superior to him in the looks department. Columnar neck, white skin, nice features. Delicate physiognomy. He has a soft appearance, flabby, with dark, heavy plastic glasses. But's he's smart, intellectual, just like she is. He pops the question, "Do you want to stop at my house?"
"For how long?" she deflects. Then demurs says "I don't know."
He read an entirely too long Stephen King series, ending up throwing out the window. She asks about "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues." He says "that's always sounded like a gay bar to me." Pretty good line. He suggests "We should do this again." She agrees but in a fairly non-commital way. She mentions "Epoch," another coffee bar in my neighborhood. "It's 24 hours, people go there and hangout. Study. But during the week, it's chill."
He has a joke... "What's the difference between a genie and a genius. One grants wishes and the other wishes for grants."
Not a bad joke, and I think this guy may turn out to be the therapist he plans to be. These two have graduate school written all over them. But she's not buying. They give a perfunctory hug and go their separate ways.
Thumbs up on Monkey's Nest! Maybe Epoch will be my next stop. Can go there anytime of day or night.
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