Could a 90 minute train trip between Austin and Dallas someday be possible? Today the popular choices are plane (50 minutes), car (three hours), bus (four hours), and train (best-case about 4 ½ hours). On Thursday, April 16, 2009, the President offered another alternative: his vision of multiple high-speed rail corridors within the United States that included Austin. “My high-speed rail proposal will lead to innovations that change the way we travel in America. We must start developing clean, energy-efficient transportation that will define our regions for centuries to come,” said President Obama. A down payment on the plan of $8B was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and another $1B was added in the proposed FY2010 budget. Cost estimates for the high-speed rail range from $250B to $500B.
At 7:30 this morning a motorist noticed a lifeless body on the roof of the 64-car train passing by Oltorf Street. The train was en route to from San Antonio to Hearne and was stopped by police shortly after the 911 call. Expect Oltorf Street between Lamar and South First to be closed until the investigation is closed -- police believe the road may re-open by noon.
Photo by Felicia Graham courtesy of MySpaceTIL WE'RE BLUE OR DESTROY What’s the Deal: One thing that Austin has plenty of is indie bands. There are multitudes of poppy, lo-fi folky or staggering, swaggering rock groups swelling with intrigue and buzzing around the local scene destined to either shoot straight and swift to national cult favorites standing or be just another weekend bar band. However, Til We’re Blue Or Destroy are one of the groups...
Photo courtesy 31 Corn Lane StitchSaturday, November 10Austin Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez Street)Doors at 4pm, Fashion show 9:30pm, Tickets $10[info] | [tickets]31 Corn Lane is all about girls wanting to have fun. It's the brainchild of three sisters—Teeter (the youngest), Amy and Heather Sperber (the latter two are identical twins who rock out with The Boxes). We've loved their pony necklaces, novelty totes and bright floral print belts ever since we saw them...
Blazing Saddles Quote-Along & Bar-B-Que RunQuote-Along: Thursday, Nov. 8th @ 7:00pm, Saturday, Nov. 10th and Thursday, Nov. 15th @ 7:15pm / BBQ Run: Saturday, Nov. 10th @ NoonAlamo Drafthouse Downtown (320 E 6th Street)Quote-Along: $10 / Quote-Along & BBQ Run: $75[info] | [tickets]Hey you! Yeah, YOU! Quit yer lollygaggin'! Don't you know that we're rounding up cutthroats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican...
CASA QBsTonight, Nov. 7thDog and Duck Pub (406 West 17th St.)5pm - 7pm[info]CASA of Travis County is looking for a few good men. Facing an unfortunate shortage of male volunteers to match up with a growing number of boys in need, they'd like to present their case over a pint or two and complimentary snacks tonight at The Dog and Duck Pub. A brief primer if you're not familiar with CASA's work: according to...
Londonist: Photo by ChloeLondonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story...
17-year-old Hannah Hawley (photo at right) has been missing since Monday afternoon and has a heart condition requiring medication. She was last seen at South 1st and W. Stassney Lane. Police ask anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to call 911. Texans for Public Justice says that our city is losing money on incentive deals. Citizens of Northeast Travis County are opposed to the possible expansion of the landfill in their area. The odor...
The first two of six new commuter rail trains arrived in Austin this week. The diesel-electric trains trains, the last of which should arrive by late spring, were purchased from Swiss manufacturer Stadler Bussnang AG ("We Track Clever Solutions" -- get it?) for $34 million. Cap Metro plans to start testing these cars next month along the rail line from Howard Lane and Mopac down to 47th Street and Airport Boulevard—each will be run...
The Beauty Bar presents a quality bill of local pop-rock this Thursday night. Til We’re Blue Or Destroy, comprised of a number of multi-talented musicians, have recently wrapped up work on their debut record, This Train -- due later this year. The band’s delightful ditties fluctuate between catchy dance-pop and melodic guitar-rock, and that’s just fine with us! She, Sir support with an array of guitar laced soundscapes complemented perfectly by soft, distant vocals. Russell...
Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho will remain in the Senate despite calls for his resignation. Myanmar junta summons U.S. envoy for talks. Ig Nobel awards celebrate jet-setting Viagra-using hamsters and our military's attempt to make a "gay bomb." East Sixth Street, between Pedernales and Robert Martinez, now open after yesterday's train accident caused it to be closed. North Korea agrees to dismantle "all" of its nuclear facilities by the end of the year....
A train accidentally derailed while traveling in East Austin today, and ended up jackknifing and running into another train. No one was hurt, but the collision resulted in a diesel leak. Haz-mat teams are on site working to contain the potentially hazardous situation. Authorities believe it may take until tomorrow afternoon to clean everything up. For now, roads spanning East Fifth to Seventh Streets between between Pedernales and Robert T. Martinez are closed. Bruno73 on...
The Lamar Train Bridge has forever been a canvas for local graffiti artists, Austin High seniors, and hopeless romantics with poor penmanship. Long gone are the days of "EMINEM IS GOD"; a few months ago, the most prominent thing on that rusty old bridge was a declaration of peace. Now, looking east from Lamar, you'll be reminded of the grassroots appeal of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Let's see how long this one lasts....
Stubb’s hosts a stellar line-up of Lone Star talent this Saturday. The Drams headline with southern-style melodies off their debut record, Jubilee Dive, out now on New West Records. The band consists of Brent Best, Jess Barr, and Tony Harper from the now-defunct but somewhat-cult Denton band, Slobberbone (along with Keith Killoren and Chad Stockslager -- both from Budapest One.) The Drams’ brand of alt-country will be preceded by similar southern strains courtesy of Mice & Rifles and blissful Americana from Slow Train. Get in there!
This is a popular week for air conditioners to flake out, Karmalized discovers. Trinsic Solutions blog got to hear new chief of police Art Acevedo speak at the Metropolitan Breakfast Club. Ali at Blendor rates the Buenos Aires Cafe. Home Girl was touched by The Untelling. ITPT takes on the new Bachelor. Favorite Random Blog Site of the Week: Okay, it's not a blog, but the official site for the Texas organ donor registry...
Remember how Beyonce fell on her ass at a concert and said she didn't want anyone posting videos of it? The folks at Shout Mouth have compiled their Top Ten Most Embarrassing Stage Falls (with video accompaniment, of course). Do you remember the last State of the Union when Bush honored Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of Baby Einstein (a series of infant educational programs)? Yeah...those programs don't actually work. Scary: Shitload of Germans pile on...
We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness - we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts...
The Boggs Forts Forts is quite possibly a modern breakthrough in the use of fusing modern sampling and eclectic songwriting. The Boggs create a stirring soundscape of both cut-up and collage and multi-cultura pop songs around foreign noise with traditional rock elements (guitar, bass drums etc). There are elements of '60s influence in tunes like the left field "Kinkesque", "Little Windows" and bouncy glam rock ala "Arm In Arm". However, the album really starts going...
We like trying to coerce you into going to shows. We're fans of music, you know. We're fans of live music, especially, and since you never know when a show will knock your socks off, we say it's totally worth the few skrilla you'll drop on getting inside. Especially for bands like The Format, a few guys who won't be stuck into any, er, formatted music style. Tonight they're playing at Antone's with Mike Birbiglia, Limbeck, and Steel Train.
*The views expressed in Foodie Friday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist (and quite often our readership) as a whole. Ahh, the subjective nature of tastebuds.* -The Editors Growing up in Williamson County, culinary choice was abundant. If you wanted homestyle cooking, you could drive west on 620 to Pass the Bis'kits, Please, where you might be presented with a chicken fried steak and a - you guessed it -...
All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried a...
MONDAY [7] books • Caro Soles and Anthony Bidulka read from their latest works at BookWoman (7:00pm) comedy • Funniest Person in Austin Contest, hosted by 1986 Winner Kerry Awn at Cap City Comedy Club film • "Strangers on a Train" with Farley Granger live at Alamo Downtown film • Music Mondays: "We Were Never Here" at Alamo Downtown food • Central Market Cooking Class: Picnic Food with Amuse Bouche at Central Market Cooking...
In the mid 1980s, the US Senate (provoked by a high-powered busybody wives club called the PMRC) held a series of hearings on so-called “porn rock”—music containing lyrics about violence, sex, drugs, and the occult. The hearings were pointless but hilarious, providing a public venue for several old, rich, uptight assholes to make fools of themselves reciting lyrics from songs by prominent 80s rock bands. And though the hearings are probably best remembered for testimonies...
San Francisco rockabilly-Americana outfit Trainwreck Riders are coming for their SXSW ever, and they're doing it in grand style: apart from their Wednesday night showcase at Dirty Dog Bar, they'll be playing the free +1 House Party and NY2LON's private Saturday evening afterparty. The following are responses from three of the four lads -- Andrew (lead guitar, vocals), Pete (lead vocals, guitar), and Garritt (bass, vocals). [The Trainwreck Riders on Myspace] [The Trainwreck Riders...
Arcade Fire Neon Bible (Merge) Unless you live under a rock, you're well aware that Neon Bible's official release date is today. As expected, the web is ablaze with commentary and reflection on the band's sophomore effort, and for the most part, it's been a lot of good news. A relief, considering the album's reference to the John Kennedy Toole novel of the same name. The book is a sort of exercise in temporal...
"What the Stones were; what the Dandy Warhols should have been."* Strong words, even in today's desensitized rock-critisphere, but Lions In The Street have already opened for Kings Of Leon, been shopped-and-dropped by major labels, and recorded their debut EP in a dingy basement with an 8-track and broken mics because they could hardly afford beer. What are you gonna tell them, be less rock and roll please? This is the kind of band SXSW exists for. (Said EP, Cat Got Your Tongue, is available as a free download on their website, so you downloaders aren't getting away with anything.) Besides that, it's obvious that frontman Chris Kinnon has plenty of love for the ATX:
Want to update your look with some new clothes? Sell or donate your dated wardrobe and check out some of the newest boutiques that have popped up around town: If you happen to be on the eastside sipping lattes at Progress Coffee, visit neighboring The Royal Family. Inside, messenger bags, geometric watches share space with mopeds. Everything here, from the comfy, canvas slip-on shoes to the soft jersey dresses reflect owner/buyer Lauren Thumlert’s casual-cool...
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