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Browse Old Austin Grouch posts about civic absurdity, Austin nostalgia, and the city habits locals still argue about.
Use this topic hub to explore satire, memories, and cultural commentary about civic absurdity in Austin, Texas.
The parking kiosk outside the Continental Club demanded my license plate, a credit card, and a 45-minute minimum before it would let me stand still for a set; what used to be three quarters dropped into a rusty meter on South Congress for two hours of freedom is now $17.50, geofenced enforcement, and passive-aggressive texts asking if I'd like to extend my "curbside experience."
6 min read
Betty used to cruise the meters from 24th to 29th in a golf cart older than most freshmen, waving at regulars and only writing tickets when you truly deserved it; last week the new plate-reading cameras zinged me $34 for eleven minutes over on a spot outside the old University Co-op while I was buying one remaining real paperback, no conversation, no mercy, no Betty.
6 min read
I fed quarters into the 2nd and Congress meter only to watch them fall through while a QR code demanded I download an app for $4.75 an hour; the same spot in 2007 bought three hours, a Shiner Bock, and enough change left for breakfast tacos.
6 min read