Category Archives: Living in Austin

I came to Austin, TX in the Fall of ’89 to go to UT. And since then have called this home. Having lived here ~20 years, and counting, I have not lived anywhere else longer.

Coffee Places

Leave a reply

I do like coffee. Interestingly, I used to not drink coffee, or tea, when I was growing up. I started when I was working at Tivoli. I noticed many of my co-workers gathering in the kitchen area for coffee and just chatting. I really got intrigued and just got into it.

But as much as I wanted to get into it, it being coffee, it just didn’t taste right. Many told me that it was an acquired taste. Which I found baffling – why would I want to try anything that requires me to “acquire a taste” for. There are so many yummy things that I never had to “acquire” the taste for. They were just delicious.

Anyway, I gave in – and put all the cream and sugar that the beverage would take to make it drinkable.

Over the years my taste for coffee has changed. I now take my coffee black and without sugar / sweetener. For a while I was really into Latte and Mocha Latte, both of which I find very good, but don’t care for either too often. If I am looking for a specialty coffee, I look for a cordato.

– manzoor

Austin Coffeehouses

Iguana Grill

Leave a reply

I’ve only been here a couple of times and don’t really recall the food experience. But the few times I was there, I wondered why I didn’t go there more often. Specially when the other option was so crowded + over hyped.

Anyway, I have known for a while now that the place had most likely closed. But had only the other day found out that the closure happened back in October 2016. At least that’s when the austin360 article was posted.

– manzoor

Winter Storm Warning

Leave a reply

We dipped below freezing sometime Thursday the 11th and have been hovering around mid 20s since. This morning, Sunday the 14th, it went down to 21F. We are anticipating going into the single digit later today / tonite. Looks like we might stay there, in the single digit, till tomorrow morning.

I guess the good news is that we are no longer looking at going all the way down to low single digit. 9F might be as low as we get. That would break all kinds of record for the last 30 years but maybe not all time.

– manzoor

Living with COVID-19 Today

Leave a reply

May 10th, 2020

I have been meaning to start writing this for a while now. It’s now been about 2 months since we here in Central Texas have been dealing with “Living with COVID-19”. I am taking the announcement of the Cancellation of SXSW 2020 on March 6th as the beginning.

Like many I too follow the trend. I use worldometer as my main source. According to them, we have 38,642 Cases, 1,111 deaths and 23,589 Recoveries. Current active cases are 13,942. Also we have tested 489,294. Given our population of 29.9 million the test rate is about 1.6%.

The State of Texas has lifted some restrictions a week ago and is planning to ease more over the next few weeks. We know how we have been able to manage the spread by locking down. We will now find out how the easing, i.e., lifting of the restrictions, will be affecting.

May 17th, 2020

It just coincidentally happens to be a week since I last posted. I am not planning to post every week or something. But seeing that it’s Sunday, it just might.

Anyway, I read earlier today that there was a significant rise in Coronovirus cases in Texas since the State started to lift some of the restrictions earlier in the week.

According to worldometer, there are now 48,551 Active Cases 1,353 deaths and 27,336 Recoveries.

Someone asked on FB the other day if I was ready to go out to dine and my immediate response was no, not yet. His second part of the question was when I would be ready. I knew right away that I had to idea when I would be ready. But I have been thinking since then and I think if anything I am probably more ready now (and I am still choosing to not go) then I am likely to be when they let even more ppl in. they are already talking about allowing up to 50% of the capacity to be full starting next week. We don’t even know what opening to 25% did – did things go up or down or about the same?

In the meantime, Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Arizona have filed for bankruptcy. I have not read the detail or if / how Alamo Drafthouse in Arizona is separated from Alamo Drafthouse in Texas / Austin. But the news did catch my attention and it has been on my mind.

June 3rd, 2020

According to worldometer, there are now 69,437 Active Cases 1,768 deaths and 45,859 Recoveries in Texas.

– manzoor

Restaurants Closing

Leave a reply

Magnolia Cafe – April 17th, ’20
- All-Hours Diner Magnolia Cafe Closes Permanently on Lake Austin – Eater Austin
Veracruz – April 17th, ’20
- Taco Favorite Veracruz All Natural Permanently Closes Its North Burnet Restaurant – Eater Austin
Enchiladas Y Mas – April 20th, ’20
- Essential Tex-Mex Restaurant Enchiladas Y Mas Closes After 26 Years – Eater Austin
- Enchiladas Y Mas closes, teases possible comeback from family members – austin360
Threadgill’s – April 25th, ’20
- Threadgill’s, The Austin Venue That Helped Launch Janis Joplin, Closes Down – NPR

– manzoor

A Running List of Permanent Austin Restaurant Closures Due to COVID-19 – Eater Austin

COVID-19 Testing

Leave a reply

Why are we not testing more aggressively? I understand and recognize that we don’t have enough kits and infrastructure to test. But given all the resource we seem to be willing to spend on the issue over all it seems to me that “testing” is getting the least attention.

– manzoor

Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) COVID-19 Test Pricing – CMS
What Will Coronavirus Testing and Treatment Cost Me? – WSJ
A breakdown of COVID-19 testing and cost – WAFF
The Latest in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing Methods and Availability – GoodRX
Total Cost of Her COVID-19 Treatment: $34,927.43 – Time

Social Distancing

1 Reply

– manzoor

Wikipedia

Buford Tower

Leave a reply

I took this picture almost 10 years ago – October 2008. This has always been an “Austin Marker” in my mind, but somehow never thought of finding out more about it. Recently they have been talking about it on the radio and that’s how I found out that this is “Buford Tower”.

– manzoor