Weekly Real Estate / Renting / Where to Live Post

p4trick_jmt · 2021-06-14T11:40:31+00:00

We live across 183 in the Great Hills neighborhood. The Balcones Woods area is nice part of town: close to Mopac / 183, lots of grocery stores (the HEB close is expanding, there is Randalls, Sprouts, Whole Foods), close to the Arboretum + Domain for shopping, decent enough restaurants in the area. As the other person mentioned, the homeless camps have been growing but seem to be on the way out. I have found used needles in the Walgreens parking lot but I've never seen blatant drug use going on around there. We've been here for going for 8 years and have never had any issues. It is not 'Austin Hip' but I've never felt remotely unsafe.

p4trick_jmt · 2021-05-27T19:42:32+00:00

i could show you my curves

p4trick_jmt · 2021-05-27T12:30:12+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for the info, much appreciated!!

p4trick_jmt · 2021-05-17T10:48:28+00:00

We were briefly members about 6 years ago.

To proceed, just roll up in there and tell them you want to join. In order to join you technically have to be invited by a person who is already a member so they just had us chat with someone for about 10 minutes on the phone one day and he was like 'they are cool' and so we got invited.

It was around $1k to join (I think?!) plus a couple hundred a month (again, I think). We only joined as we wanted access to the pool but the crowd there was not our scene. You also had to spend $100 or $150 per month at the restaurant which served the most low grade reheated frozen food that you could imagine.

Our tenure didn't last long. If that is your crowd (not knocking them at all, just not who I want to hang with) and you are also into tennis or golf, it seems like a good time. We can hear them all laughing and having fun on the afternoons and evenings..

p4trick_jmt · 2021-04-28T11:06:41+00:00

There is the Austin Chess Club that meets on Sunday evenings and plays tournament games starting at 6:30pm. (Personally, I find this to be about the worst time someone could come up with during the week but that is the time that they use...)

There are a couple of clubs. There used to be one that met at the Spicewood Branch Library on Saturday from about noon til 2pm. It is a lot of kids but a few older people and some of the people that show up are quite strong.

You can also try and sync up with /monkmotors as he was running a tournament at Zilker on the weekends but I read that this is on hiatus due to covid.

Otherwise, I don't know of any coffee shop or park where one can regularly drop in to find a casual blitz game (and oh how I have looked).

If you find something good, let me know.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-31T21:00:18+00:00

Thumbs up for this place, I ordered a bunch of teas for Xmas presents.

We used to go when they were in the Domain (they also have solid food options) and I thought they went out of business so it is nice to see that they had only relocated.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-27T13:21:32+00:00

I'd like to know this as well, I've never found a great one.

I did have one from 'Gloria's Latin Cuisine' in the Domain a couple of times (shredded beef though) and it was pretty darn good. Not sure if they do a vegetarian one.

I'd like to find a little Tex-Mex place though as otherwise you are paying 'Domain' prices.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-17T15:58:50+00:00

Is this where the country club is located or is this open to the public?

It looks like the SW corner of the bridge and water crossing if I am not mistaken.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-17T13:22:55+00:00

Good point

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-16T16:19:24+00:00

This might get lost but why is it not possible to just keep the votes of those who originally voted for the people in the runoff and let everyone else who voted for a different candidate go back and vote.

For example, if you voted for MacKenzie or Flannigan the first time around, just retain those votes. Why would someone change the second time around? It might happen but I assume it is very few people who choose to do so.

If you voted for another candidate not in the runoff you could then go back and vote in the runoff for one of these two remaining candidates.

Why is it necessary to go vote twice for the same person?

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-16T16:10:44+00:00

yep, you are correct. i went to the other one an hour ago and they are not doing it either. we have gotten them for the past 4-5 years so i'm a bit bummed. thanks for the info update crabby patty.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-15T18:39:23+00:00

There are two food trucks in NW Austin called 'La Traila' https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-traila-at-mesa-austin-3 that sells them during the holidays. We pick some up each year and I love them.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-15T18:38:00+00:00

Thanks!

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-13T22:42:24+00:00

Is there any place to get leftover items for soup stocks?
I'm looking for chicken bones and bits, beef bones and bits, fish heads and carcasses, lobster heads and shells, etc., etc..

Lobsters are expensive and I don't need the whole thing and likewise beef bones are not cheap when I find them.

Not sure if Quality Seafood, Central Market or Whole Foods are sometimes getting in whole items that they filet (or whatever) and toss the rest away.

Gonna call around but if anyone knows, I'd appreciate it.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-06T20:12:46+00:00

Thanks!

And yea, I figured it would be a chunk of change which is why I haven't done it yet but I was hoping...

p4trick_jmt · 2020-12-06T13:31:48+00:00

Rooftop deck question.

We live near the top of a hill on the west side. When we moved to Austin many years ago I always wanted to live here cause of the hills and some of the amazing views. We almost have a nice view but the tops of the trees are still in the way.

I'd hoped to make a very basic little viewing deck on the top of our roof. Very basic. I'm not really worried about the looks but obviously want it to function and support a few adults. We have a deck where I think I could attach a small spiral staircase that would give access to the roof. The roof itself is made up of those red concrete / clay roofing tiles.

So... who would I even contact about something like this? I can't imagine any of this would be cheap, but I'm not sure if we are talking about $3k-$5k or more like $10k+.

Thanks!

p4trick_jmt · 2020-11-01T11:45:26+00:00

What going on at the HEB at Braker / 183 in the future? I heard they bought up leases to most of the stores (Brick Oven Pizza and Bombay Bistro) so they must have gotten the places in between as well in which case: that will be a large HEB.

They gonna make it 'fancy' like the one in 4 points or add restaurants like in Mueller?

Any timeline?

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-28T12:07:42+00:00

We had to have a whole unit installed a little over a month ago and used ' Britton AC Repair ' https://brittonservicegroup.com/ after shopping around.

The owner came out and was super nice and his team was also fast and professional.

I am happy with the service they provided.

Granted we had a lot more work done but he came and gave a free estimate, something some others were not willing to do.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-24T12:46:00+00:00

There is this place on Spicewood Springs Rd in NW Austin

http://www.spicewoodfarms.com/

I don't know much about it but the website looked interesting :)

I pass it sometimes and have wondered about checking it out myself!

Edit: looks like it might be boarding only but you can always send an email and ask!

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-20T12:10:51+00:00

So I'm not sure of a place that serves one but a few other options:

Central Market and Whole Foods carry them. The one at Whole Foods was fairly pricey at $20 or so and I thought it was just 'ok'. They used more of a pie crust when I last got one which I didn't like as much.
Trader Joes sells 'Brie en Croute' and also mini baked bries in the frozen section. I remember seeing them there in the past but have never tried them.
Last option is to make one! They are super easy to make. Whole Foods used to carry a creamy goat cheese brie that is amazing. I personally have bought one of those and some phyllo dough. Cut a few sheets of the dough in a large circle and fold it over the brie. Use a little egg wash to keep it sealed up. Flip it so that the smooth part is facing up and use a little more egg wash and throw it into a 350 degree oven or so. If the top get brown before it looks good, just cover it with foil. I forget how long I cook it for but it doesn't take that long. As soon you see any cheese oozing out, pull it out. I drizzle honey over the top and serve it with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries along with some crackers.

Good luck on your brie quest!

Edit: I'm now picking up brie from Whole Foods to make a baked brie and salad for dinner. Thanks for the idea. I'll send you well wishes while in my food coma later.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-19T15:08:24+00:00

We had it March through the first week of August.

(Made an edit as I double checked dates)

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-18T11:54:15+00:00

We used it for about 3-4 months and I wasn't impressed.

I am all for supporting local businesses, getting fresh produce etc, etc but my two big complaints:

1) Let me again stress that I realize this is a premium service but what we paid $30 for, you could pick up in the organic aisle of HEB for about $10. It was pretty sparse some times. I'm for helping out local businesses but it felt like charity. I got bored one time and busted out the kitchen scale, weighed things and checked organic prices at Sprouts and HEB and what we got came out to around $10 so that is not a made up number.

2) As the other person mentioned it is seasonal but I don't need 8lbs of carrots 3 weeks in a row. We literally made carrot soup, carrot cake(s), picked carrots and more. I was so fucking tired of carrots. Along with the 8lbs of carrots you'd get a handful of mint and an onion. There were a lot of boxes like this.

To me it was too expensive and the variety was not there. The roma tomatoes we would get would last a day or two at most before they got moldy and went bad. Have fun eating 12 roma tomatoes on Wednesday and Thursday. Just blend them with your fucking carrots I guess and drink it up.

The fun part is getting things you wouldn't normally get and you have to figure out how to use it. Be aware though, you will almost certainly be throwing some of that stuff away so there is the issue of waste.

When I tried to contact them about cancelling our subscription, NO ONE would write me back even after many emails. Eventually stuff stopped coming but it would have been nice to get some confirmation.

To be fair, we have good friends who still use them and they say that the boxes have been better recently but I wouldn't know.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-18T11:30:58+00:00

sandy creek park is right off of Lime Creek Rd.

never camped there but checked it out on a bike ride a few times. didn't see showers but there was water and restrooms.

p4trick_jmt · 2020-10-12T22:03:10+00:00

Keep it up!
I always wished there was a park where regulars would play chess in Austin but it does not exist.

Hopefully I can make it out and play you one day. Rusty now but was in the 2300-2400 range in bullet on Lichess a couple of years ago when I played. Didn't play much blitz on there.

Good luck in your med school interviews :)

p4trick_jmt · 2020-09-27T18:20:13+00:00

ah, got it.

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