las manitas
I love(d) Las Manitas as much as the next only-occasional Austin interloper, and last time I was there I ate breakfast there each and every day. Yum. And sure, as an only-occasional Austin interloper, it’s depressing that the building’s being replaced by a new Marriott hotel complex. But, as the Austinist points out, the story’s complicated (city council, a proposal of forgivable loans, public outcry, etc.). And, as always, the comments are where it’s at…including this gem from Grape Ape:
While having 8 or so Marriot’s downtown isn’t the best solution, tourism is nice. It does allow for new and existing businesses to grow. If only we could go back to just having all those 1 level dirt parking lots and empty buildings downtown - that would be awesome. Maybe then we could change our motto to “Keep Austin Mediocre and Unsuccessful”
Ouch.