In Mourning For Las Manitas

Las Manitas is - was - is - a downtown Austin landmark for the last 25 yeras. "Was" because it closed its doors yesterday to make way for an oh-so-Austin Marriott. "Is" for two reasons - one, we don't know yet for sure that they won't re-open in a new location, though it won't be the same, not being able to walk through to the back patio, and, two, because just as other Austin landmarks lost to us (Armadillo World Headquarters comes to mind), it will always be with us in our hearts, a little bit of Austin's soul, a little bit of what made Austin a place we want to live. We're slowly losing more and more of those as people love Austin, move to Austin, then change Austin to make it less what they moved here to experience and more the very places they moved from. What's next? Filling in Barton Springs Pool and building a swimming pool in its place?

There's been quite a bit of talk about the closing. Some of it is shared here

Texas Monthly Eat My Words: End of an Era: Austin's Las Manitas: Closed.

HotelChatter: Austin's Las Manitas Shuttered to Make Way for Marriott

ValleyWag: SXSW Hangover Joint Closes

Stevey: R.I.P. Las Manitas in Austin, TX

Austin Business Journal: Las Manitas Closes

Of course, this isn't the only time that Las Manitas has been covered by blogs and media. Some past reviews:

Yelp Reviews

Frommers

Texas Monthly On The Menu

Austin Chronicle

And the list goes on. We'll hope that they'll open in a new location - but it won't be the same.

The sign said it best, and it applies not only to Las Manitas, but to so many local treasures, buildings, businesses, countryside, that made (and make) Austin the desirable place to live that it is, things that have given way to replacements that could be found in any city anywhere in this country:

“Here was fought the battle for Austin’s soul. Austin lost.”

Las Manitas is, granted, just one. How many more can we afford to lose before we become Anywhere, U.S.A.?