One good thing about architecture school are the presentations done in front
of professional and non professional juries. They are all too often rude and
condesending. I've seen professors remove posted work and step on it. In
other words his skin should be thick by now. Besides art is controversial.
The selection of food and drink venders has nothing to do with architecture.

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"JakBQuik" wrote in message
...

"Monroe, of course..." wrote hastily:

monroe(other than that it's a godawrful airport t'be stuck in)

Actually, the new Austin airport has won awards for being one of the
nicest
airports to have to spend time in.

Regarding our airport, here's a little story I'll try to make interesting.
One winter afternoon in about 1997, I was returning from a ski trip in
Houston Hobby airport and happened on my neighbor, Jennie (all names have
been changed, to protect me) who is the director of the Burton Art Museum
here in Austin. Our airline was Southwest and, as I had a very low
number,
I offered to save her a seat.

I caught her eye as she came down the aisle, and she sat down in the
middle
seat and her companion sat on the aisle seat. She introduced me to him as
"Lenny Speaker, the dean of the architecture school at UT in Austin." She
also said that "Lenny is designing the new airport!".

"Wow!", said I, "that must be a great responsibility!"

"I just hope the people of Austin like it!", said Lenny.

Now here, dear BBQ friends, is where I went astray. I should have said
"Oh,
I'm sure they will, Lenny!"..or "I can't wait to see it, Lenny!".

No, no, no. I say "Geez, Lenny, after the Convention Center debacle, the
people of Austin are gonna just LOVE the NEXT public building that opens!"


Here a bit of digression: in about 1996 the Austin Convention Center
opened
to a highly concordant round of architectural critiques containing pans,
boos and hisses. The building was, and is a monstrosity. A total waste
of
bricks, agreed upon by all who see it.

I smile, look at Jennie, who suddenly looks really upset. Jennie says,
"Ah
John.... LENNY DESIGNED THE CONVENTION CENTER."

I have never in my life been able to insert my whole damn foot in my mouth
in such a perfectly irretrievable fashion.