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Three Austonia writers walked into bars with the mask mandate lifted. Here's what they saw.

An unmasked employee at UnBARlievable on Rainey Street takes down social distancing signs around the bar as it is no longer enforcing COVID restrictions.
When Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate and said businesses could open at 100% capacity, some Austin bars rejoiced. For bars that have opened as restaurants for months now, however, shifting back wasn't something they felt ready for.
Going against the governor's wishes, Austin leaders are urging businesses to follow the local order that keeps the mask mandate even as Abbott's restrictions are lifted statewide. On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton even threatened legal action on the city if Austin continued to hold the order in place.
With tensions high and a city in limbo, Austonia staff visited several bars across the city to see how both businesses and customers have reacted. But it wasn't exactly the roaring 20's the day the order was lifted. Here's what they saw.
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Austonia's Reporter Laura Figi said that much of West Sixth Street was slow or empty, with one exception. While Kung Fu Saloon saw slow business with masked staff helping masked and socially-distanced customers, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was busy and crowded with no masks in sight, Figi said. Figi said other bars, including Buford's, Star Bar and Little Woodrow's, were pretty empty, as was much of the street. UnBARlievable, which seemed the emptiest of all, had a crowd of unmasked employees standing at the entrance, Figi said.
Rainey Street
Augustine's, which usually has crowds on the weekend, was "completely dead," according to Garcia. (Sonia Garcia/Austonia)
Austonia's Senior Producer Sonia Garcia said that Rainey Street had a calm Wednesday night. At Augustine's, staff were wearing masks but customers were not required to, Garcia found. Photos have shown this particular bar with crowds on the weekend, but Garcia said that the bar was "completely dead" on Wednesday.
Unlike its counterpart on Sixth, Rainey's UnBARlievable had a good amount of people, with employees telling customers they can take off masks as they walk in, Garcia said. Live music in the back attracted the most people sitting at tables. Garcia says she saw employees taking down social distancing signs at around 8 p.m.
At Craft Pride, temperatures were checked and masks were required, Garcia said. Garcia said she could tell that social distancing rules were still strictly enforced despite having a decent crowd there.
East Austin
Yellow Jacket Social Club had customers spread out outdoors. (Emma Freer/Austonia)
At both Yellow Jacket Social Club and ATX Cocina, everyone was wearing masks except for at tables, and everyone was socially distanced, said Austonia Senior Reporter Emma Freer. Freer said signs were posted at both locations, and ATX Cocina had a makeshift outdoor tarp area as well as dining inside.
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Popular
(Austonia)
Days after Memorial Day, it officially feels like summer in Austin with a Heat Advisory Monday and a slew of 100+ degree weather on track for the week.
Triple-digit temperatures are expected in Central Texas for at least seven days straight, with near-record temperatures expected Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Increasing clouds tonight for most of the eastern part of south central Texas with lows in the 70s. For the rest of the week, the story is dry and heat weather conditions with highs in the upper 90s up to 107 degrees. #txwxpic.twitter.com/i19NMZDAaT
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) June 6, 2022
That near-record heat, coupled with almost nonexistent cloud coverage, could exacerbate a drought that has reached extreme levels. Lake Travis is at its lowest level since 2018.
Austin also just came out of its hottest May in 125 years. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport saw 1.8 inches of rain in May, down from an average of 5.1 inches.
At San Antonio International Airport, only 4.58" of rain has fallen between Jan 1 and June 5. This is their 9th driest start to a year. Some folks are drawing comparisons w/ 2011 in TX. Drought is not as bad/widespread as it was at this time that year, but it'll be a hot summer! pic.twitter.com/Nw9oxsEj3b
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) June 6, 2022
Austin still hasn't reached 2011 records, when an extreme drought scorched Austin with 27 straight days of 100+ triple-digit days. Still, the city typically doesn't reach 100 degrees until July 4, and the Climate Prediction Center said that Central Texas will continue to see above average (93.1-93.7 degrees) temperatures through June 19.
When triple-degree heat sets in and heat indexes rise high enough for a Heat Advisory, the National Weather Service recommends that residents limit strenuous activity outside, stay hydrated, stay out of the sun whenever possible and keep children and pets out of unattended vehicles.
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(Shutterstock)
In his three years as an Uber driver in Austin, Salai Ya has seen a range of items left behind in his car: cell phones, wallets, sunglasses and bags.
It’s become such a pattern that Ya started reminding riders before they leave to check that they collected all of their belongings. Ya’s experience is quite common in Austin, as the city topped the list of the most forgetful cities for the second year in a row on Uber’s Lost & Found Index.
But it's not just an Austin trend. Other Texas cities that made the top 10 most forgetful include Houston and Dallas at No. 3 and No. 5, respectfully.
Ya said the people who forget stuff are commonly those who request rides downtown on weekend nights.
“It’s the time most people drink, hang out,” Ya said.
While Ya said the dark could add to the likelihood of riders leaving items behind, Uber reports 5 p.m. as being the most forgetful time of day.
On weekends, cash, fanny packs, IDs and clothing are the items likely to be left behind.
But there are also some unique items Uber reports people leaving behind including a brown tortoise, a spray tan machine, part of a soft-serve ice cream machine and even an urn with pet ashes and an urn with family member ashes.
If you plan on taking an Uber this Independence Day, make sure you’re mindful of your stuff. St. Patrick’s Day and July 4 were the most popular two days of the year to leave possessions in the back seat.
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