As everyone knows by now, today is (sniffle) the Alamo Downtown's last day in operation--at its current location, at least. And they're going out with a bang, offering a fabulous feast to accompany Big Night, shaking things up with Earthquake, and freaking you out with Night Warning featuring Susan Tyrrell live. Everything's mad sold out, of course, but there "may" be standby tickets available for Earthquake and Night Warning ($30 for each film, $75 for the pair) if you want to head downtown and try your luck tonight. And some people are using futuristic scenarios involving capri pants and iPhones to try and sell extra tix on craigslist, so you might just be able to get a seat tonight.

We're all super excited to see the Alamo's snazzy new digs at the Ritz, but for now, we'd like to mourn the passing of the Alamo Downtown by remembering the fun, freaky, fearsome, and other assorted times we've had there. From all-night movie fests to celebrity appearances to Mr. Sinus to singalongs to air guitar sex to amazing feasts, the Alamo Downtown has always been there to entertain us (and enrage us--when our favorite events are sold out, that is). Read our nostalgic stories, view some awesome entries from the Alamo Blog-a-Thon, and add your own Alamo experiences in the comments!

Austinist Alamo Memories

Tom: When I first started dating my wife, we talked about things like where we'd prefer to live (we were in the UK at the time) and whether we wanted children and such. As a East Coast native, she was understandably skeptical of my overzealous Texan enthusiasm. Things like George W.'s grammar and the "Texan" beer and truck commercials didn't help much, either. But one very warm summer day during an Austin visit, we ducked into the Alamo Downtown for the "South Park Sing-A-Long", bought a bucket of beer and some burgers, and sang "Blame Canada." As I recall, they passed out lyric sheets for "Uncle F***er" as well. We returned not long after for High Fidelity and downed another bucket. Along with breakfast tacos, I think that was the beginning of Beth's embrace of the town that we now call home with our daughter.

Kerry: From air guitar contests to awkward first dates, the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown has been my cinematic buddy through good times and bad. I never got naked enough or drunk enough inside the place (Dear Alamo at the Ritz, please prepare for seeing lots of my naked drunk ass), but I always loved knowing that, in the midst of Austin's downtown insanity, there would be a steady stream of interesting, if not quite "quality," films. I've watched Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze surf it up in Point Break, listened to a good ol' bluegrass song play in the background as Jason Alexander chases Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, seen countless Japanese men run around in their underwear (on-screen and off), marveled at tap-dancing contortionists during the pre-show footage, and cried and cried about missing many a sold-out show. I look forward to frequenting the Ritz, but will always long for the dark, beery womb of the original downtown location.

Math: Though my funniest Alamo adventure happened at the South Lamar theatre--where I walked out the door late one night in my underwear, carrying a urine (not mine) soaked pair of jeans and a stack of free movie passes--my fondest memories are of the small, awkward, utterly magical downtown attic where I've spent countless hours over the course of my time here in Austin.

For me, the Alamo completely reinvigorated my interest in film, and radically reshaped my understanding of the moviegoing experience. Now, instead of going to multiplex matinees to avoid the crowds, I actually look forward to seeing a film in a packed theatre. I eagerly wait for tickets to go on sale, clicking "refresh" every five seconds to make sure I get a seat. I even love waiting in line on the stairs, soaking up the atmosphere and chatting with other regulars about the movie we're about to see.

I've spent so much time at the Alamo Downtown that it almost feels more comfortable than my living room now. When friends visit from out of town, the first place I take them is to the Alamo, and almost without exception it's their favorite part of the Austin experience. It's hard to say what I'll miss most (though I think Music Mondays is a strong contender), but it's safe to say that things just won't be the same here without the Original Alamo Downtown.

Fun from the Blog-a-Thon
A huge list of Alamo stories and memories can be found at the Alamo Blog-a-thon page.

Alamo Downtown Blogathon Flickr Pool (source of all images in this post)

More Alamo Downtown Coverage

News 8 Austin calls the Alamo "a one-screen anomaly that grew into an icon."

Ryan Long of Screen Door film: "The Alamo was like one of those great albums that changed all the music that came after it."

Ain't It Cool says "the nostalgia for that original location is irreplaceable."

Tim League loves Weird Wednesday: "I've been to other knock-off types of events around the country, and I've never seen anything remotely like what we have. In other cities, the audiences are all drunk, unruly, loud and goofing on the movie. It drives me up a wall. The Weird Wednesday crowd is a group of almost scholastic researchers, excited to go on a new journey every Wednesday night. ... More than any of the huge celebrities and high-profile premieres we have hosted at the original Alamo, it's Lars' modest Weird Wednesday club that consistently makes me the happiest about what we do at the theater."

From illegal openings to Quentin Tarantino to air sex championships: Alamo Downtown Timeline

The Chronicle sums it up: "There was food. There was beer And there were movies. Godard, were there movies."

For the Future

Check the progress of the Alamo at the Ritz.

Virtually visit the Alamo Downtown whenever you want, thanks to David Hill.

Thanks, Alamo Downtown. We'll miss you.