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I walked into Blackheart on a Tuesday evening, ready to drown my sorrows in a $15 Negroni. The bartender, a friendly local, raised an eyebrow as I ordered. "You know, we used to have a happy hour special on Negronis for $5," she said, shaking her head. "Those days are long gone."

As I sipped my overpriced cocktail, I couldn't help but think about the state of the Rainey Street bar scene. What was once a hub for cheap drinks and good times has been transformed into a strip of overpriced bars and restaurants. The average price of a Negroni on Rainey Street has gone up 300% in the past five years. That's not just inflation – that's a cocktail of greed and a dash of soullessness.

I started to wonder: what happened to the Rainey Street of old? The one where you could grab a $5 beer and a $10 burger at Midnight Rambler? The one where you could stumble into Blackheart and order a $5 Negroni without breaking the bank? The one where the bartenders knew your name and the regulars knew the bartender's name?

As I left Blackheart and walked down Rainey Street, I noticed something else: the proliferation of 'artisanal' bars and restaurants. Places like The Townsend and The Volstead Lounge, which serve up overpriced cocktails and small plates to a crowd of hipsters and tech bros. It's like the entire street has been taken over by a bunch of wannabe mixologists and restaurateurs who think they can charge $15 for a Negroni and get away with it.

But here's the thing: they can't. The Rainey Street bar scene is dying, and it's dying because of the same thing that's killing the rest of Austin: greed. The desire to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting tourists and hipsters has led to a strip of overpriced bars and restaurants that are slowly sucking the life out of the neighborhood.

As I walked away from Rainey Street, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. The Rainey Street bar scene was once a vibrant and thriving part of Austin's nightlife, but now it's just a shadow of its former self. The $15 Negroni is a symbol of everything that's wrong with Austin: the greed, the soullessness, and the desire to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting tourists.

But there's still hope. There are still bars and restaurants on Rainey Street that are committed to keeping the spirit of the neighborhood alive. Places like Blackheart and Midnight Rambler, which still serve up cheap drinks and good times to a crowd of locals and regulars. They're the ones who are keeping the flame of the Rainey Street bar scene alive, and they're the ones who will ultimately determine the future of the neighborhood.

So if you're planning on visiting Rainey Street anytime soon, do yourself a favor and skip the overpriced bars and restaurants. Instead, head to Blackheart or Midnight Rambler and order a $5 Negroni. It may not be the cheapest drink on the block, but it's still a damn sight better than the $15 Negroni you'll find at The Townsend or The Volstead Lounge.