El Arroyo Sign, Beloved Austin Pontificating Placard, Temporarily Grounded By Powerful Storms

AUSTIN, TX — Maybe Mother Nature doesn't like puns or snarky political commentary or hard societal truths.

The sign fronting the popular El Arroyo restaurant at 1624 W 5th St. in central Austin was felled by the powerful storm that swept over Austin on Monday morning with wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, taking with it the latest witticism posted on the portable billboard that delights (or induces groans) from patrons and passersby alike.

In addition to tasty tacos and yummy Margaritas, the restaurant traditionally has served up topical musings on subjects ranging from the anthropological to the political and all issues in between. The sign's gained something of an iconic status in Austin as a result, as well-known as the "I Love You So Much" mural painted on the side of Jo's coffee shop off South Congress to which tourists and natives alike flock to have their pictures taken fronting it.

The staying power of the restaurant itself — offering Tex-Mex culinary fare since 1975 — amid brisk gentrification lends an air of authority to its sign's messaging. But overnight on Monday, the billboard was silenced. Restaurant officials took a picture of the fallen billboard, and it's a rather sad sight to behold:

It's sad because the El Arroyo sign has long offered a respite, however fleeting, to daily city life. Its witticism have long delighted denizens, coaxing a smile at times to outright guffaws. Take this St. Valentine's message from last week:

More insightful then Steve Harvey's books on relationships, eminently more palatable than having to endure "He's Just Not That Into You" (book or movie, ugh) for relationship insights, the El Arroyo sign's message spoke eloquently in its simplicity while simultaneously yielding a potent endorsement of word economy in getting a point across.

And then there's the puns. Dear God, the puns! Here's one that brilliantly blends political commentary with wordplay and another vaguely naughty yet taco-ey and a third craftfully inserting a bovine reference:

Other missives have mused on science and the creation of life, spotlighting more evidence of its genius:

Others are politically tinged messages imbued with more subtlety, offering historical references to great political oratory but with a culinary flair:

The Arroyo sign doesn't just pontificate, but often expresses a winsome sense of self-deprecation:

But, alas, the sign was felled by yesterday's storm. But fret not, El Arroyo sign fans! Although a little worse for wear, the sign has been mended, and lives to snark again! %he sign is once again apun us!

Long live the El Arroyo sign!

>>> Photo via Facebook