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OK, I don't think Austin is Hell on Earth or anything, but I do think that the OP has pretty valid points. I think the big complaint people have is that Austin (in general) thinks and even somewhat brags that it is liberal, diverse, sophisticated, artsy, etc., but then when folks are actually called out on it, then it suddenly becomes, "Well, it's not that liberal/diverse/etc. per se..."
Show me an instance were the exact same people "brag" about Austin being "liberal", "diverse", and "sophisticated" and then turn around and back down when "called on it". Most of the instances I've seen of this usually involve two different sets of folk (the former and the latter). Which brings me to my next point .....
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Originally Posted by mm57553
I think most people are put off by the fact that people (Austinites) make it out to be something more than it really is.
Plus most of the negative nellies and those who harp on the above fail to take into account, to many folks, it _really_ is those things. If due to my background I find Austin diverse, who are you (or anyone else) to claim that it's not? If my impression of Austin is that it's fairly liberal, why is that "wrong". Notice how _EVERY_ single adjective you used above is _SUBJECTIVE_. There is no hard and fast definition for what makes a city liberal, or artsy, or diverse, or sophisticated, or "weird".
Someone coming here from the SF Bay area might not find Austin all that liberal, artsy, sophisticated or diverse. Someone coming from the pan handle of Texas might find Austin all those things in the extreme. Does that make one more "right" than the other, nope.
Plus, to the point of the city itself "tooting it's own horn", well I guess many would have Austin not try to attract anyone and call itself "one of the many places that has lots of live music venues in the world" and tout it's "increasing traffic" and create bumper stickers that say "keep Austin from getting less weird too fast". Please, all municipalities engage in a certain level of hyperbole and marketing to attract a tax base (business or personal), folks act as if Austin is somehow unique in this regard.
It's understandable that there is a certain level of backlash since there is certainly a fair amount of positive stuff about Austin floating around these days, that's natural. It's the level of rancour exhibited by some who post, as if it's their god given duty to not simply offer a contrasting opinion but to actively attack and nit pick that is somewhat puzzling.
Anyway, had to get that off my chest, I now take you back to your regularly scheduled thread ....
I agree with the not being very green.
I hardly expected Austin to be the place where I was told I could not put the most "green" roof on my house, because it didn't look right.
What's this about "Austin" telling you that you can't put the most green roof on your house? In my neighborhood you can build a house out of lacquer coated lollipops as long as it meets code, and last I checked, we are both in the same city. Heck, someone has recently put a very large solar array _in_their_front_yard_ in my neighborhood, thanks to city subsidies.
Show me an instance were the exact same people "brag" about Austin being "liberal", "diverse", and "sophisticated" and then turn around and back down when "called on it". Most of the instances I've seen of this usually involve two different sets of folk (the former and the latter). Which brings me to my next point .....
Plus most of the negative nellies and those who harp on the above fail to take into account, to many folks, it _really_ is those things. If due to my background I find Austin diverse, who are you (or anyone else) to claim that it's not? If my impression of Austin is that it's fairly liberal, why is that "wrong". Notice how _EVERY_ single adjective you used above is _SUBJECTIVE_. There is no hard and fast definition for what makes a city liberal, or artsy, or diverse, or sophisticated, or "weird".
Someone coming here from the SF Bay area might not find Austin all that liberal, artsy, sophisticated or diverse. Someone coming from the pan handle of Texas might find Austin all those things in the extreme. Does that make one more "right" than the other, nope.
Plus, to the point of the city itself "tooting it's own horn", well I guess many would have Austin not try to attract anyone and call itself "one of the many places that has lots of live music venues in the world" and tout it's "increasing traffic" and create bumper stickers that say "keep Austin from getting less weird too fast". Please, all municipalities engage in a certain level of hyperbole and marketing to attract a tax base (business or personal), folks act as if Austin is somehow unique in this regard.
It's understandable that there is a certain level of backlash since there is certainly a fair amount of positive stuff about Austin floating around these days, that's natural. It's the level of rancour exhibited by some who post, as if it's their god given duty to not simply offer a contrasting opinion but to actively attack and nit pick that is somewhat puzzling.
Anyway, had to get that off my chest, I now take you back to your regularly scheduled thread ....
Are you artsyguy or eepstein in disguise? Anyway, I'll address your complaints as others have done here.
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Originally Posted by daugenstine
I'll be honest with everyone and say Austin isn't all it's hyped up to be. Yes, it's a friendly city, but it does absolutely nothing for me. I'll gladly state why I dislike Austin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
1.) IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL MOST OF THE TIME. The only real season here is summer. The spring and fall last all but a month, and the winter is maybe two weeks. Summer here begins about mid-April and goes all the way into November. Not to mention, it's super humid like a swamp, and the air is thick enough to swim through.
Well, duh, of course it's hot here. If you hate heat so much, why did you move here? By the way, it is NOT "humid like a swamp" most of the summer in Austin. Houston's weather is much more like that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
2.) AUSTIN ISN'T AS LIBERAL AS EVERYONE THINKS IT IS. Yes, it's progressive for a Texas city, but that's not saying much. Trust me; I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for three years, and there's no comparison between the two. Need I remind everyone Austin is the Capital of Texas, one of the most backward states in the Union? Most of those right-wing radical politicians live here and not Dallas nor Houston. Needless to say, Austin is one of the most racially segregated cities in America.
I'm not exactly sure what you were expecting here. Most of the people I've met in Austin (including the conservative ones) have a "live and let live" attitude when it comes to peoples' politics.
FYI, I also lived in San Francisco. I'm a very liberal person, and I found SF's political climate to be oppressively liberal. That South Park episode that made fun of San Francisco's liberal smugness was not that far from the truth.
Do you actually have any facts to back up your statement that Austin is "one of the most racially segregated cities in America," or are you just trying to inflame people on this board?
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
3.) THERE ISN'T MUCH CULTURE HERE. South by Southwest lasts one week out of the year, and it's usually crowded and overpriced. The music scene here is quite lame.. I find it ironic how the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World" has no opera, symphony, or orchestra .Okay, so there's a few nice parks here. Whoopie! Some people here think watching bats fly off Congress Bridge is exciting, too. There are no professional sports teams, planetariums, major museums, zoos, aquariums, or other major amenities here. Yes, I know San Antonio is down the road. Baltimore is down the road from Washington, D.C, and San Diego is not far from Los Angeles. That said, their juxtapositions towards other major cities didn't stop those locales from maturing. Austin has some good restaurants, but the shopping here is lame at best. Even the radio stations in Austin are dull.
You obviously didn't do your homework. Austin DOES have a symphony orchestra, ballet, and opera. Don't complain about a city's lack of amenities if you don't know what you're talking about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
4.) THIS CITY IS WAY OVERPRICED. The cost of living here is outrageous for a city with little activity and too much traffic. If the city of Austin is going to milk its residences for every penny, the least they could do is give them some entertainment back in return. Not everyone wants to go down to Sixth Street and watch a bunch of 40-year-old adolescents play mediocre music at best.
Again, you didn't do your homework. If you think that 6th St is all that Austin has to offer in entertainment, then you need to do some more exploring.
Give us examples of what you mean by "overpriced." Overpriced compared to what?
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Originally Posted by daugenstine
5.) AUSTIN HAS A VERY ELITIST ATTITUDE. My older brother in Houston first took note of this, and I must say I agree. UT is a very preppy school with a "holier than thou" mindset. The locals here think they're smarter and more sophisticated than anywhere else in Texas. They're forgetting NASA is located in Houston, and both Houston and Dallas have far more culture than Austin. In fact, I read recently that Houston was ranked one of America's top ten most underrated cities. The Austinites love bashing everywhere else in Texas, yet they get their panties in a wad when someone else returns the favor.
I find it interesting how you complain about Austinites being elitist when your entire post smacks of elitism. You're bashing Austin for its "lack of culture," which is a very elitist thing to do.
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Originally Posted by daugenstine
6.) THE CASUAL ATMOSPHERE IS QUITE UNBECOMING. The people here have no concept whatsoever about formal wear. Whenever I walk into a high-class restaurant, I see them wearing jeans, t-shirts, shorts, sneakers, sandals, or flipflops. In every other city I'd lived, I'd be thrown out of a restaurant for not wearing nice clothes and a tie. I even went to a wedding where people dressed casually. How pathetic is that? If Austin wants the reputation of being the most sophisticated city in Texas, the least they could do is act like it.
Who said anything about Austin wanting the title as "the most sophisticated city in Texas?" Last time I checked, I thought that was Dallas' bag. I guess YOU are the one who wants that for Austin. Please read my comments above about your elitism.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
7.) AUSTIN ISN'T THE GREENEST CITY IN AMERICA. I love how the locals brag about that, too. They claim everything is environmentally friendly, yet everywhere I look people drive gas-guzzling SUV's and pick-up trucks. Plus, there's trash all over the feeder roads, and hardly anyone recycles here. Electric bills are sky-high because they still run off a natural gas plant. Let's seem the start driving smart cars, recycling everything, cleaning up trash, and using renewable energy like solar, wind, or geothermal power, then they can boast about how green they are.
I can see where you're coming from that Austin has some ways to go to be greener, but I refuse to believe that Austin's "greeness" is any better or worse than the average mid-sized American city until you can show us some facts and statistics to back up your point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daugenstine
If you want to live in a city that refuses to grow up and the adults act like college kids, you might like Austin just fine. However, if you're looking for a mature city that's affordable and has several activities going on, then I'd recommend staying away from Austin. The entire cultural hearth of this city revolves either around UT or the State Capitol. They didn't broaden their horizons like every other place I've lived. I'm sure the reader is wonder why I don't just leave this place. Believe me, I would if I had the means. Unfortunately, I'm stuck here for the time being due to the economy and whatnot. Also, I just graduated college not long ago, so I must get some experience before I go elsewhere. Rest assured I'll be leaving Austin in the not-too-distant future, and this time I won't be coming back.
Believe me when I say that with your attitude, nobody here will miss you when you leave.
When people here start buying Chevy Volts as they start coming out later this year, and everyone starts commuting on that light rail it took them forever to build, then I'll start believing Austin is the greenest city in America. Let's see the city council start installing more rooftop solar panels, too. Alas, if Bill White defeats Rick Perry this November, and they start putting more hip places over on the East Side, I'll start believing Austin is a more liberal city. Until then, I'm not sold on either idea.
When people here start buying Chevy Volts as they start coming out later this year, and everyone starts commuting on that light rail it took them forever to build, then I'll start believing Austin is the greenest city in America. Let's see the city council start installing more rooftop solar panels, too. Alas, if Bill White defeats Rick Perry this November, and they start putting more hip places over on the East Side, I'll start believing Austin is a more liberal city. Until then, I'm not sold on either idea.
Dude, give it up. No one, I repeat, NO ONE has said that Austin is the "greenest city in America". Actually, 99.9% of the members of this forum would laugh at that assertion.
As for Volts? What's up with that? Is the large quantity of Priuses and other hybrids in the road not good enough for you? You have a Chevy thing going on or something?
And what in the world does the Governor of Texas have to do with the City of Austin? You do realize the city has its own government, and is not run by the State Government, right?
Some people implied that maybe you are a recent college grad based on your comments. I'm not sold on the idea that you recently got an education.
I do hope you find what you're looking for, but please, stop with the inane posts.
Or this PHEV Program in Austin (http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Environmental%20Initiatives/Plug-in%20Hybrid%20Vehicles/creatingMarketInAustin.htm - broken link)(Plug In Hybrid Vehicle).
Well, I could go on, and on, but hopefully you get the point that somehow you're complaining about things that you clearly didn't do your homework about before complaining.
When people here start buying Chevy Volts as they start coming out later this year, and everyone starts commuting on that light rail it took them forever to build, then I'll start believing Austin is the greenest city in America. Let's see the city council start installing more rooftop solar panels, too. Alas, if Bill White defeats Rick Perry this November, and they start putting more hip places over on the East Side, I'll start believing Austin is a more liberal city. Until then, I'm not sold on either idea.
Who claims Austin is the greenest city in America? Compared to many cities it does well. I don't know a single Austinite who believes or says Austin is the "greenest."
I have a hard time believing any city in the US where temperatures are as high as they are here will ever truly win a "greenest" award.
Last edited by hoffdano; 07-03-2010 at 11:49 AM..
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