Probable move from St. Pete (Austin, Lakeway: apartment, live in, moving to)

[scm53]

Originally Posted by OSUbrew

Yea I saw those, super convenient location, looked pretty nice. I could walk to the gym and most everything I need if I wanted to. Seems to be a somewhat lively area. The Paseo apartments that I actually got to look at are very close to there also, across the street.

We lived at HCG for a year - one thing to remember is that they have a garage, so your car is always covered. All others, you have to pay extra for a garage.

You can't beat the "walk to" thing. Really cool to stroll to Panera for your morning coffee and paper, or walk over to Amy's for an evening ice cream, or Vert's for a kebap, ...

[LiveUrban]

If you are interested in a more urban (and arguably more active) lifestyle, there are a lot of existing apartment buildings in the westside of Austin (and many more coming soon) along Barton Springs Rd., S. Lamar, and W. 5th St.

The Bee Cave area is suburban in nature and is mostly composed of families and older couples. The Hill Country Galleria would be your best bet if you are not willing to do a bit of a longer commute to your workplace.

An apartment on the westside would put you within close proximity of downtown, Zilker Park, Barton Springs, Whole Foods flagship store, Mount Bonnell, W. 6th St (street with bars that cater to your age group) and our excellent hike and bike trails that you'll be able to use at your wish. Parking downtown is a bit of a challenge and becoming moreso so being able to walk/bike, ride the bus, or take a short cab ride would be a good thing if you plan to frequent the excellent nightlife we have here.. and not want to risk drinking and driving.

Nightlife is composed of several different concentrations of bar/clubs/restaurants with pretty distinctive clientele as mentioned. Rainey St. is great if you are a fan of craft beer. W. 6th St. is frequented by many young professionals. 6th St (Dirty 6th) is mainly the 20's crowd on a Friday/Saturday night but during the week is a better mix of ages.

E. 6th St. area (across I-35 from downtown) and East Side in general is the heart of the indie scene and has a lot of neat bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. Red River for metal/punk/grunge. 4th St. for the gay scene.

Lanai, Ibiza, and Kingdom are great dance clubs and play good EDM.

[OSUbrew]

That definitely sounds more appealing, i'll look into some of those apartments LiveUrban.

[LiveUrban]

The AMLI 300 is in a perfect location AMLI 300 - Austin Apartments - Luxury Austin Apartments

It's within walking distance of Shoal Creek Trail, Pfluger Ped/Bike Bridge, Lady Bird Lake trails, Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Whole Foods (healthy eating), REI store, and W. 5th St. nightlife.

It might be a bit out of your price range though with rents starting at $1372. The higher rents are in all of the newer constructions like AMLI 300 so if you want lower rents you could look into older apartments in the area.

Also being in and around downtown you have the option of possibly renting out your apartment at big events like SXSW and Formula 1. People will pay big bucks to stay at your place during those events if you are willing
Renting Out Your Home During SXSW? Here

In the end though, you have to decide if you're willing to sacrifice by having a longer commute to work each day.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by LiveUrban

If you are interested in a more urban (and arguably more active) lifestyle, there are a lot of existing apartment buildings in the westside of Austin (and many more coming soon) along Barton Springs Rd., S. Lamar, and W. 5th St.

The Bee Cave area is suburban in nature and is mostly composed of families and older couples. The Hill Country Galleria would be your best bet if you are not willing to do a bit of a longer commute to your workplace.

You will commute to work five days/wk. You will recreate at most two. Come here, and drive it at real times. Yes, you will be counter flow. There are parts that will still blow, no matter what direction.

Downtown, or nearby, will be more expensive for the same sq. footage. You will never live anywhere in Austin that has as many things w/in walking distance as HCG.

Your call.

[LiveUrban]

The AMLI 300 is in a perfect location AMLI 300 - Austin Apartments - Luxury Austin Apartments

It's within walking distance of Shoal Creek Trail, Pfluger Ped/Bike Bridge, Lady Bird Lake trails, Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Whole Foods (healthy eating), RIDE indoor cycling studio, kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, Luke's Locker store, tons of yoga places, REI store, and W. 5th St. nightlife. In case you haven't figured out we have a huge fitness scene here so you'd not be alone in that aspect.

The AMLI 300 might be a bit out of your price range though with rents starting at $1372. The higher rents are in all of the newer construction apartment buildings/complexes so if you want lower rents you could look into older apartments in the area.

Being in and around downtown you have the option of possibly renting out your apartment at big events like SXSW and Formula 1 which could help you out financially if willing. People will pay big bucks to stay at your place during those events.
Renting Out Your Home During SXSW? Here

All in all, it comes down to whether or not you are willing to sacrifice by having a longer commute to work each day

[OSUbrew]

Those AMLI 300 apartments look sweet. I could probably deal with that payment. I guess it's something i'll have to think about. I hate dealing with trying to park in crowded areas and worrying about driving home after going out, so it may be more beneficial to live downtown and drive to work, since parking is easy there.

I'm also excited about the healthy living/fitness scene there. It's a huge part of my life. The bigtime smoking ban rocks too because I can't stand cigarettes.

[twange]

I like those AMLI apartments as well. I think the advice LiveUrban gave you about targeting Austin's west side is sound. Your commute to work will be short and you'll have a lot more to choose from as far as lifestyle goes.

[twange]

Originally Posted by OSUbrew

My favorite places downtown St. Pete if you're familiar twange are the classier ones on Beach Drive closest to the bay like the Canopy (rooftop bar) and just that whole street of restaurants and bars. I also like VUE19 and SIP. I went to Shephard's in Clearwater for New Years Eve and it was amazing.

My main gripe is leaving St. Pete, because I love it, but it's a really hard offer to pass up so i'm having a hard time making a decision. I'm just hoping I'll be happy over in Austin and not regret moving for more income possibility.

Yes, that's a great area of St Pete's! Again, it's just a beautiful little city. I've had a lot of good times there…almost makes me feel a little sad that I won't be going there anymore

[OSUbrew]

So I found a nice apartment and i'm all set to move next month. I suppose If I regret the move that bad I can always move back here to St. Pete, but I won't know unless I give it a chance. Who knows, I might like Austin better!

Kind of funny, I live in Ohio my entire life, then I end up moving to 2 different states within a year. I'm very glad I made the decision to get out of Ohio initially though, the south seems so much friendlier in general and i'm glad to be done with the harsh winters.