an honest review of austin (Houston, Dallas: get credit, how much, new home)

[Shredding_Gnar78]

HEB is the greatest thing that ever happened to mankind

the trade off is the mad cattle that drive there

[CarnivalGal]

I pretty much agree with everything you said. I have to disagree about the weather, though. I will take NE winters over Austin summers any day.

Oh, and I like HEB, but I agree that it pretty much monopolizes the grocery market here. Wish there were more options too.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by north2south.

5) obviously number 1 for us but may or may not be am issue for others is not having family here.

I'm glad that you rated the above quote as "number 1" because I think this is what gives you the time to think about all the other little negatives or things that you miss. Missing your family and friends from back home makes you care a little bit more about little things like the crowds at HEB.

As a transplant myself, I work around the HEB crowds by going there at around 9pm after the kids are in bed if I can, so you can choose to improve upon the negatives. Unless you go to the zoo every weekend, you are weekend driving distance to four nice zoos in my opinion (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Waco-Cameron). I do agree that traffic is horrible during rush hour and there isn't really any way around that. You can fill some of the professional sports void by hitting up some of the great minor league baseball (RR Express) and minor league hockey (Texas Stars). But, if you're missing your home professional sports teams, would you really care if a team like the Astros was in Austin anyway for example?

And this thread again brings up why I think those of us from cities like San Diego and Phoenix for example have an easier time adjusting to the differences in Austin compared to those from the North or Northeast. Other than lacking the beaches, Austin is a lot like San Diego in my opinion. San Diego does have professional sports, but few people care about them because there are so many transplants originally from somewhere else and they already have their own favorite sports teams. I grew up on a slightly different version of Mexican food in San Diego so the food here isn't that much different. Both cities are very spread out and sprawling with weak public transportation so you always just drive everywhere.

So yes, you're not crazy to have your negative thoughts because of where you're from, you would probably have some of the same complaints of a city like San Diego because the North/Northeast is really different than other parts of the country.

[dbsteel]

I get what you mean by over sized suburb. The actual down town city area always seemed somewhat small to me. Which isn't a bad thing.... its easy to get in and out of, and to park. But then you drive for miles and miles and see endless shopping centers, restaurants, and jammed neighborhoods. It's like it never stops. At least the choices aren't lacking. No different than any other newer city I guess.......

HEB is just like everything else....... crowded.

[orngkat]

We've been here for over thirty years and always find it odd to hear newcomers complain about traffic and crowds. It's that way because you came here en masse and within a relatively short period of time.
Generic grocery stores are all the same really - mostly processed and "corporate" foods. Having so many grocery/food options is one of the main reasons we don't want to move away. I guess we all look at things differently...

[hoffdano]

My only quarrel with the OP's post is the complaint about HEB. I am always amazed how passionate people are about grocery stores. I love food and I think HEB is, all things considered, an excellent grocery store. The one by us (Bee Cave) is indeed crowded often. But unless I have to wait a long time to check out I don't care that much. Their meat section is not bad at all - USDA Prime, Wagyu, organic, etc. Good selection of craft beer, and a good deli section. HEB is based in Texas (San Antonio) and just blows Randalls for selection and pricing. I hate frequent shopper cards. Note that Central Market is an upscale HEB, and little less prone to emptying your wallet than Whole Paycheck.

No pro sports....if you were in LA you wouldn't have the NFL either. I was in NYC in August and went to a Yankees game. 2nd deck past 3rd base seats were $105 each. Unbelievable for baseball. I would go once a season at those prices.

World champion NBA is 90 miles away. NFL, NBA, and MLB a short drive (to me) away in Houston or Dallas.

The only US city with Formula 1 is Austin.

[A-Tex]

I will never understand why people move to a place that is entirely different from the place they lived then whine about how it isn't like the place they used to live.

PS/ The number of people at the HEB was dramatically smaller before all of you people moved here. The end.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by north2south.

Another thing that I wish Austin had which it doesn't for obvious reasons being location and how new the city is would be the lack of cultural neighborhoods like little Italy, a sold Chinatown, etc etc.

why do we need a "Chinatown" exactly?

Every time I go to Philadelphia, I don't think "this city needs to be half-Mexican, just like Austin"

Originally Posted by north2south.

just things I notice coming from another part of the country to maybe be somehway useful for others doing the same.

It's sad how pop-culture homogenized our country over the last 50 years. Regions, cultures, cuisine and dialects use to be unique. Now we've come to expect that we should be able to get Maine Lobster Rolls in places like Arizona, and if we can't, then that must mean the locals are philistines.

Perhaps the rest of the country should try to be more unique like Austin, and not homogenized.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by mm57553

I pretty much agree with everything you said. I have to disagree about the weather, though. I will take NE winters over Austin summers any day.

Oh, and I like HEB, but I agree that it pretty much monopolizes the grocery market here. Wish there were more options too.

That's because the other stores couldn't compete with HEB. it wasn't all that many years ago besides HEB, Austin had Safeway, Tom Thumb, Eagle, Skaggs Alpha Beta, Market Basket all competing against HEB. They've all left Austin except for HEB. That was back when HEB had gimmicks to draw in customers. Things like "LET'S Go To The Races".

I think the only national chain in Austin now besides WalMart, Target, and Fiesta, is Randall's, which it seems I heard it is now part of Safeway. Still, the only time I see Randall's on Wm Cannon and Mopac half way busy is when HEB is closed or their parking lot is overflowing.

There' s a reason why HEB is so popular. It's because they're so good at everything they do. Clean stores, friendly and helpful employees that take care of their customers,, good prices, good community relations. HEB is tough to beat. They have a very large and loyal following thru out a good chunk of Texas.

[riaelise]

Wal-mart still gives HEB a run for their money when it comes to pricing. HEB was higher priced "just because" for years until Walmart starting eating into their market share. Now things are a bit more level, but we still have zero qualms about shopping at Walmart. Our Walmart is very clean and open. We don't have any loyalty to any grocery store. Target's organic meats are superior to the run of the mill HEB brands (the chicken breast particularly sucks in quality). Sprout's is superior but there aren't enough of them.

I'm from the northeast as well and probably the only things I miss are the public transportation and family. I don't miss an urban environment one bit. In fact, I make sure I'm not even living in the City of Austin. I also don't particularly care for ethnic enclaves. I was never a fan of self-segregation. It took me living down here to realize that NYC is a very segregated city despite the veneer of multiculturalism.