Moving to Austin - downtown or Zilker? (Spring, Center: how much, hotel)

[DCtoTX]

Hello,

I am a mid-30s single woman who is moving from DC to Austin. My company has an office downtown, but I have the luxury of working from home most days. I'm torn between a new building downtown and a place just of Barton Springs Rd and S. Lamar. I currently don't have a car, but will be buying one in a few months. Downtown obviously has a lot of benefits, but the Zilker option is a few hundred dollars cheaper. My question is - will I regret living in the Zilker area due to traffic on the bridge or is it just as convenient as downtown while being slightly more livable? I know I will need a car in Austin, but also really enjoy being able to walk to a variety of things.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

[centralaustinite]

I'd take Zilker in a heartbeat

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

I'd take Zilker in a heartbeat

I agree.

[78745gm]

I think the only benefit to living downtown would be if you plan to eat out and go to bars often. Otherwise, I would absolutely prefer the Zilker area. Depending on where you are you may be able to walk to restaurants and shops on South Lamar. Traffic can be tough on the bridge during rush hours, but it isn't too bad.

[AMJ27]

Zilker! If you are at Barton Springs Rd. and S. Lamar, you can easily walk to a lot in downtown (like Whole Foods, etc.).

[DMfan]

Even if they were the same price, I'd go with Zilker. Just make sure, using Google map or street view, that you have easy access to an intersection with a light to get out of your area if you'll need to make a left turn onto Lamar. During rush hour it could be a bit dicey otherwise.

[DCtoTejas]

Nice username! I'm going to buck the trend here and recommend the downtown option. I lived right off of Lamar and Barton Springs when I moved here but my work location is in South Austin off of Hwy 71. I loved where I lived due to the parks and the general proximity to downtown and things to do but it isn't the easiest area to walk to places. Whole foods is a pretty decent hike, bars and restaurants on 5th / 6th streets even further, shops on South Lamar require an uphill walk on a narrow sidewalk next to a busy street, south congress is another hike. There are more options right on Barton Springs with the food trailer court now then when I lived there but again, it's not walk-able in the sense that downtown is.

I think it really comes down to your personal preference, do you value green space and a more park like feel around you, or do you value convenience and proximity to your job and a greater variety of places to go out, eat etc? Do you want to spend your free time swimming in the springs, hiking the trail around town lake and exploring the greenbelt or do you want to shop, check out campus or the capitol or a museum? It's not totally an either/or proposition as you will be able to do both from either location, just a matter of what do you want right outside your door.

Also as others have mentioned, if you do go the zilker route, make sure you can get out of your place easily with a light or something to go North on Lamar in the AM, traffic is gridlocked going across the bridge, and backed up easily to Manchacha Rd.

[CptnRn]

When you live as close to downtown as Zilker, the commute even during rush hour is short. Plus you have the choice of three different bridges to get into downtown (Lamar, S. First & Congress Ave) not counting IH-35 and MoPac, which I would avoid during rush hour.

When picking a place to live be sure to check out the bus routes into downtown from that area. Capital Metro - Austin Public Transit

[Aquitaine]

+1 Zilker but (if you can) book a room at the Driskill or another hotel downtown for a weekend and see how much you like being right in the middle of things. I still think Zilker will beat downtown for anyone in their 30s (downtown is mostly, though by no means entirely the college crowd; older folks are more Rainey Street, South 1st, South Lamar, Zilker).

[atxcio]

Zilker. It has better amenities than downtown, actually. Downtown as a place to live is actually a relatively new thing; it was dead not too long ago, with the exception of 6th street. If you like brand new expensive restaurants, expensive little stores, or living in high rises, then it's great. But there is more going on south of downtown (Zilker park, Long Center, Palmer Events Center, Zach Theatre,SoCo, Continental Club, Saxon Pub, Broken Spoke), better restaurants that are more reasonable priced, lots of shade and greenery, just much more livable and established. Plus getting to downtown is as easy as it gets.