What do you love about Austin?

[Raziel]

Originally Posted by bianca0

I think the problem that we are having is that we did not experience the hustle and bustle or the materialism that most people speak of. Most of our friends were in the same boat as we are.... that is, not making a lot of money and living in tiny places paying high rent and living paycheck to paycheck. Austin seems so much crazier to me than San Diego. I think it is beacause of the traffic, the drivers seem to be in such a rush. I have yet to drive somewhere without having someone ride my ass or cut me off. It is interesting to see how different people view the same thing.

Concerning the drivers, it's the rapid amount of growth that Austin is experiencing and drivers from everywhere (not just Californians) are going to bring their good/bad habits to the road, the freeways/roads are not the definitive identity of Austin.

[FellowTraveler]

Strange.

Originally Posted by bianca0

I want to be able to walk to the grocery store, resturants, shops, and work, or at least good public transportation. (I do not have a car and do not plan on buying one soon).

Originally Posted by bianca0

Austin seems so much crazier to me than San Diego. I think it is beacause of the traffic, the drivers seem to be in such a rush. I have yet to drive somewhere without having someone ride my ass or cut me off.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Maybe they changed their mind and bought a car?

[FellowTraveler]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

Maybe they changed their mind and bought a car?

First post: 04-27-2008, 06:10 PM

Second post: 04-29-2008, 08:42 PM

[brubaker]

^^^BUSTED!!!!

Originally Posted by Raziel

Concerning the drivers, it's the rapid amount of growth that Austin is experiencing and drivers from everywhere (not just Californians) are going to bring their good/bad habits to the road, the freeways/roads are not the definitive identity of Austin.

I always thought it was the younger kids and just people coming to Austin to party that drive like bats out of hell.
With sprawl becoming more of a problem the freeways/roads are starting to be a part of the identity.

But I digress.
What do I like about Austin?

Downtown is nice.
There are some cool people from other states and nations here.
FOR TEXAS...it has a decent liberal thing going on (downtown).
It's CHEAP.
There are jobs.
The hill country is always nice if you can find a park or wild life preserve that isn't overrun.

It has it's moments.
I agree with the advice to wait awhile...that every new place can seem worse than it is when you first get there.
...for up to 2 years I'd say!

[absolutely]

Originally Posted by bianca0

I was just wondering what people like about Austin. I just moved here and I am thinking of moving back because I don't think that it is my cup of tea here is what I look for in a city:

1. nice weather (I have asthma and allergies so this is important). I do not want to have to worry about ice on the roads in the winter either.
2. Good shopping. I like the domain, those are the type of places that I like to shop, newer upscale stores.
3. Good Resturants.
4. Scenery, but, I do not want to have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to get to it.
5. Proximity. By this I mean I need things to be located neer to where I live. I want to be able to walk to the grocery store, resturants, shops, and work, or at least good public transportation. (I do not have a car and do not plan on buying one soon).

I do not go out do bars or clubs. I don't enjoy swimming in lakes or ponds or rivers. I have lived in KY for 26 years and in San Diego for 1 year. Both of these places had most of these, however, I left KY for better weather, and I left San Diego for a cheaper cost of living. I am now finding that Austin does not offer enough of what I want for me to stay. I would like to be proven wrong since I put so much time and effort into moving here

i'm not even slightly surprised you've found that austin doesn't satisfy your needs. i don't want this to come off as ridicuously rude, but it seems as if you absolutely neglected to put any amount of time into researching austin prior to moving here. it's almost as if this post is satirical.

weather - i also suffer from allergies and a lingering seasonal asthma, and austin has been one of the hardest areas of the US for me to endure. central texas is well known for it's constant rotating battalion of trees, mold, and grass. if you are particuraly allergic to mold, it can be quite bothersome. five minutes of internetting would have cleared this issue up for you. although, i must admit, i overestimated my allergy weakened immune system prior to moving here.

Allergy History | kvue.com | Austin News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | Allergy Forecast
Allergy Forecast | kvue.com | Austin News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | Allergy Forecast (http://www.kvue.com/weather/allergy-forecast/Allergy-Forecast-65020127.html - broken link)

shopping - austin thrives on local business. the domain shares the least in common with what makes austin desireable to many. you will find shops like those at the domain, at nearly any upscale mall. there is absolutely nothing unique about a mall, and you will find them anywhere. they generally sustain their identity by conforming to easily achieved standards. austin is not generally known for shopping, and consumerism shouldn't dictate the desireablility of a city. that's not to say though, that there aren't many awesome places to shop in austin. there are, just mainly within central and south austin.

good restaurants - where have you eaten in austin so far? of the many gripes i've had about austin, food is hardly one of them. personally, i'm vegetarian, and if you share my disinterest in meat there are bountiful choices before you. if you prefer meat, there are tons of great local and unique locations. it's difficult for me to list examples, as you havn't provided your preferences.

scenery - again, what are your preferences? there are many bluffs throughout central austin that provide a hilly, and lush terrain. west of mopac, 360, 620, 2222, etc, are very close to central austin and provide nice scenery. this really depends on what you find scenic. i'm a mountains/oceans kind of guy, so austin being landlocked and more flat than i prefer, starts to wear a little thin on me after a while.

proximity - there are many places within central austin that will satisfy this desire. i live at 1st / barton springs and am pretty satisfied with the walkability of the area. how much time and effort did you put into researching cap metro before moving here? do you feel you were mislead by their marketing, and their website which boasts effeciency that simply does not exist? as you may have already noticed, it's a pathetic excuse for public transit. have you had difficulty in getting around so far? my wife and i currently do not have a car, rely on public transit and i fortunately am able to drive car2go to work.

"I don't enjoy swimming in lakes or ponds or rivers." - this statement is particuraly shocking to me. ALOT of what makes austin attractive to many, is the ability to swim outdoors in a host of locations, most notably natural springs. do you simply prefer to swim in manmade pools (many here are spring fed as well), or do you tend to stray away from outdoor activities in general? there is FAR more to outside in austin, than inside. again, i don't want to be rude, but i feel like any amount of research would have made this quite clear.

i truly wish you luck in your stay in austin, but i must admit that it seems you've played a similar role to many others in austin. you've completely neglected to provide yourself with sufficient knowledge of the city you'll be moving too. and because of this, you've now questioned if austin is the city for you. i came to austin with certain expectations, and i too now believe that austin is not the city for me. however, i put in ample time researching austin, it's economy, demographics, culture(ha), and activities. it all looked great on paper, and city-data (aka - realtors) sure know how to talk a city up. i bought into an amount of hype i never thought i'd fall for, and i made mistakes i now admit. though i can't say i didn't take the necessary strides to get here, and understand what i was getting myself into. from the interests in a city which you've provided, i would assume you should continue your search elsewhere.