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Old 06-11-2008, 12:15 PM
 
739 posts, read 3,057,311 times
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My wife and I made our second trip to Texas for a week in the past year to see if we want to relocate. My brother and sister in law came with us for this trip and we met at DFW airport. We spent 4 days in Austin. After flying to New York for a wedding, spending three days, flying to DFW, and then driving to Austin, we were pretty tired when we arrived. We stopped at a BBQ place in Hillsboro called Up In Smoke for our first taste of good BBQ in a long time. We stayed at an America's Best Value Inn on Koening. For a budget hotel it was not bad. Did what we needed.

The first day we arrived we headed to UT Austin as my wife had an information open house with the school of social work masters program. We took a few minutes to walk the campus afterwards. That is such a beautiful campus. After getting lost with the GPS trying to get back, I found South Congress Street. Since I have read a lot about SoCo I decided to take it to see what was on it. My wife loved all the boutique shops and fun looking restaurants. We passed Habana which is the original Cuban restaurant to the one we love here in San Diego. After getting a locals recommendation for a good restaurant, we headed to the Magnolia Café on South Congress. We LOVED that place. The service was amazing and the food very good. We went home very satisfied and ready to sleep.

On Tuesday we met up with a realtor named Tricia Moderator cut: sorry. She had lined up a bunch of rental houses all over Austin to look at this. We went all the way from Cedar Park to Circle C looking at different houses and areas of Austin. Our absolute favorite place was Forest Creek in Round Rock. The houses were stunning and the street even more so. We loved the huge trees and peaceful area. We also really liked Cedar Park. Circle C and south west Austin was nice too, but coming from a big city like San Diego where we live in a very urban part, we wanted to be around more shopping and restaurants. She took us to a Mexican restraint called Azul Tequila. Man this place was awesome! Even my sister in law who is Mexcian was impressed. I had their mole chicken and was very very happy at the end. We all had an amazing time looking at houses and Tricia was awesome! I highly recommend her for any realtor needs.

Wednesday we took exploring the city ourselves. We headed to a house for sale we found on Craigslist that we fell in love with online. The house did not disappoint. It was amazing, price was good, and the area awesome. However, we didn’t want to buy a house when we moved out. We want to rent for a year and get to know the area better. We talked to the owner about potentially leasing it and he said he was interested and would get me a price. He then asked if we wanted to go to lunch with him and his wife. So, the 6 of us went to Bombay something or other in Cedar Park. It is an India buffet that was actually really good. We had a great time with the couple and they asked us out to dinner that night. We ended up going to Green Mesquite. The daily special was the three meat plate so I got brisket, sausage, and pulled pork. I didn’t car for the pulled pork all that much or the corn. But, everything else was wonderful. After dinner we headed to Mozart’s and had gelato and coffee and sat on the deck. It was a wonderful night weather wise and we spent two hours hanging out and having fun. It was a great night.

Thursday was spent with Tricia again looking at more properties. We went to Louisiana Longhorns in Round Rock for lunch and yet again, we were very very happy with the food. I had some stew like thing, over rice with fried catfish. Man it was so yummy. After looking at houses until after 6 pm, we took off for the DFW area.

Now that I had a little recap on our days, I wanted tot talk about things in general.

General Feeling of Austin – We love it. The city had this funky, fun vibe. 6th street area reminded us of the Gas Lamp district of downtown San Diego with all the bars and restaurants. South Congress was a fun street and so much more. The suburbs were great as they are a quick commute into town, have everything you need/want within a few miles, but still feel quiet and safe. The Trees! I have never seen so many trees. It was all so beautiful. My brother was 6 when we moved from Texas to California. He wasn’t sure what to expect and he too was blown away. He wants to move as soon as he graduates college.

Traffic/Roads – So traffic here was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be after reading these forums so much. Coming from southern California it was not bad at all. We drove I35 through downtown area at 5:15ish and while it was stop and go, it wasn’t nearly as bad as San Diego can get at times. I will say though, that your streets are very confusing! After 2 days, we stopped listening to the name of the street on the GPS, but instead turned approximately where it said we should turn. Come to find out that streets/highways have 3 different names! Loop 1 and Mopac ect. Also, the toll roads are confusing. They start and stop randomly and I swear I think they designed the streets to trick you onto the toll road

The Food – Holy moly I would move for just the food alone. Everywhere we went we enjoyed (even the chain restaurants like Cracker Barrel). I LOVE BBQ and could eat it every day. While my wife may not agree about the every day thing, she did love everywhere else we went. I saw a thread where people were complaining about the restaurants in Austin and that being a reason for not moving. I was a little shocked. The restaurant scene felt very similar to San Diego, so with that I am happy. It may not be New York, but I thought they had a good variety of quality places.

The People – Wow is all I can say. Everyone was so nice. From our great realtor to the couple who we didn’t lease their house but still hung out with us for a whole day. It was very warning and welcoming and I can say it is a nice change than what I am used to here in Cali. I just love the atmosphere out there.

The Weather – So, last June we were in Houston and DFW for a week and the humidity and heat were awful. Austin’s weather seemed a bit nicer. While it was basically 100 degrees every day we were there, we felt the humidity was not nearly as bas as DFW/Houston. I found the days pleasant as long as I put on some sun screen. The nights, with the breeze, was very comfortable and enjoyable. I didn’t find the weather off putting. While it is different than what I am used to, I think after a little time I will come to find it perfectly fine.

Conclusion – I love Texas. Being native born and gone for 18 years, I want to come back. The biggest obstacle was whether or not I could get my SoCal since birth wife to move. Well guess what? She fell in love with Austin. She loved the school, the people, the area- everything except maybe the weather. So, we have decided to make the move in August. We want to establish a year of residency before she goes to grad school, so we are making the move in a few months. I want to thank all the people who helped us during our trip and all you here on City Data for your great posts and information. We really look forward to coming and integrating and promise not to be the Californians that every one hates. We want to embrace Texas for the wonderful state it is and become part of it.

On a side note. I have two internet companies so I am fine with employment. However, my wife will be needing a job. If anyone knows of a social work position that only requires a BS, please let me know.

Last edited by Trainwreck20; 06-11-2008 at 12:43 PM..
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Old 06-11-2008, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,280 posts, read 4,292,168 times
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I'm glad to hear that you had such a great visit!

Also, I agree that Austin's climate is worlds better than Houston and Dallas. It also doesn't feel as hot as San Antonio for some reason.... I have no idea why as they're only an hour apart, but San Antonio just feels so much hotter to me in the summer.
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Old 06-11-2008, 12:42 PM
 
746 posts, read 3,727,448 times
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Glad you liked Austin.....it really is one of the more special places in the US.....my only regret is that I didn't do this 10-20 years ago, in my 20's, but, better late than never.....I would have loved to have been here from the late 80's, watched all the growth, and had a time.....well, again, good luck to you folks..
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Old 06-11-2008, 01:41 PM
 
Location: Up in a cedar tree.
1,618 posts, read 6,616,925 times
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Ditto. You will love it from what I read. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 06-11-2008, 01:47 PM
 
Location: The Big D
14,862 posts, read 42,877,627 times
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Since you really love the food thought I'd pass this along. Saw it on the Food Network last night on Bobby Flay's Throwdown. He was in Austin at FlipHappy Crepes. THE LOCAL GIRLS WON!!! OMYGOSH, I was and still am ready for a road trip to Austin just for those crepes. YUM!!! I was drooling. Anyway, this place in AUSTIN, TEXAS has been rated THE NUMBER ONE crepe in ALL of the United States. We DO have some of THE BEST food here in The Lone Star State. ENJOY!!!
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Old 06-11-2008, 02:03 PM
 
243 posts, read 487,532 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shaxs View Post
The Weather – So, last June we were in Houston and DFW for a week and the humidity and heat were awful. Austin’s weather seemed a bit nicer. While it was basically 100 degrees every day we were there, we felt the humidity was not nearly as bas as DFW/Houston. I found the days pleasant as long as I put on some sun screen. The nights, with the breeze, was very comfortable and enjoyable. I didn’t find the weather off putting. While it is different than what I am used to, I think after a little time I will come to find it perfectly fine.
The climate is perceived to be better in Austin than Houston or DFW becuase it's such an "in" place right now. In reality, it's not much different. If you don't like heat or humdity from May-October you are going to think Texas summers are brutal.
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Old 06-11-2008, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,637,527 times
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Well, Dallas, Austin, and SA may have very similar weather but Houston is VERY much more humid most of the time, although the actual temperature is often lower.
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Old 06-11-2008, 02:23 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,879,750 times
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Thanks for the trip report! If you were here June 2-5 and didn't mind the weather, you'll love it here. Those days are part of a 9-10 days stretch of near 100 or 100 degree weather that is similar to August (we're still in that stretch, BTW). Last summer we had 3 triple-digit days, this year we may have 30. But the other 330 days will be awesome weather by comparison. And as you've noticed, the evenings are quite tolerable even in the worst heat of the summer, hence all the outdoor cafes and seating at restaurants.

I tried the FlipHappy place a couple of weeks ago, and I agree they are some GREAT crepes. We were blown away. The coffee was incredibly good, too. It's just off Barton Springs road behind the restaurant row under a canopy of pecan trees.. so you can eat dinner at Green Mequite, Chuys, or Shady Grove and walk over to FlipHappy for desert. True Austin experience, that.
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Old 06-11-2008, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Austin TX
1,590 posts, read 4,575,830 times
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Welcome Back
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Old 06-11-2008, 05:49 PM
 
243 posts, read 487,532 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainwreck20 View Post
Well, Dallas, Austin, and SA may have very similar weather but Houston is VERY much more humid most of the time, although the actual temperature is often lower.
No way Houston is VERY much more humid most of the time. Maybe 10% more maximum.

...and DFW residents will tell you that Austin/South Texas is miserably humid compared to DFW. However, from an outsider who is not used to the heat, the +/- 10% humidity differences between everything east of IH-35 all feels the same when it's 90+ degrees.

I just think it's funny how Austin "allegedly" has the best climate in Texas when it doesn't really differ from most of the other Texas metro areas.
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