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I would bet that the pizza is passable here if you are from New Jersey. Saccone's claims that it's Jersey style and it's pretty good. I'm not a big fan of thin crust pizza and it seems that there is a ton of that here. Everyone raves about how good Home Slice is for New York style as well. I still haven't found a place for pizza that comes close to Pizza Port in San Diego, but again, there are a few places that are pretty good in the Austin area.
I moved from Texas to Connnecticut in 2003. I know CT is not the same as NJ. However, there was a great pizza joint called Pantera's in Austin..but they closed down. Conan's Pizza is pretty good, and I love Double Daves pizza and pizza rolls. Living in CT, we drive everywhere. My friends who live in Princeton, NJ also drive everywhere.
The difference between parks in Austin, and parks in the NE is that you want to use the parks in Austin year round. Can't say the same for up here. Mexican food is great in Austin, sucks up here. Good italian will be rare down in Austin. Museums, Zoos, shows, parades, in Austin or the NE...I have one word: meh.
Oh, and i would rather pump my own gas and save 40 cents a gallon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mm57553
I'm not from Jersey, but I'm from just across the river in Philly.
I like Austin. I can't say that I love it, but I like it.
The cost of living is definitely lower. EVERYTHING is cheaper - taxes, housing, college, insurance. For those who don't know, NJ has the highest tax rate in the country. Of course, everyone here complains about how expensive everything is.
You will miss the ocean. There are lakes here, but it's just not the same. I really wish my kids could spend summers on the boardwalk like I did.
Our seasons are hot, really hot, you've got to be freakin' kidding me, and tolerable. You will definitely miss seasons.
The pizza here sucks. But there's great Mexican food.
You have to drive everywhere.
Austin is not a big city. Not sure where you are in Jersey, but you are either close to Philly or NYC. Be aware that Austin does not have museums, zoos, parks, shows, or activities (like parades) that you are used to. Don't get me wrong, we have them, but they really don't even compare.
I love the small town stuff like parades with the kids or the local Italian place where we eat at least once a week. I love those things. I love the seasons. I will miss those things terribly. I hated living in Manhattan...I'm definitely a fan of the slower pace of small town life with city options if we want them. New Jersey has its charming points for sure...
but living here is turning into a lesson in endless frustration and anxiety. My husband and I work so hard, never see each other, and work some more...and for what? For a wildly overpriced townhouse and 14 hour days seven days a week just to keep our heads above water. It's killing us. We don't mind working hard. I worked myself to the ground to pay for grad school. It's not a foreign concept...but this is just insanity.
it's no way to live.
so wide open spaces, here we come.
God willing we'll have better quality of life, a little more laughter and less worry...even if we will miss the snow. Snow isn't worth the price of living in New Jersey.
Living in CT, we drive everywhere. My friends who live in Princeton, NJ also drive everywhere.
The difference is that in Austin, you are pretty much relegated to the car, because the public transportation is awful. The one light rail line that was planned from Leander to Austin still hasn't been cleared to run yet (even though it was supposed to start in May). Austin has a fair amount of bike infrastructure, but combined with the sprawl, awful city planning outside of the city center and the 6 months of Texas summer most people stay in their cars, moving from one air conditioned box to another. Drivers are also very hostile to pedestrians here and seem to feel a sense of entitlement to the road and will drive right at you while you are in a crosswalk (personal experience!)
I lived for a bit in Monmouth County, and there were 2 NJ transit rail stops within walking/biking distance. Princeton is even closer to good public transportation, and with good density you don't need to travel far to find the goods and services you need. The scenery is beautiful, and even in the metropolis of Central/North Jersey there is plenty of green space to enjoy (Sandy Hook!).
The culture of Texas also plays a part. Everything is new and as big as possible. Businesses (big box stores) locate themselves along the interstate, creating and perpetuating the pattern of "YOU MUST DRIVE TO GET HERE". If you look outside of downtown Austin and a few cool neighborhoods, you could basically be anywhere, as typical of most new development in the U.S. in the last 40 years. Here is an interesting topic to do some reading on - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_place">Sense of place</a>
Last edited by Dog on skates; 11-20-2009 at 11:10 AM..
Reason: fix hyperlink
I love to drive, especially compared to riding in a crowded, stinky, hot and humid train or bus. Not to mention the occasional crazy you have to sit next to. Different strokes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog on skates
The difference is that in Austin, you are pretty much relegated to the car, because the public transportation is awful. The one light rail line that was planned from Leander to Austin still hasn't been cleared to run yet (even though it was supposed to start in May). Austin has a fair amount of bike infrastructure, but combined with the sprawl, awful city planning outside of the city center and the 6 months of Texas summer most people stay in their cars, moving from one air conditioned box to another. Drivers are also very hostile to pedestrians here and seem to feel a sense of entitlement to the road and will drive right at you while you are in a crosswalk (personal experience!)
I lived for a bit in Monmouth County, and there were 2 NJ transit rail stops within walking/biking distance. Princeton is even closer to good public transportation, and with good density you don't need to travel far to find the goods and services you need. The scenery is beautiful, and even in the metropolis of Central/North Jersey there is plenty of green space to enjoy (Sandy Hook!).
The culture of Texas also plays a part. Everything is new and as big as possible. Businesses (big box stores) locate themselves along the interstate, creating and perpetuating the pattern of "YOU MUST DRIVE TO GET HERE". If you look outside of downtown Austin and a few cool neighborhoods, you could basically be anywhere, as typical of most new development in the U.S. in the last 40 years. Here is an interesting topic to do some reading on - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense_of_place">Sense of place</a>
I lived for a bit in Monmouth County, and there were 2 NJ transit rail stops within walking/biking distance.
That's one of the big selling points for our house. Walking distance to the Middletown train station and to Manhattan bound buses as well.
Still, the train won't take me to most of the places I need to go and the buses are a joke around here. I still end up driving pretty much everywhere except for the rare trip into NYC.
I moved from Texas to Connnecticut in 2003. I know CT is not the same as NJ. However, there was a great pizza joint called Pantera's in Austin..but they closed down. Conan's Pizza is pretty good, and I love Double Daves pizza and pizza rolls. Living in CT, we drive everywhere. My friends who live in Princeton, NJ also drive everywhere.
The difference between parks in Austin, and parks in the NE is that you want to use the parks in Austin year round. Can't say the same for up here. Mexican food is great in Austin, sucks up here. Good italian will be rare down in Austin. Museums, Zoos, shows, parades, in Austin or the NE...I have one word: meh.
Oh, and i would rather pump my own gas and save 40 cents a gallon.
This is true for certain areas, but depending on where the OP is in NJ, he is most likely very close (think 30 minute train ride) to either Philly or NYC and all they have to offer. Not an option in Austin (either the train ride or close proximity to a major city - even downtown San Antonio is an almost 2 hour drive from my house). That's what I meant.
I threw in the gas info because it is illegal to pump your own gas in NJ, so someone coming from there may find it odd that there are no full-serve pumps down here. I agree about paying less to pump my own (although when it's really cold and/or raining, full serve is nice).
This is true for certain areas, but depending on where the OP is in NJ, he is most likely very close (think 30 minute train ride) to either Philly or NYC and all they have to offer. Not an option in Austin (either the train ride or close proximity to a major city - even downtown San Antonio is an almost 2 hour drive from my house). That's what I meant.
I threw in the gas info because it is illegal to pump your own gas in NJ, so someone coming from there may find it odd that there are no full-serve pumps down here. I agree about paying less to pump my own (although when it's really cold and/or raining, full serve is nice).
Yes I do live in North Jersey(but I'm a SHE not a he!)...about a half hour from the city. That being said...we don't go there. I lived and worked in Manhattan for enough time to know that I did not like it. I was in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. That sort of ruined the city for me. I lost several friends that day. I can't go there without thinking of it. I think I've been back maybe three times since then. So for me...the loss of museums and broadway at my fingertips isn't a loss. I'm too much of a homebody I guess. Which is why I think Austin and/or the suburbs of Austin will be good...I just want a nice friendly place with a hometown feel. I'm ready for that.
I'm just interested to know how other NJ transplants have done. I'm really coming home. It's just been a while...
I love to drive, especially compared to riding in a crowded, stinky, hot and humid train or bus. Not to mention the occasional crazy you have to sit next to. Different strokes.
Driving in Austin is absolutely awful. The transportation infrastructure is terribly inadequate for the mass influx of Californians, Michiganders, and the rest who have come here in the last 10 years or so. Add in the fact that a good 50% of drivers have large trucks (a number I just pulled out of my ass) and seem to drive without regard for human life makes it that much more stressful to be out on the road.
Imagine sitting on I-35 at rush hour, 5pm in mid-July, when the temperature is already 105 in the city with 80% humidity, and then add in the extra 10-15 degrees hotter it is sitting in traffic, your car's air conditioner working its ass off. A train doesn't seem so bad then. Even in North Jersey the driving was better, and I've had some experiences on the turnpike at rush hour as well.
Now, I've driven through Atlanta, and I can just say that if you want to talk about WORST driving ever, they take the cake. Austin is getting there.
Different strokes indeed. I just wish that drivers down here would realize that despite our complete devotion to the car culture, pedestrians and cyclists have the same right to get where they are going as well without being terrorized. Can't we all just get along?
Try driving in Manhattan one day, then you will gladly drive in Austin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog on skates
Driving in Austin is absolutely awful. The transportation infrastructure is terribly inadequate for the mass influx of Californians, Michiganders, and the rest who have come here in the last 10 years or so. Add in the fact that a good 50% of drivers have large trucks (a number I just pulled out of my ass) and seem to drive without regard for human life makes it that much more stressful to be out on the road.
Imagine sitting on I-35 at rush hour, 5pm in mid-July, when the temperature is already 105 in the city with 80% humidity, and then add in the extra 10-15 degrees hotter it is sitting in traffic, your car's air conditioner working its ass off. A train doesn't seem so bad then. Even in North Jersey the driving was better, and I've had some experiences on the turnpike at rush hour as well.
Now, I've driven through Atlanta, and I can just say that if you want to talk about WORST driving ever, they take the cake. Austin is getting there.
Different strokes indeed. I just wish that drivers down here would realize that despite our complete devotion to the car culture, pedestrians and cyclists have the same right to get where they are going as well without being terrorized. Can't we all just get along?
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)...about a half hour from the city. That being said...we don't go there. I lived and worked in Manhattan for enough time to know that I did not like it. I was in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. That sort of ruined the city for me. I lost several friends that day. I can't go there without thinking of it. I think I've been back maybe three times since then. So for me...the loss of museums and broadway at my fingertips isn't a loss. I'm too much of a homebody I guess. Which is why I think Austin and/or the suburbs of Austin will be good...I just want a nice friendly place with a hometown feel. I'm ready for that. 
