Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am an architecture fan as well. Coming from the Northeast I understand what you are saying...
The geography might be a big part of it -- I'm also from the East Coast, Baltimore, which despite its ills has tons of beautiful buildings. All the East Coast cities have a "look" to them (although once you get out of the cities and into the suburbs, they all look the same across the nation). The first home I owned, an ornate rowhome, was built in 1885 -- making it one of the younger ones you could find in my neighborhood! My current home in Austin was built in 1960. The guy who delivered our washing machine was talking about how hard it was to install machines in all these "really old houses"! I laughed because my grandmother had been living in her current house since 1955, five years before my TX house was even built. I had one neighbor in Baltimore who had been living in his house since 1945, the year he got back from WWII with his new Italian bride. They're both still there.
I agree with you that a lot of the new homes are nice because there seems to be a renewed interest in building unique things. I think the problematic period is stuff built rapidly between the end of WWII and the 80s, which is a lot of the less unique stuff that kind of looks like very watered down versions of Corbusier. I also have developed a fondness for ranchers that have been renovated to take advantage of the clean lines, and I think you're seeing a lot more of that in Austin.
Still, the first time I got here and drove up Lamar I was kind of like...ew. (Then again, the new "Triangle" building at Lamar & Guadalupe is beautiful.)
The geography might be a big part of it -- I'm also from the East Coast, Baltimore, which despite its ills has tons of beautiful buildings. All the East Coast cities have a "look" to them (although once you get out of the cities and into the suburbs, they all look the same across the nation). The first home I owned, an ornate rowhome, was built in 1885 -- making it one of the younger ones you could find in my neighborhood! My current home in Austin was built in 1960. The guy who delivered our washing machine was talking about how hard it was to install machines in all these "really old houses"! I laughed because my grandmother had been living in her current house since 1955, five years before my TX house was even built. I had one neighbor in Baltimore who had been living in his house since 1945, the year he got back from WWII with his new Italian bride. They're both still there.
I agree with you that a lot of the new homes are nice because there seems to be a renewed interest in building unique things. I think the problematic period is stuff built rapidly between the end of WWII and the 80s, which is a lot of the less unique stuff that kind of looks like very watered down versions of Corbusier. I also have developed a fondness for ranchers that have been renovated to take advantage of the clean lines, and I think you're seeing a lot more of that in Austin.
Still, the first time I got here and drove up Lamar I was kind of like...ew. (Then again, the new "Triangle" building at Lamar & Guadalupe is beautiful.)
LOL! We are kindred souls my friend! We're from Cleveland:the Baltimore of the Great Lakes. The place is filled with deco buildings...mostly empty though. Those cities are well over 200 years old. Austin is really a post WWII city so the Corbusier description fits (albeit a bit late)
I know...the strip malls bummed us out. But if you look close(especially on Lamar) most of those strips are filled with really interesting stuff. They don't have your typical: Radio Shack, DOTS, CURVES, Beverage, BMV, Quizno's etc...that you see in those out East. I mean the Alamo Draft House on South Lamar is in an old strip mall, next to a vintage shop, next to a couple of guitar shops, a scooter dealer...pretty cool. Lamar looks much better at night when all of the neon is lit up. BTW, the neighborhood on the east side of Duval near Hyde Park(east 30s?) has some beautiful old houses as well.
Our old neighborhood was mostly built between the 1870s and the 1920s. Great old houses, sidewalks, mixed use buildings...but sort of depressed
LOL! We are kindred souls my friend! We're from Cleveland:the Baltimore of the Great Lakes. The place is filled with deco buildings...mostly empty though. Those cities are well over 200 years old. Austin is really a post WWII city so the Corbusier description fits (albeit a bit late)
I know...the strip malls bummed us out. But if you look close(especially on Lamar) most of those strips are filled with really interesting stuff. They don't have your typical: Radio Shack, DOTS, CURVES, Beverage, BMV, Quizno's etc...that you see in those out East. I mean the Alamo Draft House on South Lamar is in an old strip mall, next to a vintage shop, next to a couple of guitar shops, a scooter dealer...pretty cool. Lamar looks much better at night when all of the neon is lit up. BTW, the neighborhood on the east side of Duval near Hyde Park(east 30s?) has some beautiful old houses as well.
Our old neighborhood was mostly built between the 1870s and the 1920s. Great old houses, sidewalks, mixed use buildings...but sort of depressed
Totally agree -- Austin has a lot of interesting businesses in uninteresting buildings. And the Drafthouse rules!
Hey everyone, thanks for all responses to my earlier question. Not only did you answer the basic question--that you can live in Austin without a car, as a UT student at least--but you even went above and beyond by suggesting neighborhoods. I'll have to wait to rep everyone who replied, because I'm up to my 24-hour limit, but I'm impressed with the number of responses, and I appreciate them. There's some useful info here. Thanks again.
If you're in your 30's and single and sick of the bar scene this city is not for you!
This has got to be the most booorring city I've ever lived in as far as the people go. The people are friendly but they are extremely boring. People here in their 30's and older generally don't like to go out and do anything. They are homebodies who prefer to stay home. Even if you hang out with them at their house on the occasion that you went through a time of it to set that up, they're still not fun to hang out with. They are conversational but in a boring way. You won't laugh so hard that you cry with these people. They just aren't playful like that nor that witty either and prefer to observe a joke rather than laugh at it. If you find something funny you usually find yourself laughing alone. They may even smile in agreement that it was funny. The native Texans hold a prejudice against anyone not from Texas. They won't come out and say it. They will just ask you where you're from (right from the start) and ask, "what are you doing here?" when you first meet them. Then they will gossip a lot in a judgmental way. They have a lot of the south in them. This is the number one single capital of america for a reason. The guys are extremely shy or creepy. They won't ever ask you out on a date. They just aren't aggressive that way. They're not stuck up. They just act too shy and too scared and act like they prefer to be a homebody. I am from the western US and am used to going out practically every night of the week because my friends want to do something. I am used to getting asked out by good looking guys randomly when I go somewhere. I am used to always having something to look forward to. Moving to Austin has dulled me as a person. I miss home and a lot of people not from here have said they miss it where they are from too. But they put up with it here because the economy is good.
Instead of sitting around and tossing out lame insults on an internet message board, you should have tried leaving your house every once in a while.
Next thing you know, you're gonna tell us it rains 300 days a year here and it's always freezing cold.
whats lame about what I said. Point 2, I thought it was always too hot and humid, point 3, I would have loved some cold. I did leave my house, some of us work you know. Yes it did rain alot in austin, and I am from the Seattle area...so that says alot.
For the critters , its mild here compared to East Texas where I moved from.
Before I came down here this august killed a 5ft timber ratttler in my drive way, granted I have several acres in the middle of a national forest. When I came down to marble falls for the summer as a kid to visit the grand parents I seen a few scorpions, but this was like 25 years ago. There are scorpions in east texas also. Just never seen them as much.
I am a native Texan and I'm not bias. I guess this has to do with living in several other states growing up. Florida by far were way more bias than any other Texan I have met. It actually gets hotter in dallas and houston than here. My sinuses have been messed up since I got here from huntsville, tx
did not think 175 miles would make that much of a difference. I am in my early 30's and I agree about the frat party type atmos but usually only find that down on 6th street. Have you tried anything else than 6th street, like other partsof downtown and other various areas on the edge of downtown.
I went to the elephant room a couple times when visiting here (jazz club) and I liked the atmos alot. Again , I was at the draught house last night, very mellow sunday night, was giving out pint glasses with orders of a new warhammer ipa from left hand brewery, they also had a new beer from steamworks(third eye pale ale) pretty good pale ale. Was a mostly late 20's 30's crowd there as usual just talking about the past week and the holiday that just past. To me it sounds you may have been a little bias towards Texas to begin with. I have seen this alot. Being in the militaryand over the past 10 years on the internet I have seen bias against Texans quite a bit.
When you say youre from Texas you can almost here a sigh of grief or annoyance. Also the southern draw also has a bit of ignorance associated with it. I find myself thinking less of people who have a real thick southern draw. Its real easy to do, then I realize just last week speaking with a person on the phone from new mexico one of our clients ask me where I was from because of my draw, guess living in east texas the last 10 years has really influenced it.
Alot of people like it here in AUSTIN and some don't. Not everyone likes everything everyone else does. I agree with some of the people here being shy. I have noticed that smater males tend to be more shy than say the aggressive type. I used to be real shy, my brother in law is a chemist here in austin and he is extremely shy. Hence is is turning 30 next year and is still girlfriendless. He would rather stay at home and play his xbox360. He is perfectly happy with that. I am still shy, but nothing to that extent. i am married have been for 8 years now and enjoy doing things together with the wife. This thread has gone on for way too long like this post.
So where is 'home' that is not extremely boring like Austin?
I know you hvae your own opinion.
So I take no offense to any of it, but I know plenty of guys or most of my guy friends that are in their 30's, still single and party like it's 1999
Or maybe they are stuck in 1999
Quote:
Originally Posted by browneyedgrl
If you're in your 30's and single and sick of the bar scene this city is not for you!
This has got to be the most booorring city I've ever lived in as far as the people go. The people are friendly but they are extremely boring. People here in their 30's and older generally don't like to go out and do anything. They are homebodies who prefer to stay home. Even if you hang out with them at their house on the occasion that you went through a time of it to set that up, they're still not fun to hang out with. They are conversational but in a boring way. You won't laugh so hard that you cry with these people. They just aren't playful like that nor that witty either and prefer to observe a joke rather than laugh at it. If you find something funny you usually find yourself laughing alone. They may even smile in agreement that it was funny. The native Texans hold a prejudice against anyone not from Texas. They won't come out and say it. They will just ask you where you're from (right from the start) and ask, "what are you doing here?" when you first meet them. Then they will gossip a lot in a judgmental way. They have a lot of the south in them. This is the number one single capital of america for a reason. The guys are extremely shy or creepy. They won't ever ask you out on a date. They just aren't aggressive that way. They're not stuck up. They just act too shy and too scared and act like they prefer to be a homebody. I am from the western US and am used to going out practically every night of the week because my friends want to do something. I am used to getting asked out by good looking guys randomly when I go somewhere. I am used to always having something to look forward to. Moving to Austin has dulled me as a person. I miss home and a lot of people not from here have said they miss it where they are from too. But they put up with it here because the economy is good.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had one neighbor in Baltimore who had been living in his house since 1945, the year he got back from WWII with his new Italian bride. They're both still there. 
