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Jeez. No one in Austin cares about pro sports. It's all about college sports ithere. That's why they will probably not get a pro team for a while because no one cares.
I doubt that Pittsburgh has a better art scene or art museums than Houston. Have you ever been to any of the museums in Houston and Austin? Do you know for a fact that Pittsburgh has more sought after art than Houston and Austin or are you just guessing? An Andy Warhol museum sounds pretty cool but you can also find some of his works in Houston a well. They have a Warhol's at the Manil and I'm sure a few others. In addition, you can also find pieces by Picosso, Rothko, Rene Margitte, Dali, Dunchamp, ancient art from Rome, Egypt, and Greece, Byzantine and Roman Catholic art, pre 20th century African art, just to name a few. The museum itself is also one of the most prestigious works of world renowned Parisian architect, Renzo Piano (also designed the New York Times Building and the Pompidou Centre). Beautiful museum and neighborhood if you ever make it out to Houston BTW. And that is JUST ONE museum in Houston. You also have about... I don't know... 20 or so more in the area.
I'm sure the Pittsburgh has some great museums and some really cool cultural aspects, but over all, most people would probably not agree that Pittsburgh has more culture than Austin much less Houston. How about SXSW, Austin City Limits, Austin Film Fest, Troublemaker Studios, and the list goes on and on. Do I need to make a list of all of the film makers and musicians who have come from Austin? Do I need to list all of the festivals that take place in Austin?
Nice effort in trying to answer back. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
I won't take anyone seriously who makes such statements with no explanation, nor should anyone else. I think there's something else going on, and doubt he's spent any reasonable amount of time in Houston within years. Austin has changed a lot within the last 10-15 years as well, and most of it NOT for the better (traffic, sprawl, crowding, loss of identity/uniqueness, snobbiness). Meanwhile, Houston has seen huge improvements. I get really tired of the same people just making things up regarding Houston, pretending to be experts when they're so far from it, with the expectation that others will just all say "oh, okay, if you say so it must be true!"
Really? If people have misconceptions about Houston, it's not Austin's fault. MOST of the criticism of Houston comes from people OUTSIDE of Texas anyway.
Nice effort in trying to answer back. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by polo89
Really? If people have misconceptions about Houston, it's not Austin's fault. MOST of the criticism of Houston comes from people OUTSIDE of Texas anyway.
I never said it was.
I was answering to someone from outside of Texas who supposedly had all of this experience with both places from a decade or more ago, then made a blanket rude comment. Things are different today.
Nice effort in trying to answer back. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
True. Culture is subjective and I'm going to take a guess that me and worldwonderer have very different ideas of what creates the ideal cultural city. For me, it would be Austin by a mile but that's probably not true for everyone on this thread. I do think you could compare the natural settings of the cities (Texas Hill Country vs Western Pennsylvania). I'm not sure who would win that one.
Pittsburgh is rather an oddball for this. I thought it might work and create an interesting conversation trying to compare it between two Texas cities, but it seems like Pittsburgh has just gotten left out of the mix and it turned into and an Austin vs Houston for most of the thread.
Nice effort in trying to answer back. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
I liked your comparisons. Except on the "natural setting" part. Have you been to both city's? Cause Pittsburgh (the entire state of Pa.) is completely different than anything in Texas, completely different.
Pittsburgh and Philly offer great history, some of the country's best and most important. And a lot of it's history will never be duplicated in terms of importance and the way it shaped America. Ben Franklin never walked down the streets of Austin. George Washington never walked down the streets of Austin either. The Decleration of Independence was never signed there. Andrew Carnegie didn't build the nation's first steel mill there. Etc etc etc.
Austin, will never compete with that. A "hot touring act in concert" will never compete with that. A lot of Pittsburgh's and Philly's history and culture may be nostalgic, but there's something to be said about that nostalgia. These two cities earned the right probably more than any other two cities in any one state.
I liked your comparisons. Except on the "natural setting" part. Have you been to both city's? Cause Pittsburgh (the entire state of Pa.) is completely different than anything in Texas, completely different.
Pittsburgh and Philly offer great history, some of the country's best and most important. And a lot of it's history will never be duplicated in terms of importance and the way it shaped America. Ben Franklin never walked down the streets of Austin. George Washington never walked down the streets of Austin either. The Decleration of Independence was never signed there. Andrew Carnegie didn't build the nation's first steel mill there. Etc etc etc.
Austin, will never compete with that. A "hot touring act in concert" will never compete with that. A lot of Pittsburgh's and Philly's history and culture may be nostalgic, but there's something to be said about that nostalgia. These two cities earned the right probably more than any other two cities in any one state.
Why are you bringing up Philly? If you want a Pennsylvania vs Texas thread start your own! Don't hijack mine.
Also your talking about historical culture vs current culture. Like TelecastorBlues said, that comes down to personal taste.
As far as "natural setting," how are they so different? I've been to Austin, but I don't know much about Western Pennsylvania besides it's very green and there are a lot of hills.
I liked your comparisons. Except on the "natural setting" part. Have you been to both city's? Cause Pittsburgh (the entire state of Pa.) is completely different than anything in Texas, completely different.
Pittsburgh and Philly offer great history, some of the country's best and most important. And a lot of it's history will never be duplicated in terms of importance and the way it shaped America. Ben Franklin never walked down the streets of Austin. George Washington never walked down the streets of Austin either. The Decleration of Independence was never signed there. Andrew Carnegie didn't build the nation's first steel mill there. Etc etc etc.
Austin, will never compete with that. A "hot touring act in concert" will never compete with that. A lot of Pittsburgh's and Philly's history and culture may be nostalgic, but there's something to be said about that nostalgia. These two cities earned the right probably more than any other two cities in any one state.
.....I've lived in SWPA and Pitts my whole life and been to Austin many, many times. The Hill Country of Central Texas is virtually identical to the hills of SWPA and areas around Pittsburgh like Mt. Washington. Texas is the most diverse state around PERIOD in terms of landscape, it's not all boring flat land with dead grass. Watch the video that was posted earlier in this thread and look at the pictures that I've posted comparing Pittsburgh with the space just outside of Austin. Austin and Lake Travis is more or less an incredibly large and extravagant geographic equivolent to Morgantown WV and Cheat Lake. It's pretty much a SW version of the scenery that we have around here in SWPA/WV.
And I appreciate history in a big way, I'm personally obsessed with vintage musical instruments, art, and anything 50's. However, I'm 24 and living RIGHT NOW. I'd rather be out making history and living an active lifestyle in a vibrant and youthful city like Austin, than standing around and quietly admiring a monument to something that happened decades ago. Austin's culture is built around 20 somethings and being active, it's for those who want to live "in the now". Philly is much better served as a comparison to Boston, NYC, DC, Baltimore, and other East Coas cities, so I'm not going to bother with that. But Pittsburgh doesn't touch Austin in terms of modern day culture. It's all about what you want. Personally, I think the clean industry, spotless landscape, and clean look of Austin is more impressive than Andrew Carnegie's rusted old steel mill sitting over on the hillside and Pittsburgh's grit. I also care more about Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughn's contributions to Austin and Texas than I do Washington and Franklin's contributions to Pitts/Philly/PA...as I'm a musician and not a historian. People are mean't to be different, you know?
True. Culture is subjective and I'm going to take a guess that me and worldwonderer have very different ideas of what creates the ideal cultural city. For me, it would be Austin by a mile but that's probably not true for everyone on this thread. I do think you could compare the natural settings of the cities (Texas Hill Country vs Western Pennsylvania). I'm not sure who would win that one.
Pittsburgh is rather an oddball for this. I thought it might work and create an interesting conversation trying to compare it between two Texas cities, but it seems like Pittsburgh has just gotten left out of the mix and it turned into and an Austin vs Houston for most of the thread.
Give yourself more credit, we're on page 6 and I'm having fun with this .
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. Personally, I don't see how you can even begin to compare both cities. They each offer things that the other can't and are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of "culture". Pittsburgh's "culture" is based around the past and everything that came to be "Pittsburgh", Austin's is based around the present and creating everything that is "Austin". Point in case...If you want to live in a rowhome, browse the Warhol Museum, be annoyed by middle-aged folk decked out in Steelers garb, eat fattening sandwhiches with french fries on it, listen to disgruntled old timers complain about the fall of the steel industry and how things were "better" in their time, and also be in a unique city with its own atmosphere..then Pittsburgh is for you. If you want to live in a loft, catch a hot touring act in concert, be annoyed by college kiddies decked out in UT garb, eat fattening Tex/Mex with barbeque sauce on it, listen to saddened Texans tell tales of what Austin was like before its boom, and live in a unique city with its own vibe..then Austin is for you. Aside from their natural settings being similar, there's really no way that you can compare either city's "culture" and decide that one is ahead of the other simply beause they're both so different. It just comes down to personal preference and what the individual is looking for.
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