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I have no doubt that some people have had bad experiences in Austin. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Heck, I've had bad experiences some places, too. Just not all that sure, in the case of ANY city, that it's the city ittself that's the cause, especially if there are other, very similar, people that have had just the opposite experience in the same time and place. That was my point. Not the person, the issue.
It's sort of like when, way back in college, a young black man said to me, "My people have been oppressed for 400 years! But you can make it all up to me by sleeping with me." Now, I could say that that means that all black men are like that, but that wouldn't be true. Or like when some people don't like me because I am sometimes pedantic. I could say that it's the fault of the place that I happen to encounter (and annoy) those people, or I could acknowledge that, yeah, sometimes I can get that way and yea, it can be annoying, and own the responsibility for my own experience. See the difference I'm trying to get at here?
I think it's important to realize artsyguy has had experiences here, they're valid and truth to him.
When reading a few of his posts in this thread I can see some truth to what he is saying. Maybe the issue is many people don't like to hear the "other side of the story"; especially if it isn't sunshine and glitter.
I'd also be willing to bet many people have had the same experience and saw what he saw. They just don't happen to be on city data reporting it.
I appreciate his posts because he brings a different view to the table and makes the sample here on city data just a tad more representative of reality. Or maybe I just have a tendency to side with the underdog.
The major problem I have with artsyguy is that frankly I believe very little of what he says - "facts", opinions, or anything else. Over the course of the 3 years I've been on here, he's posted various claims of having gone to school here, not having gone to school here; having lived here, not having lived here; having worked here, not having worked here; having visited relatives here, not having visited relatives here; having been all over the city extensively, barely seeing any of it; dating here, not dating here; having done (or not done) those things for a long time, having done (or not done) them for a short time, etc. And when people ask him for clarifications so they can see how much stock to put in his opinions and alleged experiences, he either refuses to answer or gives yet another different story. (Not too mention that certain things he says are just silly - "Downtown Austin looks like a bombed-out Beruit", "Literally nobody every looked me in the eyes there", "I would say hi and literally nobody ever said hi back.") Since he is totally inconsistent with simple facts like that, it seems to me that he's just making up stories for some odd reason that escapes me. It's his right to do that, for sure. But I have decided that I'll take whatever he posts with a grain of salt. Which is actually too bad, because I like hearing dissenting opinions. I just hate that someone will make things up and claim them to be true, which I think is what artsyguy does.
I think it's important to realize artsyguy has had experiences here, they're valid and truth to him.
I agree that his experiences are (I assume) real, but regardless are just as valid as anyone else's. There is nothing wrong with his experiences or him sharing his experiences. Most everyone else shares very different experiences of Austin as he does, and those are also just as valid. I believe where some might have issue with Artsyguy is that his experiences are very different than everyone else's and while they are of course still as valid as everyone else's he has a strong habit of stating things as facts rather than opinions. He claims more than what is just his experiences but the experiences of many, when most people I know share very different experiences so I can see why his claims could annoy people. From what I understand of the guy his true experience in Austin is extremely limited to one very small part of North Austin. I just get the impression his real purposes on these forums is to 'troll' or upset people.
Actually I'm an advocate for social liberalism and would rather help those liberals ,young and old, black or brown, find the perfect city rather than settle for a mediocre city. It's hard to know great cities unless you've traveled like I have. Eepstein and Nomad have also traveled a lot. And pretty much everyone agrees that if you want very liberal big city life in Texas then the best bet is Dallas and possibly Houston. If you are Latino then San Antonio is the best. If not those cities then you pretty much have to move out to escape the oppressive and rigid Texas culture.
And why would my complaints of bad customer service and displeasure with some of the businesses in Austin annoy you? Do you work at all of those places? It's not trolling if it's true. Many of the businesses had extremely slow customer service and absurd red tape that I've never seen before at well organized institutions. I measured the duration it took to complete requests and then compared the duration to other places of business. I also measured how many times I was treated in an upfront and cordial manner. The winners are Half Price Books and Chili's. Very solid customer service. So what I say is relatively factual in regard to my experiences alone.
Eepstein and Nomad have stated numerous times that they have disliked Austin for some years now. They've lived there for several years and prefer other cities. There is another poster who has discussed her problems with racism in Austin. There is another older gay poster who said that gays just blend in and most people seem to be on the down-low. And that has been validated by the majority of Austin posters. So it all comes down to preference. If you want a city where people do not have to "blend in" and "conform" then north Texas is the best area. If you want to "blend in" and "conform" and settle for mediocrity and red tape then try Austin, Texas.
My experiences ranged from north Austin, central Austin, and hill country galleria area (south side). While in Austin I enjoyed Half Price Books and Chili's and that was really it. So I've had plenty of experiences in Austin in 2008.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BevoLJ
From what I understand of the guy his true experience in Austin is extremely limited to one very small part of North Austin. I just get the impression his real purposes on these forums is to 'troll' or upset people.
I've lived in and around Austin most of my life, and there are a lot of things I like about it. Everyone's already mentioned the friendly people and the parks and the river and the music and the food and the arts and all the interesting and kitschy neighborhoods. There are also simply a lot of memories I have from living in the city as a kid that make me fond of it.
That being said, there are also a few things I really dislike about the city. Among them:
1. Public transportation could be a hell of a lot better (more reliable buses, light rail, etc.)
2. Ridiculously hot and humid summers (although honestly I'll take that over frigid winters any day)
3. I'd like some bigger, better museums (and that damn planetarium needs to get built already!)
4. The fact that it's in Texas -- Now I know a lot of people are gonna rip me a new one for saying this, but I can't lie about how I feel. Texas is a great state with hardworking and friendly people who contribute to a diversified economy. At the same time, the whole conservative, football fanatic, highly religious culture is kind of a turn-off for me. I don't feel proud to say I grew up in a state whose board of education is making strides to whitewash history books and eliminate the gap between church and state. And while I hate to say this, there are a few too many rednecks for me. I'm not simply talking about country folk; nothing wrong with them at all. I'm talking about the types who stumble into a Whataburger drunk at 1 in the morning yelling about how much they hate n***ers and how all those Mexicans are here to steal our jobs (not illegal immigrants, Mexicans as a whole). Sorry to be long-winded about this particular point, but I want everyone to know that I'm not simply making an uninformed generalization. If you disagree with me, that's fine, but it's still my personal opinion.
I've lived in and around Austin most of my life, and there are a lot of things I like about it. Everyone's already mentioned the friendly people and the parks and the river and the music and the food and the arts and all the interesting and kitschy neighborhoods. There are also simply a lot of memories I have from living in the city as a kid that make me fond of it.
That being said, there are also a few things I really dislike about the city. Among them:
1. Public transportation could be a hell of a lot better (more reliable buses, light rail, etc.)
2. Ridiculously hot and humid summers (although honestly I'll take that over frigid winters any day)
3. I'd like some bigger, better museums (and that damn planetarium needs to get built already!)
4. The fact that it's in Texas -- Now I know a lot of people are gonna rip me a new one for saying this, but I can't lie about how I feel. Texas is a great state with hardworking and friendly people who contribute to a diversified economy. At the same time, the whole conservative, football fanatic, highly religious culture is kind of a turn-off for me. I don't feel proud to say I grew up in a state whose board of education is making strides to whitewash history books and eliminate the gap between church and state. And while I hate to say this, there are a few too many rednecks for me. I'm not simply talking about country folk; nothing wrong with them at all. I'm talking about the types who stumble into a Whataburger drunk at 1 in the morning yelling about how much they hate n***ers and how all those Mexicans are here to steal our jobs (not illegal immigrants, Mexicans as a whole). Sorry to be long-winded about this particular point, but I want everyone to know that I'm not simply making an uninformed generalization. If you disagree with me, that's fine, but it's still my personal opinion.
Nope, no planetarium yet! No one ever seems to realize the vast amounts of capital -- pure money -- that it takes to launch to sustain a museum. The wealth of the robber barons of the 19th century funded nearly all the museums in the north, midwest, northeast, etc.
I do like dissenting opinions too but once I learned that artsguy never came south of the river, I couldn't give much weight to his perspective.
I do hate a certain type of drunk, white, red-neck Texan. 20 years here I have rarely encountered them, but it is chilling when you do. Had one encounter with that species at the Oasis 19 years ago, I still haven't gone back!
We moved to Austin from Bay Area about 3 months back. Following are things we don't like abt Austin
1) Weather.
2) Traffic
3) Arrogant Drivers. I have driven at length in SF, LA, Chicago, New York, Boston, in almost all major US cities, both during weekdays and weekends. Austin by far has the most number of arrogant, tailgaters, rough drivers. Here during rush hour commute you nearly encounter atleast 1-2 potential accidents.
4) Lack of Public Transport. I am not expecting the entire city to be covered nicely by public transport. But atleast routes/area which have regular heavy commutes on weekdays.
5) Nothing much to do. Austin is not a big or a happening city like NYC/LA/Chicago, so nothing much to do. It also doesnt have much activities in 3-4 hr drivable distake like N. CA had beaches, lake tahoe, SF, 17-mile drive, tons of hike. Phoenix has LA, Vegas, GC
6) Bad economy seems to have hit Austin the hardest. Job market is one of the worst in nation.
7) Most of the hi-tech companies have small design centers here. Being a small branch, they don't have much importance within their companies, hence they don't get the most challenging and exciting projects in Austin.
I heard a rumor that Property Taxes are going to be back on a rise soon.
Anyone here knows if that is true??
If so, prepare for higher mortgage payments for next year! 2011, a great start for the year.
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