Possibly moving from NYC to Austin. Words of comfort anyone?

[bkout]

Originally Posted by MMaria81

Hey Everyone-after several years of loving the excitement and energy of NYC, I think it has worn me out both physically and financially. I can no longer stand the weather, pretentious/mean people, face paced life, and exhaustion that NYC brings (let's not even get into cost of living). I have family in Austin (we are originally from PA) who absolutely love it. Slightly nervous to make this drastic change yet can't wait for my husband and I to have a quality of life again. Anyone who relocated from a similar large city with words of wisdom and comfort?

We lived in NYC for 27 years and left mainly to get better weather. Spent 6 years in FL which had great weather but the hurricanes were tough for us because we lived on a barrier island and had to evacuate several times and real estate went parabolic. So moved to Austin in 2006. Cool city in many ways -- main regret is that I didn't do my homework about allergies -- they are bad here! Hope you won't have that problem!

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Initially a very tough adjustment for me. I hated Austin for the first three years: drastically reduced cultural, intellectual, culinary and entertainment options. It's a trade off, and after a while, I liked not having to pay an arm and a leg to live in a shoe box, not trudging through frozen sludge 4 months of the year, instead wearing sandals in February. I became a BBQ and margarita snob. There is still no good Mexican food in NYC. I realized I like to sleep. Did I really need excellent sushi at 2 in the morning? Austin and NYC are not at all alike. I like my everyday in Austin much more and when I need a big city fix, planes leave many times everyday - 4 hours or so to NYC, roughly the same to L.A, 2 and a half to Chicago and 2 hours to Mexico City, which in my opinion is the most delightful of them all. When I lived in much bigger cities, NYC, L.A., Chicago, I only took advantage of their world class resources about twice a year, ballet, opera, museums etc. About the same as I do now, except now I don't have the hassle, aggravation and discomfort of actually living in them. As long as I get a weekend in a megalopolis every few months, I am more than happy to live in Austin.

And that, Ladies & Gentlemen, is the way to go!

Very good post.

[Sunnsnow]

I'm gonna have to agree with homeinatx, having relocated to Austin a few months ago from Madrid, living there for 6 years, previously from NYC, living there 15 years.... I'm finding Austin a hard nut to crack, and tossing in the towel end of Feb.

Your transition will probably be much easier, having family already here, and having a husband. For me the initial shock is how small and sprawling Austin really is.... having read/heard so much about how great Austin is .... Austin can't compare to NYC. It truly is a college town.

No public transportation worth taking, so having a car is a must, majority of stores are located in Malls outside downtown, the downtown area is made up of banks, hotels, restaurants, bars, all with great live music... and I have found the restaurants rather tasty...But that's about it. Yes, I've enjoyed bike riding, running, spending time reading at Barton Spring, and the weather definitely beats the bitter cold northeast, but I miss the convenience of a big city. And although unemployed, I have had several interviews, but nothing worth my while.

I wanted to give it a go here for at least 6 months, but already know Austin is not for me.

Hope this helps as well, and best of luck with your relocation... it's been nice.

[TedH71]

Wow. I've rarely gone long without a job in Austin before I relocated to Wichita, KS. Maybe you have a specialized field of employment? That can be part of the problem.

[Wisertime]

Originally Posted by Austin97

We have zero good italian places.

Hmm I don't know. I visited years ago and there was a great italian place accross from the Dam on lake travis (I can't remember the name). Not technically AUstin, but close. It was soo good I went back the next night and got the exact same thing for take out. Best Minestrone soup I ever had and I grew up around italians in NY.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Austin97

austin only has a couple of great restaurants, maybe only 2-3. We have a lot of pretty good restaurants though. We have maybe two good chinese places and two good sushi places (no great sushi places).

We have zero good italian places.

If you are looking for a slower paced more relaxed lifestyle, then austin would be a good fit. Austin has better outdoors opportunities than NYC but is lacking in just about everything else.

I think you are right on.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by Austin97

austin only has a couple of great restaurants, maybe only 2-3. We have a lot of pretty good restaurants though. We have maybe two good chinese places and two good sushi places (no great sushi places).

We have zero good italian places.

If you are looking for a slower paced more relaxed lifestyle, then austin would be a good fit. Austin has better outdoors opportunities than NYC but is lacking in just about everything else.

Wat are the names of the two good chinese places? I simply cannot find good chinese food in Austin.

[h886]

Chinatown is good--three locations, downtown, Westlake and Far West.

[bkout]

Originally Posted by llkltk

Wat are the names of the two good chinese places? I simply cannot find good chinese food in Austin.

For a healthy version try Fire Bowl or Zen -- both have good brown rice and a wide variety of combos. Ask if they have fresh shredded ginger -- yum!