An Illinoisian's take on Austin (Houston, Spring: hardwood floors, real estate, house)

[supernova9]

I'm a 29 year-old guy, and have spent this past week in Austin with friends who live here. I've got a few more days and then I go check out Seattle/Portland. I'm from Champaign, IL. Austin is essentially a much larger, warmer Champaign, or like the north side of Chicago without Wrigley Field. The people are generally quite friendly, and if you're into live music, this place will not disappoint. It's about as pricey as Chicago in most respects (esp. food and drinks), which is unfortunate, with the exception of the housing, which is cheaper.

The food selection is skewed decidedly in the tex-mex variety, which gets a bit tiresome. Taco stands are a-plenty. If you like Chicago style pizza, you'll have to have it shipped in from Lou Malnati's, 'cause there isn't any to be found here. Home Slice is good New York style 'za, however. I've liked the food variety and taste in Champaign better than Austin, to be honest, which I definitely did not expect to be the case. The beer is pretty great here, and there's Shiner Bock to be had at almost every bar in town, which is fantastic. Fireman's #4 is good, also. The bars are similar to some Chicago places, i.e. Hole In The Wall reminds me of The Empty Bottle. The Spider House is a must visit... great outdoor seating, good food, coffee, and beer.

I've seen a show (Delta Spirit and Matt Costa) at The Parish, which was great. Waterloo Records is a fantastic record store. Anton's is a good back-up, with a solid selection of vinyl.

Hill country is nice... definitely a break from the IL cornfields. The riverfront is ok... it just feels a little neglected. Lake Travis, however, was incredible, and a trip to Austin is just not complete without a visit to the Oasis restaurant to watch the sunset. Bring your camera!

I'm single, too, and I think that it won't be too hard to meet people. It seems that like-minded individuals of the female persuasion here are numerous enough to have a shot of making a love connection. Probably not as easily as Chicago, but more so than Champaign by the sheer virtue of there being more people here. I made friends at the Bouldin St. Coffeehouse on Tuesday, went to karaoke with them at Ego's with them the next night, and are seeing a show with them at Emo's tonight. That's pretty good for being here all of 5 days.

The general mindset of people here seems to be different than IL. It's hard to describe, but it seems generally more laid-back, which is a good thing. It's a pretty liberal town, with lots of anti-Bush / pro-dem & Obama stuff. The drivers here leave a bit to be desired, but the traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be... just avoid 35 as much as you can... it's not too bad.

The heat hasn't really bothered me too much; it's just an adjustment as far as clothing. Lots more t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops days... and get to know someone with a pool. lol

Overall, there's a lot of good about Austin, and if my interview goes well, I'll be living here in two months and looking forward to ACL.

[Jennibc]

Wow, I just read your post after starting the Seattle vibe vs. the Austin vibe. I think after you visit Seattle next week, you should check back and weigh in on the differences.

[ioda006]

I'm from Springfield/Champaign IL area as well. I moved to Austin about 6 months ago and I love it here. Finally experiencing the real heat of the summer which is actually a little scary. Back in IL the summer nights cool down enough that you'd be fine sleeping through them without the air.. here in Austin I'm not really sure you'd be able to do that very comfortably. Upside is it's warm all year round. I was regularly outside in shorts and a tshirt during the winter.

Part of my move was for the weather. Sun and warmth helped me make it through the winter both physically and mentally. I could tell you right now I'd never go back to IL based on the weather alone.. I know I'd never make it in Seattle.

[supernova9]

I will check in with my thoughts on Seattle next weekend.

[schoenfraun]

My husband and I moved to Austin last June, a year ago, from Champaign-Urbana, too. He's from St Louis and I'm from Chicago, and Champaign was great for us because we were equidistant from our families and because it was very laid-back, but with the best state-university library in the US. Great music passing through there all the time, too, and great local bands.

We moved here for my job, and I love it, and we love Austin; but it was too urban for us after living there more than 13 years.... We liked the slower pace and the smaller town. Austin is a big city, or well on its way to becoming one. I'm not making any judgment here about that, or trying not to; there's both good and bad in what some folks call "densification." (I've never been convinced that this is a real word.)

So when we were looking to find a house to purchase in Austin, we found that things were certainly not as affordable as central IL, or the St. Louis area. Austin real estate is as pricey as Chicago real estate. We couldn't afford anything that was remotely interesting to us. I guess we were spoiled by Champaign-Urbana, if folks reading this can believe it, or catch my drift.... Champaign has some great older homes with character, and you can buy something decent, not a "fixer-upper" or a falling-down wreck, for about $125,000, no problem. Something you can actually move into, with hardwood floors. And the tree-lined brick streets of Urbana, especially in the fall, I think, can't be beat. Just beautiful.

We eventually found a house in Taylor, a small town about 35 miles NE of Austin, and we love it here. It's got really friendly people, a great collection of architecture, a lovely city park (like West Side Park in Champaign, or more like Crystal Lake Park in Urbana, because it has a "lake" in it and a great aquatic center, 2 public pools, and tennis courts, etc.), a very quiet and mellow vibe, and some really good restaurants (not just the barbecue everyone seems to rave about, but several others including Ricoco's Latin Grill, which is FANTASTIC).

Although I now have a long commute--which I don't mind, it's just the gas prices that I mind, I love the drive on the backroads--I think this plan is the best for us: we can take advantage of everything that the city of Austin has to offer, but we live in a great little town in a beautiful house that we could never afford in Austin proper. Although Taylor doesn't have a record store like Champaign (Parasol, for example), it is the current home of SST Records, the label of choice for those in the know in the 1980s (Black Flag, Sonic Youth, etc.). There are some great buildings in downtown that are waiting to be transformed into cool shops, bars, and restaurants, several empty storefronts. We can meet up with friends in Austin, see a band, or have dinner, and then retreat to some quiet.

I miss the Blind Pig (both old and new), and the Esquire, and Crane Alley, and I even miss the Fiesta Cafe--in some cases, it beats some of the Tex-Mex we've eaten in Austin. I miss our friends in Urbana-Champaign. Even with I Love Video and Vulcan Video in Austin, I desperately miss That's Rentertainment; Jeff's selection beats both of these Austin stores, for sure. But there's a lot to love about the Austin area, and I hope that you find you enjoy it, too, if you should move here. It's a great place to be and we're happy to be here.

Good luck in Seattle. I hope your job prospects both make you great offers.

[schoenfraun]

Oh, and pizza.... seems you found and like Home Slice. It's good. But I think the best pizza in Austin is found at East Side Pies.

Lou Malnati's and all that Chicago-style pizza...it's too much! Too much bread, too much crust! Chicago-style pizza, having grown up with it...bleh.

East Side Pies rocks.
El Sol y la Luna rocks.

Chicago has great Ethiopian food. Austin doesn't. It has Aster's, which will have to do...but it's no Ethiopian Diamond. Even the Red Sea in St Louis is better than Aster's.

Chicago has better Thai, too, like Rosded in Lincoln Square. Madam Mam's isn't so good, but it's what we've got in Austin. I've heard fantastic things about the Thai place on 71, about 4 miles past the airport, but we haven't been there yet. I'm hoping....

[jread]

Originally Posted by schoenfraun

Chicago has great Ethiopian food. Austin doesn't. It has Aster's, which will have to do...but it's no Ethiopian Diamond.

What exactly is Ethiopian food? My first thought would be a bowl of rice from Sally Struthers, but it sounds like I'm missing something here.

[schoenfraun]

Originally Posted by jread

What exactly is Ethiopian food? My first thought would be a bowl of rice from Sally Struthers, but it sounds like I'm missing something here.

I know you're trying to be funny, but that's so rude, dude.... Not funny.

Ethiopian food is truly delicious. I'm vegetarian, my husband is not, but basically these dishes are like stews, I guess. The spices are unbelievable. Vegetables and grains, or meat and vegetables, are cooked in spices and simmered for a long time. One is also served a sourdough pancake called injera, and you scoop up the main dish with your fingers, using the injera. There are no utensils.

So if you don't like eating without utensils, you'll have a hard time.
If you don't like sharing your food with your friends, all eating off a large platter together, you'll have a hard time.
If you don't like spicy food, or spices in general, being a salt-and-pepper person, you'll have a hard time.
If you don't have an open mind when it comes to trying new foods, you'll have a hard time.

I know people who like the different dishes but don't like the injera, they find it too sour, or they don't like the pancake texture.

We love Ethiopian food, and Chicago has great restaurants; there are several Ethiopian places around Wrigley Field, and then our favorite, Ethiopian Diamond, is in Uptown, on Broadway near the Broadway Antique Market. St Louis has the Red Sea on Delmar in U City; that's where I first tried Ethiopian food as a college student. Champaign-Urbana did not have any Ethiopian restaurants, so we'd have to do without unless we went up to Chicago.

But I think some of the best Ethiopian food in the US is found in Washington DC. There are many Ethiopian places on U Street there, and they are incredible. Several nights a week they have live music, too, Ethiopian music. So when in DC, try some Ethiopian food, man.

Aster's injera, for whatever reason, just doesn't do it for us. And her spice mixtures also don't seem as robust.

But I'm also open to the possibility that she does it the "authentic" way, and every place else does it "American" style. I wouldn't know....

I know there have been a lot of other threads about Austin changing to suit the limited tastes or needs of "outsiders," whether from California or Chicago or elsewhere. A strong "you're not local, and you're ruining this place for me" threads. I am not looking for the restaurants of Chicago, or Champaign-Urbana, here in Austin. Austin is what it is, I live here now. But I miss what I know, yes, and I miss what I know to be good, or, in some cases, better than what Austin offers in some areas. And it's not fact, before anyone jumps in with a hostile comment--it's just my opinion.

You might very well go to Chicago some day, try Ethiopian Diamond, and say that Aster's kicks its behind. And that would be your valid opinion.

I hope you, jread, try and enjoy some Ethiopian food some time.

And if anyone can find a decent bialy in Austin, let me know. They say that Upper Crust has a good bialy, but that ain't no bialy, believe me. What I would do for a real bialy, I can't say.... The bagel and bialy of Austin are not good, people.

[TexasHorseLady]

Have you tried Sweetish Hill? I'm not familiar with the bialy, but rumor (from both Yelp and Chowhound) hath it they've got a good one.

[love roses]

Oh, I haven't had ethiopian food in a long time. When I lived in Houston I went to a place on West Gray. It was small, but I never had a bad dish there. jread, you really ought to give it a try, I think you may like it. They also had a ginger beer there that was from Africa. It was really good, but really spicy