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 moved to Austin with my wife 8 months ago from Los Angeles. I lived in Los Angeles for 1 year and I'm originally from Brooklyn, NY.
Ok, so with out of the way, I signed up to this site to clear up some information for you city people. I'm a little pissed about the false information people are spewing so it's time to drop some knowledge
If you're moving to Austin, here's what you need to know:
WHAT SUCKS
1) The food sucks. Cheeseburgers here are no better than cheeseburgers anywhere. It's a CHEESEBURGER. If you're lucky enough to find some good Cajun food, the place will probably be closed by 10pm anyway. There is little diversity. There are a few gems here or there, but it's nothing close to what you can get in LA, Chicago, NY, Philly, or DC. My best experience with food here was a French restaurant that's $100 per person... and it wasn't as good as a tiny French restaurant in LA.
Often times you will find yourself having to do a lot of research to find a good place to eat... and given the state of the economy I'm guessing you can't spend a ***** ton of money on food. This is not like New York or Los Angeles where you can pick a popular street and find some ecsquisite restaurants. In Pasadena my restaraunt life was constrained to a single zip code... and I didn't even visit half of the places I wanted to.
90% of the stuff you'll find here is restaurant chains: Mexican, Steakhouse, Italian... that's about it. There are some nice places around downtown but nothing special.
Austinites tend to label things as special in Austin when those things aren't that special at all. Don't know why they do that...
2) Texans think that Texas is a country. Have you ever seen someone with the shape of the state they live in tattooed on their body? Have you ever seen someone from LA with a tattoo of the state of California on their body? Me neither, until I moved to Austin. And frankly I can't figure out why.
LA has hollywood, celebs and beautiful sunsets
NY has statue of liberty, the italian mob, the yankees and true diversity
TX has... cowboys, mexicans and...?
3) Drivers in Ausin, Texas are worse than drivers in LA
If you currently live in LA, you will understand how horrible this is I'm not even going to elaborate here because I'd end up writing a whole essay about this.
4) When they say Austin is liberal, they mean it has a bunch of college kids. In other words, most adults over the age of 35 that you see will not be liberal. There are a few social groups here like any city (goth.. really nice ppl btw, musicians, etc) but when you roll it up as a whole... it's Texas. It's the southern region. This is not a golden city in the middle of a swamp if you know what i mean.
Since I'm on the topic if people, I've seen a great deal of uptight people that act like that have a stick up their ass. In fact just last week I was lounging on the outside of a cafe I really enjoy in North Austin and some... person... came up to me, interrupted my conversation and reminded me that I shouldn't smoke with 50ft of the entrance. This cafe literally has 3 tables and people regularly go there to smoke, drink and have interesting conversation. I wish that sob was worth flattening but of course he wasn't. People like only cause you grief no matter how many times you punch them in the face.
I've had atleast 10 instances like the above in the past 8 months. Oh and I still haven't gotten used to everyone saying hi to me.
5) There is nothing else to do besides eating, shooting guns at the range and watching movies. We've exhausted every possible option of doing something interesting. We've headed North/South/East and found nooooooooooooooothing. West is the only option where you will find Fredericksburg. You can only really go there for the food because the quaint little town has been so commercialized that it's nothing but gift shops and restaurants. The food is WORTH IT though!!!
6) There are people here that were born in Texas, lived in Texas their whole lives and will probably die in Texas. They have never been out of the state. Just keep that in mind.
7) It's expensive city. If you're looking to move to *any* non-city environment, you should atleast consider a few others first. This city is damn expensive in comparison to other small cities.
8) ALLERGIES. Many people that move here suffer from Cedar Fever in their first year. It really depends on how well your body handles allergens. Once you get it... you'll know it... and you'll hate it. Google for "Austin allergies" or "Cedar fever" and enjoy the read. Also this page covers it simply:
AroundAustin.Com: Achoo! Austin Allergies (http://www.aroundaustin.com/2004/01/achoo_austin_al.html - broken link)
9) Public Schools Sucks. Basically my theory is that republicans run this state which is why they it's not bankrupt right now. They're good with business but they suck with social programs. The result is one of the largest high school dropout rates in the country, terrible conditions of the public schools, teachers that abuse their students, etc. If you have a kid between the ages of 8 and 16 and you're planning to move here... start looking for a private school or some sort of way to home school your child.
WHAT DOESN'T SUCK
1) If you live out in North Austin, it's very peaceful. The crime rate is very low, rent isn't expensive and it's pretty scenic. North Austin is like 90% white people. If you're wanting to relax a little and do your own thing, this is the place to do it provided you can find yourself a descent job (covered below).
2) If you're a people person and enjoy the energy of others around you I promise that you will find the people here socially retarted and they will bother the hell out of you. Most people that I've come across don't understand basic etiquette. Sorry
HOWEVER (the reason its in the positive section), this also means that you can easily detatch yourself from the general population and enjoy things that you wouldn't normally do on a regular basis, such as do some photography (there's plenty of nature/sites to go around here), have a picnic, read a book, focus on your personal work and ambition for a while, mellow out and don't do much of anything, go horseback riding, go shoot a gun at the range (tons of fun), etc.
3) THERE IS NO INCOME TAX!!! There are some things that are significantly cheaper than other cities. Car insurance will probably be cheaper. The big one is income tax. If you live in a state that enforces its own income tax (ie: california, new york, etc) -- this will be a real pleasure for you. You'll find that some products will be cheaper for you than before (can't remember which, but I do remember saying "oh that's much cheaper than LA or NY"). Ah, gas is one of them. Texas gas is very cheap!
4) If you're a single guy, you will find alooooooooooot of available tang here... but only if you're looking to get married. There are boatloads of single women here. I see them everyday... no rock on their finger... and they're all pretty trendy.
The market for good men in this town is horrible for them. I've been told this on more than one occasion and it doesn't surprise me in the least. Sof if you know what it's like to be a traditionally self respectful man, have a fair amount of money in your pocket and know how to treat a woman -- you could easily find "the one" here. If you just want to get laid, you won't have trouble with that either
5) The job market is still alive. It sucks, but it's better than NY and LA. You'd be able to find something here pretty easy if you are a "motivated self-starter" bla bla bla
6) Austin will make you appreciate the places you lived before.
Good luck.
I'd say perhaps you should pack your bags and go on back to those much better places. Don't let the door kick you in the behind on your way out.
You sound like an intolerant blowhard making assumptions about those around you. In fact, I think you're the person people meet and develop a stereotype about others who are natives of the east coast. Do your fellow NYers and LA people a favor and quit reinforcing stereotypes. "Socially retarted?" I believe the word is retarded but of course your superior education missed that. Yes people born and raised in Texas travel. Give it a rest. You say it was much more diverse where you came from but you list as a plus that the area you live in is 90% white.................... Dude lighten up - live and let live or hit the road.
I am a fifth-generation Texan on one side and although I was born in Texas, I grew up in Texas, Arkansas, Arlington VA (near DC). Went to college in St. Louis, and as an adult I have lived in Austin, the San Francisco area on the peninsula, the east Bay near Berkeley, and am now in San Diego.
What people like or dislike about a city will vary depending on what their priorities are.
For example, I won't stay in San Diego permanently b/c it imports 85% of its water. We are on a couple of acres and our water availability was reduced by 30% this year with prices going up. Farmers are abandoning their farms; they can't afford the water. Paving over farms = having to import more food - higher cost, continued involvement of fossil fuels in our food supply. The water situation is worsening, and one day Tahoe officials may tell San Diego that they need that water for themselves.
Addressing some of the previous observations about Austin:
1. Cost of living: Of course Austin has become more expensive, but is still far below many other cities. COL in the SF area and San Diego is outrageous! It's ridiculous to see a house listing for $990,000 for a 3 bedroom house one block from I-680 that "needs TLC" (in the SF east bay). I love going to the beach or being able to get to the desert or mountains easily, I absolutely LOVE the climate here but the weather and culture aren't worth the price of houses.
2. Food... I have never seen so many chain restaurants as I have here in San Diego. The wonderful thing about regionality is that you find culinary treasures in certain places that don't exist in others. I love going to Koi Palace in Daly City for dim sum, or Bryce's in Texarkana for good southern cooking, or Osha Thai Cuisine in SF. If I move back to Austin I will miss going to excellent dim sum... but in San Diego I miss it too! Food culture in America is its own issue as well - Omnivore's Dilemma sums it up nicely.
3. Grocery stores! The grocery stores in San Diego are crappy. The gourmet store near me doesn't even have bone-in thick pork chops regularly. If you enjoy really good produce, forget about Vons (Safeway) and regular general grocery stores. Bigger and more urban cities doesn't guarantee quality. Whole Foods here is inferior to the Whole Foods in SF or Austin. And Austin's Central Market seriously rocks.
4. Friendliness: you will find pockets of good neighbors anywhere. And Austin is indeed a generally friendly place. Being helpful and considerate does not always equate insincerity. One example: years ago when I was a new mom in Austin, my baby was sick and my husband out of town. It was evening, I didn't want to disrupt my baby and take her out for food/medicine. I called my neighborhood HEB to ask if they participated in Webvan. They didn't, and the manager said "I'm off in half an hour, I'll bring you some supplies." This is a big store like Safeway, and this guy brought over some Tylenol and chicken soup on his way home. I'm not one of those helpless females; I split wood and can fix minor plumbing and am tech savvy, a former Dell employee. He was just serving one of his customers.
5. Public education: sucks just about everywhere. It's the infrastructure that is flawed, and there are caring people in cities around the country who are dedicated to helping improve things for our children. Teachers teach to the test because the system rewards Blue Ribbon Schools. We punish taking risks and learning the unknown because we want to have a good GPA and get into college, and venturing into an known subject yields lower grades. We are cutting back recess and wonder why our kids are obese. One local kindergarten teacher was chastised for having her kids wash their hands after they used the small classroom bathroom because it took too much time away from class. Art programs are being cut. Kids who can't sit still for four hours have recess taken away from them as punishment. If they go from "green" to "yellow or red" in the little reward system, they lose recess. Hmm, wouldn't it make sense to have more outlets for physical energy? Kids aren't designed to sit still all day. These examples aren't specific to Austin, not by far.
6. Allergies and climate discomfort: any city in the country has advantages and disadvantages wrt climate and comfort. In Austin there is cedar fever. Here in San Diego the Santa Ana winds come through periodically and wreak havoc on people's health. Anecdotal reports link the Santa Anas to more migraines, achy joints, dehydration, sinus troubles. When the Santa Anas come in I get an irregular heartbeat - bradycardias and PVCs. St. Louis is windier than Chicago, the DC area has the humidity of Austin. In the SF area, people go to the July 4 celebrations with blankets and hot chocolate!! You have tornadoes in Austin and midwest, hurricanes in the east, earthquakes, mud slides, and wildfires in the west, blizzards and flooding in the north. The 2007 wildfires came within a couple of miles of our home and only the wind shift saved our place. I'll take tornados over earthquakes and fires - you can see them on the radar and they usually only occur during a certain season.
7. Culture: I enjoy the San Diego aquarium, but it pales in comparison to Monterey's, which pales in comparison to Maui's. **Anyone who wants to search for what's lacking will find something.** Conversely, if you want to search for something unique and good about your location, you'll also find it: the San Diego beaches surpass those of SF, which surpass those of Galveston.
8. Public transportation:
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveUrban
Besides, buses are usually quite empty all over the state and various Texan cities have shot down plans for light rail. "Because it is a waste of money."
When San Francisco started the BART project (Bay Area Rapid Transit), San Mateo county voters rejected the funding, so the BART lines end at the county line. From there you are stuck with CalTrans: older trains, limited schedule. The San Mateo voters thought it was a waste of money. You either have to drive or take Caltrans to the BART station. Caltrans stops running earlier than BART does, so if you take Caltrans into the city and have to work late, you then have to cab home or to the BART station and try to navigate back to your car at the closed Caltrans lot.
Short-sightedness exists everywhere.
Here in San Diego, I see empty buses. The general lack participation and investment in public transportation is spread throughout the country. The failures are not the blame of a Texas mentality, but a combination of many factors, including gas prices, lack of infrastructure, lack of voter support, desire for independence (wrt carpooling), and even history/culture (Americans are entrenched in their cars).
9. Book banning: there has been at least one incident in the San Diego area recently in which a dictionary was banned from an elementary school. In December there was a drive to remove "The Last Temptation of Christ" from the libraries. Narrow mindedness exists everywhere, what varies is the extent to which it is drowned out. When I lived in Austin, Round Rock had a big book banning push and the rest of the Austin area expressed outrage. Just because someone starts a book ban drive doesn't mean the entire city is represented.
Two-three things about Austin that make me reluctant to return since I can't do much about them and they affect day to day life:
1. It is unbearably hot in the summer. Growing up in the South I didn't notice this until I moved somewhere where the heat doesn't suck the life essence out of every living thing from May-October.
2. Scorpions. We live on a few acres and would do the same in Austin; before we moved away I had scorpions everywhere. Crawling across the bed while I was reading stories to my kids, falling out of the ceiling fan casing, in the cracks of the deck, in the bathtub.
3. Water - Texas doesn't receive enough either although it's better than SD.
The bottom line is, no place is perfect, it's just a matter of deciding what matters most and what you're willing to live with. I'd rather live comfortably day to day, with access to GOOD groceries and reasonable cost of living. I can travel for the things I enjoy periodically, such as the aquarium and symphony. I'd rather notice the things I enjoy in my city so that when I move away I have things to look forward to visiting.
Shannon, I hope you WILL move back to Austin - you sound like just our kind of folks! Can't do much about the heat (except that you will re-adapt, most likely, and remember the joys of AC), but I live on 55 acres and have never seen a scorpion here (have only seen a handful in all my 60 years in Texas). It all depends on where in the area you live, and in part whether you've moved into a place where development has recently stirred up their habitat. So that, something CAN be done about!
TexasHorseLady, that's reassuring. I didn't realize how stressful it was until we moved away and I no longer had to check under my pillow and covers before going to bed. I could handle the heat, as long as I had a pool to cool off in, and I could use rain barrels to maximize our water availability, but the scorpions were a huge concern. It's good to hear of someone on acreage who doesn't have scorpions.
2. Food... I have never seen so many chain restaurants as I have here in San Diego. The wonderful thing about regionality is that you find culinary treasures in certain places that don't exist in others. I love going to Koi Palace in Daly City for dim sum, or Bryce's in Texarkana for good southern cooking, or Osha Thai Cuisine in SF. If I move back to Austin I will miss going to excellent dim sum... but in San Diego I miss it too! Food culture in America is its own issue as well - Omnivore's Dilemma sums it up nicely.
3. Grocery stores! The grocery stores in San Diego are crappy. The gourmet store near me doesn't even have bone-in thick pork chops regularly. If you enjoy really good produce, forget about Vons (Safeway) and regular general grocery stores. Bigger and more urban cities doesn't guarantee quality. Whole Foods here is inferior to the Whole Foods in SF or Austin. And Austin's Central Market seriously rocks.
I just moved to the Austin Area from San Diego. I WHOLE heartily agree with number 3. The groceries stores in San Diego SUCK. When I walked into the HEB by our house, I thought I had found the holy grail of groceries store. I love that place.
As for number 2 above, you should spend sometime in the Gaslamp district. That is hand down the best area for food I have ever been to in my 27 years of life. Now they dont have REAL BBQ, so that is a huge negative. But, the Yard House has amazing food. I LOVE Sadaf's Persian restaurant. Rei de Gado has an amazing all you can eat lunch buffet for $15- how can you beat bacon wrapped Fillet Mignon for $15 bucks? I had an office in the Old Spreckels building and went across the street for the buffet way too many times Oh, so many good restaurants. But, Austin has great gems of restaurants too.
That being said, I LOVE Austin and look forward to spending the foreseeable future here.
Spreading Truth: I find it amusing that you state your opinions unabashedly but seem to be offended when others reply to your very blatant, and rather pointed, statements. I tried to understand how your having lived in the Bronx and LA gives you superior knowledge in that your opinion should be the one people should acknowledge as true and accurate. You seem to have become quite the authority on living in Texas, and Austin specifically, in 8 months. So, from me to you, my opinion on your opinions.
1. The quality of food is an opinion - sorry you don't like what is available in Texas since, with what you state, you must have tried it all. I will point out that you note a lack of diversity in opinion #2 when you speak about NY and imply that Texas has none. So why would you then assume there would be a great diversity of French, Italian (can't beat a place I go to in downtown Buffalo), Polish, or whatever style of restaurants in this area? What you will get is some diversity in Tex-Mex food. I don't expect fresh, delicious shrimp when I go to Kansas City!
2. Well, yes; I've seen other with tattoos of their state - Hawaii, Florida, Alabama, to name a few.
And to enlighten you, Texas has cowboys, Mexicans, historical sites (battlefields, museums, homes, churches), the Gulf of Mexico, multiple lakes, rivers (water sports, fishing, swimming), as well as professional (football, basketball, baseball) and college (UT and numerous others) sports. There are 13 National Parks in Texas. You have everything from plains to small mountain ranges and much more. Get out a topographical map and look.
3. Not having lived there - LA may be worse but Miami and Atlanta are much worse than Austin in my opinion!
4. My liberal friends (45+) would enjoy having a conversation with you and would happily introduce you to their liberal friends. Yet, Austin would be very liberal if you compare it with Norman, OK or Birmingham, AL but very conservative when compared to Lawrence, KS. It a simple matter of where you live.
As to your little rant regarding not being asked to smoke you can call the man a sob but it is the law. Just because you feel most tend to ignore the smoking law does not make the person asking you to obey the law ignorant let alone wrong. He has as much, and probably more, right to point this out to you since you are freely choosing to disregard it. No pity on this point - you deserve what you get in that case. The argument of 'well others do it' just does not work in an adult conversation.
5. I guess you are not outdoors people (hiking, swimming, fishing, horseback riding, biking, national parks, etc.) I guess you are not interested in any historic areas (see my #2). I guess you are not into sports (again, #2). If you want LA culture, that is in California; if you want NY culture, well, you get my drift. Seems you want TX to fit into what you want. What did you do in CA & NY that you want to do here?
6. Okay, so? That is part of the charm of any state. I love meeting people who have never lived anywhere else. Talk to them; they have an entirely different view from most folks regarding the area and state. They are a wealth of information. So they do not have your 'world view'. What's wrong with that?
7. Yep - it's expensive. Anyone who does not do research other than this forum is uninformed.
8. Again, yep. Florida has mold problems, Oklahoma also has cedar problems. Again, do the research before you move.
9. What area - all of Austin ed sucks? I guess you have kids in the system? I guess you are involved in school - volunteer at the school, volunteer to serve on school committees, volunteer to work on district committees? I teach middle school and have heard this in every state I've lived in regarding various cities or areas. I was K-8 just outside of Buffalo, 9-12 in south Florida, undergrad and graduate degree in Alabama. I recruited for my university in schools all over the deep south for three years. Public schools receive federal funding and with that comes restrictions. How aware are you of how the system is funded (state and federal). How much is the area taxed; how many business are in the area to help fund the school with their taxes? Blast the schools all you like when you have spent some time trying to fix the problems or can answer questions on how the funding is obtained, the level of identified, bi-lingual, low income, etc. issues a district faces.
WHAT DOESN'T SUCK
"1) If you live out in North Austin, it's very peaceful. The crime rate is very low, rent isn't expensive and it's pretty scenic. North Austin is like 90% white people."
So, part of the reason it doesn't suck is because you feel that the majority of people who live in North Austin are white, the crime rate is low, it is not expensive, and it is scenic? What? Seriously?
"2) If you're a people person and enjoy the energy of others around you I promise that you will find the people here socially retarted and they will bother the hell out of you. Most people that I've come across don't understand basic etiquette. Sorry "
I assume you mean retarded? The rudeness of using that term aside, I have a feeling that many people would feel that you are seriously lacking in the way of any social graces if you speak to the people you meet in Texas the way you are voicing your opinions on this forum. To then question basic etiquette when you decide to smoke where you want and write "I wish that sob was worth flattening but of course he wasn't. People like only cause you grief no matter how many times you punch them in the face." Sounds like a lot of people give you grief and I truly feel you may really not understand why.
3. Finally, a true fact not laced with opinion.
"4) If you're a single guy, you will find alooooooooooot of available tang here... but only if you're looking to get married. There are boatloads of single women here. I see them everyday... no rock on their finger... and they're all pretty trendy.
The market for good men in this town is horrible for them. I've been told this on more than one occasion and it doesn't surprise me in the least. Sof if you know what it's like to be a traditionally self respectful man, have a fair amount of money in your pocket and know how to treat a woman -- you could easily find "the one" here. If you just want to get laid, you won't have trouble with that either "
What did you say about people in Texas not understanding social etiquette?
5. Job market is better in Austin than most but not a bastion of employment.
What's a good place and what's a bad place depends on the person but most people think Austin is a good place. Austin consistently ranks in the top 5 with Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, etc.
I live in Houston. Some people stereotype Texas. Here in Houston there is lots of diversity. We have a wide selection of restaurants here. Houston has one of the best restaurant selections in the country. That's why we got the fattest city in America 3 years in a row. We have a big Chinatown here. There is lots of Vietnamese and Chinese stuff in Houston. So to the people that think Texas is cowboys and horses, they're flat out wrong.
Spreading Truth: I find it amusing that you state your opinions unabashedly but seem to be offended when others reply to your very blatant, and rather pointed, statements. I tried to understand how your having lived in the Bronx and LA gives you superior knowledge in that your opinion should be the one people should acknowledge as true and accurate. You seem to have become quite the authority on living in Texas, and Austin specifically, in 8 months. So, from me to you, my opinion on your opinions.
Brooklyn, not Bronx. Apples and oranges. I'm not offended, just drilling the point home that this entire post is not about loving or hating Austin (I'm pretty comfortable here - for the most part), but the complete misrepresentation of the city by its inhabitants.
Quote:
1. The quality of food is an opinion - sorry you don't like what is available in Texas since, with what you state, you must have tried it all. I will point out that you note a lack of diversity in opinion #2 when you speak about NY and imply that Texas has none. So why would you then assume there would be a great diversity of French, Italian (can't beat a place I go to in downtown Buffalo), Polish, or whatever style of restaurants in this area? What you will get is some diversity in Tex-Mex food. I don't expect fresh, delicious shrimp when I go to Kansas City!
Agreed, but people claim that the restaurants here are amazing and that its diversity and quality is on-par with LA, NY, etc (no quantity, diversity). I was recently at Aquarelle (80$ per person) hoping to see if money talks and it does here. It's the only French place worth going to in my opinion, but the price is pretty ridiculous for what they offer.
With that said, diversity doesn't mean French/Italian/Greek/Mexican food. You can find that anywhere nowadays. How about an Afghani place? There's only 2 cuban places and they're so-so. And of course German, Polish, Russian and anything middle eastern - hard to find.
Quote:
2. Well, yes; I've seen other with tattoos of their state - Hawaii, Florida, Alabama, to name a few.
And to enlighten you, Texas has cowboys, Mexicans, historical sites (battlefields, museums, homes, churches), the Gulf of Mexico, multiple lakes, rivers (water sports, fishing, swimming), as well as professional (football, basketball, baseball) and college (UT and numerous others) sports. There are 13 National Parks in Texas. You have everything from plains to small mountain ranges and much more. Get out a topographical map and look.
Historical sites. I'd hope every city had some of those Don't get me started on the football.
I know it's pretty amazing that a huge freaking state has hills and things and if that makes you proud, no problem. What I'm trying to say is that other places in the country have gained much more acclaim for doing far bigger things and aren't even half as "proud". This "pride", most of the time, is clearly a facad with the intent of being part of the group more than anything else.
Anyway the point isn't the drawing stupid crap on the body... people do that everywhere. I'm saying that people should be prepared for a bunch of kids in their early 20s running around screaming Texas Pride when they've never been out of the state in their life.
It all seems very artificial to me and it could bother other people as well, thus I point it out. I'm willing to be that only 1% of those jerks with the tatoos of Texas and their forehead will know what happened on March 2, 1836 (by the way, do you? off hand no googling?)
Quote:
3. Not having lived there - LA may be worse but Miami and Atlanta are much worse than Austin in my opinion!
Not a fan of Miami, but it has charm. Nothing like Atlanta.
Quote:
4. My liberal friends (45+) would enjoy having a conversation with you and would happily introduce you to their liberal friends. Yet, Austin would be very liberal if you compare it with Norman, OK or Birmingham, AL but very conservative when compared to Lawrence, KS. It a simple matter of where you live.
Agreed and I'm sure there are liberals to find and I've found a few myself. The fact remains that most people aren't and as soon as you step out of the 10 block size downtown you'll have a lot of trouble finding them
Quote:
As to your little rant regarding not being asked to smoke you can call the man a sob but it is the law. Just because you feel most tend to ignore the smoking law does not make the person asking you to obey the law ignorant let alone wrong. He has as much, and probably more, right to point this out to you since you are freely choosing to disregard it. No pity on this point - you deserve what you get in that case. The argument of 'well others do it' just does not work in an adult conversation.
Whatever man. You can throw around the "I'm an adult so I'll respect every law because.. bla bla". That's yet another thing about Texas that big city people need to know about - because it will **** them off. The fact is you break laws too - sometimes you know you're doing it, sometimes you don't.
If you're an adult, you should be aware that life is complicated and sometimes people need to relax. Everyone does it in their own way. Anyway just read my elaboration on that a few pages ago.
Quote:
5. I guess you are not outdoors people (hiking, swimming, fishing, horseback riding, biking, national parks, etc.) I guess you are not interested in any historic areas (see my #2). I guess you are not into sports (again, #2). If you want LA culture, that is in California; if you want NY culture, well, you get my drift. Seems you want TX to fit into what you want. What did you do in CA & NY that you want to do here?
Historic areas? Are you freaking kidding me? Do you honestly believe that hiking, watching football and historic areas are what makes TX great? WOW.
Quote:
6. Okay, so? That is part of the charm of any state. I love meeting people who have never lived anywhere else. Talk to them; they have an entirely different view from most folks regarding the area and state. They are a wealth of information. So they do not have your 'world view'. What's wrong with that?
What's wrong with that? You end up spending some time with them and by the time you snap out of it you realize you've just spent 45 minutes having borderline retarded conversation. Well, not you - me
"Dur, great day today."
"Yea great day."
"Dur, I love country fried chicken"
"Mmm yes country fried chicken is great. When I was a boy..."
[30 minutes later]
"I agree, why didn't they just run a screen pattern!"
"I know!"
[30 minutes later]
"My cat's breath smells like cat food."
"My dog's is the same way! Except replace cat with dog!"
Quote:
7. Yep - it's expensive. Anyone who does not do research other than this forum is uninformed.
Exactly. Hopefully my post prompts someone to do some research.
Quote:
8. Again, yep. Florida has mold problems, Oklahoma also has cedar problems. Again, do the research before you move.
Seriously every person who posted so far hasn't bothered but you (even the ones that told me to go screw myself). You're the exact thing about Texas that bothers me personally (something I didn't point out in the post because it's a very personal issue). There's no changing people like you which is fine.. but damn.. very irritating.
Quote:
9. What area - all of Austin ed sucks? I guess you have kids in the system? I guess you are involved in school - volunteer at the school, volunteer to serve on school committees, volunteer to work on district committees? I teach middle school and have heard this in every state I've lived in regarding various cities or areas. I was K-8 just outside of Buffalo, 9-12 in south Florida, undergrad and graduate degree in Alabama. I recruited for my university in schools all over the deep south for three years. Public schools receive federal funding and with that comes restrictions. How aware are you of how the system is funded (state and federal). How much is the area taxed; how many business are in the area to help fund the school with their taxes? Blast the schools all you like when you have spent some time trying to fix the problems or can answer questions on how the funding is obtained, the level of identified, bi-lingual, low income, etc. issues a district faces.
Let's talk dropout rate. Every public school system in the country has problems with money.
WHAT DOESN'T SUCK
Quote:
"1) If you live out in North Austin, it's very peaceful. The crime rate is very low, rent isn't expensive and it's pretty scenic. North Austin is like 90% white people."
So, part of the reason it doesn't suck is because you feel that the majority of people who live in North Austin are white, the crime rate is low, it is not expensive, and it is scenic? What? Seriously?
Pretty much. A bunch of middle class white people in one area equals safety Unless of course you're not white... then people stare.
Quote:
"2) If you're a people person and enjoy the energy of others around you I promise that you will find the people here socially retarted and they will bother the hell out of you. Most people that I've come across don't understand basic etiquette. Sorry "
I assume you mean retarded? The rudeness of using that term aside, I have a feeling that many people would feel that you are seriously lacking in the way of any social graces if you speak to the people you meet in Texas the way you are voicing your opinions on this forum. To then question basic etiquette when you decide to smoke where you want and write "I wish that sob was worth flattening but of course he wasn't. People like only cause you grief no matter how many times you punch them in the face." Sounds like a lot of people give you grief and I truly feel you may really not understand why.
It's a rant. Haven't you read one before? The point is to relentlessly pummel your target with a rude and obnoxious waterfall of generic insults.
You only think the word retarded is rude because you work in the school system. You have to deal with mentally challenged kids at times, right? Retarded really has taken on a new meaning and is there for effect more than anything else.
And do accept my sincere apologies for misspelling retarded. I type faster than I think, it's a problem.
Quote:
3. Finally, a true fact not laced with opinion.
"4) If you're a single guy, you will find alooooooooooot of available tang here... but only if you're looking to get married. There are boatloads of single women here. I see them everyday... no rock on their finger... and they're all pretty trendy.
The market for good men in this town is horrible for them. I've been told this on more than one occasion and it doesn't surprise me in the least. Sof if you know what it's like to be a traditionally self respectful man, have a fair amount of money in your pocket and know how to treat a woman -- you could easily find "the one" here. If you just want to get laid, you won't have trouble with that either "
What did you say about people in Texas not understanding social etiquette?
Social etiquette represents a conventional way of communicating, correct? I would hope so. What it does not mean is acting like you have parking meter jammed up your backside (that would "British Etiquette" or "Texas Etiquette").
It's safe to assume 95% of all single men want to either:
1) Get laid.
2) Get laid and have kids.
Just sharing what I've seen and heard.
Quote:
5. Job market is better in Austin than most but not a bastion of employment.
Spreading Truth, the more I read your posts, the more I am reminded of the one person who I have ever thrown out of my house. (If you were from here, you would know what a major thing that is.) He was from New York City (don't know which borough), and my roommate brought him home and introduced him to me as I was preparing dinner. His idea of good manners was to come into my kitchen and tell me how I was frying chicken wrong. Since, of course, being from New York City, he knew everything and no one anywhere else knew anything. He was shocked and astounded when I asked him, politely, to leave, after putting up with this for a bit. You sound like just exactly that kind of person. Your idea of social etiquette leaves a great deal to be desired.
If my son had not lived in NYC for some years, and I were a certain kind of person, I might think that that was what all people from New York were like. Fortunately, I know that that's not NYC social etiquette - it's not social etiquette at all.
As for your attitude regarding smoking and laws? The idea about laws is that if you knowingly break one, you don't pretend that it's someone else that has the problem - you pull up your big girl (or boy) panties and own up to the fact that YOU did something wrong. It's not called social etiquette - it's called being an adult. (By the way, I don't smoke, simply because I found out early on it disagrees with me, but I very much object to the current attitude towards smokers. But that doesn't change this basic fact at all.)
Agreed, but people claim that the restaurants here are amazing and that its diversity and quality is on-par with LA, NY, etc (no quantity, diversity). I was recently at Aquarelle (80$ per person) hoping to see if money talks and it does here. It's the only French place worth going to in my opinion, but the price is pretty ridiculous for what they offer.
With that said, diversity doesn't mean French/Italian/Greek/Mexican food. You can find that anywhere nowadays. How about an Afghani place? There's only 2 cuban places and they're so-so. And of course German, Polish, Russian and anything middle eastern - hard to find.
I would be interested to see who has stated that Austin's restaurant scene is like LA, NY, or SF. My bet is that they haven't lived in or even visited these places. Austin isn't as big of a city as LA, NY, or SF and shouldn't be compared to them in regards to quantity/diversity of anything. It sounds like you need to find your way back to a big city so you can enjoy your life again. Some people are just "big city" people and won't be happy unless they live in a large city, but that doesn't mean that they should ridicule people that aren't.
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.
Oh, so many good restaurants. But, Austin has great gems of restaurants too. 
