There are moments when I unquestionably adore residing in Austin: when I’m paddleboarding on Town Lake, when I’m ingesting a frozen margarita at Maudie’s, when I’m hanging out in hip East Austin under string lights.
That staying explained, there are selected points I’m fewer fond of: the sweltering summers, the isolation, the absence of walkability.
I have lived in Austin for just about two several years. Here’s what I have arrive to adore and hate about it:
What I appreciate about Austin
The Men and women
By and significant, Texans are very wonderful people today: generous, funny, and sincerely variety. When I experienced Covid, multiple neighbors introduced me tortilla soup and walked my dog. Persons say howdy to you on the street below, even if they really do not know you. Austin is by significantly the friendliest place I’ve ever lived.
The Foodstuff
A further optimistic – the meals. Austin’s foodstuff scene is flourishing: you can locate outstanding TexMex, Thai, Vietnamese, and of training course, barbecue. Some of my favored places are Uchiko (sushi), Odd Duck (new American), and Loro (Asian/barbecue fusion). I’ve also grown to Love frozen margaritas, ha.
The Water
As a born-and-lifted Michigander, I desperately require to are living around water (that was 1 of the matters I located toughest about dwelling in Colorado). Fortunately, Austin has a great deal of it: City Lake, Barton Springs, and Lake Travis, to name a couple.
The Winters
The winters below are delightful – the temperature hovers all-around 70 degrees, and the skies are normally crisp and blue. However we do have the odd snow working day, the winter temperature is pretty mild.
Stay Songs
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out Austin’s internationally renowned stay songs scene. I really like how you can walk into a random bar on a Tuesday and hear an extraordinary performance for the price of a Shiner Bock.
The Dog-friendliness
In Austin, you can deliver your puppy almost any where — I carry my pup almost just about everywhere I go. My area CVS is even canine-pleasant.
What I Hate
The Crowds
Thanks to its large attractiveness in the latest decades, Austin feels insanely crowded at periods. Parking is challenging to discover, places to eat are packed, and the weekends especially can be hectic.
The Higher Cost of Living
Austin is pretty high priced. To obtain a plot of land – not even a residence – in my neighborhood, prices a million dollars.
Poor Walkability
Regrettably, Austin is not a walkable city. Bisected by two highways, Austin is a really car or truck-dependent metropolis for walkability, it ranks 42nd in the US, concerning Las Vegas and Pheonix. As somebody who enjoys to walk, this is a big draw back.
The Allergy symptoms
Central Texas has been termed the “Allergy Funds of the Earth.” There is even a everyday allergy report on the neighborhood news, where official pollen counts for ragweed, grass, and mold are measured. I never experienced allergic reactions in my lifestyle right until I moved below — ugh.
The Warmth
The summers in Austin are brutal. Temperatures can attain 110 degrees (or larger). Right after this year’s scorching summer, 90 levels bizarrely feels to some degree cool to me.
The Isolation
Austin is close to only a several towns: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Earlier this yr I made the slip-up of driving to New Orleans, which took 10 hrs. Sometimes I really feel so envious of the East Coastline – think about driving a handful of several hours and being ready to entry Boston, Philly, and NYC? Sigh.
All this to say, I have been rather happy here. I’m not confident if it is my eternally household (I’m not confident I have a for good property, period of time), but I program to stay at the very least a number of a lot more years. And enjoy many extra lake days and frozen margs.
