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[Kung Fu Jedi]

So, I'm moving in a few weeks to Austin, TX. My GF will be attending UT for Grad School. I'm looking foward to the move, although I still need to find a job. So, what advice can any GAF'ers offer for life in Austin? Everyone tells me it's a great city.

Any advice on broadband Internet there? I've been eyeing the SBC DSL, it's fast and affordable, but Road Runner cable looks great too. (5 Mbs/second) Any one have these or can suggest another option?

Any and all advice and thoughts on living in Austin appreciated.

 

[Willco]

So, I'm moving in a few weeks to Austin, TX.

That's a shame.

 

[AB 101]

Well, I live in Houston and have been to Austin a number of times.

Its pretty decent , but IMO, but not all its made up to be.

But then, Houston sucks pretty hard so Austin does not have to do much to be better.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Hehe, I live in Austin. Right now I'm on SBC Yahoo DSL. Never had any problems, and I only pay $19.99 a month. Of course I only use my DSL for downloading movie trailers, funny videos, uploading photos, etc. I don't use it to play any online games are anything like that.

I'm still pretty young so I've yet to experience all of Austin. So I haven't been to all the bars, and not being a music fan pretty much kills the live scene for me...but the whole atmosphere of the city is to my liking.

I'm enjoying it right now, you'll meet a lot of great people. Weirdo nerd hipsters are a dime a dozen though.

There are a couple of Austin, TX posters on this board, mostly UT students. I'm a Texas State runaway, so I can't tell you much about UT Austin campus life. :lol

 

[tedtropy]

Drop the girlfriend and pursue the liberal college girl poonany. And tell the Retro Studio guys I said "hollah".

 

[Incognito]

Austin is only good for 6th street on the weekends. If you have to live there, I'm just going to echo Willco's sentiment -- that's a shame.

Traffic is a fucking nightmare compounded by the fact that they've decided to build highways that supplement the ONLY highway the city of 800,000 has, and it's a complete fucking mess.

If you're a conservative, you definitely won't like Austin.

 

[Lil' Dice]

I spent 3 days in the Austin/San Antonio area; that was 2 days too many.

 

[Macam]

If you had to move any city in Texas, this would be the city to do it. I'm not sure what kind of job you're looking for, but there are countless technology firms around, in particular. The city's relatively young, laidback, and liberal, so the demographic will seem skewed younger, at least until you start going to the outer sides of Austin. If you're an outdoors guy, there's plenty of things to do, including at least three nearby lakes, the Greenbelt (a sprawling set of land in south central Austin that has springs, a hiking/biking trail), and the northwest hills make for some crazy bicycle riding and offers some really nice scenic views. The roads are set up in a peculiar way and will require some adjusting, and traffic's not too bad, though it has gotten notably worse over the years. There's also a fairly big music scene, but ignore the "Live Music Capital of the World" motto, as it's nonsense. It's local and indie music primarily, although big shots come in on occasion.

As for Internet, I use Time Warner's Roadrunner and I haven't had any problems.

Edit: I'd also disagree with Incognito on 6th Street -- it blows, unless you like bad drinks, gangster rap, and shitty bars (no offense to Incognito here, just my experience). Comparatively, 4th & 5th Street have the real bars, but lack the scenery.

 

[Incognito]

I spent 3 days in the Austin/San Antonio area; that was 2 days too many.

Hey, San Antonio is nice!!



















....just the upper northwest side.

 

[Lil' Dice]

Hey, San Antonio is nice!!
....just the upper northwest side.

Actually, i satyed in Killeen while visiting my brother on a 2 week leave from Iraq WHAT A SHIT HOLE! San Antonio is nice, but it's a one trick pony with the only interesting part of town being the mall/Alamo area.

 

[Incognito]

Killeen? Ha, I feel for you.

 

[AB 101]

San Antonio is better, at least from a tourist standpoint.

 

[Macam]

Killeen :lol Advice: Don't get lost in Texas; once you leave the big cities, that's when all those stereotypes start kicking in, and it's not pretty. Having driven through just about corner of this state, I've gotten lost a handful of times, and I think I've felt safer in dodgy corners of L.A.

San Antonio's decent (to the OP: and under an hour's drive away from Austin), but it's not particularly noteworthy in my book. I certainly don't feel as safe in the parts that I visited, which, I presume wasn't the NW region. The Riverwalk and the Alamo have all the appeal of 30 minutes of amusement.

 

[acoustix]

In my experience, (which was 2 years @ UT), Austin is overrated. The combo of pollen and car polution makes for some BAD allergies. The traffic sux, and the roads are setup weird. There also seems to be an even split of cool-ass mofo's and liberal know-it-all nerds/freaks.

That said, theres alot to do. Alot of kick ass bands come through there. Lots of startup tech companies and such. And since your gf is going to UT, I think she's allowed one extra ticket for football or baseball or whatever floats your boat.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

austin is a great city, i like san antonio much better though. good luck

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

If you had to move any city in Texas, this would be the city to do it. I'm not sure what kind of job you're looking for, but there are countless technology firms around, in particular. The city's relatively young, laidback, and liberal, so the demographic will seem skewed younger, at least until you start going to the outer sides of Austin. If you're an outdoors guy, there's plenty of things to do, including at least three nearby lakes, the Greenbelt (a sprawling set of land in south central Austin that has springs, a hiking/biking trail), and the northwest hills make for some crazy bicycle riding and offers some really nice scenic views. The roads are set up in a peculiar way and will require some adjusting, and traffic's not too bad, though it has gotten notably worse over the years. There's also a fairly big music scene, but ignore the "Live Music Capital of the World" motto, as it's nonsense. It's local and indie music primarily, although big shots come in on occasion.

As for Internet, I use Time Warner's Roadrunner and I haven't had any problems.

Edit: I'd also disagree with Incognito on 6th Street -- it blows, unless you like bad drinks, gangster rap, and shitty bars (no offense to Incognito here, just my experience). Comparatively, 4th & 5th Street have the real bars, but lack the scenery.

Thanks for the input and advice. I work in the technology field, so I'm hoping that I'll land something pretty decent before I get there, or soon there after. Doing it long distance hasn't been great so far, although I have had a few nibbles.

Yes, I am an outdoors kind of person, so your information makes me happy. I kayak, trail run, mountain bike, and rock climb, so I'm hoping to get to do those things more. The weather will be a plus from where I"m at now, so I can enjoy more time outdoors, and I"m slready thinking I may have to buy a better mountain bike once I get the job situation under control.

Any more information and advice is appreciated.

 

[Incognito]

If outdoors is your thing, then Texas is your state. Once you pass the citylimits of the large cities, it's nothing but open land. Humidity sucks, though.

 

[Macam]

Yes, I am an outdoors kind of person, so your information makes me happy. I kayak, trail run, mountain bike, and rock climb, so I'm hoping to get to do those things more. The weather will be a plus from where I"m at now, so I can enjoy more time outdoors, and I"m slready thinking I may have to buy a better mountain bike once I get the job situation under control. .

Sounds like you'll love Austin, then. You can do all those things easily -- you can even rent kayaks/canoes by Town Lake, which runs through downtown. It's quite hot at this time of year and fairly humid, although the humidity isn't as bad as Houston for example (although I'll be damned if there's a single tree in Houston to begin with). It's also sunny 80% of the time, so once you get past the summer heat, you should be fine. It doesn't really get cold, save for perhaps a month or two at best, and if you're from up north, it's probably laughable at what qualifies as cold here. It's also a good thing you're in technology too, as that should make the transition easier (what field if I may ask?).

In terms of travelling outside of Austin (driving), San Antonio's under an hour way west, Dallas/Ft. Worth is about 3-4 hours north, and Houston's about 2-3 hours east -- those are all major cities, particularly the last two, so if you opt for a weekend trip, there's that. The beach is about a 5-7 hour drive away depending where you go, although if you opt to go to the beach, I'd suggest south rather than east; think South Padre, not Galveston. As a general note, traffic sucks in every major Texas city I've ever been to; Austin seems to have the least of it, but if you'll want to avoid the two major freeways (Mopac and I-35) as much as possible from about 4-6pm on weekdays. But given the relatively small size of the city, I can still sit in rush hour in Austin and get further than I would in Houston, where it takes me about an hour to get anywhere.

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Austin is a cool place................................to visit. My brother lived there for a year and took several trips over there.

 

[Incognito]

The I-35 commute between San Antonio/New Braunsfels/San Marcos/Austin is HELL. It's basically the bigrigs speedway with a few cops sprinkled every 20 miles or so.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Sounds like you'll love Austin, then. You can do all those things easily -- you can even rent kayaks/canoes by Town Lake, which runs through downtown. It's quite hot at this time of year and fairly humid, although the humidity isn't as bad as Houston for example (although I'll be damned if there's a single tree in Houston to begin with). It's also sunny 80% of the time, so once you get past the summer heat, you should be fine. It doesn't really get cold, save for perhaps a month or two at best, and if you're from up north, it's probably laughable at what qualifies as cold here. It's also a good thing you're in technology too, as that should make the transition easier (what field if I may ask?).

lol Yeah, I'm from Iowa, so what's considered cold down there will probably be pretty easy to handle. I'm looking forward to being able to be outside 12 months of the year. I know it gets hot and humid there, but it gets hot and humid here too, it just doesn't usually last as long. Besides, it was 130 degrees outside when I was in Egypt last year, although it wasn't humid.

Yeah, I'm hoping that my tech experience will land me a decent job. I work in the tech support/system administration field. Right now, I work at a small private University where I provide tech support for the School of Education. I pretty much do everything tech related, including server administration, budgeting, long term planning, training, tech support on hardware and software, configuring hardware (computers, printers, scanners, wireless devices, etc.), network troubleshooting (LAN and WLAN), light web design/editing, and pretty much anything else that comes up. Sort of a jack of all trades in tech areas.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

I'm moving to Austin in August. Hooray.

 

[Desperado]

The beach is about a 5-7 hour drive away depending where you go, although if you opt to go to the beach, I'd suggest south rather than east; think South Padre, not Galveston.

don't go to Galveston for the beach. HORRIBLE

 

[Macam]

don't go to Galveston for the beach. HORRIBLE

I know, but when the words "Texas" and "beach" appear in the same phrase, some people will inherently mention Galveston as if it actually qualifies as a beach people would want to go to. I say it merely as a notable mention, and particularly to someone who seems to like the outdoors and has a girlfriend, in the event they want to go to a beach, they should go to the right area at least.

What's your excuse for moving, enjoy bell woods?

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Transferring to UT!

 

[Ned Flanders]

I get the feeling from the impressions here that you people would be satisfied living...nowhere.

"There's traffic/funky roads" = Umm virtually every city of 500,000 or more is gonna have some commuting issues

"The people are too conservative/liberal" = Oooh I can't control what people think! Does that mean I'm going to have to actually DEAL with it? *gasp*

"Its soo boring/busy" = Lets see..we'll construct you your own personal city that has all the convenience and fun trappings of a metropolis, but we'll get rid of all the people who compete for its resources. One predicates the other people..



Come on people...you could travel the world for years and not find a city perfectly to your liking. Its like girlfriends..if you want some pussy, some shit you just have to deal with..

 

[Incognito]

I'm moving to Austin in August. Hooray.

Slumber party?

 

[Desperado]

I know, but when the words "Texas" and "beach" appear in the same phrase, some people will inherently mention Galveston as if it actually qualifies as a beach people would want to go to. I say it merely as a notable mention, and particularly to someone who seems to like the outdoors and has a girlfriend, in the event they want to go to a beach, they should go to the right area at least.

Ahh, any time I mention I live near Galveston they ask "oh is it nice to live near the beach?" FUCK NO IT'S NOT

 

[Lathentar]

I live in Austin and go to UT and love it.

Great people and always something to do. The weather is amazing and since I lived in Houston, the traffic is a-okay with me.

 

[Macam]

I get the feeling from the impressions here that you people would be satisfied living...nowhere.

Come on people...you could travel the world for years and not find a city perfectly to your liking. Its like girlfriends..if you want some pussy, some shit you just have to deal with..

I kind of wondered this myself; I'm quite partial to Austin admittedly, but then I came from Houston, so that's understandable. I always simply attributed it to people disliking Texas, the heat, or being more accustomed to places like L.A. and NYC. :: shrugs ::

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Dallas is pretty abysmal. Austin is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Once again, can't wait!

 

[N Coward Parody]

Austin's a great city. Congratulations.

And this is the wrong place to be asking people their opinions on fun, hip cities. Just a bunch of pimpy maladroits 'round these parts.


*Noel Coward Parody

 

[Macam]

Dallas is pretty abysmal. Austin is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Once again, can't wait!

Dallas is a spitting mirror image of Houston as far as I'm concerned.

 

[StoOgE]

ATX represent.

I just graduated from UT, but am hanging around town. I think all the Austin posters should get together and go bother Warren Spector. I know where he lives.

Anyway, Austin is a really awesome town.. live music is good (if you like singer/songwriter stuff and indie rock)... outdoor stuff is awesome.. but the humidity and traffic are ass.. I solved one of those problems by living about 3 minutes from where I work, and about 10 minutes from downtown/lake Austin.

 

[Lathentar]

ATX represent.

I just graduated from UT, but am hanging around town. I think all the Austin posters should get together and go bother Warren Spector. I know where he lives.

How about we get you drunk and have you rant about the next chick you're going to date from work?

 

[Macam]

Sounds like a plan.

 

[StoOgE]

How about we get you drunk and have you rant about the next chick you're going to date from work?

no, right now Im in the middle or trying to date my best friends twin (not identical) sister. The real catch is, they are both roomates with one of my ex's from high school. I think I secretly hate myself so I continually get in these situations.

Although, Im starting a new job soon, so there will be a whole new pool of women with which to choose.

 

[Lathentar]

no, right now Im in the middle or trying to date my best friends twin (not identical) sister. The real catch is, they are both roomates with one of my ex's from high school. I think I secretly hate myself so I continually get in these situations.

Although, Im starting a new job soon, so there will be a whole new pool of women with which to choose.

Thats really weird...

Anyways... by the time I get back to Austin in August you'll be back to the work women.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

ATX represent.

I just graduated from UT, but am hanging around town. I think all the Austin posters should get together and go bother Warren Spector. I know where he lives.

Anyway, Austin is a really awesome town.. live music is good (if you like singer/songwriter stuff and indie rock)... outdoor stuff is awesome.. but the humidity and traffic are ass.. I solved one of those problems by living about 3 minutes from where I work, and about 10 minutes from downtown/lake Austin.

I like to go to shows, cross my arms, and complain about how horrible the music is.

 

[StoOgE]

I like to go to shows, cross my arms, and complain about how horrible the music is.

that would be indie rock. You can only like a band if the venue is half empty. If its full you have to shun the band for selling out.

 

[boredJonathan]

Just posting to add my hat into the ring of Austin is not too bad a place to live. I live in San Marcos now and commute to Austin for work which bites, but the traffic really isn't all that bad. I guess my only comparision is Chicago, but that was 700 times worse than Austin traffic.

As for things to do, I've only hit up 6th Street a few times as my groups of friends are kind of split along weird divides. Never have a decent enough group to head down there and actually do something. Honestly though, I just end up at Mozarts half the time drinking coffee and reading waiting to see if any of my little groups get their shit together. Never been to anything off of 6th, but a few friends have and it sounds like it would be a little more laid back and probably more the style of what I assume the typical GAFFER is. Might want to check that out.

As for outdoor activities, I don't have any recomendations, the only real thing I have done while down here is head over to Enchanted Rock and promptly get lost as all get out. (It was fun, but... well not untill after we knew we would find civilization before dark.) However, I do hear that there is tons of outdoor type activities to do. Worst case scenario you could always check out Zliker Park for some running/jogging type stuff.

 

[Lil' Dice]

I get the feeling from the impressions here that you people would be satisfied living...nowhere.

I love LA. I could also live in Miami, NY, San Franicsco, Seattle aaaannnnd....that's about it.
I've been to most of the big cities in the US, and the rest just suck....IMO.