What I Love (and Hate) About Living in Austin

There are periods when I totally adore dwelling in Austin: when I’m paddleboarding on Town Lake, when I’m consuming a frozen margarita at Maudie’s, when I’m hanging out in hip East Austin underneath string lights.

That staying stated, there are particular issues I’m much less fond of: the sweltering summers, the isolation, the deficiency of walkability.

I have lived in Austin for almost two yrs. Here’s what I have appear to like and dislike about it:

What I adore about Austin

The People

By and significant, Texans are very wonderful men and women: generous, funny, and sincerely variety. When I had Covid, multiple neighbors introduced me tortilla soup and walked my dog. Men and women say hello there to you on the road right here, even if they do not know you. Austin is by much the friendliest position I’ve at any time lived.

The Food stuff

A further optimistic – the meals. Austin’s food scene is thriving: you can locate outstanding TexMex, Thai, Vietnamese, and of study course, barbecue. Some of my favourite places are Uchiko (sushi), Odd Duck (new American), and Loro (Asian/barbecue fusion). I have also developed to Love frozen margaritas, ha.

The Drinking water

As a born-and-lifted Michigander, I desperately have to have to are living in the vicinity of h2o (that was 1 of the matters I observed toughest about dwelling in Colorado). Thankfully, Austin has plenty of it: City Lake, Barton Springs, and Lake Travis, to identify a number of.

The Winters

The winters right here are pleasant – the temperature hovers all around 70 degrees, and the skies are generally crisp and blue. While we do have the odd snow day, the winter temperature is extremely moderate.

Are living Tunes

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Austin’s internationally renowned live tunes scene. I adore how you can walk into a random bar on a Tuesday and listen to an incredible general performance for the value of a Shiner Bock.

The Canine-friendliness

In Austin, you can carry your doggy nearly everywhere — I carry my pup almost all over the place I go. My neighborhood CVS is even pet-friendly.

What I Loathe

The Crowds

Thanks to its massive attractiveness in current many years, Austin feels insanely crowded at periods. Parking is tough to find, places to eat are packed, and the weekends particularly can be frantic.

The Significant Charge of Residing

Austin is incredibly expensive. To purchase a plot of land – not even a residence – in my neighborhood, expenditures a million dollars.

Inadequate Walkability

Sadly, Austin is not a walkable town. Bisected by two highways, Austin is a quite car-dependent metropolis for walkability, it ranks 42nd in the US, among Las Vegas and Pheonix. As a person who enjoys to wander, this is a huge downside.

The Allergies

Central Texas has been called the “Allergy Capital of the Entire world.” There is even a every day allergy report on the regional news, where official pollen counts for ragweed, grass, and mould are calculated. I never ever experienced allergic reactions in my life till I moved here — ugh.

The Heat

The summers in Austin are brutal. Temperatures can reach 110 levels (or larger). Just after this year’s scorching summer time, 90 degrees bizarrely feels considerably cool to me.

The Isolation

Austin is shut to only a few towns: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Earlier this 12 months I created the error of driving to New Orleans, which took 10 hours. In some cases I feel so envious of the East Coast – imagine driving a several hours and remaining ready to entry Boston, Philly, and NYC? Sigh.

---

All this to say, I’ve been very happy in this article. I’m not confident if it is my without end dwelling (I’m not certain I have a without end property, period of time), but I prepare to continue to be at least a few additional years. And appreciate several more lake times and frozen margs.