Austin dreams

[Guest Lobo]

I know it used to be tough for lawyers to find proper employment back in the day in Austin (other than the State, as you said).  But holy shit...if you can't find a legal position in Austin these days even with a shitty law degree from A&M...you're doing life wrong.  Every other firm on the planet has a large office here nowadays.  

Anyway, I'll toast to World Peace and the way the light hits the buildings at sunset. 

[CooterBrown 17875]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Dallas has bad traffic, but it's easy enough to avoid.  Not sure that can be said about Austin.  

It's easy enough to avoid as long as you live and work inside the Mopac/183/I35/290 box.  Unless I'm driving out of town or to the airport, about the only time I get on a highway is to go to Academy up on Research.

[South Austin 52037]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Still, the goal of retirement is to simplify and cut cost and I don't think Austin is very conducive to that.  The outer burbs might be an option, though.

Completely agree with this. I love Austin. But I also don’t want to be practicing law significantly until my 60s, and while I should have a comfortable retirement by then, the economics may cause me to head to the burns or Hill Country.

[Cajun 11675]

31 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Cajun's street:

Nope.  

More like...

 

Edited September 17, 2020 by Cajun
Except the chica has just a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit more meat on her bones.

[utee94 15742]

7 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Completely agree with this. I love Austin. But I also don’t want to be practicing law significantly until my 60s, and while I should have a comfortable retirement by then, the economics may cause me to head to the burns or Hill Country.

I love Austin, but I hate people. 

So the moment my kids are out of the house, I'm moving out to the hill country on acreage. 

[TwiceHorn 31184]

10 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

It's easy enough to avoid as long as you live and work inside the Mopac/183/I35/290 box.  Unless I'm driving out of town or to the airport, about the only time I get on a highway is to go to Academy up on Research.

I suppose that is also true for Dallas (inside LBJ).  I lived at Expo and Enfield my last year in law school, which did give me a taste for being away from the campus area.  And, of course, that is a very pleasant and expensive 'hood, even back then.  So, Austin to me is still central Austin, closer to campus.  I intellectually acknowledge the "outer reaches," but has never felt much like Austin to me.

[TwiceHorn 31184]

19 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I know it used to be tough for lawyers to find proper employment back in the day in Austin (other than the State, as you said).  But holy shit...if you can't find a legal position in Austin these days even with a shitty law degree from A&M...you're doing life wrong.  Every other firm on the planet has a large office here nowadays.  

Anyway, I'll toast to World Peace and the way the light hits the buildings at sunset. 

Still, I think most of those offices are relatively small compared to their Dallas and Houston outposts.  You have a law school pumping out 500 annually locally and those law firms compete for national "talent."  I think there is more corporate and IP work in Austin than there was 25 years ago, for sure.

Just the fact that so many want to stay in Austin or come back puts a lot of pressure on the job market, in any field.

Edited September 17, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[troph 24548]

42 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Had this discussion with some friends recently. In my 20s I thought I'd never leave Austin. Now, I can't imagine staying...at least not full time...once my kids are out of the house. I've gotten to where I hate this place from July to the end of September. 

it's pretty bad between 10:30am and 6:00pm.  I'll admit to enjoying the heck out of warm/hot summer evenings when the sun is going down - especially on the water - but good lord, there is something out of whack if you have to spend the entire day indoors until night time to enjoy life.  Dinner at 9pm is not my jam.   It would be one thing if it cooled down to the 50s over night but with a low near 90 the heat just builds on itself to where by the end of August it's suffocating.

[Guest Lobo]

Also true.  But 20 years ago, when I started working with attorneys on a regular basis, almost are were trained at SMU, Houston, Baylor, or Saint Mary's.  80% of 'em.  Nowadays, it's almost the inverse, 80% from Texas Law.  Which is a good thing, since they're markedly smarter and better lawyers.  Though more expensive.  Of course, the offices of those large firms are smaller in Austin than they are in Houston or Dallas.  The market is smaller.  Stands to reason.  The accounting firm presence in Dallas is larger than that of Austin, because maths. 

[6th Street 6340]

11 hours ago, troph said:

We’ve probably taken 30 trips since 2018 and I’ll tell you lake Travis is my happy place, Disch Falk too. But other than that Austin doesn’t do it for me anymore. I’ve been here for 40 years. Once my kids are out of school I’ll be happy to split time between the lake and Colorado or California, Mexico, an island somewhere, Seattle, Canada, Europe just about anywhere with good summer weather.

Daaamn - 40 years is a long ass time to be in one place. Can understand the urge to split time elsewhere esp during the summers. 

[Murfdogg21 4412]

The posts from the last 12 hours changed the rant I was going to make. Every city evolves, but I’d contend the changes (or rate of change) Austin has seen in the past 15-20 years outpaces similar sized or larger cities in the US. So many of my friends that graduated UT ~2000-2005 have this nostalgic view of what Austin was juxtaposed through the filter of memories of college life. My wife and I moved back to Austin in 2010, and I’ve tried to tell people it can be great but it’s not the same city so stop putting it on a pedestal like it’s your ultimate life goal to return (no offense to Dago). It’s crowded AF, traffic AF, no parking AF, housing and property tax expensive AF, and every day gets more overrun with non-Texans. If you liked quaint restaurants that were opened in the last century, chances are it has been mowed down for a condo or business that caters to hipsters. 

If scenic outdoors are seriously your thing, it easily whoops Houston or Dallas but I’d advise you buy more west in the Hill Country. If live music is your top entertainment, Austin wins. For anyone else, you have to strongly consider the emotional and financial ROI of relocating to Austin. We are ecstatic about the real estate equity we’ve built up in the last decade, but now entering a phase of our life with toddlers I think we are ready to move on. 

[ZB'Tejas 593]

44 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That's where I see myself in five years. How about you?

I have a friend with a place in Tahoe and another one that just bought in the North Carolina mountains. Would be great to have a summer house somewhere like that but unless you are AirBnB'ing that thing when you are not there I'm not sure it makes sense.

I guess I need to make more money...

[ZB'Tejas 593]

2 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

If scenic outdoors are seriously your thing, it easily whoops Houston or Dallas but I’d advise you buy more west in the Hill Country. If live music is your top entertainment, Austin wins. For anyone else, you have to strongly consider the emotional and financial ROI of relocating to Austin. We are ecstatic about the real estate equity we’ve built up in the last decade, but now entering a phase of our life with toddlers I think we are ready to move on. 

I wish that I owned a house in Central Austin for the last 10+ years!

I get the drawbacks but from a Financial ROI it still seems (despite the taxes) you are getting a better deal here than so many other places. If your job is totally remote I could see moving out farther but I appreciate being close to the things Austin has to offer plus all my friends and kids friends live here. Pulling up stakes and starting over on that seems like a hard thing to do. 

[troph 24548]

and the homelessness problem, the lack of a big city city council and lack of any viable mass transit, let alone world class mass transit makes it a total fucking beatdown.  My view changed the last 5 years and really cemented this year.  I don't mind things changing, but sterilizing Lamar, Burnet Road, and making South Congress a tourist trap makes it something but that's not what was the appeal to Austin. 

The appeal to Austin was the pothead, the cowboy and the homo all getting along just fine over a few lonestars watching Toni Price tear it up second set at the Continental Club on a Monday with no tourists 20 years ago.  The appeal to Austin was slow driving, easy traffic and getting up and down mopac on a saturday with no problem.  The appeal to Austin was gameday at DKR and being able to get an easy ticket.  The appeal to Austin was tailgating at the Disch for the regionals under the oak trees (before that fucking parking garage) during the Augie golden years of the early 2000's.   That Austin is waaaaay gone.  When weeknight traffic on lake Travis gets to be unreasonable, that's when I may be out.

Food options are interesting.  there are some really fantastic spots at the top but it's a short list and after that a bunch of quality places that are near misses but they get raved about as amazing.  don't get me wrong, lake travis food suuuuuucks compared to Austin but Austin's food scene was coming on strong about 10 years ago with concepts that were killing it and they were the only game in town - Barley Swine, Odd Duck, Uchi, Uchiko, Clarks, Perla's, and some others.  There are top notch options in Launderette and Emmer and Rye and I'm sure I'm forgetting others.  The B team of old Austin standbys are dying and bland same concept tried over and over is taking their place.  Now the B team is a major step down imo.  Cities like Houston, San Fransisco, New York, they whip Austin's food scene coming and going.  But you wouldn't know that from how Austin folk talk.

And freaking traffic.  want to go to dinner and a show?  downtown dinner and a show at the Long Center?  show time at 7pm?  better finish dinner by 5:30pm because it will take 40 minutes to get to the Long Center.  Shit, probably easier to walk.  Oh wait, it's hotAF can't do that.  and then you get to the quality.  Arts in Austin have been steadily improving so that's a notable thing but still nothing like the big cities Austin is now competing with.

Austin can be an awesome city if it wants to but it needs to act like a big city now because it has big city problems with mass transit, traffic, homlessness and cost of living.  if that shit isn't solved, it will be a homeless and google/tech hub with only a shadow of a soul.

Edited September 17, 2020 by troph

[6th Street 6340]

53 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That's where I see myself in five years. How about you?

Lived in Austin for 10 years, then moved to San Francisco for work and because I wanted to be in the city.  Now in the Chicago suburbs which is a nice compromise with the cost of living arbitrage.

[Murfdogg21 4412]

7 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

I wish that I owned a house in Central Austin for the last 10+ years!

I get the drawbacks but from a Financial ROI it still seems (despite the taxes) you are getting a better deal here than so many other places. If your job is totally remote I could see moving out farther but I appreciate being close to the things Austin has to offer plus all my friends and kids friends live here. Pulling up stakes and starting over on that seems like a hard thing to do. 

We’ve always lived on the east side, and won’t send our kids to the public schools over here. Private school is part of the ROI and would blow up our budget. I’m not sure how much mortgage we’d need to relocate “west of Lamar” to zone to better elementary and middle schools. If we were going to move to Round Rock, Pflugerville, etc. we might as well move to the Woodlands or Frisco. 
 

We have a manageable mortgage because we bought 10 years ago, but woe to those under 25 trying to buy a first home in Austin now, or people in their 30’s who have been living in their low appreciation suburb homes in Dallas or Houston and thinking they can make a lateral jump over to central Austin. We are the flip side of that, where we have had so much appreciation we can probably pay cash for a house in the burbs of whatever city we move to. I’m thankful and sad simultaneously. 

[utee94 15742]

10 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

We’ve always lived on the east side, and won’t send our kids to the public schools over here. Private school is part of the ROI and would blow up our budget. I’m not sure how much mortgage we’d need to relocate “west of Lamar” to zone to better elementary and middle schools. If we were going to move to Round Rock, Pflugerville, etc. we might as well move to the Woodlands or Frisco. 
 

We have a manageable mortgage because we bought 10 years ago, but woe to those under 25 trying to buy a first home in Austin now, or people in their 30’s who have been living in their low appreciation suburb homes in Dallas or Houston and thinking they can make a lateral jump over to central Austin. We are the flip side of that, where we have had so much appreciation we can probably pay cash for a house in the burbs of whatever city we move to. I’m thankful and sad simultaneously. 

Not really disagreeing with you, but moving from a suburban home in Dallas or Houston to a central Austin home, isn't a lateral move in amenities, location, or lifestyle.  So nobody should really expect it to look the same, financially.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2020 by utee94

[texasdago 7550]

13 hours ago, 6th Street said:

Question for the folks in Austin. I mean it's fun and all for awhile, but don't you guys want to get out and experience living out of state for a bit?

Man... I mean, have you ever seen my posts about travel?  Yeah... lots of places I'd like to visit right now.  I would love to eventually move back to Italy but that's easier said than done.  Tried to get the family to do CO or even UT (yes, I'm big on the outdoors) but couldn't get that accomplished.  So, Austin, for outdoor pursuits as someone said, kicks ass... way better than the other cities in the state.  

On Commons Ford, it has a slightly trashy edge to it but y'all might like that.

[6th Street 6340]

1 hour ago, troph said:

and the homelessness problem, the lack of a big city city council and lack of any viable mass transit, let alone world class mass transit makes it a total fucking beatdown.  My view changed the last 5 years and really cemented this year.  I don't mind things changing, but sterilizing Lamar, Burnet Road, and making South Congress a tourist trap makes it something but that's not what was the appeal to Austin. 

The appeal to Austin was the pothead, the cowboy and the homo all getting along just fine over a few lonestars watching Toni Price tear it up second set at the Continental Club on a Monday with no tourists 20 years ago.  The appeal to Austin was slow driving, easy traffic and getting up and down mopac on a saturday with no problem.  The appeal to Austin was gameday at DKR and being able to get an easy ticket.  The appeal to Austin was tailgating at the Disch for the regionals under the oak trees (before that fucking parking garage) during the Augie golden years of the early 2000's.   That Austin is waaaaay gone.  When weeknight traffic on lake Travis gets to be unreasonable, that's when I may be out.

Food options are interesting.  there are some really fantastic spots at the top but it's a short list and after that a bunch of quality places that are near misses but they get raved about as amazing.  don't get me wrong, lake travis food suuuuuucks compared to Austin but Austin's food scene was coming on strong about 10 years ago with concepts that were killing it and they were the only game in town - Barley Swine, Odd Duck, Uchi, Uchiko, Clarks, Perla's, and some others.  There are top notch options in Launderette and Emmer and Rye and I'm sure I'm forgetting others.  The B team of old Austin standbys are dying and bland same concept tried over and over is taking their place.  Now the B team is a major step down imo.  Cities like Houston, San Fransisco, New York, they whip Austin's food scene coming and going.  But you wouldn't know that from how Austin folk talk.

And freaking traffic.  want to go to dinner and a show?  downtown dinner and a show at the Long Center?  show time at 7pm?  better finish dinner by 5:30pm because it will take 40 minutes to get to the Long Center.  Shit, probably easier to walk.  Oh wait, it's hotAF can't do that.  and then you get to the quality.  Arts in Austin have been steadily improving so that's a notable thing but still nothing like the big cities Austin is now competing with.

Austin can be an awesome city if it wants to but it needs to act like a big city now because it has big city problems with mass transit, traffic, homlessness and cost of living.  if that shit isn't solved, it will be a homeless and google/tech hub with only a shadow of a soul.

Despite all the drawbacks you mentioned regarding the heat, homelessness, and traffic, Austin is still a top relocation destination. The key draws being low cost of living, low taxes, nightlife, and lake/river. I had some friends from SF down there over Labor Day weekend looking at houses, and they will probably be spending at least part of the year remote working in Austin.  

[Hate 20102]

The posts from the last 12 hours changed the rant I was going to make. Every city evolves, but I’d contend the changes (or rate of change) Austin has seen in the past 15-20 years outpaces similar sized or larger cities in the US. So many of my friends that graduated UT ~2000-2005 have this nostalgic view of what Austin was juxtaposed through the filter of memories of college life. My wife and I moved back to Austin in 2010, and I’ve tried to tell people it can be great but it’s not the same city so stop putting it on a pedestal like it’s your ultimate life goal to return (no offense to Dago). It’s crowded AF, traffic AF, no parking AF, housing and property tax expensive AF, and every day gets more overrun with non-Texans. If you liked quaint restaurants that were opened in the last century, chances are it has been mowed down for a condo or business that caters to hipsters

My wife and I were just talking about this exact thing. Places that we used to enjoy like City Grill are long gone. Was it the best food? No. Was it a cool place to either pre or post party on 4th Street? Absolutely. I’m sure now it is some shiny building with condos and some sort of tree root cupcake business on the ground floor. I miss the slightly edgy and grimeyness of the areas between 4th and 6th. I miss what used to be the Warehouse District and all of the dark little places that were there.

And the traffic is unbearable. Houston traffic sucks. I won’t argue that, but there are ways around any delays that do not exist in Austin.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Houston is mostly ugly with huge swaths of the city that are rundown strip centers and hoods. And it is getting expensive if you want to live in or around the loop (assuming you don’t want to live in a ghetto). If you have kids and a household income of $200,000, you most likely have to live in the burbs...which is fine, because you have to drive everywhere in Houston anyways.

No one can deny the diversity of people and therefore culture and food that Houston offers. But, it is largely a flat, humid, shithole. By me saying that I am not calling your mother a whore. Hell, I was born and raised here, lived in Austin for a decade, as well as DC and Brazil. But I came back because abundance of jobs, cost of living (was lower before) and family.

Austin is way too fucking expensive though. I guess I should have been a lawyer like all y’all assholes.

[Guest Lobo]

Why does it feel like we do this thread every year?  But the change in job availability for certain professions is actually really interesting to me.  There have been tech jobs here for 35 years, obviously the amount has changed---but that's always been a growing sector.  Watching bank, private equity, consulting/accounting, law, healthcare jobs grow.....that's been interesting.  Because the really just did not exist when I first moved here.  And now, there's not only startup jobs in those fields but huge, huge firms moving here just to have a footprint/flagplant in those sectors.  

But as stated on this page in particular, I don't think I'd like Austin if I didn't live in South Austin really close to downtown/Zilker/Town Lake/Lake Austin/UT's campus.  If I was on some outskirt but still with an Austin zip code and Austin cost of living/property tax bill/shitty school district...I'd fucking up and leave.  But some of you pro-Dallas and pro-Houston folks are right, this place ain't all that.  

[troph 24548]

25 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Despite all the drawbacks you mentioned regarding the heat, homelessness, and traffic, Austin is still a top relocation destination. The key draws being low cost of living, low taxes, nightlife, and lake/river. I had some friends from SF down there over Labor Day weekend looking at houses, and they will probably be spending at least part of the year remote working in Austin.  

for folks leaving SF and NYC yeah I totally get it and agree - and for our business these folks are super important as they have the resources from their out of control real estate market to pay $2M for a nice custom spec in central Austin (04), so yeah, keep 'em coming.

Edited September 17, 2020 by troph

[Hank_Hill 18457]

Bunch of olds in here mad that meh nostalgic businesses are gone. Austin kicks ass compared to anywhere else in this state. That said, once I graduate med school in February I’m out of here (Dallas currently, absolutely fuck this place) for awhile. Looking PNW for a spell. By the time I come back I’ll probably be mad that my meh nostalgic businesses are closed and bitch as well.

Edited September 17, 2020 by Hank_Hill

[crash_davis 23078]

Everyone wants different things in his neighborhood and city. But if you want scenic beauty, beautiful lakes that you can play in, hiking around that lake or in the greenbelt and surrounding trails, no other city in Texas can compare. I love the outdoors, I love being in or near nice clear bluish freshwater, I love that when you drive around the city and look out your window, the predominant color is green. Austin is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but for my requirements for living in Texas, Austin checks most of the boxes.

The other great thing about Austin that is overlooked is just how young the city is. If you spend time around the stores, restaurants, Town Lake, or trails of Austin proper, you will see how young this city is. I'm not just talking about the college students, I'm talking about the mostly 25-35 year olds that are the majority of Austin proper. The burbs are full of pissed off old, mostly fat people. The difference is self evident. Every time I visit family and friends in Houston burbs or go up to FW/Dallas area for work, I'm reminded how much younger and different Austin is.

As an older dude, I love living and enjoying Austin because it makes me feel much younger. I encourages me to stay fit and be active.

[Your Mom 4789]

10 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

Bunch of olds in here mad that meh nostalgic businesses are gone. Austin kicks ass compared to anywhere else in this state. That said, once I graduate med school in February I’m out of here (Dallas currently, absolutely fuck this place) for awhile. Looking PNW for a spell. By the time I come back I’ll probably be mad that my meh nostalgic businesses are closed and bitch as well.

That’s exactly how it goes. Everyone’s version of old Austin is from when they were young. Mid teens to mid 20s. No matter what decade that occurred for you “old Austin” was gone by the time you were 30 and nearly unlivable by the time you were 40. It was that way for my grandparents, it was that way for my dad, it has been that way for me, and it will soon be that way for my kids.  But even with that said I can’t wrap my mind around these people that think old Austin occurred in the 2000s.

[ztejas 43244]

2 hours ago, troph said:

it's pretty bad between 10:30am and 6:00pm.

6 pm? Are you joking? It was still 100 degrees at 8 a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty bad between 10:30 am and 9 pm when it's in the mid 100s.

[crash_davis 23078]

Old Austin was cool. But old Austin, you would never venture into TL. It was a giant dirty trashcan.

New Austin lost a lot of nostalgic restaurants and bars but gained a beautiful lake as trade off. I'm probably the minority here but I'll take the "new" Town Lake Austin over old restaurants and bars Austin. TL is now the anchor for Austin proper. At least for me it is.

[6th Street 6340]

42 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Houston is mostly ugly with huge swaths of the city that are rundown strip centers and hoods. And it is getting expensive if you want to live in or around the loop (assuming you don’t want to live in a ghetto). If you have kids and a household income of $200,000, you most likely have to live in the burbs...which is fine, because you have to drive everywhere in Houston anyways.

No one can deny the diversity of people and therefore culture and food that Houston offers. But, it is largely a flat, humid, shithole. By me saying that I am not calling your mother a whore. Hell, I was born and raised here, lived in Austin for a decade, as well as DC and Brazil. But I came back because abundance of jobs, cost of living (was lower before) and family.

Austin is way too fucking expensive though. I guess I should have been a lawyer like all y’all assholes.

Houston is what it is - cheap place to buy a massive 4k foot house with a pool on a man made lake for $500k or less.  I don't think anyone from outside of Houston aspires to relocate there.

And I disagree with the Austin expensive comment - it's substantially cheaper that most metro areas including LA, Chicago, Bay Area, Denver, NYC, Portland, Seattle, and Boston. In other words, offers many of the same benefits as Houston (cheap housing) with slightly less humidity, fewer obese people, and better nightlife.  This is the draw.

[ztejas 43244]

59 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

The key draws being low cost of living

Sort of. Rent in Austin is only less expensive than in 5 or 6 other metro areas in the country. I guess there is no state income tax. Food and gas aren't super expensive. Property tax is through the fucking roof. Public schools are good enough, though. 

I mean unless you are moving from NY, Boston, Chicago, LA or SF then Austin isn't low cost. It's on similar footing with Miami, DC and Seattle.

[ztejas 43244]

7 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

it's substantially cheaper that most metro areas including LA, Chicago, Bay Area, Denver, NYC, Portland, Seattle, and Boston

I don't think that's true. At least not for median rent.

Regardless, that isn't "most" metro areas. Dallas, Houston, Philly, Atlanta and Phoenix are 5 of the 10 biggest metros and all cheaper than Austin.

Also, better nightlife than Houston is probably a stretch. Different nightlife, sure.

Edited September 17, 2020 by ztejas

[troph 24548]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

6 pm? Are you joking? It was still 100 degrees at 8 a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty bad between 10:30 am and 9 pm when it's in the mid 100s.

well to be fair if I'm outside from July 15 - September 1 at 6pm I'm on the lake - either in the water or with the boat moving.  and even if you are sitting still it's at least a couple of degrees cooler simply due to the lack of solid ground and certainly asphalt or pavement.

[Hank_Hill 18457]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

I don't think that's true. At least not for median rent.

Regardless, that isn't "most" metro areas. Dallas, Houston, Philly, Atlanta and Phoenix are 5 of the 10 biggest metros and all cheaper than Austin.

Also, better nightlife than Houston is probably a stretch. Different nightlife, sure.

It is absolutely true for Seattle (for the types of apartments im looking in to) maybe not Portland.

[texasdago 7550]

See... that's the funny thing... yeah, I miss GM Steakhouse or dumps like Player's or what was that burger joint on N. Lamar and 32nd that is now a P. Terry's?  BUT I don't miss going to east Austin and getting stabbed because its full of places I want to go to.  Austin is evolving.  I'm down with that.  I never bothered to go to Zilker when I was UT and SUPs weren't a thing... now they are.  Its changed.  Thankfully I started this post a year ago knowing that we had so much equity that we could make the move but, yes, the market here is crazy.  Houses in our neighborhood go pending in one day.  One day.  Its happened to the past 5-6 listings.  I can't imagine buying a house today.  I wouldn't mind more Texan neighbors... I've got the 50 states around me and a odd mix of Europeans and Asians.  At least the Texans who are around me are Longhorns and not buttloads of Ags like in Houston.  

 

"New Austin lost a lot of nostalgic restaurants and bars but gained a beautiful lake as trade off. I'm probably the minority here but I'll take the "new" Town Lake Austin over old restaurants and bars Austin. TL is now the anchor for Austin proper. At least for me it is." 

 

Good point.  I'm not going to hit up bars on 6th street anymore but I sure as hell will drag my kids out on TL or to Pace Bend or to Lost Creek or whatever.  

[troph 24548]

1 hour ago, Hank_Hill said:

Bunch of olds in here mad that meh nostalgic businesses are gone. Austin kicks ass compared to anywhere else in this state. That said, once I graduate med school in February I’m out of here (Dallas currently, absolutely fuck this place) for awhile. Looking PNW for a spell. By the time I come back I’ll probably be mad that my meh nostalgic businesses are closed and bitch as well.

Austin really isn't comparing itself to other places in Texas anymore.  Texans in other Texas cities do that, but Austin is in the conversation with Seattle, Portland, other west coast cities, and towns that folks love to live in.  It's now a top 3 list for relos from world class cities like NYC and SF.  To say Austin is the best city in Texas to live in (while arguable among some Texans) isn't saying much to the rest of us.

but yeah, nostalgia and shit that's true.  Austin is a great city, no doubt.  but the cities its in a conversation with are no longer the Boise's, Boulder's and Asheville's and instead it's with the Portland's and Seattle's.  That's ok but what made Austin a popular destination was it's original comparison set and that's gone.

[ZB'Tejas 593]

3 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

We’ve always lived on the east side, and won’t send our kids to the public schools over here. Private school is part of the ROI and would blow up our budget. I’m not sure how much mortgage we’d need to relocate “west of Lamar” to zone to better elementary and middle schools. If we were going to move to Round Rock, Pflugerville, etc. we might as well move to the Woodlands or Frisco. 
 

We have a manageable mortgage because we bought 10 years ago, but woe to those under 25 trying to buy a first home in Austin now, or people in their 30’s who have been living in their low appreciation suburb homes in Dallas or Houston and thinking they can make a lateral jump over to central Austin. We are the flip side of that, where we have had so much appreciation we can probably pay cash for a house in the burbs of whatever city we move to. I’m thankful and sad simultaneously. 

Have you tried the schools or are you just basing this off the "Great Schools" rating. Keeling magnet is the top middle in Austin. LASA over here too.

My kids are not school aged but from my research if you break down the schools performance by certain Demographics they perform very well.

And traffic is bad for sure depending on where you live... if you choose Lakeway and complain about getting around in central Austin then that is on you. I'm in central Austin and I don't seem to have much issue getting around where I need to go.

Edited September 17, 2020 by ZB'Tejas

[ztejas 43244]

13 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

It is absolutely true for Seattle (for the types of apartments im looking in to)

Uhhh... have you looked at apartments around Rainey st or E7th recently?

[troph 24548]

and I'm not upset about that change that much.  I liked the sleepy town with a few major draws like the outdoors, Texas sports and an under the radar organic homegrown music scene.  ok it's gone that way.  well that's fine but now it's all grown up and nothing has been done to be a big city.  leadership is a joke and transportation and housing are major problems.  if you're going to grow up, act like an adult.  solve the problems.  we should have been investing in legit mass transit for the last twenty years but we haven't.  now it takes an hour to go 10 miles most of the time.

[Hornbeliever 705]

I loved living in Barton Place Condos and every so often, some asshole spraypainted "go back to california."

This thread simultaneously makes me think back to the good ol days where I could walk into Juan in a million or dogwoods and someone I was friends with would yell my name (small city vibe) and makes me think of the irony I read when people want to be compared to world class cities but hate other people coming to town.  Pick a lane!

 

 

[texasdago 7550]

Tell you what, though... when we drive back to Houston and come in via I-10 and you see the sprawl is now past the Grand Parkway, you realize Austin is still pretty small... just the nature of the geography, etc. I suppose its like that if you take 35 north or south but, like Yogi said, no one takes 35 anymore, its too crowded.  

So here's one observation... told my wife that it definitely seems like there are less chains and more mom and pop or local chains in Austin vs Houston. Covid may change that there are more parts of town that have a 70s feel with smaller businesses. Moreso than Houston.  

BTW, WTF was Rainey when I was at UT?  Early 90s Rainey was what?  Old dumpy houses?  I don't even know.  Legitimately curious.

[ztejas 43244]

21 minutes ago, texasdago said:

what was that burger joint on N. Lamar and 32nd that is now a P. Terry's? 

Hilberts I think. 

3 minutes ago, texasdago said:

So here's one observation... told my wife that it definitely seems like there are less chains and more mom and pop or local chains in Austin vs Houston

Yeah. And a lot of the "mom and pops" in Austin are shitty. There's nothing wrong with good chains, which Austin was missing for awhile. It's getting better now.

[6th Street 6340]

4 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

I loved living in Barton Place Condos and every so often, some asshole spraypainted "go back to california."

This thread simultaneously makes me think back to the good ol days where I could walk into Juan in a million or dogwoods and someone I was friends with would yell my name (small city vibe) and makes me think of the irony I read when people want to be compared to world class cities but hate other people coming to town.  Pick a lane!

 

 

Simpler times - back in the mid 2000's I had handshake entry to Aquarium, Spill, Blind Pig and a few other Dirty 6th hotspots. Now I wouldn't even consider venturing down there when visiting because it's so ghetto. 

And prior staples like Trudy's, Z Tejas, Magnolia Cafe etc seem to have fallen off the map. Oh well

[crash_davis 23078]

3 minutes ago, texasdago said:

BTW, WTF was Rainey when I was at UT?  Early 90s Rainey was what?  Old dumpy houses?  I don't even know.  Legitimately curious.

Not dumpy, definitely not dumpy. It was nicer homes. To get to get to TL to kayak fish and to avoid I35 traffic, I used to drive through in 2006 and 2007. I didn't realize that those homes were zoned for commercial. I guess the home owners knew that but I feel sorry for them because it was a nice area with some nice homes.

[crash_davis 23078]

2 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

And prior staples like Trudy's, Z Tejas, Magnolia Cafe etc seem to have fallen off the map. Oh well

Let's not let nostalgia get in the way. Those places used to be king because there wasn't much else around. Most are no longer around because the food actually tasted mediocre, at best, and if I were to be completely honest, they tasted like crap the last few years of existence. There's a reason a place like Hoover's is not only still around but still thriving. Nostalgia only goes so far. At some point, the food is going to have to start tasting good, especially with the shitload of other options opening up.

[Hornbeliever 705]

2 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Let's not let nostalgia get in the way. Those places used to be king because there wasn't much else around. Most are no longer around because the food actually tasted mediocre, at best, and if I were to be completely honest, they tasted like crap the last few years of existence. There's a reason a place like Hoover's is not only still around but still thriving. Nostalgia only goes so far. At some point, the food is going to have to start tasting good, especially with the shitload of other options opening up.

Did you just badmouth Z Tejas' cornbread?  Them fighting words.

[crash_davis 23078]

1 minute ago, Hornbeliever said:

Did you just badmouth Z Tejas' cornbread?  Them fighting words.

Z Tejas is the exception. We still have Z Tejas on the rotation. Been there a million times and have only ever had 1 or 2 bad meals. The problem in Austin is that there are now WAY too many options. Well, that was pre-covid. We'll see what the landscape is if/when we come out of this shit. I remember when Friday happy hours was crazy shit busy at Z Tejas. Not even on the happy hour radar anymore.

I remember eating at Barlata's a many years back and the owner bitching about the sheer number of new restaurants. He said something like in the time that Barlata openend, there had been 100 new restaurants open in or south of downtown. 

[texasdago 7550]

13 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Not dumpy, definitely not dumpy. It was nicer homes. To get to get to TL to kayak fish and to avoid I35 traffic, I used to drive through in 2006 and 2007. I didn't realize that those homes were zoned for commercial. I guess the home owners knew that but I feel sorry for them because it was a nice area with some nice homes.

I'm still amazed to see a couple of dumpy homes hanging on there... was at Emmer & Rye the other night and the house next door had the dude just hanging out front on a cheap folding chair, watching the world go by.

Funny... I've loved Guero's since it opened... best food?  Nah... maybe not... but the margaritas do the trick and great people watching spot.  I guess I wouldn't be happy if it closed but maybe something else would take its place.  I know there's a lot of people here who wouldn't cry if they closed.  

[ztejas 43244]

8 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Let's not let nostalgia get in the way. Those places used to be king because there wasn't much else around. Most are no longer around because the food actually tasted mediocre, at best, and if I were to be completely honest, they tasted like crap the last few years of existence. There's a reason a place like Hoover's is not only still around but still thriving. Nostalgia only goes so far. At some point, the food is going to have to start tasting good, especially with the shitload of other options opening up.

Nothing is wrong with the food at ZTejas. It might be overpriced or uninspired but it's always been better than mediocre. And Magnolia was fine. I was pretty heartbroken to see that go. Not that I ate there a ton but it was kind of a cornerstone of Lake Austin Blvd. I remember the service being consistently shitty but that's just kind of Austin in general (although it's another thing that's gotten better).

[Longhorn94 2427]

I still love Austin. I loved Austin in the 90s when I went to UT and I have loved Austin every bit as much since we moved back in 05. Its my favorite city in the world. I love all the great places to get food, listen to live music, all the outside stuff, water (lakes, rivers, springs, pools) to cool off in, but most of all, i just love the vibe of Austin. Its such a unique place and has such a great feel to it. If you ever get nostalgic, just drive up Lamar from down south or Burnet up north, still lots of grimy old Austin. 

Funny thing I dont think I have ever eaten at a chain restaurant in Austin, other than those that originated in Austin (Chuy's). Moved back to Austin to raise our kids. Yes, we are in Bee Cave so out on the border of Austin and the Hill Country. Love the natural beauty all around. Love the space. Love the 20 minute drive into downtown and 30 minute drive to the airport. We have a cabin in northern california outside of Yosemite to get away from the heat during the summer or to see the snow in the winter. But thats the other thing I love about living in Austin - great airport and within 3.5 hours to either coast for trips to explore and see the rest of the country. 

we have family in Seattle. friends in Portland. Great places but yeah, I love Austin.

 

[texasdago 7550]

There.  Nailed it.