Haha, no hate on Montreal here, but I don't really know French, and I am American after all (cant work here without a permit), and the winter IS pretty cold here.

Austin seems like the place to be right now for me. Why all the hate?

chet wrote:Haha, no hate on Montreal here, but I don't really know French, and I am American after all (cant work here without a permit), and the winter IS pretty cold here.

Austin seems like the place to be right now for me. Why all the hate?

It doesn't sound like serious hate.

Austin is a great place to live. Apartments in the Greenbelt are reasonable, and are close to both downtown and north Austin. That's really your best bet. Just south of Town Lake is a good bet as well. In both cases, you can walk or hop a bus downtown. On hot days, the bus is free.

The main caveat about Austin, however, is that it's an oasis of concentrated coolness in a vast wasteland. Your only real road trip prospects are to Dallas or Houston, but they really don't have anything to offer that Austin doesn't. San Antonio is only 45 minutes away, but it's a culturally bankrupt shithole consisting of malls, Hot Topic mall goths, fried out old crack hotels with sun-bleached paint and Clear Channel's corporate offices. (The Mexican food there, however, can't be beat.) Driving out of Texas takes an entire day, and even then, the contiguous states are completely lame with the exception of Louisiana. New Orleans is an 8-hour drive. So, if you get an itch to get out of town for the weekend, you're pretty much stuck with the airport.

With that said, Austin is a young, brainy town and it take a good while to get bored there. Last I checked, Canada isn't chock full of cute latinas either, so that would also be a very welcome change.

I forgot to mention the breakfast tacos at Mi Madres. Holy fucking shit. A dollar a taco and a dollar for an iced coffee equals an Austin breakfast of champions.

Let's not forget the 24-hour Taco Cabana on Lamar. It has saved my drunk ass at 3 AM more times than I care to admit.

Tamale House on Airport is the institution.

I've said that before and I'll say it again.

Alamo Drafthouse, Mt. Bonnell, Laguna Gloria...I'm pretty sure I've discussed those at length as well...

Austin...I lived there for 7 yrs...I'm not exactly nostalgic but fuggit...you can live pretty good their pretty cheap. And the hills and surrounding nature around there make for a number of good day trips/hikes, etc.

The MayorofRockNRoll wrote:Tamale House on Airport is the institution.

I've said that before and I'll say it again.

I think that is where I got the best migas ever. I know it was on Airport.

I'm going to move to Houston this summer but I can't wait to check out Austin.

punch_the_lion wrote:I'm going to move to Houston this summer but I can't wait to check out Austin.

Houston is, according to novelist James Crumley, "the most air-conditioned city on earth--a fact only a Texan could be proud of."

It was also home to Lightnin' Hopkins, something anyone could be proud of.

I have an interview in Austin next week which means, if I get it, me and my girlfriend have to figure out how we're going to move two apartments worth of crap and two automobiles across the country. I grew up there and can think of few better cities in this country.

Having said that, Austin has a pretty severe downside: jobs. There aren't many. And all of the "cool" ones are snatched up by the 40,000-odd UT students. If I don't get this one particular gig, I doubt I'll be moving back. Expect to send out, likely, 50 resumes or so for a $14 an hour job .

It's not like Brooklyn where you can just move there and come up with a $17-$20 hour job in a couple of weeks. So be warned.

Also, the traffic is fucking awful. Fucking unbearable.

And if you're a single guy, be warned: although the women there are unbelievable, it's technically a sausage fest.

Still, it's a wonderful place to be. And I disagree about the "island effect." Yeah, the surrounding big cities are kind of lame, but there's that whole "nature" thing Texas has going for it. You'll have to drive a ways, but shit: that's what barren Texas highways are for. So you got that and an airport.

I don't want to scare you off. Just know what you're getting into.

EDIT: I should point out that there's a small but decent chance that Texas might become a "blue state" this year.

Arkies for Breakfast tacos
Salt Lick or Rudys for BBQ
Casino El Camino for Burgers
Lala's for drinks.
Horseshoe lounge for shuffle board
Alamo Draft House for Movies and Food
Sculpture falls for looking at topless hippies swimming 'round
Live in south or east Austin
Avoid north Austin

Austin also has the 2 or 3 best video rental stores in the United States.
I Love Video and Vulcan Video