scott wrote:Florida... hurricanes... Florida... hurricanes... hrm.

They are really only a concern once every ten years or so. Gainesville is far enough inland that we rarely get hit really hard. Besides, hurricanes are nature's little reminders that you need a new roof. And until you have seen a continuous display or exploding transformers peeking through the rain, you have not seen true beauty. I am not kidding, it is spectacular.

fantasmatical thorr wrote:uh...i just remember them being all brown and sticky in a big vat on the corner of a street.

They are only to be bought on the side of the road, preferably from the back of pickup truck or van. Never buy them in any sort of establishment.*

yaledelay wrote:in this case the english person was spot on... boiled peanuts? why not just eat your own puke?

Well, because puke tastes gross, that's why.

tmidgett wrote:Re extra-Austin TX, yes, the hill country, she is OK by me.

I completely agree with this. Austin itself is a little too metropolitan for my tastes but the area outside Austin is fantastic.

Jon

*From a vendor at a flea market is an exception to this rule.

I have an ex lurking somewhere in the Hill Country.

She's one of the "crazy-enough-to-visit-if-everything-else-in-my-life-goes-to-shit" exes, but not a "sane-enough-to-move-there-if-everything-etc".

Tattooed redheaded ex.... crazy, though.

gotta remember the crazy part.

Don't come to France.

tmidgett wrote:Re extra-Austin TX, yes, the hill country, she is OK by me.

If you're seriously considering Austin: for far less money, and with far fewer yuppie/hippie/hipster scum (and still plenty of freaks), I suggest Ft. Worth, Texas.

The Fort has a lot going for it:

Great cultural institutions (Modern of Ft. Worth, Kimball, and Amon Carter Museums, Bass Hall). Eccentric billionaires pouring money into public works projects.

Really great Mexican food. Really good coffee. Central Market and Whole Foods.

Ft. Worth Cats baseball, TCU football/basketball/baseball. You're close to the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, and Stars. Frisco RoughRiders for minor league action.

Lots of older houses/great neighborhoods. Lots of interesting, fucked up history. Anarchists and Stetson-toting lawyers dining side-by-side at vegan restaurants.

The music scene isn't super-hot, but you're close to Denton and Dallas which get a lot of action. It's also the birthplace of Complete, which should be enough to cinch it for you, musically speaking.

You're also a short drive to some good nature: lotsa state parks, Fossil Rim wildlife preserve, lotsa lakes. Lots of family day trips to historic towns, if you're into that kind of stuff. (I grew up in Granbury, TX, which is one of those towns.)

Austin's fine. Austin's overcrowded and too expensive. Lots of music fans but not a super-fun place to see/play shows.

If I didn't have a studio, band, house, life, etc in Denton, I would gladly move to the Fort. I think it's pretty great.

Michigan. I miss it. I think I will move back when I'm done with school.
The only problem is that there are no jobs.

p.o.f.

matthewbarnhart wrote:

tmidgett wrote:Re extra-Austin TX, yes, the hill country, she is OK by me.

If you're seriously considering Austin: for far less money, and with far fewer yuppie/hippie/hipster scum (and still plenty of freaks), I suggest Ft. Worth, Texas.

The Fort has a lot going for it:

Ornette Coleman.

FYP.

Also: every afternoon, you can see the world's most esteemed pianist, Van Cliburn dining with his young male friend at the Ol' South Pancake House on University.

This is a pretty apt metaphor for the city in general.

dontfeartheringo wrote:

matthewbarnhart wrote:

tmidgett wrote:Re extra-Austin TX, yes, the hill country, she is OK by me.

If you're seriously considering Austin: for far less money, and with far fewer yuppie/hippie/hipster scum (and still plenty of freaks), I suggest Ft. Worth, Texas.

The Fort has a lot going for it:

Ornette Coleman.

FYP.

QFT.

matthewbarnhart, first, I thought you could not possibly be serious. But then I realized that every single time I've hung out in Ft. Worth, I've had a great time. But to be perfectly honest, I think Denton makes more sense (though less employment opportunities).

Ft. Worth, much like San Antonio, is far weirder than Austin. Just not as self-consciously so.

And I'll take the Ft Worth Modern over MoMA any day of the week.

connor wrote:Ft. Worth, much like San Antonio, is far weirder than Austin. Just not as self-consciously so.

COMPLETE.