Honest question: how did Texas politics play into your assessments (if at all)? I've been to Austin many times and really love it. But in the past year I've had three friends leave because they simply couldn't bear living in a state that's endorsed such unnerving policies around abortion, trans rights, immigration, guns, etc.
I'd love to hear your thoughts - is it tolerable because Austin is blue? Do you feel like being in Texas your vote can help shift the tide? Do these things simply not matter so much to you? Etc. Thanks!
Texans will have a right to be proud about something (see your post "An Introduction to Texas Blues in 12 Tracks" linked to in this one) when they stop allowing themselves to be governed by politicians who've been bought and paid for by hyper-conservative old male billionaires. That's right, I'm not from Texas. Never will be. Good luck to you, though.
First, it's fascinating (perhaps disturbing) that so many who've commented regarding Ted's assessment of Austin can only seem to be upset about our politics. In reply, I suggest that the all are welcome to stay away, it won't bother anyone here, regardless of political affiliation. I appreciate that the topic never came up in the article. I live in Fort Worth, the only major city (now just over one million residents, twelfth largest in the US) that has a Republican majority in the city government. And would you believe it, we all get along, even with next-door neighbors who have competing Trump/Biden, Beto/Cruz, Beto/Abbott signs in their front yards around election time. One thing Ted is absolutely correct about (though he didn't name it specifically), is Southern Hospitality. The vast majority of people living here in Texas, or in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, (north) Florida, Georgia, and the tier of states on their northern borders, actually try to live and behave that way. Perhaps those who made derogatory comments could learn to practice that a bit.
Regarding pickleball, it's a game, rather than a sport, that people who aren't willing to dedicate themselves to learning to play tennis well, or those who've become too old to play tennis anymore, turn to. The noise of the ball just annoys the hell out of me and my wife when its practitioners are within hearing distance the "big court."
I enjoyed reading this. A fascinating insight into something I cannot imagine for myself. I can't imagine being able to so consciously and deliberately select where I want to settle, from so many options, and then having no impediments to do so. The US is very fortunate to have all these options, and that US citizens of sufficient means are completely free to choose between them. Due to the lottery of birth, and terrible political decisions of a small number of now deceased fellow (UK) citizens, my options are more limited. Acquiring a second citizenship increased the options, but that is certainly a time consuming method. And for the majority of people in the world, they are not even close to having something like this as a dream.
Former Texan here: Austin was heaven in the '70's! But I cannot imagine choosing to live in TX now. I think scorpions and snakes are not your biggest worries. Good luck.
Good story. Mine is largely personal reasons and I wouldn't insist that they apply to anyone else.
Last year (April 2021) I had decided to move there, and went for a week just to confirm. (I live in San Jose and my house is paid for, which I'll freely admit skews my outlook).
I left thinking "why in God's name would I want to live HERE?" The weather sucks, compared to NoCal (but of course almost everywhere does). One of my friends who moved there in the 90s said, "The first summer was horrible. The second, we put in a swimming pool. The third, we got a summer home somewhere else."
Surprisingly, the traffic sucks, too, and that was during the pandemic. I think the red light times are much longer than California's, because I spent an inordinate amount of time waiting for the light to change. There are fewer roads, and thus, traffic is much more concentrated on them.
Third, the scenery is boring. I'm used to mountains on the horizon. Sorry.
Fourth: housing is not nearly as much of a bargain as one would think, being from California.
The last reason is just personal. I'm not married, no kids, and I've been here a long time. I just don't want to move. Actually seeing the destination in person brought that home to me. Your mileage may vary.
I like this piece very much. Choosing where you want to live is a big deal, and it is a delight to read about your journey, and your one year perspective is telling because you and your family have many living experiences for relevance. I look forward to your year two perspective next late August.
After 40 years of working in college athletics, and dabbling in playing jazz, I retired, and my wife and I chose the Olympic Peninsula in Washington for climate, gorgeous scenery, and proximity to Seattle. After living in Hanover, N,H., Syracuse, NYC, Providence, Philadelphia, Palo Alto, Washington (DC), and Columbus, we were ready for a place where there was no “big game” in town, but we could get to one if we wanted to.
So you shared your experiences in Austin, which are important only because of your delight in them, and that is just the right reason to like a place. Now in my eighties, I have seen four Mariners games, three great shows at Jazz Alley, eaten at excellent restaurants, and have drive 40 minutes from my house to walk up on Hurricane Ridge. And, I get to play in three bands. Place is important!
Reading your pieces is also joy! I have been working on “Footprints” and “Infant Eyes” thanks to your piece celebrating the great Wayne Shorter.
What jazz club? I looked for somewhere to play there for 25 years, and the closest I got was The Elephant Room whose owner literally told me my music would not sell enough beer. Jazz is WAY low on Austin's priority list. I thought jazz was the top of your priority list in music?
This was an interesting personal assessment of Austin and the many merits that went into your choice...I especially appreciated the support of local musicians. I lived in Philadelphia in the early '70's, at a time when the Phila Metro/Delaware Valley area (included Jersey suburbs, and exurban large venues) was the most successful live concert region IN THE WORLD in terms of receipts (my brother worked for the Magid Brothers and I have this from the inside), yet the local musicians could barely get arrested. The fees were miserable. (That changed by the '80's I understand.) For jazz musicians it was a fantastic platform for education, hence the emergence of Stanley Clarke, the Brecker Brothers, Pat Martino, etc., and the presence of eminences like Dennis Sandole. Incubate and head up to NYC...
And I was in Austin coincident with the Texas Book Festival (name?) and it was very impressive.
But I digress. I would have been intrigued by more detail on your criteria for eliminating various domestic choices (Portland, Santa Fe, Las Vegas [don't laugh, a sleeper], New Orleans), as my wife and I, New Yorkers, have been going through this process lately. Evidently salt water doesn't matter that much...will your wife be satisfied with Corpus Christi?!?! For us, it's sine qua non, and our temporary condo-near-the-kids in Tulsa falls well short in the salt air department.
One could say that this is truly a First World problem, but since it is, why not treat it with the respect and analytical rigor it deserves ;-)
Really enjoying your observations and excursions...glad I signed up.
I have lived in Munich, Germany for three years now, visited Austin a couple times, and have said Munich is like a 900 year old version of Austin. Munich has big universities (120,000 students in a city of 1.5 million), it's the capital city of a state that thinks it's its own country—according to many Bavarians the German southern border rests at the northern border of Bavaria, tech is booming, tons of money (very old money that is), all about the outdoors (Alps a short drive to the south) and tons of culture. Question is, can Austin pour the massive amounts of money required for public transportation to make it a true 21st century city??
This New Jersey suburban guy knows what you’re talking about with regard to change and it’s inevitability. There were twelve farms in my town when I was a kid. There is only one left (well, there’s another half farm still in the chicken and egg business.) My high-school-diploma parents were able to handle building a house and raising the four of us kids on one income. They even put three of the four of us through college (I paid my way through three degrees - Thank you President Biden for relieving me of the very tail end of it!). I used to be able to work May through August and pay my entire tuition at the local State college. You simply can’t do anything like that today. Also, like Tara, I fell in love with “North County” as the locals refer to Northern San Diego County. Change is not only inevitable as you noted in Austin, but it is always happening. Kudos to you for observing it.
I spent one magical night in Austin while en route to California and I'll never forget the people who put us up for the night and warned us about being careful with the cops. I loved it then and I love the picture you paint of it now. But like Ryan, below, I have great trepidation about the politics. Scary shit! Anyway, best to you and yours and wherever you go, may you stay forever weird.
Yeah, Austin is a cool city, but unfortunately it's in the state of Texas. One of those places where you can find yourself ass deep in mud with dust blowing in your eyes. And the political climate . . . wowser!
Donald F. Buchla vowed he would never go there, and an analog voltage-controlled synthesizer pioneer can't be all wrong on such matters . . .
Honest question: how did Texas politics play into your assessments (if at all)? I've been to Austin many times and really love it. But in the past year I've had three friends leave because they simply couldn't bear living in a state that's endorsed such unnerving policies around abortion, trans rights, immigration, guns, etc.
I'd love to hear your thoughts - is it tolerable because Austin is blue? Do you feel like being in Texas your vote can help shift the tide? Do these things simply not matter so much to you? Etc. Thanks!
Texans will have a right to be proud about something (see your post "An Introduction to Texas Blues in 12 Tracks" linked to in this one) when they stop allowing themselves to be governed by politicians who've been bought and paid for by hyper-conservative old male billionaires. That's right, I'm not from Texas. Never will be. Good luck to you, though.
First, it's fascinating (perhaps disturbing) that so many who've commented regarding Ted's assessment of Austin can only seem to be upset about our politics. In reply, I suggest that the all are welcome to stay away, it won't bother anyone here, regardless of political affiliation. I appreciate that the topic never came up in the article. I live in Fort Worth, the only major city (now just over one million residents, twelfth largest in the US) that has a Republican majority in the city government. And would you believe it, we all get along, even with next-door neighbors who have competing Trump/Biden, Beto/Cruz, Beto/Abbott signs in their front yards around election time. One thing Ted is absolutely correct about (though he didn't name it specifically), is Southern Hospitality. The vast majority of people living here in Texas, or in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, (north) Florida, Georgia, and the tier of states on their northern borders, actually try to live and behave that way. Perhaps those who made derogatory comments could learn to practice that a bit.
Regarding pickleball, it's a game, rather than a sport, that people who aren't willing to dedicate themselves to learning to play tennis well, or those who've become too old to play tennis anymore, turn to. The noise of the ball just annoys the hell out of me and my wife when its practitioners are within hearing distance the "big court."
I enjoyed reading this. A fascinating insight into something I cannot imagine for myself. I can't imagine being able to so consciously and deliberately select where I want to settle, from so many options, and then having no impediments to do so. The US is very fortunate to have all these options, and that US citizens of sufficient means are completely free to choose between them. Due to the lottery of birth, and terrible political decisions of a small number of now deceased fellow (UK) citizens, my options are more limited. Acquiring a second citizenship increased the options, but that is certainly a time consuming method. And for the majority of people in the world, they are not even close to having something like this as a dream.
Former Texan here: Austin was heaven in the '70's! But I cannot imagine choosing to live in TX now. I think scorpions and snakes are not your biggest worries. Good luck.
You did not mention the terrible Texas politics.
Yes, Austin may be a liberal city, but the State of Texas politics is a disaster.
Good story. Mine is largely personal reasons and I wouldn't insist that they apply to anyone else.
Last year (April 2021) I had decided to move there, and went for a week just to confirm. (I live in San Jose and my house is paid for, which I'll freely admit skews my outlook).
I left thinking "why in God's name would I want to live HERE?" The weather sucks, compared to NoCal (but of course almost everywhere does). One of my friends who moved there in the 90s said, "The first summer was horrible. The second, we put in a swimming pool. The third, we got a summer home somewhere else."
Surprisingly, the traffic sucks, too, and that was during the pandemic. I think the red light times are much longer than California's, because I spent an inordinate amount of time waiting for the light to change. There are fewer roads, and thus, traffic is much more concentrated on them.
Third, the scenery is boring. I'm used to mountains on the horizon. Sorry.
Fourth: housing is not nearly as much of a bargain as one would think, being from California.
The last reason is just personal. I'm not married, no kids, and I've been here a long time. I just don't want to move. Actually seeing the destination in person brought that home to me. Your mileage may vary.
I like this piece very much. Choosing where you want to live is a big deal, and it is a delight to read about your journey, and your one year perspective is telling because you and your family have many living experiences for relevance. I look forward to your year two perspective next late August.
After 40 years of working in college athletics, and dabbling in playing jazz, I retired, and my wife and I chose the Olympic Peninsula in Washington for climate, gorgeous scenery, and proximity to Seattle. After living in Hanover, N,H., Syracuse, NYC, Providence, Philadelphia, Palo Alto, Washington (DC), and Columbus, we were ready for a place where there was no “big game” in town, but we could get to one if we wanted to.
So you shared your experiences in Austin, which are important only because of your delight in them, and that is just the right reason to like a place. Now in my eighties, I have seen four Mariners games, three great shows at Jazz Alley, eaten at excellent restaurants, and have drive 40 minutes from my house to walk up on Hurricane Ridge. And, I get to play in three bands. Place is important!
Reading your pieces is also joy! I have been working on “Footprints” and “Infant Eyes” thanks to your piece celebrating the great Wayne Shorter.
What jazz club? I looked for somewhere to play there for 25 years, and the closest I got was The Elephant Room whose owner literally told me my music would not sell enough beer. Jazz is WAY low on Austin's priority list. I thought jazz was the top of your priority list in music?
But what about Texas politics and your disgusting governor? Apparently, in your case, it’s see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.
This was an interesting personal assessment of Austin and the many merits that went into your choice...I especially appreciated the support of local musicians. I lived in Philadelphia in the early '70's, at a time when the Phila Metro/Delaware Valley area (included Jersey suburbs, and exurban large venues) was the most successful live concert region IN THE WORLD in terms of receipts (my brother worked for the Magid Brothers and I have this from the inside), yet the local musicians could barely get arrested. The fees were miserable. (That changed by the '80's I understand.) For jazz musicians it was a fantastic platform for education, hence the emergence of Stanley Clarke, the Brecker Brothers, Pat Martino, etc., and the presence of eminences like Dennis Sandole. Incubate and head up to NYC...
And I was in Austin coincident with the Texas Book Festival (name?) and it was very impressive.
But I digress. I would have been intrigued by more detail on your criteria for eliminating various domestic choices (Portland, Santa Fe, Las Vegas [don't laugh, a sleeper], New Orleans), as my wife and I, New Yorkers, have been going through this process lately. Evidently salt water doesn't matter that much...will your wife be satisfied with Corpus Christi?!?! For us, it's sine qua non, and our temporary condo-near-the-kids in Tulsa falls well short in the salt air department.
One could say that this is truly a First World problem, but since it is, why not treat it with the respect and analytical rigor it deserves ;-)
Really enjoying your observations and excursions...glad I signed up.
Jeep
Yeah it's in Texas though.
I have lived in Munich, Germany for three years now, visited Austin a couple times, and have said Munich is like a 900 year old version of Austin. Munich has big universities (120,000 students in a city of 1.5 million), it's the capital city of a state that thinks it's its own country—according to many Bavarians the German southern border rests at the northern border of Bavaria, tech is booming, tons of money (very old money that is), all about the outdoors (Alps a short drive to the south) and tons of culture. Question is, can Austin pour the massive amounts of money required for public transportation to make it a true 21st century city??
This New Jersey suburban guy knows what you’re talking about with regard to change and it’s inevitability. There were twelve farms in my town when I was a kid. There is only one left (well, there’s another half farm still in the chicken and egg business.) My high-school-diploma parents were able to handle building a house and raising the four of us kids on one income. They even put three of the four of us through college (I paid my way through three degrees - Thank you President Biden for relieving me of the very tail end of it!). I used to be able to work May through August and pay my entire tuition at the local State college. You simply can’t do anything like that today. Also, like Tara, I fell in love with “North County” as the locals refer to Northern San Diego County. Change is not only inevitable as you noted in Austin, but it is always happening. Kudos to you for observing it.
I spent one magical night in Austin while en route to California and I'll never forget the people who put us up for the night and warned us about being careful with the cops. I loved it then and I love the picture you paint of it now. But like Ryan, below, I have great trepidation about the politics. Scary shit! Anyway, best to you and yours and wherever you go, may you stay forever weird.
Yeah, Austin is a cool city, but unfortunately it's in the state of Texas. One of those places where you can find yourself ass deep in mud with dust blowing in your eyes. And the political climate . . . wowser!
Donald F. Buchla vowed he would never go there, and an analog voltage-controlled synthesizer pioneer can't be all wrong on such matters . . .