The Greatest Place on Earth
Who knew that Texas had more to offer than humidity and good Mexican food? Texas also is home to a little town called Austin that captured my finicky heart.
Austin, TX is an oasis of awesomeness so vast that I was barely able to scratch the surface. Now before you start looking up the airfare prices to Austin or packing up your suitcases, let me break down why this place is so cool.
First, the people are awesome. This point is the most important but also the most biased of all categories. I was privileged enough to be hosted by a good friend of mine named Bevin Gaines. Not only did she boost the cities coolness by a couple of percentage point, but she was also patched in to the Cool People Association of Austin Texas (CPAAT). The members of this group also happen to be MBA students at the University of Texas. Regardless, Bevin was able to introduce me to a lot of people during the weekend and all of them were as friendly as Casper (the friendly ghost, in case you did not catch the pop reference). But the cool people did not stop there. From the lady that helped me with directions to the bouncer with a tattooed ear, all of these Austin folks were cool as ice.
Second, the city is built for relaxing in the sun, and partying in the dark. If you take the hippieness of Portland, OR, mix it with the good times of New Orleans, and splash it with a dash of Chicago’s club scene, you get Austin. The stores are eclectic, the bars are cheap and plentiful, and the clubs are so close that you can walk to several in one night. But what about the cover charges? Glad you asked, because there are none! Come in, go out, does not matter, just have fun. The most important part of Austin is the live music. You gotta love a city where live music venues are just as plentiful as a bar or club. Imagine spending the fifteen minute wait for a restaurant table listening to a band blast Ray Charles in the restaurant’s outdoor cantina area. The parks are full of dog owners and dog lovers, and there is a lake that runs through downtown that incorporates the perfect amount of natural elements into the urban setting. By the way, dog owners in Austin seem to let their dogs be real dogs. They play and wrestle and growl and bark at each other without anyone throwing a hissy fit about how scared they are for their dog. They are about the only city in Texas (or in the south for that matter) that seems to really promote fitness.
I am just thoroughly impressed with the city. It has the student life and all that comes with it through the University of Texas. It has awesome whether 300 days a year, and lacks the ridiculous humidity of Houston. Surprisingly the terrain has character and the ground is fertile enough to promote wineries in the surrounding areas. The only drawback to Austin seems to be the fact that people are catching on to how great it is. The city seems to be growing quickly, and when the masses come, creativity goes out. It does have its bad neighborhoods, and a large amount of homeless, but the city also does a lot to help those in need.
Austin gets two thumbs and two big toes up, I just have to create more reasons to get up there now.
Austin, TX is an oasis of awesomeness so vast that I was barely able to scratch the surface. Now before you start looking up the airfare prices to Austin or packing up your suitcases, let me break down why this place is so cool.
First, the people are awesome. This point is the most important but also the most biased of all categories. I was privileged enough to be hosted by a good friend of mine named Bevin Gaines. Not only did she boost the cities coolness by a couple of percentage point, but she was also patched in to the Cool People Association of Austin Texas (CPAAT). The members of this group also happen to be MBA students at the University of Texas. Regardless, Bevin was able to introduce me to a lot of people during the weekend and all of them were as friendly as Casper (the friendly ghost, in case you did not catch the pop reference). But the cool people did not stop there. From the lady that helped me with directions to the bouncer with a tattooed ear, all of these Austin folks were cool as ice.
Second, the city is built for relaxing in the sun, and partying in the dark. If you take the hippieness of Portland, OR, mix it with the good times of New Orleans, and splash it with a dash of Chicago’s club scene, you get Austin. The stores are eclectic, the bars are cheap and plentiful, and the clubs are so close that you can walk to several in one night. But what about the cover charges? Glad you asked, because there are none! Come in, go out, does not matter, just have fun. The most important part of Austin is the live music. You gotta love a city where live music venues are just as plentiful as a bar or club. Imagine spending the fifteen minute wait for a restaurant table listening to a band blast Ray Charles in the restaurant’s outdoor cantina area. The parks are full of dog owners and dog lovers, and there is a lake that runs through downtown that incorporates the perfect amount of natural elements into the urban setting. By the way, dog owners in Austin seem to let their dogs be real dogs. They play and wrestle and growl and bark at each other without anyone throwing a hissy fit about how scared they are for their dog. They are about the only city in Texas (or in the south for that matter) that seems to really promote fitness.
I am just thoroughly impressed with the city. It has the student life and all that comes with it through the University of Texas. It has awesome whether 300 days a year, and lacks the ridiculous humidity of Houston. Surprisingly the terrain has character and the ground is fertile enough to promote wineries in the surrounding areas. The only drawback to Austin seems to be the fact that people are catching on to how great it is. The city seems to be growing quickly, and when the masses come, creativity goes out. It does have its bad neighborhoods, and a large amount of homeless, but the city also does a lot to help those in need.
Austin gets two thumbs and two big toes up, I just have to create more reasons to get up there now.
posted by Anthony Jackson at 7:59 PM
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