Reviews & Comments
Austin, TX
Surprised by the negativity -
3/19/2014I love my city. I'm from Maryland originally, but went to high school in Austin and have been here since then, except for a short reprieve in St.Louis. Austin is fantastic, and I'm surprised by all the negative comments about the city. However, I believe that, for the most part, the only people who really ever go on these sites and leave long comments are people who have something to complain about. Or like me, get upset when they read negative comments about a place they love. It's true. Austin is HOT...in the summer...in TEXAS. Texas is hot. It's a thing that is known. I can't stand the heat during the summer and I'm used to it. But that's why you go tubing, or kayaking, or stand up paddle boarding, or visit any of our amazing watering holes/springs. Someone wrote in their comments that there are not a lot of outdoor activities to do in Austin and I have to say, I absolutely don't agree. Any of the activities I mentioned above are easily accessible and relatively affordable. There are also plenty of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, boating, zip lining, disc golf, organized sports, etc. If you want the cultural experience, you can go to the ballet, the symphony, the theatre (theatre is everywhere in Austin), find an art exhibit, go see a live show at our over 200 music venues, etc. It's true the traffic is bad but they are finally trying to do something about it. But its going to take some time of course. We have festivals and parades and celebrations throughout the year, quite a bit of night life, friendly people (and attractive people at that), great food, and an interesting character. With the influx of people coming in, the Austin culture is going to evolve a bit of course, but for the most part I think the heart and soul of Austin is here to stay. There is plenty of quirk left in this city, and honestly its not all that hard to find. Just because it doesn't slap you across the face on every street corner doesn't mean it isn't there. I think there is also a miscommunication between newbies and the crowd who has been here longer. Austin considers the greater Austin area part of the city too. If you are just looking at central, downtown Austin, then yes, more of the negative commentary would be understandable. But if you don't include the greater Austin area you miss wonderful true blue Austin features like, the hill country, the green belt, the fantastic school systems, the lake life, family friendly neighborhoods and parks, dazzling spas, great shopping, etc. Austin is a small city that is very spread out. We have a small downtown center, surrounded by less dense city 40 min in all directions. I think everyone who comes to Austin needs to make a friend who has been here a while and who loves their city. Then have that Austinite show them their fave spots. I think if you just go off the hype that is in the media right now, you will miss a lot of the wonderful things Austin has to offer. You also have to be willing to drop the hype and let Austin be what it actually is.