Moving to Austin TX; ready to complain about NY-made salsa...

So, as the thread says, I'm making my way to Austin TX. The University of Texas accepted me into a Masters program, and really excited at the prospect of being able to experience different weather seasons first hand. That, and waiting for the opportunity to exclaim "This stuff's made in New York City!" at a local grocery store in a playful yet concerned fit of rage. Great stuff indeed.

With that in mind - and also the thread that was done up for Lovecraft a while back - I was wondering if any of the Texas members could toss me a few words regarding Austin. I'm wondering about things like cost of living, different type of settings, anything I can wrap my head around. I spent the first years of my life in places around Houston and such, but my only recollections involve heavy doses of wayward insects and frequent tests of the Emergency Broadcast System during my favorite Hasbro-subsidized programming of the day. I'm sure lots has changed.

Not only that, but I also figure I'd get the word out here for the LA heads. Around August 4th is when I'll be making the migration (by Cressida! oh, the adventure!), so do with that what you will.

I like Shiner Bock.

Okay, here's what I can tell you:

Best budget Chinese restuarant: Din Ho Chinese BBQ
Best budget Mexican restuarant: Habanero's (or maybe spelled "Habanero" if you look it up)
Best theater for indy movies: Dobie Mall theater on the drag near campus
Only Neo-Geo arcade in town (that I know of): PowerPlay Arcade, in Dobie Mall

Hmm... the cost of living is generally pretty high in Austin. I also can't help you out much there since I moved out of state for college and so I've only lived in Austin while I was living at home.

But other than two great, cheap restuarants, a good indy theater, and a neo arcade, what else? Oh- great ice cream deserts- Dulce Vita on (I think, if I remember right) Duval St.

Oh, one more thing- Vulcan Video is an excellent movie rental place, with tons of obscure/foreign titles. I Heart Video is also pretty decent.

I think if you follow up on the leads I've given you, it will serve you very well.

hmmmm

well i was born and raised here in austin. it's a pretty dull town, not much to do or see that doesn't involve drinking and random shit downtown. there's a lot to eat, tons of chicks, and well just wing it. i used to live around the loyola area of town near LBJ highschool (the ghetto side of town) then we moved to northwest austin (the burbs) i've seen this town inside and out and really all i can say is move in, get a job, and join on in.

I don't live in Austin but am pretty damn familiar with the cost of real estate there...one thing you will find is that Austin's real estate is FAR more affordable than that in California.

I've visited several times and have enjoyed my time there, with one exception...for the most part, the atmosphere is nice. :glee:

Austin's one of the cooler cities in Texas.

But I have to ask, what happened to Einstein's Arcade by UT? Did it close down?

Mmmm.... Tears of Joy salsa.

Cracker:

If your parents are wealthy enough to live in Santa Monica (assuming they don't rent a slum), why move to Texas? What's wrong with temperate beach weather?

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Originally Posted by Domino-chan

Austin's one of the cooler cities in Texas.

But I have to ask, what happened to Einstein's Arcade by UT? Did it close down?

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When I was last in Austin (shortly after SVC Chaos came out) it was still there. My brother and I were really hyped about SVC, and being able to play SVC shortly after it was released on those deluxe Dynamo cabinets with those 30-something inch monitors in the middle of a vacation was great. There was another arcade a block or so away as well.

Conan's Pizza
Fuckin' love this pizza. It's either here or Player's
Hamburgers (now that Airport Haven Hamburgers sucks
balls). The one not too far from the campus with the Vulcan
Video next to it is my fave spot. Lots of Frank Frazetta artwork
on the walls + a Neo:Geo 2-slot with Metal Slug 2 and Aero Fighters.

Dobie Theatre
The cinema is no longer owned and ran by the
college students at UT, but a part of the Land Mark
Theatre chain... but it's a good place to catch indie,
underground, foreign and other oddities of film @ the
Dobie Mall right there on Guadalupe St on Campus
Row.

Texas Roller Girls
Nothing like watching hawt chicks beating the crap of
of each other on Roller Skates. *The whole resurgence
started in Austin anyhow. The girls are rowdy and are
cool to boot. You owe it to yourself to attend at least ONE
game from 6:30PM - 10:30PM.

Cheapo's Discs
You could spend all day here. More Used and New CDs
DVDs and Records than you'll know what to do with. Also
a site to pick up Roller Girls tickets in advance for $12.00
rather than the $15.00 at the event.

Waterloo Records
Another great source for music, movies and more.
Right off of Lamar and the corner of 6th street.
Literally right up the road from Cheapos.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
The other place to be if you want great flicks,
beer and more. There's several locations, I go
to the one off of Colorado St.

Beer Land
This place fucking rules if you're a drinker.
I'm not but I still love the place.



then there's a few arcades around the campus area too.
Einstein's
Power Cade (in Dobie Mall)

+ Players Hamburgers off of MLK BLVD is the shiznits.
Get some kick ass food + watch the football games or
whatever on a giant assed TV. Place is open till like 3AM.

I don't live in Austin but I'm up there once a month for
the Roller Girls events every 1st Sunday of the month,
(it's the 3rd down here in SATX) when I arrive with a posse
which seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

Also there's a nice comic book store off of Lamar a bit on
down past the campus called "Austin Books & Comics" if
that's your thang. I couldn't tell you about more than
this because my stomping grounds are usually within
the heart of Austin.

From all accounts, Austin is the only city in TX really worth living in if you're moving from a coastal city--I imagine it makes the stifling heat worth it. the UT campus makes the place.. I guess you had to switch to a winner after all those years at UCLA-- now you're at UTLA? :smirk:

Check out Linklater's debut film, Slacker, when you get a chance, it was filmed there.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

From all accounts, Austin is the only city in TX really worth living in if you're moving from a coastal city--I imagine it makes the stifling heat worth it. the UT campus makes the place.. I guess you had to switch to a winner after all those years at UCLA-- now you're at UTLA? :smirk:

Check out Linklater's debut film, Slacker, when you get a chance, it was filmed there.

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From all accounts, eh? You're going to have to forgive me if i don't agree on this. as far as schoos go, sure UT is a damn good school, but that hardly makes Austin the only place in TX worth living in. Consider the fact that job opportunities in the DFW area far surpass Austin. Real estate and general quality of life is pretty damn high also. San Antonio is not a bad place to live either.

"New York City?!" :D

You're leaving us for Texas? Aww, man. I'm gonna miss you at the hookups.

But, as far as cost of living goes, I think you'll like Texas. I almost considered moving there awhile back, simply because I can't really afford to live here.

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Originally Posted by melchia

From all accounts, eh? You're going to have to forgive me if i don't agree on this. as far as schoos go, sure UT is a damn good school, but that hardly makes Austin the only place in TX worth living in. Consider the fact that job opportunities in the DFW area far surpass Austin. Real estate and general quality of life is pretty damn high also. San Antonio is not a bad place to live either.

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Yeah, but I'm talking about what could remotely be worth ditching Santa Monica for. The answer is actually nothing, but if it were TX, the only option would be to attend UT and maybe spend some time afterwards in the Austin area. Did I mention I plan to retire to Santa Monica? (Repeatedly ;) )

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Originally Posted by twiddle dee

This is idiocy. SATX is a worthless city. It's nearly as bad as Brownsville and El Paso and could easily be confused for a bordertown itself. Not to mention it's dirty, and the roadways were designed while smoking crack. Whoever came up with the idea that "The access road should NOT follow the interstate" is an imbecile.

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Oh STFU...just because you can't navigate around in SA does not mean it's a bad place to live, and you can't call the entire city a border town because you haven't spent time in any of the nicer areas

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Originally Posted by whiny

I used to clean houses in the Dominion, bitch. I lived there for several years, I know what I'm talking about. SATX is a border town.

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well, that settles it...i suppose you are right, though: manual labor in dominion = spending time in nicer areas :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by whiny

And it's 'tweedle' dee. Dumbass.

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hey man, however you spell your name...

Wasn't Austin, TX where the movie "Slacker" was filmed?

Edit: Just saw BeauBak's post. BeauBak gets his salsa from NY City.

Misogyny, thy name is punjabee...

I can't imagine the arguments he has with g/fs:
"You're being silly"
"Oh yeah? Well you're a cunt-dyke-bitch-whore-camelmaster!"

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Originally Posted by whiny

Hey as long as you realize I know what I'm talking about and stop being such a bitch (i know thats a bit of a stretch). That's about the only 'nice' area in San Antonio.

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**smiles, nods, and waves** sure, babe...whatever you say.

oh, now my feelings are really hurt! :(

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Originally Posted by idiot

lame.

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yes, i must confess the amount of effort i am willing to expend in replying to you is growing less and less...*sigh* it's like arguing with a four year old who thinks he's right because he says so.

Simmer down, children. :annoyed:

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Originally Posted by needs to get laid

It's like arguing with a woman.


Oh, right.

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http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...men/jerkit.gif

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Originally Posted by hasn't had the chance to knock anyone up

No thanks.

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further proof of what everyone else has already said of you: sheer stupidity

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Originally Posted by melchia

further proof of what everyone else has already said of you: sheer stupidity

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The funny thing is, he's a total asshole on this website, and everyone basically told him that over the years --yet I have a feeling he's an introvert in real life. The raging dickheads usually are.

Wait... is he married?

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Originally Posted by Bobak

The funny thing is, he's a total asshole on this website, and everyone basically told him that over the years --yet I have a feeling he's an introvert in real life. The raging dickheads usually are.

Wait... is he married?

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I'm sure she has a great personality.

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Originally Posted by PUNJABEE

This is idiocy. SATX is a worthless city. It's nearly as bad as Brownsville and El Paso and could easily be confused for a bordertown itself. Not to mention it's dirty, and the roadways were designed while smoking crack. Whoever came up with the idea that "The access road should NOT follow the interstate" is an imbecile.

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While I'll go on record for saying that SATX is lame compared to Austin in terms of it's attitude, and the fact most places close no later than 11:00PM, and last showing of movies are at 10:45 or 11:30PM (unless it's a midnight showing of some older film at Alamo Drafthouse anyhow)... SATX is far from being a worthless city nor a "border town". Sure there's a higher amount of Mexicans here being closer to the border no doubt, but that's in contrast to the fact Austin has always seemed to be more of a white bread land and/or mecca for Asians coming through UT. There's Mexicans there, but in Austin it's more common to see 2 Mexicans (or anyone of Latin descent) for every 14 white folks, whereas in SATX you see EVERYONE.

Since I work all points of the city, everything from low income section 8 government apartment complexes to night clubs, to high rise hotels and even posh gated communities as a Security Police Officer (SPO), I see and deal with ppl from all walks of life. SATX isn't any different from any other city save the fact it's a melting pot of all ethnic backgrounds due to it being a major military town and the gateway to the US Air Force. Austin is the place to be if you're a club hopping youngster (or aging hipster), a college kid, and of course a bohemian and/or hippie. It's super liberal and it's got a mini Hollywood vibe as well as I should know having attended film school with UT film professor/filmmaker Stephen Mims and DP David Layton in the summer of 1996. San Antonio (SATX) on the other hand is a laid back (mostly conservative) city with a small town vibe to it. Ppl here aren't interested in burning the area to the ground every night. Ppl can still raise a family here and have some sort of "security" attatched to it where a kid might have a longer period of innocence (somewhat).

But being laid back doesn't make the place worthless. Between the ages of 14 and 20 I wanted nothing more than to live in a place like NYC, Los Angeles, Hong Kong or Tokyo. Now you couldn't drag me there. You talk about SATX's roadways... YES, they are retarded but take a look at Austin's roadways. Damn roads ain't big enough to support all the traffic it gets. Just driving into town from SATX is a bitch and a half before even getting to Riverside Drive. Since my knowledge of Austin is limited to only certain places I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but the capitol has as many faults with it as anywhere else. Though I'd rather be in Austin than in Houston personally. DFW area is nice too.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

The funny thing is, he's a total asshole on this website, and everyone basically told him that over the years --yet I have a feeling he's an introvert in real life. The raging dickheads usually are.

Wait... is he married?

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he's married, and in real life he's a pretty cool guy. i've hung out with him a couple times and granted i'm always the youngest one at the austin get togethers he's usually there and he's not a raging jerkass in person. i dunno maybe it's just an internet persona. but another thing i found at the austin neo get togethers i can kick everyone's ass at KOF other than bonuskun who has seemingly dissapeared from the site.

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Originally Posted by Magnaflux

I'm sure she has a great personality.

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ok there, happy-go-lucky...

melchia's really in a shit-startin' mood today...

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Originally Posted by melchia

ok there, happy-go-lucky...

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I looked up that phrase and answers.com said happy-go-lucky means "cheerfully irresponsible".

I'll take that as a compliment.

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Originally Posted by Magnaflux

I'll take that as a compliment.

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i meant it as nothing less

Can we just get all of Punjabee's posts from this thread deleted along with those who have replied so that this thread will once again contain useful information?

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Originally Posted by CrackerMessiah

I like Shiner Bock.

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much love guy.
congrats on getting into the masters program at UT.
i'd like to transfer but it's a hard ride since i'm a 2.9
do you like music?
austin is terrific for it,
i've been driving up there 2-3 times a month to check out shows all summer.

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Originally Posted by N2x

Mmmm.... Tears of Joy salsa.

Cracker:

If your parents are wealthy enough to live in Santa Monica (assuming they don't rent a slum), why move to Texas? What's wrong with temperate beach weather?

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"Wealth" and "Santa Monica" aren't tied at the hip. Through the magic of rent control, some longer-time residents of Santa Monica are able to stay in the area as younger people start to move in; younger people who are more able to blindly accept the reality of paying 1600+ a month for a 1 bedroom apartment. The 'old guard' is able to subsist on the going wage, which is basically inclusive of rent + utitlies and food. The way things are currently going, with normal 2/3 bedroom houses going for 2 million dollars... well, unless I become a street pharmacist or convince people that any service I can provide is worth 5 times the going rate... at this point, I'm waiting for an earthquake to bring property values down. Making even 36K a year on what some call 'the west side' only garuntees me rent servitude. Outside of this area, I can pursue idealistic dreams of mine, like "property ownership."

That, and education. UCLA didn't have what I wanted to study at the graduate level, and Austin looked like a nice place vis-a-vis my interests.

Bobak, granted your profession commands a high wage, I can't help but feel the slightest bit jealous of your confindence in being able to afford a place here in the future. By the way- UTLA is a teacher's union here in Los Angeles, not a bad joke from the USC Film Schools script writers :)

But do keep the comments and advice a-flowin.' Turricain Man and StormRider have done the remarkable in so far as covering a lot of what I would have looked for in just two posts! The vagrant spirit is still alive, though...

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Originally Posted by PUNJABEE

This is idiocy. SATX is a worthless city. It's nearly as bad as Brownsville and El Paso and could easily be confused for a bordertown itself. Not to mention it's dirty, and the roadways were designed while smoking crack. Whoever came up with the idea that "The access road should NOT follow the interstate" is an imbecile.

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san antonio is a great place,
but not for the reasons most people value places to live.
it's a great tourism city as well as a great place for a family,
it's not for everyone, and i'd like to move to austin,
but it's not from the stand point that sa is a bad place but that my interests
lie in music and school at the moment.
and I'm not sure i know what you mean about the interstate comment.
which access roads are you talking about?
all I can think of that are problematic are a few access roads down town
which i mean hey.
all downtown roads are usually always jumbled up.
it's the nature of being the first roads built anywhere.
honestly i think sa's road system is pretty straight forward except for I-10
taking a weird dip through the center of the city and back out.

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Originally Posted by rarehero

much love guy.
congrats on getting into the masters program at UT.
i'd like to transfer but it's a hard ride since i'm a 2.9
do you like music?
austin is terrific for it,
i've been driving up there 2-3 times a month to check out shows all summer.

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I appreciate the sentiment.

I also say: don't give up on the dream. Despite whatever appearance a 2.9 puts, I'd still go for it. Just be concise and enthusiastic on the personal statement and get involved in things that are pertinent to your major. Perhaps I'm preaching to the converted, but I'm an idealist like that.

And I loves me the music. Been playing guitar on and off for 11 years, and have a violin in my closet that'll come with me. Word in the department is that there's a new music class a' brewin with a patient professor. But I just might have to postpone my desire to learn to play a violin and settle on learning to play a fiddle :cool:

The amount of shows is nice to know too. One of the things I was wondering about, since I'm only a half hour drive away from Hollywood, is the amount of good live music to rock to. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on the papers for the good acts.

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

he's married, and in real life he's a pretty cool guy. i've hung out with him a couple times and granted i'm always the youngest one at the austin get togethers he's usually there and he's not a raging jerkass in person. i dunno maybe it's just an internet persona. but another thing i found at the austin neo get togethers i can kick everyone's ass at KOF other than bonuskun who has seemingly dissapeared from the site.

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Originally Posted by PUNJABEE

Naw dude, I'm the same guy you see here - only at those Neo gatherings, there aren't dumbfucks attending, like you see so many of them here to get me in my mood.

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Man, your wife must've been one deperate chick...

It's definitely humorous that you bash Melchia for having a kid, because, unlike her, I would hate to think that you could procreate and mold your children into little Santorums.

Seriously dude, sort yourself out. Go fight in a war or something, I hear the Marines help people like you get their heads screwed on straight.

dude.
you play the guitar and the violin?
check out the rentals.
they're playing at emos aug 10th.
you will not regret. if you remember them, they're playing their
first album's stuff.
if you go, first round of drinks are on me dude.
buy tickets early at waterloos.

and yea, no preaching that isn't ever needed really.
i'm going to try, and keep trying.
i work for utsa so i know how things work around somewhat in
the student affairs nick of the woods.
plus all they could ever say is no.
i'm getting things in place, I actually was talking to UT transfer advisors last
week about things.