DFW vs. Austin (Nostalgia of the places I used to live in)

I grew up in the DFW area for about 20 years. I must say that all the places I've been since then have given me a much better experience. This is a review of the pros and cons of the places I've lived.

Most people grow up in a city, call it home, and can say that there is no other place they would rather be. Yet I find myself having quite the opposite point of view. I grew up in the DFW area and have felt like it was crap compared to Austin and San Francisco.

I remember having great times with my friends from high school there, because we were adventurers, but believe it or not, most of them never stuck around. One of them is in Maine, The other one left to Oklahoma then College Station. The other one is just staying there because of his family, which I probably would've done too. Another thing, none of them were Texas natives: one from Boston, one from Kansas, and one from Argentina. If you were a friend of mine, you were an exception to this review of Dallas.

Oh...before I go on I should tell you my background a perspective, because I think it could have a lot to do with this. I am a 23 year old, 6" 2' Asian male who grew up in Arlington, then Southlake, then West Plano. The culture I grew up around has been mostly Caucasian-American and suburban as anyone who went to school there.

Summary?

Dallas, TX - "Affluent people rule"; the land of the 30,000 dollar-millionaires, and people who lease BMW's. I would lease a BMW there, you can get one for $300 a month and in the land of low cost of living, and good economy, you can afford one. I believe part of adapting to Dallas means having a well-paid job. People there are generally fit and on the attractive side. It seems superficial at times. I like the conservative atmosphere, but it can be much at times. When it came to talking to people, I felt like most of them have never met an Asian person before, or at least had an understanding of one. Drinking at bars is huge here, not alot of mom-pop shops for coffee. In fact the franchise food here beats anything in California. For example I think the KenTacoHuts in Dallas are better than the one in California. When it came to talking to girls there, it seemed like it mattered a lot where I was going with my career or what kind of car I drove. Great place for cars though. I owe my material-passion for Fast cars to Dallas. The Car meets here are amazing. But of course, you need money to buy nice cars.

Bottom Line: Great if you like livin large, having a job that pays well, good urban planning, good business

Austin, TX- "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover". When I first moved here from Dallas, I was slightly annoyed at the poor urban planning of the roads. Dallas has the George Bush Turnpike at 70mph which charges extra tolls, and limits traffic. In Dallas if you miss an exit, you can take the next exit 1/4 mile down. In Austin, if you miss an exit you might be screwed for an extra 2 miles, In California, even more so.

Before I actually lived in Austin, I visited Austin, and didn't find much to do here. But let me tell ya, going school here and living here I found the cream of the crop when it came to people and friendship. The friends I made here were musical, intellectual, filled with wonder and adventurers as well. One was an Austin Native, Another from Houston, and believe it or not a couple of Dallas people as well.

I imagined it as the elite collection of almost every group you can find. This place was like Dallas's cooler cousin. By that I mean, you had a diverse range of people, from internationals, from California, from Colorado, from Houston, and farm type people. The mom-pop shops were great. I remember spending many of great nights at Hipster Spider-House Coffee, or the Retro-Kirby Lane Breakfast place. There's also a neat 80's club called "Barbarella". This city introduced me to retro music and made retro cool again. Might I add that Spider-House serves a variety of food, Alcoholic beverage, and coffee. It's a one stop shop for every thing. I have yet to find a place like this in Dallas, I know they have it in California though. The food here is a amazing. Mexican, BBQ, Korean, and then all three put together at a food truck called Corianos.

The word "Weird" is now synonymous with "greatness" in the city of Austin. It was also the first city to expose me to the Libertarian ideas, which I must say seems like a great political party. When it came to talking to girls there, I definitely had an easier time. This time it wasn't about the money or the career, it was about something more. Sure there are some that still do, probably from Dallas or the rest of Texas. There are some people that seemed like they hadn't experienced very much in their life, probably from small towns in Texas. But then there were the intellectuals, and those that were open minded. I have had my most philosophical conversations in this city. What I like about Austin, is that it was a huge melting pot in all the favorable ways for me. Most of the people here seemed really cool. Although the Texas heat can be a pain in the summers, Austin will make it enjoyable with the Lake and Barton Springs to cool you down. I miss this place. Now I'm hungry just thinking about the food there.

Bottom Line: I wouldn't judge Austin based on a visit, I would live there to experience it. Great if you like diversity, perspective, live music, originality, and want to stay in Texas, but want the free-spirit of California.

Let's face it though, Austin is the only city of its kind in Texas. Really, Austin is the only city of its kind anywhere. You take a conservative southern state, and you open a free-spirited, diverse, musical city. It's really something.