*NOTE* – I’m not quite sure why the above video got compressed so much, but it is what it is for now.  Also, here’s a drinking game:  For every time I say “things”, “such” and “kay”, take a shot of your liquor of choice.  Guaranteed eight minute buzz.

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Three months in and I’m still waiting for it to sink in.  Moving to Austin hasn’t been a simple location change.  It’s a lifestyle switch.  Subways for highways.  Seemless takeout to five dollar delivery charges.  A local pub around the corner open to 4 AM for restraint on a Wednesday.  The constant 78 decibel street scream for a hushed sense of quiet, calm and peace.  Good, bad, indifferent, Austin is no New York.  Luckily for Texas’ capitol, it’s not trying to be.

The biggest difference hasn’t been zip codes and BBQ.  It’s working from home.  To provide some context, this has been my dream since I first sat in Route 21 traffic for my first gig at Allied Building Products.  The reason was simple.  Why schlep to an office when I can do the same work from my pajamas?  After three months of telecommuting, I realize why office buildings exist.  It’s nice to see something other than your own four walls.

Not that I’m complaining.  Sitting down for lunch to watch Louie on my big screen and having a fluffy dog at my feet is amazing.  The vibe is more relaxed, I can play my music without missing a phone call and there are surprisingly few distractions.  All while being just as productive (if not more) than I was on 5^th Avenue.

The issue comes from the four wall syndrome.  We only have one car and while Jamie does ride her bike to work, it’s hard to me to get out.  As you’ll see in the below video, there’s a mall across the street but unless I’m craving Chikfilet or Panda Express, options are limited.  Jamie and I are working on some options to give me more mobility, but for the first three, it’s been cramped.

Austin itself has been super cool because of how “un-New York” it’s been.  Every eatery we’ve been to, with one exception, has been superb.  Much to the shock of this Jersey native, people are open and friendly.  There are weird quirks like the Congress Bridge bats, Magnolia Café and moon lights.  Fantastic brew pubs serving only Texas made beer.  The grocery shopping godsend known as H.E.B where your cart holds more than two chicken breasts and a six pack (take that Food Emporium).   The Alamo Drafthouse movie theater.  Rainey Street.  A slick little whiskey bar on 4^th called Feche.  Esthers Follies.  Live music at every hour on every street corner.

Of course it isn’t all sunshine and roses.  Traffic is unbelievable.  Pubs close at 2:00 AM, fine for normal human beings but for night owls like me, problematic.  The distance and effort required to do the littlest of things.  Tangled webs of highways with hard to read signs.  The aforementioned lack of reasonable takeout.

But it’s all doable, all manageable.  We’re here for the right reasons.

This will be the last post in the moving to Austin series of articles.  It’s been a wild bucking bronco of a ride, a mad dash of change and growth.  While I’d be a liar if I said my heart doesn’t ache for the Empire State, I know I’ll be back on occasion.  This may not be where I want to be, it’s where I need to be.  And for a place I wasn’t planning on living, it’s been welcoming, warm and a much needed change of pace.  Austin certainly isn’t New York.  It’s an entirely lovely thing all to its own.

Today marks exactly one full month of living in Austin.  Take that in for a second.  One.  Full.  Month.  Hardly seems possible.  At this point, I expected to be done with this blog.  Pictures of the apartment, a proper send off, etc.  But that hasn’t been the case.  So, before I do my final two posts, let’s take a look at some of the things I’ve learned since landing in the Lone Star State.

– Austin is massive.

– The city has the same stuff New York has, only spread out amongst 272 square miles of hills, valleys, Tex Mex joints and interstates.

– A Texan’s favorite thing in the world is being Texan.

– At any given moment, 65% of the population is wearing Longhorn burnt orange.  On game day Saturdays, the number jumps to 85%.

– Driving puts hate in Jamie’s heart, but she’s getting better.

– Flyovers, soaring highway connections tangled above a maze of roadways, are fun to drive on.  Think a tamer version of a roller coaster’s first hill and you’re halfway there.

– Forget East Village weirdoes.  There’s nothing more fascinating than people watching in a shopping mall at 2:00 in the afternoon.

– Bats.  Thousands of bats.

– Austin is home to three major lakes, Lake Austin, Lake Travis and Lady Bird Lake.  Don’t let them fool you.  They’re really rivers.

– Looking at a weather report in August Austin is senseless and unnecessary.  It’s always 100 degrees and sunny.

– Austin hipsters look just like Brooklyn hipsters, only with burlier beards and friendlier dispositions.

– You know how some NYC bars sell only American craft beer?  Austin has places that only sell Texan craft beer.

– Shinerbock is fine cheap alternative to PBR, but the rest of the line is decent yet uninspiring.

– As an addendum to the above statement, Saint Arnold Brewery, Thirsty Planet and Independence produce quality suds.

– 6^th Street on the weekend is a mad house.  It’s as if the worst of NYU’s undergrads upchucked from the University of Texas onto a six block stretch of fratty bars and nightclubs.

– Rainey Street, a dusty stretch of killer eateries and dog friendly pourhouses, is our favorite spot so far.

– Food trucks.  ‘Nuff said.

– Working from home is lovely in stretches, maddening in others but the pluses outweigh the cons.

– Ming is allergic to grass.  He much prefers running around on the parking lot concrete.

– Having a movie theater across the street is fantastic.

– The scenery of Austin is awe inspiring as you cruise northward towards the Hill Country. Slate colored cliffs hug the highway as a blanket of tree tops paint the landscape with lush green brush strokes.  The sky hovers massive over the city, wide, blue and limitless like the far off horizon of the Atlantic Ocean.

– I love the quiet but miss the bustle.  Enjoy the clean air but crave Manhattan’s perpetual motion.  Austin is lovely but it’s not home yet.

– Yet.

As you all know,  Jamie and I are heading to Austin on August 15th. As a convenient way to say farewell to our friends and loved ones, most of which are in the BTSH community, we’re holding our going away party at ACE bar after the Sunday games. That way, all the hockey folk can come by after their games and all our non-sporting chums can come by whenever.

Where: Ace Bar, 5th St between Ave A and Ave B

When: Sunday, August 11th, anytime after 4:00 PM

Notables: We’re trying to work out with the bar to have some food stuffs and drink specials. Hockey folk will already get the usual discount but I’ll see if I can extend that to people who are coming by.

Come on by to say farewell but not good bye to Jamie and I. We look forward to seeing our favorite people there!