True story, about ...damn...let me count....30 years ago when I lived in Albuquerque, one of my friends little brother went to a temp agency and came home with a card for his job assignment...
'Pine Cone Gluer'
I kid you not. We laughed so hard we damn near puked. But THERE's a job you can do with glue.
Actually Abilene is the white trash capitol of Texas. San Antonio is an awesome place to live! I liked Austin in my younger days, but as I got older I learned to appreciate San Antonio's vibe. I love it! As for Charles he has a "idiotic comment" quota. He was just trying to get his in so TNT didn't dock his pay!
I'd have to go more with some east Texas place like Beumont on that one.
That 'San Antonio Vibe'. That's kinda funny. But I'm with ya', SA is an acquired taste but knocking Austin is just foolish. One of the greatest midsize cities in the US and easily one of the top 5 college towns.
I somewhat see Austin/SA/New Braunfels/San Marcos as one metro area. The area hands down beats Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston, imho.
I agree about Austin/SA/New Braunfels/ San Marcos I would much rather hang in that area than go to Dallas/Ft Worth!
As is obvious from my username, I live in Austin and I've been here since my family moved here from South Texas (Kingsville) in the mid-1970s. I like Austin for the parks, the music, the whole funky "Keep Austin Weird" vibe, the politics, the way people spend so much time outdoors. Am not crazy about the cult worshipping of the UT football program, the traffic, the high cost of living, the mini-Dallas or Houston look of the city when you get north of 183, or the heat.
We drive through SA fairly regularly to visit my grandfather, who's ill, and I like the city for its sleepy pace, the art museums (which are better overall than Austin's), the Latino influence, I *love* the King William district, and the Mexican food blows away anything we have in Austin. People here always go on about how great the Mexican food is (and places like Manuel's and Curra's and Guero's are good) but they're nowhere near the level of what you find in San Antonio. It's the only other city in Texas, besides maybe Corpus, where I'd consider living.
Edited to add: I wish we had light rail between the two cities. Would make it a lot easier to see Spurs games without having to put your life at risk on the death trap that is IH-35.
they were talking about a bullet train between SA and austin, but that never happened.
I love Austin and I love SA. I see alot of problems with both, but I love them both better than anywhere else.
I do see Austin as overrated and San Antonio as underrated to be honest.
It is being worked on. The current project is the ASA rail (Austin-San Antonio Intermunicpal Rail). Current plan is for it to run from Georgetown to South San Antonio along a Union Pacific Right of Way (recent agreements have been made for Union Pacific to route through freight traffic off that route). I think it's currently planned to have 15 stations through the corridor on local service and take 170 minutes for the entire length of the line. They also plan on doing express routes from downtown Austin to downtown SA in 90 minutes or something like that.
It is still in the planning stages though they think they can get it operating by 2010.
http://www.asarail.org
You live in a COLLEGE town with a university that consistantly ranks in the top three of student population in the US with a team that just won a national le and you're tired of 'cult' worship ?
, aTm is a cult my friend and they haven't won jack since anyone can remember. .
The traffic in Austin is absolutely atrocious. Move to Denver, although I lived pre T-rex and during the T-rex project to widen I-25. My god....made Austin traffic look.....downright light. San Antonio traffic is a blessing in comparison although...ALTHOUGH....some of the worst drivers I've ever seen in my life are in this town. Rude, inconsiderate, aggressive. Dangerous when it gets right down to it.
The 'look' is just the newer parts. I lived in the Clarksville area when I lived there and that's a nice old neighborhood. I stumbled home many times from the Tavern. Now that was a great bar before the owners sold it and screwed it up.... I worked at Applied Research Labs on the JJ Pickle campus. ( Braker & Burnett ) Traffic wasn't THAT bad but I was going the other way out of DT.
I've never heard of any part of Austin refered to as a mini-dallas. I have heard of deep ellum referred to as mini-austin.
My greatest memories of Austin are of the late 70's and early 80's and the original Antones on Guadalupe and the Austin Opry House...Used to go see SRV before anyone ever heard of him outside of Texas or thought he might be famous....
A few years ago I ran into Clifford Antone and asked him if he remembered the night SRV, his brother Jimmy, Jr. Wells, Buddy Guy and Brian Setzer played till 4:00 AM at his old club.
He says, yeah I have pictures of that. I think that was 1983 or so.
The stray cats were playing at Erwin that night and they showed up. I saw Brian Setzer leaning against wall drinking a beer and I went over to him and tried to talk to him. All he said was, 'I want to play with those guys....'
I'm nobody. All I could say was, 'well then go up there and pick up a guitar and play.'
He did. And it pissed Jr. Wells off big time. He'd never heard of him or the Stray Cats. But it all worked out and fun was had by all.
Austin ? I love that focking town. And as they say every year, 'It's nothing like it used to be.'
And that is true.
You know, I don't know what it is, and I probably need to hand in my Native Texas card, but I don't get football. Doesn't matter if it's college, pro, indoor, outdoor. Naturally I tried to disguise this fact in polite conversation after UT won the championship.
And I've heard people refer to far North Austin as South Dallas because of the endless big-box stores, the traffic, the cookie-cutter subdivisions.
Great story about Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats!
Wow. College Football is the greatest of all sports IMHO. Nothing beats the passion and tradition of a 100+ year old rilvary. Texas/OU, Michigan/Ohio State....Florida/Georgia...Tennesee/Bama ? Notre Dame/USC....
People yap about the Lakers/Boston rivalry or ....whatever. The NBA, the NFL and even MLB is a blip on the map compared to college football my friend.
They all pale in comparison.
North Austin compared to South Dallas ? Have you ever BEEN to south Dallas ?
Or is this a round rock/waxahachie comparison ?
wher is jimcs from?
I remember when I used to work in Austin,a customer of mine (ice cream) asked where I was from I told him San Antonio, He said he liked the river walk but said it was too hot in SA, I told him to leave his parka at home next time. Austinites are the most obnoxiuos people in the state evn worse than Dallas.
Barkley was just yanking everybody's chain... we gave him so much in '03 when TNT started broadcasting from the SBC that he's just giving it back... nothing wrong with some good smack talk. , he almost started cracking up as he said it, know how crayyyyzzzzeeeee it was going to drive some people.
The San Antonio vs Austin thing is so tired. A couple thoughts:
1. I grew up in San Antonio and have lived in Austin for seven years now. They're both great cities with great futures. How great they become has a lot to do with leadership and citizen education and involvement. They could both turn into smaller versions of Houston - anytown, USA sprawl for miles - or something better.
Not all growth is good - if you look at people, cancer is a form of growth. And you can grow just by gaining weight - also unhealthy. But with discipline, making hard but well thought out choices, eating right, exercise, and a little luck, the odds are good you will grow to become a healthy adult. If you continue your healthy habits, the odds are much better that you stay healthy.
The same is true of Cities. Great cities don't just happen. A lot of hard work, sacrifice, and long-term planning has to go into them. Austin's high percentage of parks and accessible green space per capita is a good example. It's one of the quality of life attributes that employers consistantly site when they rank Austin highly for places to move to. As it grows, though, it becomes harder to maintain that high ratio of parks to people, and difficult choices will have to be made about green space aquisition and how it fits in the strained budgets of a growing region.
San Antonio has its own set of issues. I think the key for both cities is not losing site of long range goals, planning and principles in the frenzy of everyday, more immediate issues. If we as citizens and the officeholders we elect don't frame the choices we make everyday within the context of the long-range plan, it makes it very difficult to have a healthy, sustainable city. Going back to the earlier metaphor of human growth as city growth, cities have their own versions of watching what they eat and drink, getting exercise, and not smoking. It can sometimes be difficult to stick with these principles, but it is easier when you're always keeping the end goal in mind.
2. Two of my favorite places in the world are in San Antonio and Austin - the McNay Art Museum and Zilker Park. I'll spare ya'll a long trip down memory lane, but whenever I go to either place, I leave in a better mood then when I show up. There is something that's tremendously healing about both places for me, so both cities will always be special places to me.
3. There was a high speed-rail triangle proposed with legs between San Antonio, Houston and Dallas-Austin years ago. A small, but well funded and highly influential cadre of landowners and businesses (Southwest Airlines in particular) was able to kill it. The new (slower, more limited and less of a threat to SW) commuter rail line between Sa and Austin looks like it might happen, but I wouldn't hold my breath for it yet.
San Antonio needs to get local light rail going before we discuss any commuter rail between metro areas.
It's been what, 7years since the last light rail vote, its time we stop letting those little groups ruin great things like light rail.
Texas AM is a huge cult. And they suck at everything. My boss wont even hire more than one aggie because they become "clickish" and will refuse to socialize with anyone else. Those people are certifiable nut jobs and should be shot in the dark with a rusty bullet.
I love cali and Austin is as close to cali as there is in Texas. If I ever get some cash ac ulated to build a home, it would a tough choice between Austin and SA.
I love SA because it's home. Also, my best friend once told me that beautiful girls grow on trees in San Antonio. I would have to agree.
I am for building a wall around new braunfels to keep you all out ... lol.. the boom is coming from san antonio and pretty much the san marcos / austin area...
Grew up in SA from 4th grade through HS, went to Univ of Maryland and SWTSU for undergrad, moved to College Station after getting my DDS degree from UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Lived here ever since.
I like Austin and SA to visit, but do not want to live in either one. Like the whole smaller city lifestyle.
Also lived in Cali, Nevada, Virginia and Maryland. That is why am a Redskins fans.
I'd be all for it... as long as it isn't a VIA proposal...
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