Downtown Austin
Why Austin Sucks
RECEIVED Sat., Sept. 13, 2008
Dear Editor,
There are a few things that I would like Mr. Black (and many Austinites) to know. We came here about three years ago. Not to raise a family but to escape North Carolina, an extremely conservative and backward state. Hearing how “progressive” Austin was, its incredible music “scene” (I’m a musician), and a job offer for my wife, the choice seemed obvious. Being originally from the Pacific Northwest and having lived in several progressive cities, in comparison, Austin sucks. The “truths” Mr. Black speaks of in “Terms of Entitlement” [“Page Two,” Sept. 5] are mostly subjective opinions. I’ll be the first to admit that the only place for a progressive worth living in Texas is Austin, especially the Travis Heights/SoCo area. Here are just a few reasons why Austin sucks. 1) Cost of living; if this place had the amenities and natural beauty of Portland, Ore., that would be one thing, but it doesn’t have those amenities, and it’s certainly not beautiful. 2) Jeans and boots culture; the only place we’ve lived where mediocrity is worn as a badge of honor. It’s truly depressing. 3) The music “scene”; there is a handful of truly talented musicians (i.e., Asylum Street Spankers, Alice Spencer, etc.), but having genres that cater mostly to twenty-nothings with little class and certainly no taste (as shown by the hugely successful yet depressingly homogeneous South by Southwest) really sucks for us middle-agers here in the self-proclaimed “live music capital of the world”! Oh did I mention the dirty, dilapidated clubs that smell like piss (Broken Spoke and Sixth Street)? Why don’t we just leave? Believe me, it ain’t for lack of trying, been trying for more than a year. Hopefully, we’ll be lucky enough to escape this hot, ugly, and mediocre state as soon as possible. Read this link about Texas, and you be the judge: www.borderhealth.org/files/res_880.pdf.
There are a few things that I would like Mr. Black (and many Austinites) to know. We came here about three years ago. Not to raise a family but to escape North Carolina, an extremely conservative and backward state. Hearing how “progressive” Austin was, its incredible music “scene” (I’m a musician), and a job offer for my wife, the choice seemed obvious. Being originally from the Pacific Northwest and having lived in several progressive cities, in comparison, Austin sucks. The “truths” Mr. Black speaks of in “Terms of Entitlement” [“Page Two,” Sept. 5] are mostly subjective opinions. I’ll be the first to admit that the only place for a progressive worth living in Texas is Austin, especially the Travis Heights/SoCo area. Here are just a few reasons why Austin sucks. 1) Cost of living; if this place had the amenities and natural beauty of Portland, Ore., that would be one thing, but it doesn’t have those amenities, and it’s certainly not beautiful. 2) Jeans and boots culture; the only place we’ve lived where mediocrity is worn as a badge of honor. It’s truly depressing. 3) The music “scene”; there is a handful of truly talented musicians (i.e., Asylum Street Spankers, Alice Spencer, etc.), but having genres that cater mostly to twenty-nothings with little class and certainly no taste (as shown by the hugely successful yet depressingly homogeneous South by Southwest) really sucks for us middle-agers here in the self-proclaimed “live music capital of the world”! Oh did I mention the dirty, dilapidated clubs that smell like piss (Broken Spoke and Sixth Street)? Why don’t we just leave? Believe me, it ain’t for lack of trying, been trying for more than a year. Hopefully, we’ll be lucky enough to escape this hot, ugly, and mediocre state as soon as possible. Read this link about Texas, and you be the judge: www.borderhealth.org/files/res_880.pdf.
Steve Cobb