One year in Texas

The beginning of January marked one year since we moved to Austin, Texas, from Norwalk, Connecticut. Since we've moved here, we have had such a wonderful experience that the only negatives I could think about Austin was the lack of public rail transport, seasonal allergies and the summer heat; one you can actually do without and the other two, you can't help, so in reality, there is nothing bad to say about Austin.

Austin caters to so many different types of people, but I'll speak to what the hubby and I love. Our number one favorite is probably eating and Austin is one helluva place for that. You can find almost every type of cuisine and then some. To be honest, food was one of the reasons we decided to move to Austin. Al loves BBQ and I love burgers, so it was an easy decision along with the fact that both of us love to watch (and play) music and Austin is known as the 'Live Music Capital of the World'! Just this past weekend, we were out downtown on the well-known 6th street and caught an up-and-coming singer, Ben Cina and his band (left photo). When we walked down the remainder of the traffic-closed street, we came across a brass band (right photo) and people dancing in the street to their music. How fun is that!

The fact that you have a great work-life balance here, and warm weather to do all those outdoor activies is simply a bonus. I don't miss the snow and know my north-east friends are freezing at this very moment in 33F and below temperatures, while I bask in my 75F January heat.

And no place can be mentioned without talking about the people. Austin is a melting pot of people that have relocated from all over the US. I've met fewer people that were actually born in Austin than I can count on one hand, but I have met some. Regardless of where these 'Austinites' are from, they are all a very friendly, and fun-loving bunch. We've made some great friends over here and I'm looking forward to the next year, filled with food, friends and fun!