I love downtown Austin because of the vibe. Sidewalk musicians playing uninvited backing guitar for loud bands in thin walled bars. Giant guitar sculptures in the airport. Mobile vendors with fast, friendly people and actual food, but no McDonald's in sight. Mechanical bulls for drunken tourists to ride to 15 seconds of YouTube fame. Lines of 20-somethings wearing shirts of bands older than they are - The Misfits, Social Distortion, Fugazi - waiting to hear today’s bands play live. Kamikaze bike taxis weaving through traffic. Segway tours of nerds in helmets.
Austin is a unique place, a hive of nutty artistic liberals in the most conservative of states. Texas may have been ruled by the Bush family, but Austin has weed smoking hippies on every corner either asking for spare change or social change or just playing a live concert to anyone that stops to listen.
Of course, having the biggest names in technology as local employers is a nice bonus too.
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