Thank you for writing that really speaks to me. After college in the Rust Belt and being "too friendly" to stay in California, I dragged my Bay Area native husband to Austin in 2011. I had visited earlier that year and fell in love with it. We stayed for 11 years and left last fall for a whole host of reasons. After eight months living with family (and not loving their town) we settled in a suburb outside of Baltimore. Which we love! There's public transit! Commuter trains! We can walk to stuff now (or rather, I will be able to when my airboot comes off after being diagnosed with a stress fracture). It's exciting to see a new place. We have also moved many times - back in Austin it was frequently just on a whim or to explore a new neighborhood or be closer to work. I want to see the good in the place we moved and let the love run alongside the sad things too, thank you for that phrasing!
I'm chuckling at your description of being "too friendly" for California, because I really feel that! My husband is from there, and I have a lot of impressions about the friendly factor! I love that you found our place. And everyone is so gaga for Austin-- me including, as a girl raised in Dallas-- that it's refreshing to see someone find a great, post-Austin spot that works for their life. I heard the food in the Baltimore area is amazing!!!!! Good luck with the stress fracture...that sounds...stressful!!!
Thanks Christie! I think we left Austin at the right time for us, before we truly soured on it. Our new spot is working out really well! We have a great Asian American restaurant scene and the soft serve ice cream options seem endless. I also am happy to have access to Amtrak and the density of the east coast again. I agonized over this decision for a long time but feel good about it. I went to a concert a few months ago and the lead singer shared how ending up at THAT venue on THAT day, "had all worked out perfectly" and I really felt it in my bones. Plus as researcher Ellen Langer says, "regret is mindless!". https://youtube.com/shorts/_bctmXiPsSU?feature=shared
Thank you for writing that really speaks to me. After college in the Rust Belt and being "too friendly" to stay in California, I dragged my Bay Area native husband to Austin in 2011. I had visited earlier that year and fell in love with it. We stayed for 11 years and left last fall for a whole host of reasons. After eight months living with family (and not loving their town) we settled in a suburb outside of Baltimore. Which we love! There's public transit! Commuter trains! We can walk to stuff now (or rather, I will be able to when my airboot comes off after being diagnosed with a stress fracture). It's exciting to see a new place. We have also moved many times - back in Austin it was frequently just on a whim or to explore a new neighborhood or be closer to work. I want to see the good in the place we moved and let the love run alongside the sad things too, thank you for that phrasing!
I'm chuckling at your description of being "too friendly" for California, because I really feel that! My husband is from there, and I have a lot of impressions about the friendly factor! I love that you found our place. And everyone is so gaga for Austin-- me including, as a girl raised in Dallas-- that it's refreshing to see someone find a great, post-Austin spot that works for their life. I heard the food in the Baltimore area is amazing!!!!! Good luck with the stress fracture...that sounds...stressful!!!
EDIT: I'm glad you found YOUR place!
Thanks Christie! I think we left Austin at the right time for us, before we truly soured on it. Our new spot is working out really well! We have a great Asian American restaurant scene and the soft serve ice cream options seem endless. I also am happy to have access to Amtrak and the density of the east coast again. I agonized over this decision for a long time but feel good about it. I went to a concert a few months ago and the lead singer shared how ending up at THAT venue on THAT day, "had all worked out perfectly" and I really felt it in my bones. Plus as researcher Ellen Langer says, "regret is mindless!". https://youtube.com/shorts/_bctmXiPsSU?feature=shared