I have written blogs about things to see things to do, things to eat…but what is really like living in Austin?
We know that life is about the small things and daily things that we have to live every day so I have compiled a list of facts, curiosities and oddities which make Austin…Austin.
Probably not so different from living in another big American city but this is my first American experience too and Texas is…as American as it gets as they say.
Here are my remarks:
Many parakeets are flying around in Austin parks. Maybe they escaped from some houses?
Sirens are common to hear, Austin has many clinics and hospitals in downtown.
Tornadoes are a real threat and you may want to install the tornado tracker app on your phone when you move here so you can receive updates and alerts if one approaches.
Mini malls are outdoor malls where people can dine, get a pedicure and shop.
Parking tickets are common, parking spots not so much in some areas because they are resident only areas so you need to have a permit to park even for a short time.
Everyone is either working or trying to work in technology or I.T. and for many it is the reason for moving here from other parts of the US and the world.
When it sprinkles/drizzles people act as if it was pouring and run for their lives!
Helicopters are often circling above…it’s police patrols checking for illegal activities or traffic violations.
You may be fined big money for jaywalking so not recommended other than very dangerous.
You may witness a car chase at some point, it really happened to me.
You may see homeless people, but not as many as in other parts of America.
Fire season is real and you may be fined a lot of money if you start a fire in the countryside when the alert is red.
You never hear people talk about politics at meetings or social gatherings…it is a taboo here.
You can find the best Mexican food, perhaps better than in Mexico itself.
It’s not worth it to be complaining about traffic. Traffic is there and it’s there to stay so just listen to a good podcast, learn a language with a listening app or listen to some good music to kill time and get over it.
Stop signs are respected and you shall follow the 3 second rule. Count up to three before going.
There’s a three car unspoken and unwritten policy when turning left. Let me explain: at some traffic lights incoming traffic is so bad that you may only be able to turn only when the light turns red but there is a …… so up to three cars may turn with the red light - or else they will never make it to turn!
Flaky people. Many people are into some kind of spiritual activity but not that many are truly spiritual people.
You need to speed up to merge onto the freeway: do not stop or yield.
You may drive up to 40/45 minutes to meet a friend for coffee…after all the city is big and the distances are huge.
The power lines are buzzing…I haven’t heard that anywhere else. I guess it’s an American thing.
We call freeways by number as if they were nicknames for them and everyone is familiar with the roads as you can’t go anywhere without taking them.

All in all, living in Austin is truly pleasant and there is a good ratio of parks and urban development, the temperatures are too high but sunny days are better than rainy ones and there are plenty of job opportunities here.