You Might Live In Austin If…

Austin is beautiful, amazing, perfect for families. It also has its quirks. Things that make it Austin and why you love it, or sometimes loathe it so much. So without further ado, you might live in Austin if…

• The thought of driving from North Austin to South Austin or vice versa makes you cringe/have an anxiety attack.
• You have seen the 6^th Street Cowboy riding horseback around downtown.
• You are completely used to roads and highways have more than one name…i.e. Loop 360/Capital of Texas Highway, Mopac/Loop 1, Ben White/Highway 71, Research Blvd/Hwy 183, Windsor Rd/24^th St. The list goes on.
• One in every five license plates you see are from a state other than Texas. And they are mostly from California. {insert a shaking fist here}
• You have seen a friendly older gentlemen {using this term loosely} riding a bike around downtown wearing only a white thong/diaper. He always nods and smiles.
• You have been swimming at Barton Springs. And by swimming I mean stuck a toe in the water, shivered and then spent the rest of your time there laying out on the grassy hill people watching.
• You have been off work for a “snow day” that involved no snow…or ice…or even a single drop of rain.
• You know who a famous and lovely cross-dressing man named Leslie Cochran is, and may or may not have voted for him for mayor. God rest his soul.

• The one day you can always expect rain is the day the Zilker Kite Festival is scheduled. This year it’s scheduled for March 6^th. Let’s see if that lasts.
• You avoid central Austin during SXSW and ACL, instead of wanting to be in the middle of all the action.
• The thought of millions of bats residing in your town doesn’t scare you at all. In fact, the little chirping sounds they make at night bring you comfort, because you know they are eating a huge amount of the summer bugs and mosquitoes.

• The bar scene on 6^th street {dirty 6th} makes you feel kind of gross, and you avoid going there at all costs. At least once you hit a certain age. For most it’s the mid twenties.
• Kerbey Queso, Mag Mud and the Trailer Park {extra trashy} all hold special places in your heart and stomach.
• You can eat at a different Mexican/ BBQ restaurant everyday, and they are all {mostly} delicious.
• You take obligatory photos in the blue bonnets every year.

• You live through many absolutely beautiful days inside your house wishing the cedar or any other crazy pollen count wasn’t so high, so you could go outside without fear of an allergy attack.

• Everywhere is dog friendly and you love it. And you were super angry and maybe signed a petition or two when they said they were not allowing off leash dogs in Auditorium Shores anymore.
• You wear shorts year round, give or take the few weeks it gets “really” cold. {Using the term really very loosely here folks.)
• The words Hippie Hollow have you immediately picturing old naked people lying the in the sun.

• You constantly have a HUGE selection of GREAT restaurants with AMAZING chefs running the show, and MUST always make reservations to eat there or wait in line for hours, because they are in very small spaces, or just that good.
• You have tons of pictures next to some awesome outdoor mural. There is “good graffiti” all over this city.

• You have had a delicious gourmet meal served to you out of a food trailer.
• You may or may not have attended UT, but you know OU is a mortal enemy in this city, and you own at least one burnt orange item.

• You don’t need any vodka from foreign countries, because there are lots of very nice options made right in your backyard. Titos, Deep Eddy and Dripping Springs to name a few.
• Alamo Drafthouse is the only movie theater you EVER consider going to.
• You know the story behind Fran’s and Dan’s Hamburgers, or at least one version of the story. And you felt a little sad for Fran’s when it closed and turned into a Torchy’s.
• You have a serious love/hate relationship with the annual Trail of Lights. You love spinning under the tree and seeing all the light displays, but you HATE the traffic, parking and walking in a herd of people at a snails pace.

• You have seen Lake Travis at its best and worst, and know what Sometimes Island is. And you also know that the re-filling of this lake can happen in ONE DAY. When it rains, it freakin RAINS.
• You are used to seeing at least 5-10 cranes in your downtown skyline.
• You don’t actually live inside the Austin city limits because you can no longer afford to, and/or you prefer to get twice as much living space for your money.
• You know what Lady Bird Lake was called prior to 2007, and still call it by that name. And you have paddle boarded, kayaked or canoed on it at some point.
• You miss those plastic grocery bags, even though they are terrible for the environment. And now there is a mess of reusable bags in your trunk that you regularly forget to bring into the store.
• You know that Chicken %$*# Bingo exists, and have at least a general idea of how it works.
• Amy’s Ice Cream is a darn close second (if not preferred) to Blue Bell.
• You have taken a hike up the Pennybacker Bridge and took a selfie of the backdrop.
• You’ve decorated a Christmas tree during the holidays on the side of the Capital of Texas Highway…but you have no idea why.
• You can think of twenty more funny Austin inspired items for this list!