It has been sent: 4/17/23 | April 17, 2023
After eight years in Austin, I’m leaving and returning to NYC full time.
I went to Austin for the first time in 2013, I was hooked, and I kept coming back so I decided to move here in 2015. I had the first two years. I split my time in NYC a little, traveled a lot, and lived in Paris a little.
But, in 2019, this became my only home.
However, over the past year, it has become clear that the city and I have drifted apart. The quaint little town that drew me here as a break from the hustle and bustle of NYC is no longer a quaint little town but a big city without major urban infrastructure. Traffic is horrible, my grocery store is gone, it’s expensive, and beautiful Rainey Street is now overrun with hotels. The character of the city has changed dramatically as Austin has become “the place to be.”
Now, I’m not trying to be one of those who “get off their lawn”. I believe people cried for people like me to come and change their city. Like the people who were before them and those who were before them.
Change is constant in life and trying to stop change is like trying to stop the tide. Austin can change all he wants. Not all change has been bad. There’s more to do in the city, more jazz and comedy, better food, and the airport now has direct flights.
But if Austin wants to be a city — and its local leaders seem to want it even as they lament rising housing costs — then be a city. Give us better infrastructure, more housing, bike lanes, and public transportation. Austin has become a city but without any of the benefits that come with cities.
Last year, while traveling from NYC to Paris to Berlin to London, I began to notice that the things I love about big cities are not available in Austin. I missed every walk, museum, jazz concert, public transportation, art museum, and different people, views, and food. I missed the hustle and bustle that comes with places like NYC, Boston, London, and other cities.
I spent a lot last year in Austin and, starting in October because of my allergy shots, I didn’t leave for 6 months. During this time, I dated, joined social media, and started living there.
But my heart whispered, “This is not the place.”
Austin doesn’t feel like home anymore. NYC will always have a place in my heart. I want to go back and see how it goes. Will I spend 8 years there? I don’t know. By then, I’ll be fifty!
But, right now, I’m ready to say goodbye to Austin. Eight years later, this chapter is over.
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