7 Things I Love About Austin

I thought I would take a break from search engine optimization and Internet marketing topics (gasp!) to share my fondness for Austin, Texas.

Having spent eight years in the Navy, I've lived all over the country. But so far, Austin is my favorite city. Technically, I live in Round Rock ... just to get that out of the way.

So what do I like about Austin? Here's a breakdown in no particular order:

1. The Bats
I'm the kind of guy that gets devoured by mosquitoes, even while others go untouched an arm's distance away. So the fact that Austin's bat population (and the McNeil bridge bats up near my house) devour millions of skeeters every night sits nicely with me!

2. The Snakes, Scorpions, Fire Ants...
As a kid, I had insects for playmates and reptiles for pets. So imagine my joy when I found a place that had reptiles, scorpions and fire ants, all within a stone's throw. After it rains, and when the fire ants are rebuilding their massive mounds, you can find me around my neighborhood poking sticks in mounds and shouting, "Man, look at those suckers pour outta there!" Did you know we even have a fire ant lab?

3. The Winters
I don't care what anybody says about the winters here. Forty degrees is not "brutally cold." Growing up on the East Coast, I recall entire months when the temperature never got above zero.

4. The Summers
You know when the temp hovers around 100 for days on end in August? I live for those times. Mainly because I like to count the number of people who say "Hot enough for ya?" in a single day. I once got up to 15.

5. The Wildflowers
I've never seen wildflowers quite like the ones here in Texas. Just yesterday, I saw the year's first Blue Bonnets sprouting up along the highway. I can't wait until the Indian paintbrushes start throwing their reds and oranges into the mix.

6. Y'all
I grew up in Virginia, where the phrase y'all was a integral part of the local dialect. Then, after living in New England briefly (and being gawked at for using the phrase), I lost my "y'all" without even realizing it. It's nice to live in a place with "y'all" again.

7. People, Places, Things
The thing I like most about Austin are all those places to go, things to do, and people to see. Friends from out of town will ask me, "What is there to do in Austin?" And I say nothing ... unless you like swimming, hiking, jogging, biking, lounging, partying, lobbying, shopping, dining, chilling, barbecuing, or watching the bats at sunset. Aside from that, not much.

Honorable Mentions
The new toll roads. Rudy's Barbecue. The County Line (mmmm, brisket). Esther's Follies. The eclectic mix of hippies, yuppies and politicians downtown. Leslie, Willie and Kinky.

~Brandon