Austin Visit
They say that one of the great things about living in New York is leaving New York. I don't really get it, why would you want to leave? This is great!
But that's also because I'm relatively new to the area and I haven't had the chance to feel claustrophobic yet. And, also, I keep going on little out of town trips, visiting family mostly, so it's always great to leave and come back, but for reasons totally independent of the city.
Last week I went back to Texas for my mother's 50th birthday. She had a full week of celebrations: dinner in Houston, a small get together at the house, and a weekend in Port Aransas with the family. All in all, she was happy, and it gave me another chance to visit Texas and stop by Austin to see my friends.
I miss Austin so much sometimes. Such a chill, fun, place. But mostly, I miss the sense of community I had established there. Years of school, work, socializing, shopping, living... you get to know people and places. I always had a sense of where I was, I'd been to many bars and restaurants, and at parties I would invariably run into people I'd met before. In a way it makes it sound like a been-there done-that type of vibe, but I relished in the familiarity, the quotidian nature, and the way it never felt like a stifling routine. I want to try and devote a few blog entries to Austin places, just because they mean so much to me, and because I find myself making parallels between the Austin of last year and the NYC of today.
In contrast, my life in NYC feels like a constant adventure, always going somewhere for the first time, often feeling like I am in a new part of town I don't know well. In a way it's invigorating, I am really living. On the other hand, I get nostalgic for the familiar. Paradox of life, I guess.
For now I'll embrace the new.
But that's also because I'm relatively new to the area and I haven't had the chance to feel claustrophobic yet. And, also, I keep going on little out of town trips, visiting family mostly, so it's always great to leave and come back, but for reasons totally independent of the city.
Last week I went back to Texas for my mother's 50th birthday. She had a full week of celebrations: dinner in Houston, a small get together at the house, and a weekend in Port Aransas with the family. All in all, she was happy, and it gave me another chance to visit Texas and stop by Austin to see my friends.
I miss Austin so much sometimes. Such a chill, fun, place. But mostly, I miss the sense of community I had established there. Years of school, work, socializing, shopping, living... you get to know people and places. I always had a sense of where I was, I'd been to many bars and restaurants, and at parties I would invariably run into people I'd met before. In a way it makes it sound like a been-there done-that type of vibe, but I relished in the familiarity, the quotidian nature, and the way it never felt like a stifling routine. I want to try and devote a few blog entries to Austin places, just because they mean so much to me, and because I find myself making parallels between the Austin of last year and the NYC of today.
In contrast, my life in NYC feels like a constant adventure, always going somewhere for the first time, often feeling like I am in a new part of town I don't know well. In a way it's invigorating, I am really living. On the other hand, I get nostalgic for the familiar. Paradox of life, I guess.
For now I'll embrace the new.
