Relocating to Austin, TX

[Tommy_Boy]

We are probably (almost for sure) moving to Austin in the next couple of months. Can anyone clue me in on dealerships, motorcycle activities, places to ride, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Limecreek]

Give me a call when you arrive. I think you will be pleasantly surprised about the variety of rides and activities.

 

Check you PM.

[keithb]

Well the Texas Hill Country is in your backyard. Big Bend Nat. Park is 450 miles west with San Antonio and Mexico to the south, and the rest of the state of Texas. That should keep you busy for awhile. Have fun.

[ericfoerster]

places to ride,

 

Just go West...you can't go wrong!

[philbytx]

I'm in Kerrville....drop me a PM and, just like LimeCreek, I'll be happy to give you some neat places to go ride, eat and visit !

 

Welcome to God's Country, especially for motorcyclists

[Angel]

I'm about three hours north of Austin... in the DFW metro-mess. nothing special here but I spent last weekend in Northwest Arkansas (Eureka Springs)... it was WELL WORTH THE TRIP!

[leikam]

Lone Star BMW is the local shop in Austin. They seem like good people and I never had a problem with them. The hill country (west) is nice, but I also had fun riding the backroads to the east and southeast. Lots to explore.

[Mr_Ed]

You'll enjoy the riding there. I stopped by that area a couple years ago and was glad to run into Limecreek and Philby.

 

The story--> http://www.edcgray.com/endurance%20ride.htm

[hopz]

One of the very best things about Austin is the Las Manitas Mexican restaurant. While it certainly is not Tex-Mex, and that is a good thing... it is a downtown institution.

 

We would never consider a trip to Austin without eating there... alas it may become the victim or urban renewal.

 

Get there fast- it is worth it:

http://www.savelasmanitas.org/en/index.php

 

I suppose if you got to Austin and wanted to eat elsewhere you might consider:

http://www.cactushill.com/TCP/home.htm

 

If I were you, I would avoid the Mad Dog Margarita...

 

Man, I miss Texas sometimes, like right now!

[Tommy_Boy]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the feedback. Good motorcycle info, and mexican food! Doesn't get much better than that!

 

BTW, it's official. My wife accepted a job in Austin last Thursday, so we are definitely making the move. She's moving in December, and I'll follow as soon as I get a job or sell the house.

 

Woo hoo!!!

[hopz]

Congratulations... a great town, most excellent overall environment, real estate ought to be in good shape just now, and the music/food scene is, or ought to be, the envy of the nation.

 

You will find that Texas is a special sort of place. Some get it, some never do, and Texans are great people. Enjoy. Do't forget to check out the naked beaches on Lake Travis.

[VinnyR11]

Wonderful town. Hiking and biking along the river, very HOT summers, really good music and art scene, overall a great place. The locals can give you better info on places to eat, but here are some things we tried that you may like.

 

If you like the museum shtick, the "Texas State History Museum" is terrific. I think you'll find it a very interesting and informative way to learn about your new home. Highly recommended, and as most everything in Texas it's really big, so leave plenty of time.

 

The Capital Building also has excellent tours given by enthusiastic tour guides.

 

The locals can give you the best time to view "Bat Bridge" where thousands of bats come flying out in the evening. Fun stop, especially if you have kids. Gets crowded so line up early.

 

Both the Austin Museum of Art, AMOA (small but worth the 5 bucks) and the Blanton Museum of Art at the University are worth visits.

 

ENJOY!

 

 

[wbrissette]

If you're interested in hooking up with the local BMW club, check in with the folks at Lone Star BMW, they can give you the information, or you can send me an email and I'll get you in touch. Saturday AM breakfast and rides happen pretty much every week, and they are a great group of folks.

 

If you need any additional info about Austin, give me a shout. I've lived here pretty much all my life (off and on... moved, came back, moved, came back... ). The first year the heat will get to you, but then after that, it's nothing.

 

Wayne

[hopz]

The Texas State Capital building looks almost exactly like the United States Capital Building, except the Texas capital is taller.

[Angel]

Woo hoo!!!

 

Whao! pardner

 

ahhh I believe the most appropriate nomenclature is YEE HAAA!!!!

[gtunches]

Welcome home to TEXAS !

[Lawman]

Howdy podnah..

A little trivia that every Texan needs to know..

 

When you're from Texas, people that you meet ask you questions like, "Do you have any cows?" "Do you have horses?" "Bet you got a bunch of guns ,eh?" They all want to know if you've been to Southfork. They watched Dallas.

 

Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas.

 

Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You'll get it maybe after a second, but who else would?

 

Even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this little rock the Good Lord put us on, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride in a pickup. There is some bit of Texas in everyone. Did you ever hear anyone in a bar go, "Wow...so you're from Iowa? Cool, Tell me about it?" Do you know why? Because there's no place like Texas.

 

Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing strong in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom.

 

We send our kids to schools like William B. Travis and James Bowie and Crockett and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself. That is the spirit of Texas.

 

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Texas is Juneteenth and Texas Independence Day. Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest. Texas is breath taking mountains in Big Bend. Texas is shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas. Texas is world class bass from places like Lake Fork. Texas is Mexicn food like no place else in the world, even Mexico. Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Bass Hall. Texas is larger than life legends like Willie Nelson and Buddy Holly, Earl Campbell and Nolan Ryan, Denton Cooley and Michael DeBakey, Sam Rayburn, George Bush, and George W. Bush. Texas is great companies like Dell Computer and Compaq. Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops. Texas is skies blackened with doves, and fields full of deer. Texas is a place where cities shut down for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and NIOSA River Parade in San Antonio. Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and praries, and modern cities.

 

If it isn't from Texas, you don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas.

 

By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly it's flag at the same height as the U. S. flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland, or New York, or Maine and your state flag, whatever it is, flies at 17. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Pine Tree High in Longview at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because we place being a Texan as high as being an American down here.

 

Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building In Washington D. C. We included these things in as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part right here. WHEN WE CAME ON.

 

Texas was it's own country. The Republic of Texas. Every time I think of that I tear up. It makes you proud to be a Texan!!

 

A test to see if you are a REAL TEXAN,...

1. You measure distance in minutes

2. You've had to switch from "heat" to "A.C." in the same day.

3. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.

4. Stores don't have shopping carts; they have buggies.

5. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it.

6. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixin' to go to the store.

7. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, flower or animal.

8. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

9. You carry jumper cables in your car ...for YOUR own car.

10. You know what "cow tipping" and "snipe hunting" are.

11. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tobasco.

12. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.

13. You think sexy lingerie is a tee shirt and boxer shorts.

14. The local papers covers national and international news on one page but requires 6 pages for football.

15. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

16. You know which leaves make good toliet paper.

17. You find 90 degrees F "a little warm"

18. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas.

19. You know whether another Texan is from southern, middle, or northern Texas as soon as they open their mouth.

20. There is a Dairy Queen in every town with a population of 500 or more.

21. Going to Wal Mart is a favorite past-time known as "goin wal martin" or off to "Wally World"

22. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili weather.

23. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop...it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.

24. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends no matter where they live in case they are planning to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

[wbrissette]

By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly it's flag at the same height as the U. S. flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland, or New York, or Maine and your state flag, whatever it is, flies at 17. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Pine Tree High in Longview at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because we place being a Texan as high as being an American down here.

 

Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building In Washington D. C. We included these things in as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part right here. WHEN WE CAME ON.

 

Except this is urban legend. I've heard about the flag being the same height for years, might have even been told this in school, but it's not true. See http://www.snopes.com/history/american/texasflag.asp

 

One thing about Texas is we teach Texas history multiple times throughout the school years. But it doesn't stop there. A lot of degrees require you take Texas government and/or Texas history yet again. I bring this up merely because of the part "When we came on."

 

By the time Anson Jones was president of Texas, the republic had run up huge debits and was in financial despair (sort of similar to the US today). Sam Houston had always thought of becoming part of the U.S., however the U.S. was not ready to annex Texas with Mexico still threatening war if the U.S. did annex the territory. The real key to annexation came after France had built a legation and recognized the Republic and while England didn't officially recognize the Republic, it did allow Texas merchandise into British ports, which was just as important. Members of the U.S. Congress saw this as threat since they didn't want nations surrounding it that were friendly to the British and French. Ironically, it was the French and British who helped negotiate a peaceful annexation of the Republic to the U.S. So, while there is some truth to joining the U.S. in our own time, it was more because of economics rather than any other reason. Sam Houston during his first presidency wanted the U.S. to recognize and annex the territory, but that simply didn't happen due to the threat of war that the U.S. didn't want at the time.

 

The Bob Bullock Texas History Museum here in Austin covers a lot of this history. It's a wonderful museum full of great Texas history, and I recommend everybody visit it at least once.

 

Wayne

[hopz]

25. School kids do 2 pledges every morning; they Pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States, and again to the Flag of Texas.

26. FM 1960 is a road... that's a "Farm to Market" road... FM 1960 is 6 lanes wide, 8 in some places.

27. The natives of Louisiana shout YaaHee... when you cross the Sabine River on the eastern boundary you instantly hear YeeHaw.

28 The mile marker post at the Sabine river shows 885 miles to go... still in Texas.

29. They have cattle in Texas with horns longer than some cars.

[Charles Elms]

1a. Back in the 60's, some people measured distance in beers. Some probably still do, thou I would not recommend it.

[wbrissette]

1a. Back in the 60's, some people measured distance in beers. Some probably still do, thou I would not recommend it.

 

There was a National Geographic back in the late 70's or early 80's that did a story on West Texas. I remember reading that some ranchers measured their land not in acres, but "Rhode Islands"... I find this a bit hard to believe, but one would think that N.G. would check their sources.

 

Wayne

[dogboy11]

Do't forget to check out the naked beaches on Lake Travis.

 

I lived in Austin for 13 years. I moved to San Antonio about 3 years ago for a good job opportunity. It took me 5 minutes to walk to Lake Travis from my house when I lived there. The "naked beach" that is referred to here is called "Hippy Hollow" .... it used to be a unique, cool, Austin thing back in the 70s and 80s ... however, now, I would not recommend checking it out too closely. Not so nice now. Enjoy Lake Travis .... very nice lake ... just don't go searching for Hippy Hollow ... it will disappoint.

 

As far as Austin itself ... my viewpoint is that if you move into Austin right now from someplace else, it will be a very cool place to you .... but, if you are in the same boat I was and you knew what Austin was like 16 years ago .... you wouldn't like it so much anymore. IMO the heart of Austin is dying ... being killed out by yuppies, noise ordinance laws in the live music districts and downtown million dollar condos.

 

You will have to get used to the pride we have in our state as Texans. I have travelled a lot in my job and have never found anything like it. I do love this State !!

 

Enjoy ! Once you get here, if you get down San Antonio way, ya'll give us a shout.

 

 

DB

 

[jackflash]

What a great move!! I have a sister there.

 

You'll be in a city with a LOT to do, in the Texas hill country...beautiful, and some really neat riding.

 

"Keep Austin Weird"