Keep it weird

Even before I went to Austin, I was regularly listening over the internet to KUTX 98.9, an Austin-based radio station. I found it about a year ago when I couldn’t find any British radio station that I liked. I wanted to listen to random, eclectic, indie/alternative/rock music. A search on the internet suggested KUTX and I’ve been listening to it ever since. It’s probably the only station in the world that will play Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by your man” followed by The Jam’s “That’s entertainment”.

I had actually forgotten this station was based in Austin until I saw a giant sign advertising it whilst walking around Austin.

The tagline “The Live Music Capital of the World” is registered to Austin, Texas. It’s famous for South by Southwest, an annual music festival. Most of the time, however, you can listen to live music in  many of the bars.

Austin is, apparently, very different from other parts of Texas. Hence the unofficial motto: Keep it weird. I found Austinites not that weird but very friendly. Several random people came and spoke to me. People seemed especially keen to know whether I was enjoying Austin.

Austin is a place that is growing. A taxi driver said that about 70 people are moving there every day. Large tech companies (Google, Facebook, Oracle) have opened offices in Austin too.

I can see the appeal of Austin, especially if you live in San Francisco. San Francisco has been so expensive that probably for the deposit required in San Francisco, you could buy a flat outright in Austin.

Equally importantly, the quality of life is good in Austin. Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River provide ample opportunities for water sports. There are plenty of cycle lanes, cycles for hire, and scooters for hire to get around quickly and safely.

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