In the past 12 days, 4 have been spent in Dallas, 4 in Austin and 4 in Houston. In Dallas (Richardson), we ate, drank wine and chilled playing games and watching movies. In Austin we worked. And in Houston we have spent time with good friends.
New Year’s Eve I worked half a day and prepared to drive to Houston and was exhausted at the idea of going out for New Year’s not to mention the idea of just staying up until midnight. But I showered and rocked my sparkle fishnet thigh highs and put on fun eye makeup (aka, more than the neutral shadow + mascara that I normally wear) and went to meet our friends. From there Johanna and I went up to Boheme to see one of her friends who was DJ-ing. We stayed there for an hour and went back to our friends’ house for the midnight countdown. Then we heard that my favorite bar was not crowded so we ended the night there.
Nooooo we didn’t. We went out for Mexican food, THEN we ended the night.
The next day was a small casual brunch at Neha’s, to which our hungover asses showed up a good 40 minutes late. And I decided to make a quiche, just to add to the muffins, yogurt parfait, fruit, cheese, and blueberry cream cheese french toast that Neha had for us. So we ate until we were full as ticks, then rested, then more visiting friends.
And I admitted what I’ve been afraid to admit to even myself: I miss Houston. It’s possible that what I miss is friends, people to text and be like, “Hey, mind if we drop by and see your new baby?” “Hey, what are y’all doing later?” “Hey, want to meet up for coffee?” And if so? Well, then I miss that.
I realized that I felt like if I admitted to missing Houston, I’d feel like a failure. People in Houston LOVE Austin. People everywhere love Austin. Going to Austin is like going to Mecca. It’s where you go when you want to party it up for New Year’s or Halloween (both of which my boss refers to as “amateur night”) or any old time. You want a break from the same old? Go to Austin, eat tacos from an airstream, go hiking in the morning, take a dip in a spring fed pool in the afternoon and end the evening at any number of bars. The next morning you want vegan pancakes? Sure, which place do you want to eat them at?
What’s not to love?
Well. I’ll tell you. First, everyone’s white. Not REALLY, but it feels like it. We live in a neighborhood that’s about half black, but it’s not the same. In Houston, say there’s a hot new restaurant or bar. When you go you see people of every ethnicity and class. Seriously. In Austin? You go to a hot new restaurant and everyone’s white and mid/upper class. A few weeks ago I was at the mall and saw some brown guys and ALMOST SAID HI. Like we were kindred spirits living in this foreign land of white people.
Also? The weather app on my phone will say rain for Austin and then this cold front blows through and skips the whole rain part. Unlike Houston, which will have sun predicted and then pour down rain on your picnic. But not at your house 5 blocks away. It sounds silly, but I miss rain and humidity and clouds and 10 degrees warmer (except in July, when what I will miss is that it will be 10 degrees cooler in Houston).
I miss good Vietnamese food at every corner.
I miss good Indian vegetarian buffets. And being able to go next door and buy sari scraps and incense.
I miss the midwife clinic I’d picked out to have my future kids at because they were close and my insurance covered it and they were AWESOME and have delivered 3 of my friends’ babies. I’m sure there is some similar thing in Austin, there HAS to be, but I haven’t found it.
But yeah, mostly, I miss the friends, the people to enjoy all that stuff with.
If only I could take the scenery of Austin and move it into Montrose*, we’d be good. Oh and my job. Oh and this place.
*NOTE: When I refer to “Houston” I am referring to Montrose, NOT Clear Lake or The Woodlands or Sugar Land or anywhere outside of the Loop, with the tiny exception of Hillcroft where you can get the best Indian food in the city.
**DISCLAIMER: It’s completely possible Austin has a kick ass vegetarian Indian buffet, or any of the other things I mentioned and I just haven’t been there long enough to find them. Ditto for the friends.
I miss having a friend that i can meditate with, see at yoga, down for a cup of tea at a drop of a hat, try new veggie food with, sit like old ladies and knit, escape to when my MIL is in town, and most of all – knowing that she’s just around the corner from me…. *tear*
It’s true, everyone in Austin IS white. I can attest to this. I spent the first 19 years of my life in Austin and I didn’t know one black kids name before I went to college.
The cool thing about Houston is that it ISN’T cool … in fact the cool part aka montrose is so small compared to the giant city of Houston. People expect Austin to be cool … Austin is that kid that knows he is popular. Montrose is the nerdy art kid that listens to the smiths.