(03/22/04)
After a week in the Houston area, it's refreshing to come back to the small town of Austin. What's the difference between Austin and Houston? I'm glad you asked:
- Homeless people
- I've seen homeless people in Houston, and I've never heard them ask for money "so they can buy some crack." I've also never had a bum in Houston ask me for $10, as they ordinarily ask for more modest amounts. Houston bums don't have well-fed pets, either. Oh, and there was the homeless guy with his hand out on the Drag, trying to GIVE people change. Or the other bum who was pissed at me for "walking right through his front yard" when I just passed him on the sidewalk. More information on Austin bums here.
- Fast food
- I discovered very early that most of the area Wendy's don't have the quarter pound Texas cheeseburger (or whatever it's called) for $.99. In fact, most of the area fast food restaurants don't do the ridiculous promotions (like 50 chicken nuggets for $5.50 or $.39 cheeseburgers on Wednesdays) because they'd only attract the homeless people. My personal favorite is the sign in the window of McDonald's that free refills are available only to people who buy a drink from McDonald's. Apparently they were having a problem with people bringing in their own cups and drinking their Coke.
- Traffic
- I don't know why traffic only moves at 65 mph here. In Houston 85-90 is the norm, with a few "slow" people going 75 or so. Here in Austin, I never see people other than myself break 75, much less 85. Then there's the fact that people don't know how to switch from a slow lane to a faster lane. It boggles my mind when I'm zooming past everyone in one lane and nobody thinks to follow.
- Pedestrians
- I got used to the whole "don't look before you cross the street because cars will stop anyway" attitude while living in Austin, and I almost got killed in a parking lot in Houston. Sixth Street at night is the worst because pedestrians generally feel that they have the right to walk into a busy street 300 feet from any intersection and stand around while the cars wait for them to pass. And they like to punch your car if you get too close. Bastards.
I still can't tell whether I like living here or not, since the place is just too weird.
