How does Austin compare to San Francisco?|160505

I live with my wife and 2 kids in the SF Bay area and could possibly move to Austin for my job. Can anyone tell me how these two cities compare as far as quality of life, schools, culture and outdoor activities?

In several ways....

1. It_s very liberal.. They have always said that Austin is the most liberal city east of San Fransisco. I think that_s why we_re most known.

2. We_re pretty gay friendly - That_s what people know San Fransisco for.. Gay friendly. Austin is also very gay friendly.

3. Great environment - As much as Austin is growing, and we_re growing rapidly.. Tkae like the size of Louisville.. We_re growing that many people in as little as a few years. Anyways, point being, as much as we_re growing, we_re keeping an awesome environment. One person came here and said as much as Austin looks like a mini Houston growth wise, it is so green and nice. That_s the truth.

4. Arts - Great art stuff? lol, idk a whole lot about that.

San Fransisco is a city mixed with politics, and university students. That_s the same with Austin. VERY political, VERY left, GREAT place to live, one of the best paces to raise your kids, the best place for Hispanics to live, one of the ebst places for shopping, and one of the most friendliest places. It_s a minuture SF, and pretty soon it_ll be bigger lol.

The weather is also very hot, but for the past few years, it_s snowed several times. :) so that_s cool. It_s usually in the 50_s- in the winter, and 90_s+ in the summer. Texas weather is very wierd. One part of town may get 5_ of rain, and the other part may get a trace. One day it was like in the 70_s, and the next day it snowed lol.

Sports are pretty big too.. The University of Texas is what most sports are tho, so it_s not usually proffesional.. Even tho austin is getting a NBA basketball team i think, lol. not to mention we_re not far at all from Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio. We_re like in the middle, lol.

You need to learn to like hot weather and live in air conditioning most of the time. Traffic isn_t very bad. It_s got a nice downtown. Great airport. Learn to like TexMex food. It_s very different from the Bay Area. Outdoor activities are limited with the heat. With University of Texas there, cultural activities are pretty good, but remember it_s Texas, not San Francisco. Good luck!

its the best. always something to do in/out. schools good, lay-back
life style. and the only time the ground shakes is when the UT football team takes the field. GO HORNS

I think Austin is great! I have lived here 4 years and it gets better each year. There is a great quality of life and plenty to do outside. Many people jog the 10 mile lake side jog trail in downtown. For biking Austin is a very great place. Bike Friendly Roads. Austin has 3 awesome lakes. Lake activities are very popular. Wake boarding, water skiing or just hanging out on a boat. There is also very child friendly areas around the lake as well. If you have a dog, it will love life in Austin. I think the most pet friendly place ever.There is also many safe and easily accessible neighborhoods. Austin housing market is also something BOOMING!! Buying property in Austin will PAY BIG!!!! Especially high rises. But all is doing great. Food is pretty good here too. MEXICAN FOOD YUM-MM SF is great but to expensive. I would say very comparable if weighing pros and cons.

Austin is 100% better than San Francisco in quality of life, schools,culture and there_s lots of outdoor activity. Good Luck.

I have never been to San Francisco, but Austin is a family friendly city. I have been here for 20yrs.

Look up the demographics at Best Places to Live:


http://www.bestplaces.net

Better learn to love the heat.
Beyond that Austin has everything you will want except major sports.

Austin is hot and humid but a great place to live....a major university...top notch college sports....housing is much less expensive....lots of outdoor activities...biking is big (Lance_s home town)...best of all, its never going to fall into the pacific ocean becuase of an earthquake!!

What is the cheapest neighborhood in San Francisco?|174091

I am looking for an apartment while I go to College (SFSU). But San Francisco is an ridiculously expensive place to live and I don_t have enough time to commute ( I live 5 hours away ). And the doorm_s are filled.

So where is the cheapest place to live in SF? Thanks!

Here is a list of places renting in San Francisco, ranging from $500 to $750.


http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/apa/s��


Good luck.

Well the cheapest areas are around your school. Sunset (both inner and outer), Daly City, and maybe some spots in the Richmond District. Be prepared to pay about 800-1000 to live alone or 600-800 if you move in with roommates. Check craigslist...lots of places are looking right now. We just got someone new in our place last week.

What do you recommend for a honeymoon to Maui?|171603

My fiance and I are going to Oahu for two nights, and then on to Maui for a week to 12 days (we haven_t decided yet). Neither of us have ever been there. Any recommendations you could give about travel books, places to see, stay, or things to do would be greatly appreciated. We were thinking about staying at either the Sheraton Maui Resort, or the Westin Maui Resort _ Spa. Of course, we are open to suggestions. Thanks so much!

That can get pretty pricey if you_re there for that long. If you book through a corporate travel broker you can save TONS _ stay at high quality hotels like Outrigger _ Diamond Hotels _ many more.

We just used an 8 day package from this broker _ stayed at a 5 star beachfront condo resort in Maui which was gorgeous! We spoke to other couples who paid $350 per night at the same resort - we only paid $499 for all 8 days!

I HIGHLY recommend this site for super deals, plus they also offer Fun Passes for Oahu AND Maui which will let you do every attraction _ special tour on the island for FREE! I included the links for all of these below, good luck!

RN2B makes a good recommendation - I organized a two week vacation for a group of 8, one week on Kauai and one on Maui. We took the Fodor_s Hawaii book and one other one, I forget which. We found them to be invaluable references when you don_t have a computer handy or are driving around.

On Maui, I_d recommend snorkeling in Molokini, if it_s the right season, maybe a whale watching trip. I would not advise the road to hana drive on your first visit. Maybe go to a luau. If you want to eat at a fancy restaurant, I highly recommend either of the Roy_s on Maui. I usually go to the Kihei one as it_s closer the timeshare I stay at.

I don_t think you can go wrong with either of your resort choices.

I have a way that you may be able to ask your own concierge service, your own travel consultant about all of that, if you join this resort condo club. Access 5,400 3 to 5 star resorts and some of them cost as low as $149.00 (complete cost) for 7 days. The one time membership cost is also very affordable and has no additional fees for life. Oh, and you can share the benefits with your family and friends for life and its will-able.
Email me if you would like the link to look it over.

We stayed at the Westin Kaanapauli. It was awesome. our room was just a walk to the beach. You can rent snorkel gear from the hotel I think $10 for the entire week. We snorkeled every day!
The old Lahaina Luau was a lot of fun.
We did a helicopter ride. It_s expensive but it was well worth it. Just when you thought it couldn_t be a more beautiful place, to see it from above is just amazing! Blue hawaiian is the one we used.
Pick up a book at the book store, we took it with us and it was very helpful

http://www.amazon.com/Fodors-Maui-2009-F��

It will give you exact mile markers to certain places to see, like the blow hole. The island isn_t that big so it doesn_t take long to get to all the places. We did a lot of hikes off the rodes. Anytime we found a little place that we could park, we took a hike. We found a lot of really beautiful places just by our little hikes.

I found the AAA book very helpful... Maui is beautiful, you_ll have a great time no matter which hotel you choose. My favorite place is the Seven Sacred Pools.

http://www.destination360.com/north-amer��


Here_s some good info:

http://www.visitmaui.com/


http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/


http://gohawaii.about.com/od/maui/p/maui��


http://www.hawaiitravelbureau.com/maui.h��

What is the status of BearFire resort in dallas texas?|127671

Supposedly its been in the planning process for like a decade or so and looks like its dead. Any news on the project?

With the downturn in the economy, the project might have been put on hold as it was supposed to open Fall 2009:


http://www.bearfireresort.com/