I'm probably the only liberal in the good ol' US of A that doesn't dig Austin at all. I have all these friends who are always talking about what a groovy town it is, but to be honest, I found it to be too groovy. So groovy that it wasn't groovy anymore.
Everyone was all hip and liberal and artistic (or at least had artistic pretensions). I was bored out of my mind. There was no variation. I was stepping over dredlocks left and right. I would have given anything for someone to yell, "Ralph Nader was a fucking moron!" just so I'd have someone to debate with.
And beyond that, despite all the pretensions, there seemed to be an essential vacancy to everyone. I swear, the only things I heard people talk about there were drug experiences, indie rock & food. Granted, the food was great there. Great vegetarian fare. I guess, in short, Austin is a nice place to visit... in small doses.