I’m linking up with Lena for this week’s Tuesday 10. This week’s ‘theme’ was Blogger’s Choice, and I decided to steal a theme from weeks previous that I missed and do 10 things I love about the place I live. So, here are my:

Original photo via StuSeeger

1. It’s a big city (population-wise) that doesn’t feel big. As in, I’m not terrified to drive around downtown like I would be in NYC. Frustrated sometimes, because of all the one-way streets and lack of parking, but I’m not going to get lost. And if I’m walking around downtown, I’m not really worried about getting mugged.
2. Nearness to water. We’ve got the river running right through downtown, the big lake west of the city, and lots of creeks and smaller ponds/lakes scattered around.
3. Nearness to greenery. Possibly result of point #2, but Austin is a very green city. Lots of trees and parks and general greenery. Ok, maybe not so much in drought times, but even then the trees are still there, they’re just more brownish. But my point is that it’s great living in a big city but still having easy access to nature. When I lived in south Austin, the Barton Creek Greenbelt was a 10 minute drive away, and when hiking along that it was hard to believe you were still in the city.
4. It’s got personality. Any city whose has an unoffical motto of ‘Keep Austin Weird’ is going to be a place I want to hang out. Austin celebrates doing things differently. Now if only the rest of Texas would follow suit. 😉
5. The weather. I don’t like the cold, and I don’t like a whole lot of gloomy grey rainy days. So, Austin is perfect for me. Anytime I can have a 75 degree bright sunny day in January, I’m going to be happy.
6. The culture. Our official motto is ‘Live Music Capital of the World’. I don’t know if that’s literally true, but we certainly have a lot of it – along with burgeoning film and fashion communities, and lot of tech-y things, and a crazy range of places for foodies. There’s lots of little hole-in-the-wall art galleries and theaters and comedy clubs, and with UT based here we get that all on a larger scale as well. If you can’t find something to do in Austin, you’re not looking very hard.
7. The library system. Yes, the bookworm rears its nerdy head. The Austin Public Library system is vast and awesome (and closer to home, the Round Rock Public Library is equally awesome, if not as vast). Repositories of free books are my mecca.
8. It’s a fit place. Rock climbing, rowing, marathon running, yoga, biking, regular old gym membership…Any kind of working-out/fitness-y/health-centric type of thing you want to do, you can find a community for here in Austin. Not that group working out is generally an activity I gravitate towards, but it’s nice to know it’s there. And overall Austinites seem noticeably slimmer/healthier-looking than the rest of Texas.
9. Community support for small businesses. Austin seems to be a place where small businesses thrive, and I think that’s largely due to the commitment of residents to buy local whenever possible (whether goods or services). As a small business owner myself, I especially appreciate this.
10. It’s where I met Ian. Aw, yes, I know, super sappy of me, but true. 🙂