f13.net

I'm leaving Sunny Phoenix for Austin in a very short time period.

I need moving options.

Obviously Broadway, ABS and Pods are the major options but does anyone know of any competitors that may be worth looking at? Right now it's looking like ~$3000-$4000 which is just ridiculous for 1,000 miles. Considering getting ABS from MD to Phoenix was... oh.... $2700.

So, hook a brother up. Maybe one of you all WORK for a moving company? Anyway, yea.

Would it be cheaper for you to sell your old stuff and buy new when you get to Austin?

Sell it all, start fresh!  You're young and unhitched you can still do that.

Fuck, you're young and unhitched there's no reason you should have more stuff than you can just pack into a car in the first place. Weirdo.

Anyone want to buy a 1500 DVD dvd collection?

Hah. I don't have that much of value, it's all Ikea shit. And my car is fucking tiny. I can barely fit my computer and clothes in it,.

Hmm...we moved a lot, but always did it ourselves.  (Air Force brat)

Just rent the truck, rally the geeks for packing and lifiting...bribe them with KFC or something.

Tow the car, it can be a cheap tiny trailer.

I had a move from the East coast to the West coast where the shipper "lost" three boxes of my dvds.  Whatever you do, make sure that the boxes are not marked "STEAL ME" or else you get to experience the joy of insurance repayments that are based on weight.

Oh god, you aren't going to Austin to work for NCSoft, are you?

Heh. We moved out here and nothing was missing. Worst case I might have to do the pack it yourself ABS route. Ugh. I'd like to get a pod but the cost is balls. Like $2600 while for another few hundred I could get people to do work for me.

If it's tons of easy-to-pack and relatively light stuff like games and DVDs and IKEA furniture, I say you price out a truck rental and move it yourself (plus friends). If you've got loads of good god I don't want to deal with that types of things, then go moving company. Unless the price isn't much different, then go moving company.

You're inching your way back to Maryland, aren't you?  I'd ditch most of it, rent a transit van, and make DannyB drive it.  Do you have a place yet?  A job?  A girl?  Or are you just going for the awesome nightlife?  Will you be alone?  Or will you buy a kitty?  You miss the humidity, don't you?  I hope you marry a cute girl from Texas.  Or a boy.  I don't care.  Just cute.  Or get a puppy.  A pug named Colin would suit you.  Pink crystal collar.  I'm sure it's so expensive because of petrol prices.  No.  A cat named Columbia would suit you more.  Still pink crystal collar.  When Righ and I moved to the US nothing was missing although they must have parked the ship on his speakers.  They were splinters.  I'm excited for you.

Wow... I read that and in my head it sounded like the synth box off a TI-99/4A.  awesome.

Does this mean future gatherings in Austin then?  That's something I can actually do.

I don't have any moving advice though.  The farthest I've gone is twenty miles, so getting a moving company wasn't such a bad deal.  If you have someone else move you, take the expensive stuff like DVDs in your own car.

Mail everything you can to a friend/employer/something in Austin. If you can't do that, box everything up then have it mailed to you by a friend/slave when you do have a spot. Have a yard sale for the ikea furniture. Buy a sleeping bag.

You guys move like it's the 18th century. Buy a sleeping bag? What? Doesn't everyone own an air mattress?

Mail? Video game collector's and mail do not get along.

But anyway, I've found a solution. Roommate and his friend are driving the truck down (he has experience with large truck driving. Will cost much MUCH less than a moving company, like $1,000 less including gas. And will take 3 less days. This is good solution. I r happy with solution. So who lives in Austin? Hur.

Well, my mom just moved to Edinburg TX last month ( I have to go to her wedding this month, which she rather amusingly planned for my birthday ).  And I just heard from my dad that he bought some land in East Texas NFI.

So we will be kinda sorta neighbors, except for the fact that I still live in Korea...but maybe I can send my bioparents to do evil things to you.

You're not working for Dell now are you? Because I'd have to stop respecting you.

JK, I never respected you. Austin is a fun town though. Enjoy the jailbait on 6th street!

I live in Austin...

Ignore paelos comment about 6th street, during nights most partying there aren't jailbait, they just look it and probably were two months ago.  I recommend Vicci for starting out.

Yer SOL, do to the current influx of people (especially people getting their shit shipped on the company dime) it costs about 2x as much to move in to Austin as it does to move out.  All the moving companies are mostly having to make the return trip empty (cause no one ever leaves Austin by choice) so they charge you more for sticking em here with an empty truck.

I bet you could ship a pallet (4x4x4ish) for less than $400 though (man that's a lot of fours!).  Just make sure it isn't anything too fragile.

Welcome to Austin!  I think you should build a nice house out in the hill countrywith a lake travis view... wanna buy a lot?

If you get hard up for food, you can find some good scavenging over at Garriot's compound.

Rent a truck, put your shit in it and drive. Don't be a pussy. Goddamned kids.

Just be careful moving into your new place.  One of your new neighbors might mistake you for an urban youth and shoot you.

cost of said 1 way truck rental from Austin to AZ $600, cost from AZ to Austin $1200. 


You might be able to ship your car to Austin for $600 or so, this would allow you to pack it to the gills with crap.

edit: also less chance of breakage that way.

You could probably get a U-Haul trailer and pull it behind your car for a couple of hundred dollars or three.

Tow the car.

That's what we're doing. For whatever reason. Penske offers trucks for 5 days, unlimited mileage. Costa $1,000. But whatever.


Heh. Right.

As an aside, anytime someone tells me they are moving into Texas, it brings to mind a comment one of the grad students I worked with in college said about his drive from Dallas to Los Angeles. "That was when I realized just how BIG Texas really is, when you pass the halfway point from Dallas to L.A. and you haven't even left Texas yet."

And congratulations on moving out of the land of retired people.

I drove, I think it's I-10, from San Diego to Tallahassee, Fl.  The trip took about 48 hours of driving.  At least 24 of that was Texas.

XBOX ain't got nothing on Texas.

Also, forget 6th street find a friend with a boat and spend as much time in devils cove as you can.  If you are sober enough to enjoy 6th street by the time it gets interesting you are doing it wrong.

Whatever you do, don't let Nerf get the idea that you are even considering trespassing on his land, eyeing his belongings, or threatening his property or family.

The I-10 not only decides stay in Texas for as long as possible (El Paso to Beaumont), but also dips south for good measure to extend the trip.

WHY R U MOVING TO TEXAS?

Details, plzkthx.

Oh crap, you are moving closer to Nerf. I hope he didn't offer you a job.

Now, that's not even a question worth asking, is it?

A grand tour of sucky southern states? Look out, Haemmy!

Wait....schild is the new SWG dev?  :awesome_for_real:

Maybe NCSoft Austin hired him to help them turn shit into gold.  TR NGE here we come!

I bet he's gonna be Assistant Regional Manager.

Assistant TO the regional manager!

He wanted to bask in my awesomeness but knew moving to ground zero would burn out his retinas.  Austin was the perfect distance. (http://iria.chem.uh.edu/smiley/lagann.gif)

I'm moving across town and I'm paying about $500 for the pod and I considered it a decent deal.

Moving that far for that cheap is a pretty good deal.

Enjoy TexASS.

(http://iria.chem.uh.edu/smiley/lagann.gif)  I like this one!

You're on a pink thing lately, aren't you?

More Austin Stuff: Stay the hell away from Mopac/loop-1 and I-35 during rush hour traffic if at all possible, traffic is bad everywhere during that time but if anyplace is going to be jammed it's there.  Panhandlers all over, use your best judgement.  For vietnamese food, Pho Thai Son is hard to beat; for various meats you want Fogo de Chao.  Try and see movies at the alamo drafthouse, avoid the AMC at Barton Creek mall; hallways there smell like piss everytime I go.

I figured we needed one that was :squeeing and girliness:.

It's purple, but it goes with her avatar.

Looks pink to me!

I have been tempted by positions there (through my company) but thats a large move.  Plus, selling house and stuff would suck.

But more moneys is always nice.

Purple fading to lavender.  Since I made it, I should know.  :-P

I have 2 friends moving to Austin soon. Trying to be game devs or somesuch things.

Sorry, Heat + Stupid = Epic Fail. :uhrr:

I don't know how any of you intelligent types can stand it.

Vegas was hot, Fresno was hot.  Austin is just right.

I don't buy this - you live in Jersey and don't have friends. How can one post be so Chock Full'o Lies?

Snap.  Ice burn.

The toxic green glow of the New Jersey night sky can sometimes be quite beautiful. 

Austin almost never gets truly hot.  Humid at times, yes.  Truly hot?  110 in the shade hot?  Very rarely if ever.  I'd move to Austin tomorrow if I could find a job there.

I bet Lum hired him.  The Slow News Day conspiracists were RIGHT!!1!

I really like San Marcos.  Close enough to Austin or San Antonio, but has the small college town feel.  The weather is pretty nice, and the hot part of the year tends to be dry.  Considering Schild is coming from AZ, it's way cooler, too.

Hauling the car on a trailer would mean packing all the people, and all the stuff to keep them halfway sane, into the cab.  Then, when the distractions fail, you're trapped in a small steel cage with insane people.

If you don't already know where you're moving, you've got a lot of good choices.  Generally the better neighborhoods are to the west, price (and commute time) increasing as you get further out (it doesn't get really bad until you hit Lake Travis).  South West is pretty good in general (that's where I am, south end of MOPAC),  If schools are a priority and you don't want to hob-nob with the millionaires in Lake Travis ISD, the south-west or West Lake Hills are your best bets.  You might be tempted to go north or south for cheaper housing, don't.  Not only will commutting on I35 eat anything you gained, but you will be out of Travis County Autonomy Zone and back in Texas.

--Dave

Ah, we were looking just northwest, about 7 miles exactly from 6th street. I'll have my friend take a look south/southwest.

Any particular neighborhoods/apartment areas to look at?

I have a friend who lives in Lago Vista which is somewhere around there, I think.  Evidently, it's a good area if your big on water sports.  (which I'm not)  The house they bought was really really expensive but if there are 12 of you, as usual, you could probably swing it!

So what's the name of your new band, Schild?

I'd agree that North is a no no but northwest Austin isn't half bad.  The cummuter train is supposed to be active this fall and that will drop you on 5th street.


Really depends on what you are looking for. rent or buy?  Do you want the 6th street type of life style or do you want something a little more laid back (lake rat ftw).  How important is commute to you for all we know you can work from home a few days a week. 

Commute wise most Austinites are spoiled and tend to exagerate the pain, if you are actually in Austin and going anywhere else in Austin you can pretty much get there in an hour even in heavy traffic (yes I am excluding all the lago vista, cedar park, round rock commuters). 

I'd also say that the lakeway/lake travis area isn't as expensive as Dave is making out (commute might suck though), sure if you have a view or are on the lake it is a fortune but the area itself isn't that overblown.

When I 1st moved here and was semi single I had an apartment just south of the Arboretum, it was 2 minutes from pretty much any freeway (surrounded by 360, 183, mopac and 2222) so I felt close to everywhere and it backed up to a really private wooded greenbelt where deer and racoons would hang out. 


I'd live there in a heartbeat if it was waterfront and I could telecommute 4-5 days a week, it's probably close to a 90-120 minute commute to downtown in traffic though.

I kind of did the 6th street thing for a summer and then did the lake thing for awhile and now have a family, of the 2 imo being on the lake is far more fun, involves the same amount of alcohol. just as much if not more opportunities to get laid.  I'm biased though as I hate crowded places, generally could give a rats ass about live music and I'd much rather oogle all  the T&A at the lake.

I didn't know it was that far from Austin.  I just remember they named Austin as the city they go to for big stuff and where they fly in and out of when they travel.

it's really pretty out there.  but a lot of retirees that want to keep it small they have successfully fended off the larger supermarkets and walmart type stuff for quite some time now, so if you need anything that a ma and pa type general store isn't going to have then you are driving 30min to cedar park to get it.

schild here is a map (warning it's fairly big) with the area codes that realtors use, it's a little outdated as they recently split some of the areas in half (for example there is now a 10n and 10s):
MLS MAP (http://devotia.com/img/mlsmap.jpg)

Areas you you might want to live in:  1A, 1B, 1N, 4, 7, 8W, 8E, 10, 11. NW, RN, LS. 

1A, 1B, 8E and 7 aer probably the priciest with 8W and some of the LS stuff nipping at their heels.  10 and NW seem to be the "hot" markets for entry level home buyers.  The commuter rail I was talking about is going to go from the border of CL/NW to 5th street.

edit: lightened the area layer on the map so the map portion is a little more readable, new file here (http://devotia.com/img/mlsmap3.jpg)

We were looking at 1N  but it does seem a little pricey all things considered. Will look into other areas. Thanks.

you looking to rent a house or apt, or buy?

Rent, apt. Until I get settled. Don't even plan on unpacking half my shit. Looking for a 6 month lease.

well For Rent (http://www.forrent.com/searchResults.php) is your friend then.

If you want the "Authentic Funky Austin" vibe without having to pay too much, 1B, 4, and 7 are your best bets.  DO NOT GO EAST OF I-35!  Until you go well north (PF), it's the DMZ.  Well, unless you want crack dealers and prostitution in your front yard.  'Cause if you need to get high or catch AIDS, commuting would suck.

--Dave

EDIT: Can't tell my right from my left

1B, 4, and 7 are all west of the I35. Heh.

yer also renting at THE perfect time, get something locked down soon before the 50k UT student body rolls into town and locks up the entire rental market.

Will be locked down by this weekend or next.

I'm pretty sure schild would sooner bait a crocodile with his manhood than set foot in Mississippi.

He could do both at once if he doesn't mind substituting an alligator for a crocodile.

4 DAYS!

Wow.  When you decide to move, you go fast!

One nice thing about moving across town is that I can take a month to do it.

Fuck Schild, you're crazy. Some kind of super nomad. Who is going to help pen an adventure about Schild being a super nomad?

Shit, I didn't even see this thread. Lived in Austin (now just down the road) for quite awhile Schild.. Probably can't say anything that hasn't already been said, but "needless to say", you'll never run out of things to do. There's lot of outdoors stuff, lots of urban stuff, lots of culture, and it's the best damn city for Music in the world (yes, the world).

All you really need to take is your desk, computer, mattress, and some saltines.

and a bucket.  Preferably two.  One to make water, the other to hold it.  Otherwise, yes.

Just got back from Austin.  As I work in state government, I have to make a few pilgrimages a year. 

You are young and single.  You will have no problems in Austin.  It is the old and responsible that require the higher costs of living in Austin. You could just stay east of 35 in hood like a good college kid.  Just load up on weapons and you will be fine.  ;)  You have to buy a firearm to live in Texas.  I hope they told you that.  Shoot, you could just live in Elgin and drive in everyday. 

Obviously, lots of great places to eat in Austin.  Bert's Barbecue and El Arroyo are right next to each other and are fantastic.  All of the major chains are located there. 

We just took the wife and kids on a bat cruise at sunset.  That was pretty cool once.  It beat standing on the bridge looking at the bats.

So, no real help in your move other than to stay off MoPac if you want to get somewhere and find cool places to eat and hang out that no one has heard of as there are too many famous places that suck.

Good luck and welcome to Texas .

P.S.  You have to say, "Howdy" now.  It's the law.

Austin is so not the Howdy type of Texas city though. Austin's a little weird, geeky, and cultured, like a mini SF. The homeless are harmless -- you don't need guns. Unless you find homeless hippies, gothgirls, and skateboarders to be a threat.

Stay away from the Northside. It's a big retirement home.

You don't need guns for the homeless.  You need guns if you live east of 35 for the independent pharmaceutical salesmen. 

It is fun to say Howdy in Austin and watch who thinks that they are too good to be associated with.  It really separates the frauds from the Texans.

Heh, well I've been here for the better part of 30 years, but never say it. My old man does all the time.

I'm big on " y'all " and "whattya" and on all that shit though. Anyone from outside the state eventually pins down where I'm from.  :grin:

I almost got into a fight with someone in Austin, so YMMV.

lol