KnowYard Community

The 2021 storm should have been a wake-up call. 200+ people died. And here we are still running the same grid on hope and prayers every summer.

The Teal Lot is basically a food festival that happens to be in a parking lot. I've eaten better there than at most Houston restaurants.

The line culture is its own thing. Met some of my closest friends in Austin waiting for Franklin. Bring a cooler, bring a speaker, bring cards.

Scholz Garten is the answer. Been going there for UT games for 15 years. The oldest bar in Texas packed with burnt orange. Nothing like it.

the cross-training restriction depends entirely on the professor at each school. my GB professor was totally cool with us visiting open mats elsewhere. ive heard of other GB schools where its practically forbidden. ask before you sign up

the dome gets clowned but it hosts everything. jack of all trades

The "no income tax" thing is a trap. They get you with property tax, sales tax, and toll roads. You end up paying the same or more than a lot of income tax states.

Volunteering. Pick something you care about, show up regularly, and you'll meet good people. Food banks, habitat builds, trail cleanups. Shared purpose builds bonds faster than shared drinks.

bring a reusable bag. you will buy more than you planned

Get the AllTrails app and search your area. Filter by difficulty and distance. Some of the best trails aren't in official parks — they're along creeks, power line easements, and greenbelts.

Army Corps of Engineers parks around the lakes are always less crowded than city parks. Free or cheap, good trails, water access. Google the nearest lake to you and look for Army Corps sites.

Nobody in this state understands the zipper merge. Two lanes go to one and everyone treats it like a personal insult.

The deregulated market is the problem. Nobody wants to invest in reserve capacity because there's no profit in power plants that only run during emergencies. So we have zero buffer.

Urgent care clinics do physicals and basic checkups. It's not ideal for ongoing care but if you just need a checkup done this month, they can do it.

Minor league sports are the cheat code for families. You get the live sports experience without selling a kidney for tickets.

Parking strategy: find shade, even if it means walking farther. A shaded parking spot saves you 20 degrees of interior temp compared to full sun.

I moved here from SF in 2020. Austin is expensive but compared to the Bay Area it felt cheap. I realize now that my arrival was part of the problem.

The East Side beer crawl is the correct route. Three excellent breweries within walking distance. Bring a designated driver or use rideshare.

I bring my own parts and pay labor only. A good mechanic won't care. The ones who insist on using their parts are marking them up 50-100%.

Crunch Fitness is a solid middle ground. More equipment than PF, actual free weight area, $25-30/month at most locations.

The worst drivers are always the ones on whatever highway I'm currently on. This is a universal law.

Keep a cooler in your trunk in summer. Cold water, some snacks. If you break down on a Texas highway in July, help might take 30-45 minutes. You want water available.

Urgent care clinics do physicals and basic checkups. It's not ideal for ongoing care but if you just need a checkup done this month, they can do it.

Call your insurance company and ask for a list of in-network providers accepting new patients. The online directories are always outdated but the phone reps have current info.

Army Corps of Engineers parks around the lakes are always less crowded than city parks. Free or cheap, good trails, water access. Google the nearest lake to you and look for Army Corps sites.