![\"img_4657\"](\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/barta\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/11\/IMG_4657-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cTexas!? You\u2019re from Southern California, Paria. Why in the hell did you move to Texas!?\u201d is ALWAYS the response I get from friends\/family back home. In fact, people from Texas also ask why in the world I left Los Angeles to come to Texas. Well, ladies and gentlepeople, let me answer your question in one word: Austin. \u2013the end\u2014<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
——————————————–<\/p>\n
Just kidding. But really, Austin is your answer. ATX is not just another city in this diverse country of ours (and let me stress when I say diverse\u2026 I\u2019ve been to 38 states). With its pulsating entertainment, lively music\/art culture, inspiring cuisine, and striking outdoor settings; how could you not fall in love with this gem of a city?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you know me, you know there\u2019s nothing I love more than some good live music. This semester I\u2019ve been lucky enough to really take living in the Live Music Capital of the World to my advantage. I\u2019ve been to multiple shows, went to ACL, and plan to go to a bunch more performances\u00a0throughout the year. Two shows\u00a0that spoke volumes to me were Kanye West’s Saint Pablo Tour and Kendrick Lamar at Austin City Limits (Flume also killed it, but I’ve seen him four times now). I love how both artists predominantly focused on their old music. At first, it angered me that\u00a0it seemed that a majority of the two artist’s audience were there for “the gram” or for “the snap.”\u00a0However, although I definitely was not there to make\u00a0people on my\u00a0social media jealous, I couldn’t help myself but to snap pictures (and I instagrammed the one of Kanye shown\u00a0below) because whats a better reminder of a memory than a picture, right?<\/p>\n
Peep this rad picture I took\u00a0of Kanye:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Or this awesome picture of the cotton candy clouds during ACL:<\/p>\n
![\"img_4816\"](\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/barta\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/11\/IMG_4816-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also an adventure junky and a water enthusiast. Texas has this preconceived notion that it\u2019s a dry desert with no water or any greenness to it. Although extremely flat compared to Santa Monica and doesn\u2019t have the Pacific Ocean as its backyard, Austin is\u00a0most definitely on the opposite side of being a \u201cdry desert.\u201d Two of my most recent\u00a0adventures from this semester have been\u00a0exploring the Greenbelt and going to Austin\u2019s 360 Bridge. I\u2019d be lying if I were to say Austin isn\u2019t beautiful. In fact, beautiful is an understatement.<\/p>\n
Check out this\u00a0picture I took\/instagrammed of my roommate\u00a0at the Greenbelt:<\/p>\n
![\"img_5154\"](\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/barta\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/11\/IMG_5154-169x300.png\")
<\/p>\n
Austin’s 360 Bridge\u00a0has to be my favorite view of Austin by far:<\/p>\n
![\"img_3093\"](\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/barta\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/11\/IMG_3093-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Finally, after three years of living in this artsy\u00a0city, I visited the Graffiti Park for the first time. Located at 11th<\/sup> & Baylor St., this community paint park depicts Austin\u2019s culture like none other\u2014diverse, talented, and weird. Did you know that is it the only paint park of its kind in the USA? The HOPE Outdoor Gallery was developed to provide muralists and street artists the opportunity to display large scale art pieces driven by stimulating, positive & educational messaging. This park is just another reason why I am so lucky to live in this picturesque city.<\/p>\n Check out this snap I posted on my story:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’ve always claimed that I would do anything to have a flip phone again. I used to get so fed up that everything revolves around our smartphones. However, after being halfway done with this course\u00a0and posting\u00a0my personal adventures on social media, I’ve gained a different perception of our digital culture. The explained experiences above have reassured\u00a0me that instead of making us less social, technology actually enhances a communal connection. After I posted the\u00a0Instagram of my roommate at the Greenbelt, a friend (from Texas) asked me where the\u00a0picture was taken. After I responded “the Greenbelt,” he was so shocked that there was that much water in the creek in September. A couple weeks later, he posted a picture of himself at the Greenbelt, too! This is an example of how my Instagram enhanced a connection to my local community. Also, after posting the Hope Outdoor Gallery and Austin’s 360 Bridge to my SnapChat, two of my friends from back home texted me asking when they can come visit me (don’t blame them)! If it weren’t for my social media, how would my friends have gotten to understand the hype around\u00a0Austin?<\/p>\n Well, I guess my secret is out. Everyone who has visited me in Austin always leaves with something great to say. And now with North America\u2019s first Wavegarden that just opened up here in Austin, I may never leave\u2026 well, maybe\u2026 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n![\"img_4966\"](\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/barta\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/11\/IMG_4966-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\n