Thank goodness for online shopping so we don’t have to drive to Austin. The malls just aren’t worth the hassle. The traffic is horrible. You can’t pay me enough to go to Sixth St. and I’d rather do the touristy thing in San Antonio. And it has sprawled out miles and miles and miles. Glad it didn’t get Amazon or it’d be 10 times worse.
The only time we go now is just to take care of paperwork that has to be done in person and medical so nothing for fun. It gets more depressing each time. 4-5 years ago was the worst. It had a downright creepy weird vibe. Very communist. 1970s Russia was more cheerful, btdt. Downtown offices were dark and dingy. Government and private office doors were locked and you had to call ahead to be allowed in or someone had to escort you and they acted like you were some weirdo just being there. Several had no directories at the elevators to discourage people from showing up unannounced.
Used to be a treat to eat out in the city and try something different. It’s been 10 years since we’ve done that. We don’t even take time to eat when we HAVE to be there. It’s get what needs done and get the heck out as fast as possible.
There are only a few good areas to eat at in Austin. But crowded, with long waits to get served. As I mentioned, just a few touristy strips and not much else in Austin. Whereas, in San Francisco there are thousands of restaurants, and many different neighborhood restaurant strips to choose from, and much variety of cuisine from around the world. You aren't limited to one or two Vietnamese restaurants, there are many dozens to choose from in SF. Same goes for Thai, India, Italian, etc. Probably a thousand Chinese restaurants. I just came back from Des Moines, and there were only a few Asian restaurants to choose from. The only place that has more variety than SF is NYC (some of the best food in the country). But Austin, nah.
BTW, a brother-in-law is thinking of moving to San Antonio. Currently lives near Honolulu. Hope he doesn't get disappointed as he enjoys asian food.