So this weekend I was down in Austin, TX (AKA Awesome, TX) enjoying everything that SXSW had to offer. (I haven't done my SXSW recap yet because I'm still recovering and still deciding how I feel about the experience.) Anyway, while there my friends and I happened to pass by a car with the above bumper sticker on it and it sparked quite the conversation. I feel that I should say I LOVE Austin and was kind of annoyed/slightly pissed off by that bumper sticker. Anyway, if you know anything about Austin you know that there are a lot of people there that don't really have love for Dallas. I'm not exactly sure why but "sometimes, that's just how baseball go." From what I've gathered from people throughout my many trips to Austin it's that Dallas girls are high maintenance and Dallas boys are douche bags and I guess we are going to Austin and ruining it with our Dallasness. *rolls eyes* So I decided to take a closer look at why, exactly, the people of Austin have so little love for us Dallas peeps!
Austin pics
I remember having a conversation about Dallas girls vs. Austin girls with a bunch of BMXers at SXSW last year. The gist was Dallas girls expect too much and we're too high maintenance and Austin girls are more laid back. Now I don't like blanket statements like that so being the sassy person that I am I asked them to elaborate. One guy actually said "Well I mean Dallas girls just want too much. I can buy a girl a drink here and she'll end up hooking up with me. That's not how Dallas girls are." WHAT!?!?! I think I actually looked at him for a full 15-20 seconds with my mouth open wondering if he was serious; he was. I can't speak for all Dallas women but I can confirm that in my case, he is right. From what I've experienced guys in Austin have it a bit easier than guys here. Austin itself is just a chill place so I think girls expect a little less there than they do in Dallas. Dating in Austin seems to be a lot like dating in college. You know, let's hangout at my apartment and call that a date. I think that's something you should grow out of once you leave college. I need to be wined and dined and I don't think that's too much to ask for. I'm not saying you have to take me to a 5 star restaurant but I am saying that Wendy's does not a date make. So if that makes me high maintenance I'll take it. 
The dating issues probably stem from how different dudes are in Austin and Dallas. I think a lot of the guys here have an east coast vibe about them. They are stylish, kind of preppy, have legitimate jobs etc... Men here kind of grow up, as much as you can expect a man to grow up, once they graduate college or hit the 24-25 age range. They have careers and real jobs and so their lifestyles reflect that, as do the dates they take girls on. In Austin, I see 35 year olds riding BMX. It's like the men there are just teenagers with a little less hair and bigger beer belly. I meet dudes there and am often shocked by their age. I mean one would think that once you reach a certain age you should have a career and not be riding around on bikes and playing. However, I LOVE Austin boys that's the irony. I'm attracted to their "swag" ( I can't believe I just used that word) they've just got such a chill vibe about them and I love it. That being said, if we're going to call Dallas boys douche bags and Dallas girls high maintenance let's just be real about the situation and say Austin boys have a little bit of shall we say, Peter Pan Syndrome. 
More Austin pics
Another huge difference between the two cities seems to be the way we view getting dressed to go out. I never wear heels in Austin; I always wear heels in Dallas. I think that pretty much sums up the difference in style between the two cities. The reason I don't wear heels in Austin is because 1. you walk everywhere and 2. the streets are kind of gross and janky (not a real word I know but it fits!). Aside from those two reasons there never really seems to be a time for heels in ATX. I mean people there rock sneakers, t-shirts, jeans, flip flops etc... when they go out and to be honest I love it. It fits the vibe of most of the bars down there. Even in the nice part of downtown, aka anything except east 6th, where people dress up it's nothing compared to how people dress in downtown Dallas. I think when people aren't from Dallas and come here and see the way people dress they think it's a big extravaganza for us to get ready to go out. It's not. It takes me less time to throw on a dress and 5 inch heels than it does to put together a cute "casual" outfit.
There's just a different vibe in Dallas. I think it stems from all the older ladies with fabulous style that live in the area. There is lots of "old money" in Dallas and living about 10 minutes from SMU (affectionately known as Southern Millionaires University) also adds a certain something to the area. I feel bad if I go to the grocery store in anything less than my best outfit. It's just how it is here. So of course when I plan an evening out it involves looking my absolute best. That usually involves heels and a nice dress or something along those lines. I guess this can rub people the wrong way but really who cares!?!? People should wear whatever makes them feel great and if you feel overdressed just remember "you are not overdressed, the world is under-dressed for you!"
Some Dallas fashion. This last boy is AMAZING.
In the end I think it comes down to this. Dallas kind of reminds me of NY and Austin kind of reminds me of Cali. Both places have things about them that are fantastic but they're both completely different vibes. That doesn't mean that one place is better than the other it just means they're different and have different vibes. Austin has the whole let's go hear live music, lie out by the lake, ride bikes, rock our Ray Bans, throw on some Toms, and party thing going on. Dallas is more let's go to brunch, sip mimosas in our 5 inch heels, throw on a nice sun dress, grab my Louis Vuitton, head up to North Park, and then end the day with a lovely dinner. Depending on the mood I'm in both of these are appealing options to me and I would think that's how most people would feel.
So perhaps there's more love for Dallas in Austin than I've been lead to believe. This is what I'm going to tell myself anyway because I love Austin too much to be annoyed by a couple of a**holes that hate on Dallas. However, if it ever comes down to which place is better, Dallas wins. Why you ask? Dallas has H&M and we're getting an In N Out Burger! So yeah, be jealous Austin, be very very jealous. Now if only I could find a way to get all the boys of Austin to move to Dallas my life here would be PERFECT! :D
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