Learning to love SXSW

Anyone living in Austin knows that SXSW occurred last week over Spring Break. Before last week, I had only been to SXSW once before and it left me with memories of good music, but also those of over-crowdedness, smelly people, blazing heat, and being in a bar full of people with strange beards. I think the fact that I was unprepared for it and later had to schlep through traffic back to San Marcos clouded my judgment of this festival. Now I live in Austin. My memories from the previous SXSW left me agitated the weeks leading up to it this year. All I could think about was how crowded Austin was going to be, how I was going to be unable to go to my favorite places, and how I was going to have to be visually assaulted with an onslaught of hipsters from all over the country (and other parts of the globe).

I have to say, that I was pleasantly surprised last week. I actually enjoyed SXSW and the changes that happen in Austin because of it. First of all, I enjoyed that I shaved about 10 minutes off my commute to work because so many people left for Spring Break vacation and others left to escape SXSW. I loved that I did not have to dodge insane drivers downtown because most people chose to bus, walk, or bike to get where they needed to go. I also enjoyed the camaraderie of it all. The overall attitude of downtown changed. People were friendlier than usual and more laidback. When I finally decided to dip my toe in the actual SXSW festivities, it was on a double date with a fellow AmeriCorps member. It was nice to bond with her as an individual and as couples with our respective partners. What I enjoyed most was seeing the little bits of Austin that I never get to see because I am racing past them on my daily commute. In particular: Sandy’s Hamburgers. My favorite part of the evening was sitting at Sandy’s, laughing and having nice (and often hilarious) conversation while eating fries and milkshakes with music from Auditorium Shores in the background. Last week taught me to have more respect for SXSW and for Austin. I welcome it again next year.