AFS Cinema
Why Not Vacation in Austin?
RECEIVED Wed., April 1, 2009
Dear Editor,
As temperatures continue to rise through April, many Texans will begin to plan their trips to a more desirable climate. I am all for a camping trip to Colorado; trust me, I have spent many a summer driving north toward Dalhart and Texline, then onward through Clayton and Raton in New Mexico. On an old wooden plank, the sign reads: “Welcome to colorful Colorado.” Here in Austin we have a sign posted not on a worn-down wooden plank but on the backs of many. Honestly, I am sick of the saying; I am tired of seeing it everywhere I go. Listen to me, the town in which I grew up in is not “weird.” It’s not even close. Austin is “home.” We should conduct a survey of everyone who owns a “Keep Austin Weird” shirt. I’m quite sure that the results would show that the majority of the trendy shirt owners are either recent transplants or tourists, who are all contributing to my MoPac’s (Loop 1 to you tourists) 4 o’clock traffic. Tourism, although it creates good business for many, also creates some problems.
So here it goes. To my fellow Austinites: I challenge you. Instead of traveling north during the warm months that follow, try taking off your “hip” shirts and jump in the lake while there is still water in it.
Even though I’m sick of the T-shirts, I fully agree with the mission. During this economical and ongoing environmental crisis that we are all a part of, I feel that we should keep our resources stateside. The mountains northwest of us will always be there, but the cool refreshing waters of our area lakes may not. The beginnings for a global economy boost must first start locally.
As temperatures continue to rise through April, many Texans will begin to plan their trips to a more desirable climate. I am all for a camping trip to Colorado; trust me, I have spent many a summer driving north toward Dalhart and Texline, then onward through Clayton and Raton in New Mexico. On an old wooden plank, the sign reads: “Welcome to colorful Colorado.” Here in Austin we have a sign posted not on a worn-down wooden plank but on the backs of many. Honestly, I am sick of the saying; I am tired of seeing it everywhere I go. Listen to me, the town in which I grew up in is not “weird.” It’s not even close. Austin is “home.” We should conduct a survey of everyone who owns a “Keep Austin Weird” shirt. I’m quite sure that the results would show that the majority of the trendy shirt owners are either recent transplants or tourists, who are all contributing to my MoPac’s (Loop 1 to you tourists) 4 o’clock traffic. Tourism, although it creates good business for many, also creates some problems.
So here it goes. To my fellow Austinites: I challenge you. Instead of traveling north during the warm months that follow, try taking off your “hip” shirts and jump in the lake while there is still water in it.
Even though I’m sick of the T-shirts, I fully agree with the mission. During this economical and ongoing environmental crisis that we are all a part of, I feel that we should keep our resources stateside. The mountains northwest of us will always be there, but the cool refreshing waters of our area lakes may not. The beginnings for a global economy boost must first start locally.
Aubrey Gill
