Austin has a much more relaxed atmosphere than Dallas. The lakes and hills create an enjoyable landscape. Easy access to water sports makes it feel more informal - not as informal as a beach town but more than a place like Dallas.
Austin feels softer - Dallas feels more rushed and concrete. Austin feels like a college town embedded in a major city that includes politics and business. Dallas feels like a business town.
Austin is food trucks, coffee shops, yogurt shops, whole foods and scenery. Dallas is highways, sunshine, downtown pockets of decay and attempted renewal. Will Dallas ever be able to turn the Trinity River into a recreational area to rival Austin's Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake)? Dallas does not have the equivalent of Barton Springs - the best city pool I have ever visited.
Downtown Dallas is on the upswing but has a long way to go. Once all the parks are finished and if the inconsistent patchwork of sketchy areas in downtown can be turned into safe, robust and thriving businesses, Dallas may experience a revival and transformation. Pushing it past the sins of the past and current downtown inconsistency will require a functional and aesthetic water recreation area to create a visual and spiritual facelift for the downtown core.
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