Daniel_Williams

Hello,

I was excited about the idea of taking the ferry from Miami to Bimini. (I like ferry rides generally, the whole experience of getting out on the water, especially when the ferry takes me to somewhere I've never been before, there's kind of an excitement about it. Bimini would be my 3rd Bahamian isle and I have very much enjoyed my prior Bahamian experiences.) However, then I learned that the ferry runs only Friday through Sunday so that would mean I'd have to do the ferry January 2nd to January 4th, given my holiday scheduling. I could adjust my schedule to extend my vacation to the 4th, but I was really ideally hoping to do something in the December 28th to January 2nd period. I've been to Miami before, but only a quick exploration of South Beach & Downtown, so there are still things I'd like to see, such as LIttle Havana and Coconut Grove, to name two. So, the idea of that trip would be a few days in Miami and then chill by the beach, soaking in some Bahamian culture, do some biking on the island.

Then I thought, I've never been to Austin and could combine a trip there with a visit to a cousin who lives in Houston. Austin I could visit on my desired days and I could save the Bimini ferry for another year. I tend to like to go south to have a respite from the Montreal winter; by south, this has meant in the past Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, San Antonio, Jacksonville/Saint Augustine, Miami/Key West, Fort Lauderdale/Freeport and Nassau. You can see by some of the earlier destinations, that warmer does not necessarily mean temperatures in the 70s, just a place that will be reasonably comfortable (50s, 60s fine for this) for exploring/bike riding around Christmastime.

Looking at the historical temperature averages, Austin seems to fit the bill, being a number of hours further south than Dallas, I'm gathering that it's generally out of the snow/ice zone that the Dallas/Fort Worth area can find itself in? I remember when I was in San Antonio a number of years ago the same time of year, the temperatures were quite pleasant. Austin seems like it might be a fun place to be to ring in the New Year; does the city have a festive energy that time of year? A lot of people seem to love Austin so it's piqued my curiosity. (Just out of curiosity, do you find Austin to be an attractive city?)

I don't drive but will take buses, bike, walk extensively. I managed Downtown Miami/South Beach without a car in the past and based on a previous query, I think my carlessness would not be an issue in Austin either.

Solo traveler here. I enjoy history/art museums/cultural activities, exploring neighborhoods/parks, trying restaurants, but I can also find laying by a beach (sitting in a beautiful park) while reading a good book, equally enticing.

I'm down to these two choices; on the fence here, but thinking I should decide soon. Anyway, if anyone has answers to my questions three paragraphs back about Austin or wants to weigh in, thank you!

Best wishes, Daniel

starrs

Without a car, I'd definitely do Miami.

You're the master of public transportation even in areas with poor public transportation. You could manage Austin, but I think Miami is the better option - for a non-car person and at that time of year.

WickedGood

Being from about 90 miles from Austin it is a great place to visit and that time period would be no different. However a car would likely be needed to do some of the things that surround Austin that are fun.
As for weather you should be fine. About every five years or so a little day of snow occurs but I seem to remember last winter being particularly mild.
Visit the Hill Country for a day and Austin at night.

tomfuller

The fare for the Texas Eagle from Chicago to Austin is the same as to San Antonio. I never walked around Austin but have been around the Riverwalk several times including a boat ride.
If you wanted to be near the ocean in TX,. Corpus Christi would be nice.
What was it that you didn't like about San Antonio?

Daniel_Williams

Tom Fuller-- I liked San Antonio. The Spanish-English bilingual flair charmed me and this bilingual similarity reminded me more of my hometown Montreal than I thought it would. Texas does not have a reputation for being walkable and I liked how San Antonio defied that stereotype with a walkable downtown area. My only reason for Austin over San Antonio is that I've never been to Austin.

Starrs-- Master of public transportation, thank you, I like that! You're very kind. Austin's public transport options actually sound less challenging than some places I've been (e.g., visiting Jacksonville, in particular getting from Jacksonville to Saint Augustine, while do-able on public transit, required the most research and effort on my part).

WickedGood--Thanks for your advice, sounds like I'll be safe from winter travel spoilers (at least while near Austin).

Cranachin

Public transit in Austin is pretty poor for a city of its size. It exists, but it's something of a hassle to use.

You most likely would have pleasant weather, but there is the possibility of freezing or near-freezing temps. I'd worry more about ice storms than snow, but Dallas is more likely to have bad weather than Austin.

Without a car, I'd go for Miami/Bimini.

Daniel_Williams

Cranachin-- I appreciate your frankness.

Hmmm... I'd just about convinced myself to go to Austin, now I'm back to wavering.

Cranachin

Daniel,

If you have your heart set on Austin, by all means, go. The probability is high that the temps will be in the 50s, 60s, and maybe even low 70s. It's just that they COULD dip down to freezing (and there's no way to tell at this point, of course!) But it's still less likely in Austin than in Dallas, so that is in your favor.

Also, if you stay in or near the downtown area (including just across the river from it), public transit will not be as much of an issue (depending on what you want to see/do that's not in the center of town). Check out Cap Metro's webpage to get an idea of the routes and schedules.

http://www.capmetro.org/schedulemap.aspx

Daniel_Williams

I've actually (almost)decided to go to Austin; it just works better with my vacation schedule rather than waiting around for the Bimini ferry on the 2nd of January. I was wavering due to the ice storm possibility; looking at weather statistics that seems a pretty rare occurrence though, so I've decided to take my chances. I must have lucked out when I was in San Antonio a few years back when I was there December 28th or so, as the temperatures were in the low 70s. I was planning on staying central to downtown at this bed & breakfast (http://www.bravahouse.com/intro.html) so hopefully public transit will be, if not ideal, workable with the B&B as base.

One reason I decided to go with Austin, is that if I don't go during my Christmas- New Years Break, when will I go? I tend to seek cooler (temperature-wise) destinations during my summer vacation.

Thanks to all for the advice.

AustinTraveler

You picked a great location for Austin. You will be in the Clarksville neighborhood, which is very convenient to downtown. Unless you are not able to do a lot of walking, you won't really need much public transportation.

Daniel_Williams

Thank you AustinTraveler; your words reassure me in my decision. My favorite way to explore a new city is by doing walking and a lot of it!

tomfuller

If after a couple days in Austin you've seen all you want to see of it, the Texas Eagle fare is only $14 to go to San Antonio and you get 100 AGR points each way.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks tomfuller for the Amtrak heads-up...

I was thinking about the bus from San Antonio, just since they're so much more frequent and I wouldn't have to worry about delays with the Texas Eagle coming from the frozen north. However, thanks for informing me about that very reasonable fare, especially since you know I'm an Amtrak fan.

Best wishes Daniel

PS There will be Amtrak involved in my trip, just probably not the Texas Eagle. All will be revealed when I post my trip report .

Cranachin

Oh, the suspense! Can we hold on 6+ months?!?!

travelgirl2

Enjoy Austin. We live in New Jersey and just took a 5 day trip there and loved it. We considered going without a car but in the end we rented one and were glad we did so we could visit areas outside of the city as well as check out various parts of the city.

cdnyul

Do you enjoy biking?
Have you ever considered getting a folding travel bike, like a Brompton or a Dahon?

www.dumoulinbicyclettes.com


http://www.bicycling.com/news/advoca...riendly-cities

Mark