Cities | Coffee and Cigarettes

I love cities. I love them so much that I dreamed of being an architect one day. My life actually got in the way of that dream, but I still love visiting places, and I want to continue traveling throughout my life.

Here are my favorite places that I have actually been to or where I have lived. All of them (except 2) are in Texas.

AUSTIN

I lived in Austin for 2 1/2 years from 2001 to 2003 while I attended the University of Texas at Austin. This is a city that never stops evolving and changing. Just since I lived there, the skyline has changed dramatically. If you go to Austin you might see bumper stickers that say “Keep Austin Weird.” Austin is weird, but it is also a progressive, educated and high-tech city.

HOUSTON

I spent my last two years of high school in suburban Houston and I returned a couple of times during my 20’s. Houston is a HUGE, sprawling, cultured metropolis. Honestly, it is one of the best places I have ever lived.

SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio is where my father grew up, and where almost all of my extended family lives. It is home to the Alamo, Sea World, Fiesta Texas, a handful of universities, and a great and vibrant culture. If I could recommend one city to visit in Texas, if somebody only had a few days, I would say that they should visit San Antonio.

BUENOS AIRES

I spent six months living with a host family and attending a local university in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2004 thanks to a scholarship I received from UT-Austin. This is a beautiful, European-styled South American megalopolis of around 15 million people. I was ready to come home after 6 months of staying there, but I think a shorter trip would be great for anybody who would like to experience a different and beautiful culture.

MEXICO CITY

Although I just spent 1 night in Mexico City, on my way back from Argentina (because I could only afford the plane tickets that had a day and a 1/2 layover), I have always wanted to go back to this city and spend at least a week exploring its museums, culture, and very long history. It’s supposedly not as dangerous as popular culture would lead us to believe. It’s also (I believe) in the top 3-5 largest cities on Earth. I think at one point in time, it was the largest city on Earth.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

Just 45 minutes down the road from where I live, South Padre Island is a barrier island that is considered to have some of the best beaches in Texas (maybe Gulf of Mexico?). On holidays like Spring Break, the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, this tiny island gets packed with hundreds of thousands of people. It’s better to go during a time of the year that is not a holiday!