I left Austin for NYC 7 years ago. Here are 9 things I still miss about my old life, and 3 reminders of why I moved.

I moved to Austin in 2013 from Rockwall, Texas, as a high school senior, after my band and my parents broke up around the same time.

At first, life in Austin was lonely. When I struggled to make friends in community college, I started taking pictures as an outlet. As I captured Austin’s mix of urban and natural elements through my lens, my hobby transformed into a passion. This made me realize I wanted to study photography, so I looked into transferring to a university with a solid art program in my area.

Eventually, I landed a spot in the photocommunications department at St. Edward’s University in Austin. I minored in journalism and learned the ins and outs of producing a weekly college-level publication.

A media conference in New York City during my senior year at St. Ed’s reminded me of my East Coast roots. I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and spent my childhood craving a big life in the big city.

I was even more motivated to move as a musician. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to get a band together since NYC is full of aspiring artists. Once I graduated, I decided to give my inner child the adulthood she dreamed of.

I’ve spent the last seven years working as a reporter and playing music in multiple bands.

I love it here. New York feels more like home than any place I’ve lived before, and the best part is that I made it happen all by myself.

But I still think about Austin every day. I miss my family, my friends, and my favorite foods. At the same time, things like sweltering summers and limited public transit remind me why I chose a life in New York City.

New York is known for being home to many celebrities, but I’ve seen several of my favorite musicians in Austin.

Events like SXSW, a weeklong music festival that takes place in intimate clubs and pop-up venues around town, make it easier to run into your heroes.

In 2015, I saw my favorite band, Ball Park Music, play seven times around Austin — in tents, in restaurants, and on small stages. Even better, I talked to them after several shows about their experiences and musicianship. It felt surreal, and I don’t think it could have happened in a place like New York.

I’m not a driver, so taking trains in New York has given me the freedom I didn’t have in Austin, where I would rely on friends, ride-share apps, and sometimes walk upward of 20 minutes to the nearest bus stop.

Austin’s food scene is exceptional. While New York City seemingly has it all, I think Austin’s queso and kombucha are unmatched on the East Coast.

From Torchy’s Tacos to Velvet Taco, there’s no shortage of incredible melted cheesy goodness that I can’t seem to find in NYC. The closest thing is the hatch green chile queso at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn, which comes from the Austin menu anyway.

Similarly, Texas kombucha brands like Holy Kombucha and Buddha’s Brew make other renditions of the probiotic tea difficult to enjoy. The kombucha drinks I find in New York’s bodegas aren’t as refreshing as a Prickly Pear or Blood Orange Holy Kombucha. And they don’t come close to the delicious flavor of a Peach Mint Buddha’s Brew fermented in southwest Austin.

I quit drinking two years into my life in New York, and part of the reason was that a night out in NYC is expensive.

I would never dream of spending $12 on a cocktail for a night out in Texas, but that’s the norm in New York.

My favorite bar in Austin, Buzz Mill, is open all hours, has a huge outdoor patio, and serves $5 drinks infused with fruity, nutty, and other sweet flavors. Although I don’t drink anymore, I like catching up with old friends there when I visit.

Austin is in Hill Country, a region of central Texas known for its rolling landscape. Compared to Austin, New York City feels flat, which is nice on long walks. But I miss seeing hills in the distance every day as I did in Austin.

Austin is great because you get both the convenience of city living and access to miles of hiking trails that make you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.

From the Barton Creek Greenbelt to the Wild Basin Creative Research Center, Austin has more than 400 parks and trails within its city limits, offering accessible, free outdoor activities like rock climbing, mountain biking, and disc golf.

Here in New York, spaces like Prospect Park are as close as I can get to feeling like I’m not in the city anymore.

I’ve never been good at sports, but while I lived in Austin, disc golf became one of my favorite social pastimes.

My friends and I used to meet at parks like Zilker and Wells Branch to toss discs toward baskets. I appreciated disc golf because it felt like hiking while playing a game. My buds and I would spend a few hours walking and talking with an air of competitive energy.

There’s only one disc golf course in NYC that I’m aware of, so I try to squeeze a game in when I visit Austin.

One thing I miss about hiking in Austin is stumbling upon a body of water to swim in. It’s nothing like a beach day at Coney Island, but I sometimes miss swimming in the shade.

I’d rather be cold than hot, and in Austin, it’s hot most of the time.

It’s the worst in the summer, when temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While I lived there, it was so unbearable that I cut my hair just to cool off.

A cold winter makes me appreciate the spring when it finally comes around. But the bitter weather in January, February, and March sometimes makes it feel like spring will never come in NYC.

On these days, I miss the 60-70-degree winter afternoons in Austin.

When I lived in Austin, I frequently road-tripped with friends to nearby states with epic natural sites, like caves in New Mexico and canyons in Utah. I miss being able to escape to these places when I need a break from the city.

Being in the middle of a state as large as Texas means that your first day of travel on any road trip will likely consist of getting out of Texas. Much of the state is flat, making it a pretty boring drive.

Luckily, I have so much family in Austin that I get to visit all the time. And I always make time for a taco, a hike, and a round of disc golf.