Lived in Austin (Hyde Park), loved it, but it felt like I was constantly bidding up the price of things that used to be appealing because they were so fun, simple, and cheap.  Barbecue, housing, Mother&#x27;s, breakfast tacos...  When I left in 2010, the only part of the city that still felt real and vital to me was Lamar north of Central Market.  The part with the stip malls.