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.

• When I was in Austin, I dreamed of living in New York.
• I made that vision a reality seven years ago when I moved to NYC.
• I still think about my life in Texas. There’s a lot I miss, and a few things I’m glad I left behind.

But I knew that when my skills were sharp, I wanted to live and work in New York City.

In Austin, musicians seem more accessible on a personal level than they do in New York.

At the same time, Austin is, geographically, in a really inconvenient area of Texas for road-tripping: the middle.

New York is home, but Austin will always have a place in my heart.

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.