BullCreek

Austin allows outdoor lovers to live and work in a city, which is a hard-to-find aspect of city life that has come to define Austin's character. It's not fair to have a dog in a big city. If this is true, then how does Austin seem to have the happiest dogs on earth? It boils down to that fast-paced, relaxed, concrete, green lifestyle that us Austinites don't even think twice about. This dawned on me when I was sitting at home trying to come up with a place to choose for this project. I was sitting there, and my two dogs, Jake and Sammy, came and sat at my feet and stared at me. They knew it was the weekend, and they had decided that it was time for their trip to the creek. Succumbing to their demands, I drove down the highway in stop-and-go traffic, and a quick turn was all it took to get me to my dogs' favorite place. As I drove down the dirt road, my dogs started barking in excitement; they knew where we were headed. They are definitely not city dogs. With the noise of cars zipping down the highway to my right and the sound of running water to my left, I made my way to the creek, passing multiple signs politely asking to pick up after your dogs or keep them on leashes. Once you get to the creek and are lost wandering along the trails, the only sounds you hear are the water and the birds. The sights and sounds of Bull Creek somewhat contradict the fact that the creek and trails wind alongside busy highways and rapidly developing businesses and communities.

 I passed seven other dogs in the first five minutes of being there; the people accompanying the dogs definitely not looking like New Yorkers. Just by glancing at the dogs happily trotting along with muddy paws and wagging tails, you could tell that these weren’t the small, yappy dogs of normal city life. Austin is known for being an extremely dog-friendly city, and I think that this is a reflection of Austin’s culture. The presence of so many well-taken-care-of four-legged friends inadvertently points to the high number of outdoorsy, nature loving, environmentally conscious people living in Austin. The types of people that I just described are usually go-getters and like to get involved in their communities for the best. The presence of these people is what keeps Austin vibrant and unique. It is also what makes Austin one of the most sought-after cities to live in now. When hanging out at the creek, these friendly people are more than willing to start up a conversation, such as how to make your car stop smelling like wet dog. You can spot people from all walks of life along the creek, ranging anywhere from hipsters hanging out on the rocks, to old men getting in their exercise, to businessmen walking their pooches, to small children splashing in the water, and to seventeen-year-old girls doing their English project. The one thing that all of these people have in common is their love of the outdoors. They desire to escape the confines of the city, and can find that escape within 5 minutes from where they work. This shows how Austinites have been able to keep themselves from getting stuck in the monotonous routine of daily city life and break free from the machine. Being in nature alone with my thoughts keeps me sane and, I think, that the availability of this retreat to the people of Austin could very easily be why so much creativity lies within the city’s boundaries. 

Sammy

Jake

The coexistence of urban and natural spaces within walking distance of each other is a defining characteristic of Austin. When you visit other cities, you may notice how every inch of the space is paved. Because of the large populations in the small area of a city, the most efficient use of the space is to cover the entire area with buildings and establishments, and then build upward. Austin has made a conscious effort not to do this. There is a huge importance of natural spaces to the culture of Austin. My personal favorite is Bull Creek.