Actually, I already got back.
Extra points for anybody who can deduce where I was standing when I took the picture.
But while I was in Boston and Cambridge this weekend, I heard a lot of opinions about Austin.
The most common was that Austin is a patch of blue in a very red state, or a patch of California.
Second was music. Some knew Austin has all sorts of music; some thought it was just country music.
Those who worked with technology knew that Austin had some. Quite a few realized Dell was based in the area. Many knew about the University of Texas, but few knew it was the biggest undergraduate university in the country.
One of the most amusing was the fellow from Orange County who wanted to count TV shows. There are two about Orange County, The O.C. and Laguna Beach. But there are three about Austin: the third one is Austin City Limits. The other two, well, obviously I should watch more TV, because I can't remember. I did recall since that I've seen Austin episodes of What Not to Wear and of American Idol. (Yes, I watch American Idol; so sue me; I find it a fascinating study in personalities and naked marketing.)
What's all this got to do with worldchanging?
Austin doesn't seem to have a reputation for it.
I don't remember even people who had lived here being aware of things such as the AustinEnergy 75% solar rebate. Nobody mentioned the Wildflower Center.
Ah, yes: quite a few people knew Whole Foods, because it had bought out a local chain in the Boston area. Very few knew it was based in Austin.
So what do we want people to know about Austin and worldchanging?
-jsq
