High and Lonesome, by pop I meant popular music, which is at the heart of the music fest posted by an Austin booster earlier in the thread. He used the fest as a defining example of Austin's cultural superiority. That's fine. I'd certainly brag about it if it were in Columbus. But it ain't Verdi or Bach and it doesn't supercede all art. It's something unique to Austin and I applaud it, but I wouldn't want to hold it as a definition or proof of culture. The galleries I saw... and I was only on tour for a total of 3 days so my view was limited... were geared toward clever pieces and reflected the Tex-Mex mix of artistic styles. the Fine Arts/performance arts center was a first rate complex, but no more or less than the Wexler Center at OSU.
I don't want to get into a fingerpointing, tit for tat, contest. I saw Austin as interesting and unique. I consider that high praise. I would visit it again and enjoy it again. You have much to be proud of with the school and the town.
College towns are usually blessed with a unique feel to them. Austin, Madison, Berkeley, Ann Arbor and Iowa City are good examples of what I mean. They are towns that "keep" students after school... the PHD cab driver syndrome... students look at other places and say, "I'd rather stay here and scrape by than move to the big city and leave this atmosphere." I've read that emotion in several Longhorn posts, people in Dallas who wish they could be in Austin. It's a tough call. It's a bit easier to do that in Columbus because it is a big city with a bigger economy to draw upon. But the ability to stay close and lead a big city life loosenes the bond, takes an edge of the funky aspect of the town. I loved that funky feel to Austin, but I also love the big city feel of Columbus.
