9 things I miss about living in Austin after moving to New York 6 years ago — and 3 things I'm happy I left behind

I moved to Austin in 2013 from Rockwall, Texas, as a senior in high school after my band and my parents broke up at roughly the same time.

At first, life in Austin was lonely. While I found my feet, I turned to photography as an outlet, capturing Austin's mix of urban and natural elements through my lens.

Eventually, I landed a spot in the photocommunications department at St. Edward's University in Austin. I minored in journalism and learned the ins and outs of printing a weekly publication at a college level.

A media conference in New York City during my senior year at St. Ed's reminded me of my East Coast roots (I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut) and desire to live in the big city — a childhood craving I let go of sometime between high school and college.

I was even more motivated to move as a musician because NYC is full of aspiring artists.

I've spent the last six years working as a reporter and playing music in multiple bands.

I love my life in New York — it feels more like home than any place I've lived before, and the best part is that I made it happen all by myself.

But I still think about Austin every day. I miss my family, my friends, and my favorite foods. At the same time, things like sweltering summers and limited public transit remind me why I chose a life in New York City.

New York is known for being home to many celebrities, but I've seen several of my favorite musicians in Austin.

Events like SXSW, a weeklong music festival that takes place in intimate clubs and pop-up venues around town, make it easier to run into your heroes.

In 2015, I saw my favorite band, Ball Park Music, play seven times around Austin — in tents, in restaurants, and on small stages. Even better, I talked to them after several shows about their experiences and musicianship. It felt surreal, and I don't think it could have happened in a place like New York.

Austin's food scene is exceptional. While New York City seemingly has it all, I think Austin's queso and kombucha are unmatched on the East Coast.

From Torchy's Tacos to Velvet Taco, there's no shortage of incredible melted cheesy goodness that I can't seem to find in NYC. The closest thing is the hatch green chile queso at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn, which comes from the Austin menu anyway.

Similarly, kombucha brands like Holy Kombucha and Buddha's Brew make other renditions of the probiotic tea difficult to enjoy. The kombucha drinks I find in New York's bodegas aren't as refreshing as a Prickly Pear or Blood Orange Holy Kombucha. And they don't come close to the delicious flavor of a Peach Mint Buddha's Brew fermented in southwest Austin.

I quit drinking two years into my life in New York, and part of the reason was that a night out in NYC is expensive.

I would never dream of spending $12 on a cocktail for a night out in Texas, but that's the norm in New York.

My favorite bar in Austin, Buzz Mill, is open all hours, has a huge outdoor patio, and serves $5 drinks infused with fruity, nutty, and other sweet flavors. I catch up with friends there every time I'm in town.

Austin is great because you get both the convenience of living in a city and access to miles of hiking trails that make you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.

From the Barton Creek Greenbelt to the Wild Basin Creative Research Center, Austin has more than 400 parks and trails within its city limits, which allow for accessible and free outdoor activities like rock climbing, mountain biking, and disc golfing.

Here in New York, spaces like Prospect Park are as close as I can get to feeling like I'm not in the city anymore.

While I lived in Austin, disc golf became one of my favorite social pastimes.

My friends and I used to meet at parks like Zilker and Well Branch to toss discs toward baskets. I've never been into sports, but I appreciated disc golf because it felt like hiking while playing a game. My buds and I would spend a few hours walking and talking with an air of competitive energy.

There are only two disc golf courses in NYC that I'm aware of, so I try to squeeze a game in when I visit Austin.

I'd rather be cold than hot, and in Austin, it's hot most of the time.

It's the worst in the summer, when temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While I lived there, it was so unbearable that I cut my hair just to cool off.

A cold winter makes me appreciate the spring when it finally comes around. But in my experience, January, February, and March weather in NYC is often so bitterly cold that it feels like spring will never come.

On these days, I miss the 60-70-degree winter afternoons in Austin.