San Diego as cheap as Austin?

No, overall, not quite, but at the rate prices are dropping, it might be true by the end of next year. The real estate market in California and Florida has been obliterated over the past couple years. It seems like it is now possible to get a condo in downtown San Diego about the same price as downtown Austin, especially once you factor in the much lower property tax rates in California compared with Texas. Not everywhere has dropped, but there are sections of the city that seem to have been cut in half. The northwest part of the city such as La Jolla seems to have held up very well, while the downtown condo market seems to have gotten destroyed.

Austin was not my first choice of cities to move to if cost of living was not a factor. I would probably choose to move to southern California or Hawaii if I had unlimited amounts of money. San Diego would be my first pick. But now that prices are rapidly coming down, I might actually considering moving again. Prices seem to have come down a lot, but rent still seems to be much more expensive than Texas, especially out in the suburbs.

Town Lake at Dusk

Downtown Bridges
Originally uploaded by lcf1976

This must be one of my favorite pictures of the downtown/ Town Lake pictures. It was taken at dusk just as the sun was going down. The lighting is just right!

Visible is the Congress Ave. bridge, the 1st bridge, Silicon Labs, the CSC building, the brand new AMLI apartment towers, as well as a large tower under construction (I don't remember the name at the moment). Also visible is where I currently live, the Milago, which is visible in the distance. Behind it is Legacy at Town Lake, which is going to be a luxury apartment complex.

This was shot on a Yashica 6x6 medium format TLR on Fuji Velvia. I might get this drum scanned and printed big! :)

Shot From The 360...

Here is a beautiful shot of downtown Austin from the top of the 360 condominium tower. This is currently the tallest building in Austin. The view is spectacular here! You can see all of downtown Austin in a 360 degree field of view. I just love the feeling of being high up in a skyscraper. It's a feels peaceful and exhilarating observing everything that is happening in the city from that vantage point.

  

Celebrating the Opening of the 360 Tower...

The 360 tower celebrated its opening last Thursday. It was an invitation only party for the owners of the building plus their guests. I found out about the party thru AustinTowers.net and I knew my neighbor at the Milago purchased a unit, so I used his ticket to get in and bring a couple friends. The building has been an amazing success. They have sold out all 430 units and have a waiting list of 215 units. It's success has been the result of good timing, a great location, and good pricing. The building is 44 stories tall and now is the tallest building in Austin, beating the Frost Bank tower by 50 feet.

Also, the Shore condos has opened to residents as well. This is a 22 story building near the Milago where I live. Austin skyline will be undergoing some major changes over the next few years.

The picture on the left shows the completed 360 building. The building towards its left is the Monarch, which is a brand new luxury apartment complex that is nearing completion.