Late Night Thoughts on Sixth Street

Even though Dallas is a bigger city than Austin, I feel like I just fell off the hay wagon when I walk down Sixth Street on a busy Saturday night. I also feel old, even though I’m only 31. Still, it can be fun, especially if I’m with good friends.

I went to Michigan State, a school that is comparable in size to the University of Texas. But as college towns go, East Lansing is not comparable to Austin. East Lansing has maybe a dozen bars total. Austin had more that than on every block. East Lansing’s city leaders want the youthful energy of a major university without the youthful misbehavior that comes with it. This repressed energy then comes out in periodic riots. On the other hand, Austin is more tolerant of bad behavior, shutting down Sixth Street every weekend to allow for a crazy-but-controlled environment.

These were the thoughts that ran through my head as my friends and I wandered through the back door of a bar late on New Years Eve. In the maudlin thoughts of drunkenness, I wondered what it would have been like to go to school here instead. I have no regrets for my past decisions, but sometimes it’s fun just to wonder “what if”.