Police?

Something up?

@D.Hutchinson Are you planning to come to Austin and do something illegal?

@Catija haha ... no ... I'm watching the news ... on Facebook

:(

2 or 3 bomb packages apparently in Austin

2 dead over the last 10 days, I think ...

just wondering how close you are to that ...

@NVZ there's a bomber in Austin, currently ...

well, packages -- not sure whether he lives in Austin

Austin is not huge in population but it's pretty big in land size. I'm nowhere near any of those.

ah, I see ...

According to Google, Austin's land area is 270 ish square miles and NYC proper is 305...

Oo I see ...

Austin probably feels bigger than it is in land area because the population density is so small

Also the land area of NYC proper includes all of Queens county, most of which isn't really NYC

@Rainbacon I grew up in Queens :)

it's gotten expensive to live in Queens now ...

@D.Hutchinson Depending on where you live, yes. I know Astoria and LIC have gotten crazy expensive. I lived in Rego Park for a year and it wasn't too bad.

Eastern Queens (out past Flushing) is probably not too expensive, but then you don't have access to the subway, so I don't really consider it part of NYC even though technically it is.

yeah, my parents live near Rego Park -- a couple of blocks from Queens Center Mall ...

Flushing sucks ... except when it's time for the U.S. Open ...

It's not bad if you like Chinese food. It is bad if you can't read Mandarin

yeah ... true ...

relatively cheap Korean bbq in Flushing, too ...

I didn't know anything about Flushing the first time I went there. Got off the train and was slightly surprised that there was nothing written in English

yeah ...

The multicultural aspect of Queens is my favorite thing about it, actually it's about the only thing I liked about it. I always felt like I was so far away from everything I wanted to do.

@Rainbacon exactly my feelings, too ...

I've been living in the East Village for many years now ... and I like being within walking distance - or a 10 minute cab ride - from everything that I need ...

are you familiar with the FDR Drive?

you can get from downtown manhattan to the UES in like minutes ... via the FDR Drive -- it's a very fast highway :)

Yeah, I live east of 1st ave. I usually take FDR drive up to the triborough bridge to get to LaGuardia

ah, nice

Other than going to the airport I try to avoid being in a car. I try to walk or take the subway, the bus if absolutely necessary

I see ...

the 1st / 2nd avenue express buses are pretty fast, though -- the one's where you just hop on and hold onto your ticket ...

reminds me of backpacking around Europe ...

with the exception of Paris and London ... every train or bus service I used in Europe, there was never a line to get on ...

I do use the bus on 1st ave fairly often to visit a friend who lives in Harlem

nice

@Rainbacon I have a new IPS question that I'm considering posting ...

I wonder whether I should do some brainstorming here in chat ... or just post it ...

hmm ...

hi @drawde83

hi