That’s right, you’re not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway—that Lyle Lovett song played in my head while I was spending a few days in Austin recently. I’m a California girl, and I usually notice subtle regional differences wherever I travel, but Texas in particular has some very non-California aspects that I found charming. Here are a just a few…

Y’all I really love this little southern contraction. I think it should make its way into every dialect. It’s just so dang handy. The closest thing we have to it is “you guys,” which is nowhere near as efficient or folksy. I found myself wanting to use it frequently and bring it home with me.

Tex-Mex We went to one place suggested by a local friend, Torchy’s Damn Good Tacos, (no kidding!) where I had chips with queso and guacamole, alongside barbacoa beef tacos with lime, and I’m telling you, I was in food heaven. Torchy’s was just one little gem in an endless sea of restaurants, diners, hole-in-the-walls and “roach coaches” serving up authentic Tex-Mex. I’m pretty sure we could have eaten three times a day for several weeks and not made a dent in the Austin food scene.

Ladies and Gentlemen What is it about Texas that brings out the chivalry in men? I noticed they open doors, tip their cowboy hats, honor the “ladies first” code, and in general treat women more gentlemanly-like in Texas than other areas of the country. Why is that??

Boots! I’m a sucker for them, and Texans know how to do boots. Not just your average brown or black cowboy boots; I’m talking embellished, hand crafted, one-of-a-kind boots in every color, design, height and style you can think of. One shop on South Congress—Allen’s Boots—took my breath away. The coolest, most fabulous boots you could imagine. I think I may have actually drooled in that store.

You simply cannot find an unfriendly Texan. From your waitress to your convenience store clerk, you are asked how you’re doin’, where you’re from, how you’re likin’ the weather, food, day, etc. Good manners, thoughtfulness, hospitality seem bred into the population. It’s disarming and infectious. It takes a few encounters to get into the cadence of it but after a while it feels natural and somehow right to engage in a little friendly banter before getting down to business.

Music. Austin is a music town, like Nashville with less polish, my new Texan friend, Chad, pointed out. We didn’t have time on this trip to really enjoy the whole scene but on one stretch of shops alone we passed about a half dozen street musicians. Some looked near homeless, others had full-on expensive PA systems blasting. I noticed one poor down and out homeless guy playing a guitar in an alternate tuning! Only in Austin.

I’d miss California, but Texas won over some territory in my heart this past weekend.