<p>I'm planning on attending UT for the fall semester however I was raised in Houston so i'm by no means familiar with Austin. I know that I will eventually have to leave campus for necessities and maybe just to unwind so I was wondering how difficult it is getting around without a car? Are the bus systems reliable, is there a Walmart,HEB,etc.. near campus? Just things of that nature. Any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>The closest grocery store is HEB, which is about 20 blocks north of campus and is accessible by bus. For going places to unwind, you will usually do this with a group of friends or an organization. Most friend circles have a person with a car and most organizations will have enough members with cars to provide rides for non-drivers. In general, most students (and especially freshman) get by without a car just fine.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about bringing one up. And in any case, you can decide to do so later on and pay a pro-rated rate for the parking pass. Next fall is far away but I hope you’re getting excited. It’s gonna be a blast!</p>
<p>I know many friends that are perfectly fine without a car on campus. In fact, they tell me they’re glad they didn’t bring one because it could be a burden to them. They do perfectly fine by walking and taking the bus to nearby places.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hijack this thread, but I’m interested in this topic as well. How difficult is it to navigate Austin by bus, and how hard is it to get to Waterloo Records?</p>
<p>There are loads of buses that go down the major north-south roads near UT. Waterloo Records is on Lamar at 6th street. The south end of UT is in the 20th block – a fairly short bus ride. It is a fair hike from Guadalupe to Lamar, but not too bad.</p>
<p>IMHO, Biking is a great way to get around.</p>
<p>HEB is only 15 blocks north of the campus with several buses going from campus to this shopping center.</p>