Dear someone2007. Please be careful in taking people's advice on this forum. There are many naive assumptions that posters are making in this thread. There is a HUGE difference in having your country of origin be Austria and passing through the border without any checks than to be an asylee who holds an RTD from the United States. They may also have the advantage of maybe being a citizen of the country, possibly knowing the language, looking like a local etc. Just because they think you are unlikely to be caught crossing the border doesn't mean that will be the case. There are plenty of people who have taken this risk and have missed their flights, and have been questioned and scrutinzed. Do not take such a risk.
Also, you cannot just "take your pick!" at which embassy or consulate to apply for visa at. If you belong to a nationality that requires a visa to enter the EU, then you will be scrutinized, period. The rule is, you apply for a visa where your main stay is going to be at. You must declare your intent on what your travel plans are going to be and specifically apply for a visa in the country of your main stay. If the country of your main stay is Germany, they will refuse to grant you a visa in your RTD because they will state that US RTD holders do not need a visa to go to Germany. You will need to provide details of your trip to Austrian embassy/consulate and they will issue you a visa. Once you get an Austrian visa, you are THEN free to travel anywhere within the Schengen states. Good luck.