[Porchman]

From Smithsonian Magazine - October, 2008

It doesn't take long in Houston to realize that the beauty of the place is in the sky. The swamplands and fields that became the fourth-largest city in the country are almost entirely flat, and the availability of cheap land and an exuberant appetite for sprawl have kept most of the town low-slung and horizontal. So the sky seems vast, and from any parking lot you can watch big white towers of cloud sail up from the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles to the south as if they were navigating the ship channel beneath them. The expanse of sky is so wide, there's often more than one thing going on. Rain may darken the western rim while a fierce sun illuminates cloud towers in the center and a brilliant blue fills the east. How can you forecast the weather when it's doing three things at once?

View the article here.

[Subdude]

Fantastic article, thanks for that. It captures that weird thing about Houston - despite all the obvious negatives, it is a city you fall in love with when you think you never would. Although of course I'm one of those people that actually like humid climates.

[editor]

I went to LA for the first time last week, and one of the things I mentioned in the HAIF Twitter channel is how similar it seemed to Houston. Not so much culturally, but certainly in much of the infrastructure.

[bachanon]

Great article. Thanks for pointing it out.

[editor]

I just finished it, and it was great. Thanks for posting the link.

[Gary]

It's funny how those of us that came from flashier parts of the country, seem to love Houston for the exact same reasons. Many at HAIF have often talked about how friendly Houston is, which for me is my main love for the city, and it's nice to hear another non native repeat it again.

[Porchman]

Gary, on Saturday, October 11th, 2008 @ 6:37pm, said:

It's funny how those of us that came from flashier parts of the country, seem to love Houston for the exact same reasons. Many at HAIF have often talked about how friendly Houston is, which for me is my main love for the city, and it's nice to hear another non native repeat it again.

Totally agree, Gary. My relatives comment on this when they visit. I've come to take it for granted.

Glad y'all liked this. I thought it was realistic and kind (Not a combo commonly found in national media regarding Houston).
...and a bit poetic .

The LA/NO hybrid makes sense to me. I live in the Heights where doves coo, trains are heard in the distance, people wave from their front porches, and where things -new and old - pay tibute to 80(+) years ago. I work ten minutes away (in rush hour!) in a modern, Uptown building with great views of other modern, Uptown buildings.

Beyond my own take, my best man once commented how the Galleira area felt like LA. Also, I see many transplants from NO have chosen the Heights as their new home. The LSU t-shirts and flags have been very clearly visible around the hood lately. (Flags a bit limp now, though ).

[lockmat]

My friend just told me about this article tonight. Really nice honest read.

[IronTiger]

A combination of LA and New Orleans? Given how some people have strong opinions about those two cities...

Houston: You either love it or hate it!