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A Tourist's View Of Houston


brian0123

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Was at Discovery Green last weekend and got an interesting perspective on our city from a couple of tourists. A couple in their 40's asked me to take their picture while they stood on a platform that said "Houston, the city without limits". They seemed completely enamored with everything and we got to talking. Here are the highlights...

- They were in town for a Puerto Rican festival

- From San Antonio, so they were comparing Houston to San Antonio and said our city is much cooler.

- Loved that we had tons of things to do late at night

- Loved DG and were amazed by our parks. They said SA didn't have cool parks like us.

- They said the coolest thing about our city is the size and how urban we are. The buildings, our boundaries, the different areas and sections. They said we aren't just a city, but a mega city like LA or NYC.

- They said everything was very clean for a big city

- The food and festivals are awesome

- They plan another visit again just to see more of Houston (esp zoo, Miller Outdoor, and parks).

It was interesting talking to someone who hasn't been to Houston before and hearing what they found cool. If parks and big things blow people's minds, I think the dome indoor park idea might be an insane tourist attraction. They seemed so overwhelmed by the size and things to do, they had no clue what to see in their weekend here... and to some extent that was what they liked.

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I stayed at the Hilton Americas the weekend the final four was in town in 2011.  A couple of people in town from the mid-west (who had never been here before) told me they liked the architecture downtown and liked all of the restaurants/bars close to the hotel/Discovry Green that were in the Pavillions.

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Not too long ago I had some friends in from Missouri who hadn't been here in a long, long time.  They were blown away by the growth over the last couple of decades, were wide eyed over the museums, and could not figure out how on earth to choose among the places to feed within the limited amount of time they had.

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We're certainly a better tourist town than we used to be.  Houston will continue to improve as more and more people move in, and different districts/options open up.

 

And comparing San Antonio to Houston is hard.  One is a big city that feels like a small-ish city, the other is a really big city that feels like a really big city (with or without the trains).  I'm not saying we're a better tourist destination, just one that has more to offer than most people realize.

 

I've traveled quite a bit over my years both domestically and internationally, and I have to tell you that I've never visited a place I'd say was boring.  Ever.  And that includes plenty of mid-sized cities, but then things I enjoy are: architecture, planning, books, museums etc. and many cities have enough of those that are interesting that it makes it worthwhile to visit.  Now if I was a huge Techno fan and also loved Broadway - then I may find Houston to be dull?

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We're certainly a better tourist town than we used to be.  Houston will continue to improve as more and more people move in, and different districts/options open up.

 

And comparing San Antonio to Houston is hard.  One is a big city that feels like a small-ish city, the other is a really big city that feels like a really big city (with or without the trains).  I'm not saying we're a better tourist destination, just one that has more to offer than most people realize.

 

I've traveled quite a bit over my years both domestically and internationally, and I have to tell you that I've never visited a place I'd say was boring.  Ever.  And that includes plenty of mid-sized cities, but then things I enjoy are: architecture, planning, books, museums etc. and many cities have enough of those that are interesting that it makes it worthwhile to visit.  Now if I was a huge Techno fan and also loved Broadway - then I may find Houston to be dull?

 

Quite right.  A visitor being bored in a city like Houston tells one a lot more about the visitor than it tells us about Houston.

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It was a New Yorker. New Yorkers are bored if they aren't in the UES, Tribeca, or the Hamptons (but not the ghetto Hamptons). 

 

I have traveled all over this country and I find every place I have been a bit fascinating. Some more than others, but nothing new is boring to me. 

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One can be bored or entertained anywhere. There will be tons to do in any city the size of Houston. If you need New York City (an amazing place by any measure) to be entertained, that sounds like a terrible attitude to have to live with.

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The best part of houston to me is the theatre district it's criminally underrated by the vast majority of the population. The biggest part of all this though is houston has a crappy landscape. It'll never be able to compete with the west coast or even east coast because of that in terms of landscape.

Hmmmm.... might have had more to do with who they were meeting than with the City of Houston. ;-)

They were here for a convention

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The best part of houston to me is the theatre district it's criminally underrated by the vast majority of the population. The biggest part of all this though is houston has a crappy landscape. It'll never be able to compete with the west coast or even east coast because of that in terms of landscape.

They were here for a convention

 

When you say crappy landscape, do you mean the flatness of the terrain or the endless vehicle oriented development?

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Guest Metro East

Slick Vic and City Kid are COMPLETE idiots. It's like listening to two 8th graders compare sucky lives while the rest of the class laughs at them behind their backs.

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Slick Vic and City Kid are COMPLETE idiots. It's like listening to two 8th graders compare sucky lives while the rest of the class laughs at them behind their backs.

I'm not a fan of what they consider "ideal" cities but insulting them isn't the best course of action.

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Guest Metro East

Insult? I was being kind. They have about as much insight, class, intelligence and dignity as 2 retarded adolescent republicans on acid infected by ebola.

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So I had a chance to discuss Houston with my new flatmate, an Italian tourism major who had spent the last few years in Hong Kong, and was in Houston (Montrose, which he described rather accurately as "alternative") as his first city in the States (it's so strange hanging out with someone who's never been a Taco Bell). Contrary to popular belief, he didn't complain about the whole trains vs. highways thing as some people obsess over, but did mention the fact that Houston seemed more "American" than cities like NYC are made out to be and was impressed by the diversity of people.

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So I had a chance to discuss Houston with my new flatmate, an Italian tourism major who had spent the last few years in Hong Kong, and was in Houston (Montrose, which he described rather accurately as "alternative") as his first city in the States (it's so strange hanging out with someone who's never been a Taco Bell). Contrary to popular belief, he didn't complain about the whole trains vs. highways thing as some people obsess over, but did mention the fact that Houston seemed more "American" than cities like NYC are made out to be and was impressed by the diversity of people.

He wasn't impressed with the diversity of New York?

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He wasn't impressed with the diversity of New York?

 

I think what IronTiger was trying to say is that NYC is perceived to be diverse, while many people from out of town may not realize that Houston is also diverse.  Remember, most people are fairly ignorant when it comes to geography - they all think Texas is just desert and cowboys riding bucking broncos.

 

You must admit that we're improving - and we all know improvements are needed - yet those changes don't happen overnight.  Houston most likely will not ever be a tourist destination like NYC or San Francisco, but we can aspire to at least be better than anywhere else in Texas!  At least on the short term (10-20 years).  Personally, I think the improvements we've made just in the past 5 years are huge.  Buffalo Bayou may not be the roaring, rapid filled river we wish it was, but we have access to it now and ever improving parkscape around it.  Discovery Green - while a little over 5 years old - is a VAST improvement on the parking lots previously at that location.  We've built (or are still building) additional light rail.  Yes, its a drop in the bucket, but you have to start with something.  Look at the level of mixed-use projects going in, these too are a vast improvement.

 

You know - NYC in 1960 was pretty much a crime-ridden hellish place to visit for tourists.  In fact NYC hasn't been the paragon of urban development until the past decade or decade-and-a-half.  They've done much to not only improve the safety issues that have plagued the city for years and years, but also added pedestrian level interactions (High Line etc) that were non-existent in decades past.  They started from somewhere.  Baltimore (another example) was (and largely still is) a dumpy town, but the Inner Harbor area is truly a nice urban zone that was previously also a hellish place for tourists anyone.  DC was the same - the Anacostia Waterfront area was for most of its life slums, and overrun with crime.

 

Point being: Every city has ugly, boring, bad areas.  Investment in the proper zones, proper developments etc. will reap rewards.  Houston is doing that.  Come back in 2020 and see the improvements.  Will they be enough?  Never.  Cities area constantly changing, constantly growing; it is why architects and urban planners exist.

 

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Houston is a great city, and it is getting more tourist-friendly. I think NYC is a good city with a lot to like, but it's got many flaws and it gets annoying when others hold it up as the gold standard as to what all cities should strive for (mostly in terms of density and trains, two things that admittedly go together) and anything else contrary to that is a negative thing.

Both Slick and Citykid, while not "complete idiots" as Metro West's sock has said, are afflicted with a "grass is greener" problem in which case they ignore their own very good city (it's not like they live in some college town like I do) in favor of NYC, which they idolize.

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Houston is a great city, and it is getting more tourist-friendly. I think NYC is a good city with a lot to like, but it's got many flaws and it gets annoying when others hold it up as the gold standard as to what all cities should strive for (mostly in terms of density and trains, two things that admittedly go together) and anything else contrary to that is a negative thing.

Both Slick and Citykid, while not "complete idiots" as Metro West's sock has said, are afflicted with a "grass is greener" problem in which case they ignore their own very good city (it's not like they live in some college town like I do) in favor of NYC, which they idolize.

NYC and cities like it are a gold standard. Not saying houston can or will reach it but if it makes improvements to get to an acceptable level I'll be ok with it. A lot is happening already in certain parts of the loop but infrastructure will have to improve with the amount of people moving here.

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When you say crappy landscape, do you mean the flatness of the terrain or the endless vehicle oriented development?

Based on the whole "west coast/east coast" I'm guessing terrain. We could do the next big thing: create giant mounds of trash near downtown and top them with styrofoam. With a little bit of forced perspective, they could look like majestic snow-topped mountains. :P

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I think what IronTiger was trying to say is that NYC is perceived to be diverse, while many people from out of town may not realize that Houston is also diverse.  Remember, most people are fairly ignorant when it comes to geography - they all think Texas is just desert and cowboys riding bucking broncos.

 

You must admit that we're improving - and we all know improvements are needed - yet those changes don't happen overnight.  Houston most likely will not ever be a tourist destination like NYC or San Francisco, but we can aspire to at least be better than anywhere else in Texas!  At least on the short term (10-20 years).  Personally, I think the improvements we've made just in the past 5 years are huge.  Buffalo Bayou may not be the roaring, rapid filled river we wish it was, but we have access to it now and ever improving parkscape around it.  Discovery Green - while a little over 5 years old - is a VAST improvement on the parking lots previously at that location.  We've built (or are still building) additional light rail.  Yes, its a drop in the bucket, but you have to start with something.  Look at the level of mixed-use projects going in, these too are a vast improvement.

 

You know - NYC in 1960 was pretty much a crime-ridden hellish place to visit for tourists.  In fact NYC hasn't been the paragon of urban development until the past decade or decade-and-a-half.  They've done much to not only improve the safety issues that have plagued the city for years and years, but also added pedestrian level interactions (High Line etc) that were non-existent in decades past.  They started from somewhere.  Baltimore (another example) was (and largely still is) a dumpy town, but the Inner Harbor area is truly a nice urban zone that was previously also a hellish place for tourists anyone.  DC was the same - the Anacostia Waterfront area was for most of its life slums, and overrun with crime.

 

Point being: Every city has ugly, boring, bad areas.  Investment in the proper zones, proper developments etc. will reap rewards.  Houston is doing that.  Come back in 2020 and see the improvements.  Will they be enough?  Never.  Cities area constantly changing, constantly growing; it is why architects and urban planners exist.

 

I like everything you said archie except that the part that says Houston may never be a tourist destination like NYC or San Francisco. Whats going to stop it from become a destination like those two?

 

Houston is a great city, and it is getting more tourist-friendly. I think NYC is a good city with a lot to like, but it's got many flaws and it gets annoying when others hold it up as the gold standard as to what all cities should strive for (mostly in terms of density and trains, two things that admittedly go together) and anything else contrary to that is a negative thing.

Both Slick and Citykid, while not "complete idiots" as Metro West's sock has said, are afflicted with a "grass is greener" problem in which case they ignore their own very good city (it's not like they live in some college town like I do) in favor of NYC, which they idolize.

I have never said that I wanted Houston to be another NYC. All that I ever wanted was for it to be a lively walkable city (at least in its core). I always use the Atlanta Metro Area as an example because its about the same size as Houston, yet they have a heavy rail subway system and for the most part most areas are walkable. I want to see Houston having areas where people can walk around go to shops, go to eat, see people performing on the streets.....etc.

 

Oh and I thought you knew that you and I were both from the BCS area?

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I like everything you said archie except that the part that says Houston may never be a tourist destination like NYC or San Francisco. Whats going to stop it from become a destination like those two?

I have never said that I wanted Houston to be another NYC. All that I ever wanted was for it to be a lively walkable city (at least in its core). I always use the Atlanta Metro Area as an example because its about the same size as Houston, yet they have a heavy rail subway system and for the most part most areas are walkable. I want to see Houston having areas where people can walk around go to shops, go to eat, see people performing on the streets.....etc.

Oh and I thought you knew that you and I were both from the BCS area?

Are you still there, there? Especially there's "grass is greener" problem from a CS perspective. In 7th grade I idolized Austin, and general discontent was there until sometime around 2008.

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I guess since NYC isn't as diverse as Houston it's only natural that he might not be as impressed...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/houston-most-diverse_n_1321089.html

Unless you go to certain areas of houston the diversity wouldn't be so apparent. And it's fair to say many don't go to those areas for whatever reason. For example, I've been to the fiesta on bellaire and hillcroft numerous times and not once seen a white person.

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Houston has great museums, great theaters, great shopping, great restaurants, great stadiums, nearby beaches, bays, bayous, forests, lakes, parks, hiking trails, biking trails, arboretums, nightlife, concerts, music, festivals, culture centers, professional football, professional baseball, professional basketball, professional soccer, water parks, amusement parks, skateboard parks, planes, trains, automobiles, big bridges, ferries, tunnels, zoos, space shuttles, orange shows, chinatowns, San Jacinto monuments, chili cook offs, gay pride parades, megachurches, battleships, camp grounds, barbecue, submarines, go-karts, fishing piers, cruises and the fastest growing, fastest changing, most dynamic construction landscape in America. Most people already know that if you are bored in Houston and can't find something to keep you entertained, its you.

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