Olympics in Houston

[musicman]

While it is true that many of the 44.8 million passengers are just making connections, Houston is a large O & D city.

Additionally, we are forgetting how many airport and airline employees might want to use the rail to get to work. Continental and Southwest have thousands of pilots, gate agents, flight attendants, mechanics, etc... who would probably love to not have to pay to park at the airport. Then you throw in the janitors, the food/retail workers, FAA folks, freight folks, etc... and you are looking at two huge employment centers.

but their location won't make transit an option for most. and even once you get to the airport, facilities are spread out so a stop at the terminal will only be an option for a portion of the employees you mentioned.

[moni]

Sometimes when a place is your home, it is easy to forget how it appears to others from out of town. When I left Houston and moved to southern California I realized that everything looked so neat and manicured. Not that there wasn't rundown areas, but even the worse apartment complexes had their grass trimmed and edged and the shrubbery trimmed. I returned to Houston to visit and noticed that even the large expensive homes let their grass run away with itself. It doesn't cost very much to hire gardeners and landscape people. The city needs to do this and individuals need to do this. And, it's like when you have a nice clean house, the whole place is more appealing. Like always, this is just my opinion.

[SecondTour]

The city needs to do this and individuals need to do this. And, it's like when you have a nice clean house, the whole place is more appealing. Like always, this is just my opinion.

Well put.

[RedScare]

Moni, do you suppose that the fact that San Diego, Los Angeles, and Demming, New Mexico all receive from 9 to 14 inches of annual rainfall....compared to Houston's 52 inches....might have anything to do with untrimmed grass? I realize that you do not live here anymore, and you may not recall what sub-tropical moisture does to plants, but let me tell you. The reason the rain forests have so much growth is that they get so much rain. Same applies to Houston. I mowed my lawn 4 days ago, and it already looks shaggy.

Now, do you think that I am going to mow my grass every 4 days, or pay someone $30 every 4 days, just because those that live in a desert think it is not neatly trimmed? Hardly. I like my semi-tropical weather. I like my fast growing lawn and shrubs. But, I am not going to rush out to mow it more than once a week. This, by the way, is MY opinion.

[CDeb]

Moni, do you suppose that the fact that San Diego, Los Angeles, and Demming, New Mexico all receive from 9 to 14 inches of annual rainfall....compared to Houston's 52 inches....might have anything to do with untrimmed grass? I realize that you do not live here anymore, and you may not recall what sub-tropical moisture does to plants, but let me tell you. The reason the rain forests have so much growth is that they get so much rain. Same applies to Houston. I mowed my lawn 4 days ago, and it already looks shaggy.

Now, do you think that I am going to mow my grass every 4 days, or pay someone $30 every 4 days, just because those that live in a desert think it is not neatly trimmed? Hardly. I like my semi-tropical weather. I like my fast growing lawn and shrubs. But, I am not going to rush out to mow it more than once a week. This, by the way, is MY opinion.

No kidding. My wife gets upset because the lawn looks like hell four days after I cut it and wants me to do it again. I told her it can be 18 inches tall, but NO WAY IN HELL am I going to cut more than once a week, on principle alone.

By the way, Red, VERY well put.

[moni]

Of course you all are right. I understand the rain and also the flooding problem. When I lived in Houston, we kept our yard nice as did all our neighbors because it was a priority. Edging the lawn and the areas along the sidewalks, just makes a place look nice. Cutting grass once a week should be enough but letting it ramble over driveways and sidewalks just looks tacky.

[sifuwong]

Obviously not.

I'm suggesting that the lack of an existing, substancial, mass transit system (rail) that could handle an influx of hundreds of thousands of visitors is one of the reasons this city is often overlooked.

I agree with you 100%. This is probably the real reason Houston will never get an Olympics game. Until they do, Houston can keep dreaming.

[T 2 THA C]

We do not have another chance for years to come and I imagine more houstonians adapting to mass transit as we grow. I mean if we hosted the super bowl again this year think what out of towner's would think. H-TOWN changed alot with New freeways toll roads, and more light rail and brt stops. I believe we will have an extensive system(mass transit) by the time if we even our considered a finalist for Olympics. if ATL can do it we know Houston could do it.

[sifuwong]

We do not have another chance for years to come and I imagine more houstonians adapting to mass transit as we grow. I mean if we hosted the super bowl again this year think what out of towner's would think. H-TOWN changed alot with New freeways toll roads, and more light rail and brt stops. I believe we will have an extensive system(mass transit) by the time if we even our considered a finalist for Olympics. if ATL can do it we know Houston could do it.

During the Superbowl, many out of towners were willing to pay thousands of dollars to rent out apartments, condos, etc, near Reliant center because they knew traveling to the stadium would be a mess during the superbowl. My friend lives in an apartment complex near Reliant and told me during the superbowl week, Janet Jackson's posse lived in his complex. Jermaine Dupree was also living there. F few residents rented out their apartments for like 8-9k during the weekend.

[GovernorAggie]

I think the Olympics increased Atlanta's visibility some, and the Hartsfield atrium is AMAZING! Hartsfield is a hassle, but it's easily one of the most (if not THE most) beautiful airports around. At least they have the Olympics to thank for that as well as the Braves' new stadium.

I don't know how many of you went to Atlanta during the Olympics, but I can tell you that the entire region was dressed up. Atlanta was dressed up the most, of course, but other areas got in on the act. Alabama had metric road signs/kilometer markers, for example.

[Native Montrosian]

Since the anti-River Oaks Center preservation crowd apparently feels that any and all visitors would never want to see classic modern architecture, but will hardly be able to get off the plane fast enough to stare with wonder and awe at the new Barnes & Noble, maybe all mass transit lines should radiate from there....

/sarcasm off/

I agree about Atlanta and Hartsfield Airport, but yikes, it was big!! 15-minute walk to the rental cars, which I didn't even need because MARTA was so efficient.

[FilioScotia]

1.Improve and expand the bus and rail service

2.Let people see Houston as a place for not only business, but also for leisure

3.Clean and beatify the city (air,homeless,trash,trees/flowers etc.)

This could help, build a couple of iconic skyscrapers of course one would have to be a super tall. Its just an idea so please dont rip it to pieces.

We could spend billions of dollars building turning Houston into the garden spot of the south and building the finest Olympic facilities in history, but we will still never get the Olympics.

Houston summers are far too hot and humid for three weeks of outdoor sports activity. Our healthiest teenage football players are dropping dead during summer football practices for goodness sakes. Can you imagine how many marathon runners would be dropping in the streets trying to run 26 miles around this town in the middle of a Houston summer?

And even without that problem, and despite all the bucks spent on beautifying the town, the Olympics could still be washed away by a tropical storm or Hurricane. It could happen. The Olympics just aren't going to happen here.

I've believed for a long time that some clear-eyed people in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and other cities should get together and promote "The Texas Olympics".

The entire state could pitch in and work together to build an Olympic stadium with all kinds of facilities and an Olympic village somewhere several hundred miles inland, away from the coast where the heat and humidity aren't so oppressive.

We could also spread the events out at different venues around the state. Open up the Astrodome and Reliant Park for indoor events like gymnastics. Put basketball in Toyota Center. Have some track and field events at Kyle Field in College Station or Memorial Stadium in Austin. Texas and A&M both have very good facilities for swimming and diving events.

I honestly think it could happen if some truly determined and visionary people push it hard enough. The trick will be to let every town and every person in the state feel like they have a stake in it, and not let one town try to claim the Olympics as their own. I hope they get started soon because I'm getting on and I don't think I'll live to see it.

[Trae]

I think the Olympics increased Atlanta's visibility some, and the Hartsfield atrium is AMAZING! Hartsfield is a hassle, but it's easily one of the most (if not THE most) beautiful airports around. At least they have the Olympics to thank for that as well as the Braves' new stadium.

I don't know how many of you went to Atlanta during the Olympics, but I can tell you that the entire region was dressed up. Atlanta was dressed up the most, of course, but other areas got in on the act. Alabama had metric road signs/kilometer markers, for example.

As much as I love Atlanta, I honestly don't think they deserved the Olympics...at least not then. They bought it really (look up IOC, Turner, and CNN).

[Toggle3]

Pretend you're seeing Houston for the first time. Your first impression of Houston is not just UGLY but SCARY. The second thought is AVOID THIS PLACE and NEVER COME BACK.

It's a harsh assessment but Houston is an ugly place--physically, politically. Houston is not a place people return to without a huge pre-existing reason...like family or work. No one voluntarily chooses this city. The weather is the very least of its problems. Miami, Atlanta, Hong Kong etc., have similar weather...people LOVE those places. Even with mass transit in place, the ugliness remains.

There's just too few user-friendly areas in Houston.

[FilioScotia]

Pretend you're seeing Houston for the first time. Your first impression of Houston is not just UGLY but SCARY. The second thought is AVOID THIS PLACE and NEVER COME BACK. It's a harsh assessment but Houston is an ugly place--physically, politically.

I've lived here most of my sixty plus years and I absolutely agree. I can remember when Houston was a fun place to live and work, but then it started growing and expanding. Today, if you can't afford to live close-in where all the action is, Houston is just not a liveable city for you, and I'm including myself in that assessment. I would love to live somewhere other than the suburbs, but people live where they can afford to live, and that means my wife and I have to live 30 miles from downtown Houston.

Urban sprawl and the absence of a credible public transportation system are killing this city's urban life. I said "credible" transportation system. The one we have doesn't meet that definition.

Our local joke -- the METRO Park and Rides -- are no help whatsoever to people who don't work in downtown Houston. They only benefit people who work downtown 9 to 5. Work downtown outside those hours and you're SOL as far as METRO is concerned.

There was a time when I loved Houston and loved living here, but I haven't felt that way for a long time. I absolutely detest this city now. Our jobs are the only reason we continue living here. It's the only place we can make a decent living doing what we do, but that's going to change, very soon.

When I retire in three years, we will be able to live anywhere we want to live. My wife and I are going to get the hell out of this town and this part of the state, and the happiest day of our lives will be the day we see the Houston City Limits sign in our rear view mirror for the last time.

[713 To 214]

Urban sprawl and the absence of a credible public transportation system are killing this city's urban life. I said "credible" transportation system. The one we have doesn't meet that definition.

A reality that many here are unwilling to accept. . .from the energy companies that run this town. . .to City Hall. . .to the common man/woman on the street who is totally oblivious to how good others living in cities with dense urban environments, and "credible" public transportation, have it.

[Jax]

I've lived here most of my sixty plus years and I absolutely agree. I can remember when Houston was a fun place to live and work, but then it started growing and expanding. Today, if you can't afford to live close-in where all the action is, Houston is just not a liveable city for you, and I'm including myself in that assessment. I would love to live somewhere other than the suburbs, but people live where they can afford to live, and that means my wife and I have to live 30 miles from downtown Houston.

I can understand what you mean about how it's not too much fun living 30 miles from downtown, and I know that the inner loop is more expensive than the suburbs, but it sure is cheap living near downtown compared to other major cities. Imagine how much a condo in downtown Manhattan, or San Francisico, or Chicago would cost compared to here?

My sister lives in an apartment in Manhattan with no windows, she has 2 roommates, and the bedrooms are the size of my walk in closet. The entire apartment couldn't be much more than 1000 square feet, no air conditioning, one bathroom, and a mini sized fridge. Her share of the rent is 3 times higher than my share of the rent here in the museum district. And I have a pool, free parking, a gym, and access to public transportation. While the transportation is not that extensive, at least takes me where I really need to go. Maybe I'm just lucky. I know not everybody in Houston has all of that.

Other cities might have a better urban life, more transportation, and less sprawl, but I have found that my little part of Houston is just as livable, and more affordable than other more glamorous cities.

[editor]

Houston summers are far too hot and humid for three weeks of outdoor sports activity. Our healthiest teenage football players are dropping dead during summer football practices for goodness sakes. Can you imagine how many marathon runners would be dropping in the streets trying to run 26 miles around this town in the middle of a Houston summer?

I think the weather is the weakest argument against a Houston Olympics.

Barcelona, and Athens are just as hot and humid as Houston.

Barcelona average July/August temperature: 77/84

Houston average July/August temperature: 82/83

And if you don't know the difference between an Olympic-class athlete and some high school football player, then you need to get out of the sun.

[Trae]

Yeah, just some high school football player right editor? A lot of the kids who are dying in football games have heart conditions, or didn't work out in the summer (so too much at one time).

[Mark F. Barnes]

I think the weather is the weakest argument against a Houston Olympics.

Barcelona, and Athens are just as hot and humid as Houston.

Barcelona average July/August temperature: 77/84

Houston average July/August temperature: 82/83

And if you don't know the difference between an Olympic-class athlete and some high school football player, then you need to get out of the sun.

I about pissed my pants laughing on this rebuttle, that was too funny.

The bottom line with the IOC is $$$$$$$$$. Always has and always will be. Whoever slips the most money under the table will get the gig. That's it plain and simple.

[Jax]

Speaking of running in the heat, I see lots of people using the running trail round rice campus at all hours of the day and night. Amazingly, even at noon on a hot summer day I see people running around there more than I see people walking in other parts of the city. I think it's all a matter of training. If you're used to running in Houston, it's not a big deal. That's why athletes train in different climates depending on where they are going to compete.

[ToryGattis]

The hurricane risk is a very good point, and a deal-killer all by itself. An event the size and complexity of the Olympics simply cannot reschedule itself around a Katrina or Rita or Allison type event - or really even a basic tropical storm for that matter.

[DJ V Lawrence]

The hurricane risk is a very good point, and a deal-killer all by itself. An event the size and complexity of the Olympics simply cannot reschedule itself around a Katrina or Rita or Allison type event - or really even a basic tropical storm for that matter.

That would explain why Atlanta hosted the Olympics...

[Jax]

So I guess that means Miami and Orlando have no hope of getting an Olympics either.

[lockmat]

Our local joke -- the METRO Park and Rides -- are no help whatsoever to people who don't work in downtown Houston. They only benefit people who work downtown 9 to 5. Work downtown outside those hours and you're SOL as far as METRO is concerned.

I thought a big reason for park and rides was to take cars off the streets, to lessen congestion? Sure it's good for the environment, but it's not the main reason.

So outside of 9 to 5, traffic isn't that bad for most freeways and there's not a need for P&R's.

That's my understanding of it.

[RedScare]

That would explain why Atlanta hosted the Olympics...

...and, Tokyo, and Mexico City.

If you add in earthquakes as a deal killer, LA would be out, and San Francisco should not be considered.

[ToryGattis]

Atlanta is far enough inland that anything that might hit it would be seriously downgraded to a strong storm by the time it got there.

Earthquakes that are serious enough to really matter are extremely rare - a given city may go decades between them. And they're over in an instant.

Houston had Allison, Katrina (almost - potential tracks included us up until a couple of days before landfall), and Rita in the span of a few years. Even if they end up missing us - like Rita - the city is essentially frozen for a week or so around it. Imagine the evacuation if the city were filled with athletes, spectators, and the media. What a disaster that would be, even if the storm didn't end up hitting us.

One potential option, if the Olympics would allow it, would be to hold them in May, before the official start of hurricane season on June 1. But I've heard they strongly prefer later in the summer.

[holden]

1.Improve and expand the bus and rail service

2.Let people see Houston as a place for not only business, but also for leisure

3.Clean and beatify the city (air,homeless,trash,trees/flowers etc.)

This could help, build a couple of iconic skyscrapers of course one would have to be a super tall. Its just an idea so please dont rip it to pieces.

I agree. I went to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. If Houston is having a hard enough time with everyday traffic, they won't survive the Olympics. For example, my hotel was 15 minutes away from the main stadiaum and it took me at least 3 hrs to get there cause there was so many people.

There was hardly any slums and the city was simply beautiful. They had the Red Rock and the Sydney Opera House, which makes Houston's Jones Hall very small. No offense, I love Houston, but the city is not strong enough for the Olympics. The beaches .... was soooo beautiful. The sand was so white I thought it was snow. Galveston could never compete.

[totheskies]

Honestly, I could care less whether Houston hosts an Olympics or not, but the city's image (even by our own citizens) is horrible. It's like we're all depressed about living here, and could care less to improve it.

Trash is in every city. Homelessness is in every city. Cars are in every city. And I have to disagree... this city is very beautiful, especially compared to some of the eyesores we have around our country.

Weather is weather, and we just have to live with it. That's why the tunnel system is downtown, and why nearly 100 percent of the city is air-conditioned. I mean COME ON!! Do the Minneapolitans go outside without their coats in January and complain about the cold???????

As for our terrible public tranist... it is one of the most extensive bus networks in the nation in terms of land coverage, which means that METRO spends a lot more on GAS and vehicle maintenance than other cities. Yet still, it is $2 a day for local service busses, and a maximum of $3.50 for commuter service. Uh yeah, in Chicago you'd be paying an average of $6 a day to likely go about half the distance. I live on the east side outside of the loop (Northshore area) and I use METRO about 4 days a week to work. It saves $25 a month on my gasoline, and round-trip for the bus is only 1 hour. I would be sitting in traffice for that time anyway, so I may as well let the city do the driving!

And what if we want more coverage, and 24/7 bus routes??? Demand them by increasing ridership and sending your opinions to METRO and Harris County. Sounds simple enough.

The city is cleaning up b/c people are really starting to take care of it. Now that downtown is finally catching on to be a place for entertainment, areas all over the city will get a facelift. Don't just give up on Houston, be proud of the city, and help make it a dream come true.

[Jax]

It seems to me that people's opinions of the city are dependent on what part of the city they live in and how often they get out. I think Houston is just so big that people can easily stay in one area, and miss out on all the nicest parts of the city (which I think are mostly in the west side of the inner loop).

I keep getting comments on photos I post on flickr that are downtown or in the medical center, and people say they are from Houston and have never seen that view. I even had one employee at the Medical Center ask me what city a certain photo was of, and the photo was the medical center skyline from Hermann park. She worked in the medical center but she had never even seen Hermann Park. That stuff always surprises me.

Anyways, I agree that Houston is much nicer than most people make it out to be. If you want to see something ugly, you should check out my hometown.