Houston Tourism... What's your Top 10?

[totheskies]

We all know that Houston is no hotbed for tourists, but there are some pretty cool sites here, and many become more treasured by the day. And slowly but surely, our tourism sector is growing. What are your Top 10 Houston Tourism sights and activities? For transit lovers, can you find a Top 10 in the vicinity of the rail line?

[elecpharm]

Within walking distance of the rail line:

1. Minute Maid Park

2. Toyota Center

3. Museum District - Numerous museums. You could count each one individually.

4. Reliant Stadium (Reliant Park)

5. Hermann Park

6. Houston Zoo

7. Theater District

8. House of Blues

9. Downtown - For the architectural enthusiast

10. The Aquarium

These are the destinations, for me, that immediatly came to mind.

[totheskies]

Here's mine

On the rail line...

1. Discovery Green Park

2. Gulf Building (Chase)

3. MFA H

4. HMNS

5. Neils Esperson

6. Houston Zoo

7. Minute Maid Park/ Old Union Station

8. Chase Tower Observation Deck

9. St. Paul's Church (though there's several beautiful old churches in the area)

10. Sam Houston Park

Elsewhere around town/ metro

1. Space Center Houston

2. San Jacinto Monument

3. The Galleria

4. Waterwall

5. Galveston Strand

6. Galveston Pier (opening soon, but sure to be a big attraction)

7. Old Town Spring

8. Children's Museum

9. Houston Ship Channel

10. Kemah Boardwalk

11. Menil Collection

12. Bayou Bend

Things that could/should be touristy, but for some reason are just off the radar...

-The 1940 Air Terminal Museum

-The Houston Fire Museum

-The Villa de Matel

[totheskies]

My point with the thread is that we have lots of great things going on in Houston!! I was in NYC earlier this week, and yes, the city has lots of stellar sights and historical significance. But we've got some really great things too. If we did a better job at promotion, Houston could be a real tourism competitor.

[RedScare]

And, for those who believe that the rest of the country hates Houston, or thinks it sucks, I give you the survey of 21 US metro cities' popularity.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_US_042012.pdf

Houston came in 8th, tied with New Orleans and Salt Lake City with a +23 rating. 45% of respondents have a favorable view of Houston, versus 22% who have a negative view.

Cities coming in below Houston include Detroit (of course), Oakland, LA, Miami, DC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

[TheNiche]

And, for those who believe that the rest of the country hates Houston, or thinks it sucks, I give you the survey of 21 US metro cities' popularity.

I owe you a beer, troll.

[Simbha]

And, for those who believe that the rest of the country hates Houston, or thinks it sucks, I give you the survey of 21 US metro cities' popularity.

http://www.publicpol...e_US_042012.pdf

Houston came in 8th, tied with New Orleans and Salt Lake City with a +23 rating. 45% of respondents have a favorable view of Houston, versus 22% who have a negative view.

Cities coming in below Houston include Detroit (of course), Oakland, LA, Miami, DC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The biggest partisan gap is unsurprisingly for D.C. Democrats like it by a net 44 points,

while Republicans dislike it by 24, for a 68-point gap. Not far behind are Chicago

(Democrats by 61), L.A. (59), S.F. (51), N.Y. (41), Detroit (33), Vegas (Democrats by

32), Houston (Republicans by 32), Houston (GOP by 29), NOLA (Dems by 28),

Baltimore (27), Oakland (25), Boston (24), Salt Lake (GOP by 22), Philly (Dems by 21),

Seattle (17), Miami (15), Atlanta (14), Phoenix (GOP by 14), Cleveland (Dems by 11),

and Portland (10).

Huh?

[Simbha]

We all know that Houston is no hotbed for tourists[...]

I don't disagree with the spirit of your post, but I'd like to point out that Houston is the 8th most visited metro area in the country - with over 30 million visitors, comparable to Philadelphia. You know... Philadelphia... the birthplace of modern democracy and historic center of the US. Not too shabby!

[Subdude]

And, for those who believe that the rest of the country hates Houston, or thinks it sucks, I give you the survey of 21 US metro cities' popularity.

http://www.publicpol...e_US_042012.pdf

Houston came in 8th, tied with New Orleans and Salt Lake City with a +23 rating. 45% of respondents have a favorable view of Houston, versus 22% who have a negative view.

Cities coming in below Houston include Detroit (of course), Oakland, LA, Miami, DC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Tied with Salt Lake City! Woo Hoo!

[totheskies]

I don't disagree with the spirit of your post, but I'd like to point out that Houston is the 8th most visited metro area in the country - with over 30 million visitors, comparable to Philadelphia. You know... Philadelphia... the birthplace of modern democracy and historic center of the US. Not too shabby!

Visited for what?? It's definitely not for tourism. If it were then we'd have a more tourist-friendly infrastructure throughout the city. This is a huge job creator that Houston continues to ignore.

[TheNiche]

Visited for what?? It's definitely not for tourism. If it were then we'd have a more tourist-friendly infrastructure throughout the city. This is a huge job creator that Houston continues to ignore.

A lot of tourism has something to do with visiting extended families, which is a function of sheer population, demography, and (I would speculate) religiosity. These are strengths of ours.

And sure, tourism creates jobs. But...those jobs mostly suck and have very limited potential for career development.

[Montrose1100]

What little tourist traps we have in the Greater Houston area are terrible. Only because it will cost you $6 for a long neck (kemah). Also, $20 for a low quality dish at a poorly managed eatery... I'm glad Houston isnt a tourist city. What we need are attractions that are not cookie cutter themed boardwalks & piers.

Edit: I guess I should include my top 10.

1. Bayou Bends

2. Hermann Park

3. The Galleria

4. Downtown Observation Decks/Discovery Green

5. The Woodlands Waterway

6. Galveston

7. The Westheimer Strip

8. E.T. Park

9. San Jaciento Battleground

10. The Heights

These are the places I always take friends or family visiting.

[totheskies]

What little tourist traps we have in the Greater Houston area are terrible. Only because it will cost you $6 for a long neck (kemah). Also, $20 for a low quality dish at a poorly managed eatery... I'm glad Houston isnt a tourist city. What we need are attractions that are not cookie cutter themed boardwalks & piers.

Edit: I guess I should include my top 10.

1. Bayou Bends

2. Hermann Park

3. The Galleria

4. Downtown Observation Decks/Discovery Green

5. The Woodlands Waterway

6. Galveston

7. The Westheimer Strip

8. E.T. Park

9. San Jaciento Battleground

10. The Heights

These are the places I always take friends or family visiting.

I disagree... tourism and a tourism economy can be a very

A lot of tourism has something to do with visiting extended families, which is a function of sheer population, demography, and (I would speculate) religiosity. These are strengths of ours.

And sure, tourism creates jobs. But...those jobs mostly suck and have very limited potential for career development.

I disagree... the tourism industry can be a very healthy part of an urban economy when managed well. It would be very easy to make Houston more accommadating to tourists without sacrificing the things that we already like about the city. Take the Gulf Building for example. Stunning Art Deco architecture that would surely draw a crowd, but it just operates as a whatever downtown office building, and it doesn't stay open for any extended hours. Same thing with St. Paul's church, the Esperson Buildings and a host of other historic structures. These are places that would definitely be of interest to people if we only lifted a finger to promote them, especially as they creep closer to being a century old. In particular with structures like the Gulf Building and the recently renovated Harris County Courthouse and Ideson Library, we as taxpayers spent a lot of money to preserve and restore these buildings. They are tourist-ready,and we should promote them as such.

[TheNiche]

Yes, so keeping these buildings open longer would require what...an extra security guard or a tour guide, each? And maybe the City paying a little extra for extra liability insurance coverage. And what's the economic impact of that? Seriously.

There's really only one thing that needs to be done to encourage tourism, and that is gambling. And even then, that's mostly just to keep our gambling money from hemorrhaging over to Louisiana.

[Simbha]

Visited for what?? It's definitely not for tourism. If it were then we'd have a more tourist-friendly infrastructure throughout the city. This is a huge job creator that Houston continues to ignore.

I'm not sure how you distinguish between tourists and visitors; I suppose that the difference is that the latter are people who solely come here for leisure travel, while the latter includes (among others) business travelers and medical travelers. This is not an unreasonable distinction, but I'm not sure it's a useful one.

The vast majority of cities which were not purpose-built as tourist attractions (e.g.. Las Vegas, Anaheim and Orlando) don't actually see all that many pure-tourists. Sure, there are a few exceptions - probably, Paris and NYC - but not many at all.

I don't think we should attempt to turn Houston into an Orlando or something of the sort (or lament the fact that it's not). Our goals should be enhancing quality of life for residents and economic/social development. To the degree that tourism infrastructure helps us achieve these goals, then we should improve it.

By most superficial definitions of tourism, however, it's not something that is purpose-built. Sure, we could encourage development in the city that enhances the tourism experience, but most 'tourist destinations' (by your definition, I think) either have a significant amount of preserved and curated history or are known for their geography/climate. Houston has neither of these (in spades), so our tourism seems to suffer.

But, does it really? As I've pointed out on another, similar thread, Houston doesn't actually do as poorly as some people think in visitorship figures. For example (as pointed out in that link), Houston has roughly 12 million non-regional visitors per year - versus 14 million for Chicago. As Niche pointed out above, much of a city's visitorship is related simply to population and demographics.

I disagree with Niche on one point, however: that the appropriate tourism strategy for Houston would be founded on gambling. Yes, legalized gambling in Houston might draw people to the city, but this is likely to be a statewide lifting of gambling bans - and places like San Antonio and Austin are more likely to capitalize on it than Houston, in my opinion.

Instead, I would argue that a focus on technology and engineering goes to our strengths. I did a recent analysis of number of engineers by metropolitan division (where appropriate, otherwise using MSA). According to the BLS, the Houston metro has more professionals with 'engineer' in their title (45,740) than any other metro area in the country. By comparison, the LA metro division has 41,260, and the combined Bay Area has 42,760. Houston also has one of the most diversified engineering/technology employment bases in the country (i.e., they're not primarily in one dominant field).

Hardcore engineering is one of our strengths, and technology follows. We have some amazing developments here - especially in the emerging bioengineering and biotechnology arenas. If we could capture this development as a tourism strategy, we'd have something unique which could be rivaled by few cities in the world. To do this requires a coordinated effort, however - probably by the engineering/tech companies in the region, as well as organizations such as the TMC and JSC. It could be done, however - with the right mindset.

That, at least, is my opinion.

[TheNiche]

I disagree with Niche on one point, however: that the appropriate tourism strategy for Houston would be founded on gambling. Yes, legalized gambling in Houston might draw people to the city, but this is likely to be a statewide lifting of gambling bans - and places like San Antonio and Austin are more likely to capitalize on it than Houston, in my opinion.

I tend to think that the legislature would be very picky about where casinos could be placed. Galveston would see the big boon, but it'd also rescue the flounderign Del Lago Resort up on Lake Conroe and could be the impetus for some new development in the Galleria area. Any of those would be appropriately situated. I'd also expect that there would be proposals for downtown San Antonio or on Lake Travis, and that's fine. Anywhere but Louisiana!

At least we'd get some air traffic off of the connecting flights and at least the State would get to recapture some gambling-related revenue.

[Simbha]

I tend to think that the legislature would be very picky about where casinos could be placed. Galveston would see the big boon, but it'd also rescue the flounderign Del Lago Resort up on Lake Conroe and could be the impetus for some new development in the Galleria area. Any of those would be appropriately situated. I'd also expect that there would be proposals for downtown San Antonio or on Lake Travis, and that's fine. Anywhere but Louisiana!

At least we'd get some air traffic off of the connecting flights and at least the State would get to recapture some gambling-related revenue.

Perhaps - and that would be a better configuration (all around), I think.

[Pleak]

I tend to think that the legislature would be very picky about where casinos could be placed. Galveston would see the big boon, but it'd also rescue the flounderign Del Lago Resort up on Lake Conroe and could be the impetus for some new development in the Galleria area. Any of those would be appropriately situated. I'd also expect that there would be proposals for downtown San Antonio or on Lake Travis, and that's fine. Anywhere but Louisiana!

At least we'd get some air traffic off of the connecting flights and at least the State would get to recapture some gambling-related revenue.

Finally a use for the Dome!

[Pumapayam]

For all the grief you all gave me about the Menil, I would have expected it on more people's list.It's mentioned just once, and it's not even in the top 10.

[marmer]

Don't get me wrong, I love old buildings and museums and I take my out of town visitors to them. But I don't think a handful of interesting old buildings, or even including a handful of interesting late twentieth-century buildings counts are any kind of real tourist attraction. Same with the museums. If I'm in another large city and I have time on my hands, I might go to their counterparts, but that wouldn't be why I was in that city. Unless it was for car museums!

Most of the usual suspects on this list have doubled in admission price in the last twenty years. DOUBLED. I don't know about everyone else, but my income has not come anywhere close to doubling. I seriously wonder if the local tourist attractions are pricing themselves out of the middle-class market. If you're in the car, having driven a couple hundred miles with a couple of kids, is there going to be the discretionary cash to do something like Space Center Houston or even the Zoo or MFAH or HMNS?

[tomv]

Don't forget the Downtown tunnels. Visitors love those things, and they are pretty unique. All cities have buildings, parks, and museums, etc... But very few if any have an underground tunnel and skywalk system on the scale of the one in Houston.

[totheskies]

I'm not sure how you distinguish between tourists and visitors; I suppose that the difference is that the latter are people who solely come here for leisure travel, while the latter includes (among others) business travelers and medical travelers. This is not an unreasonable distinction, but I'm not sure it's a useful one.

The vast majority of cities which were not purpose-built as tourist attractions (e.g.. Las Vegas, Anaheim and Orlando) don't actually see all that many pure-tourists. Sure, there are a few exceptions - probably, Paris and NYC - but not many at all.

I don't think we should attempt to turn Houston into an Orlando or something of the sort (or lament the fact that it's not). Our goals should be enhancing quality of life for residents and economic/social development. To the degree that tourism infrastructure helps us achieve these goals, then we should improve it.

By most superficial definitions of tourism, however, it's not something that is purpose-built. Sure, we could encourage development in the city that enhances the tourism experience, but most 'tourist destinations' (by your definition, I think) either have a significant amount of preserved and curated history or are known for their geography/climate. Houston has neither of these (in spades), so our tourism seems to suffer.

But, does it really? As I've pointed out on another, similar thread, Houston doesn't actually do as poorly as some people think in visitorship figures. For example (as pointed out in that link), Houston has roughly 12 million non-regional visitors per year - versus 14 million for Chicago. As Niche pointed out above, much of a city's visitorship is related simply to population and demographics.

I disagree with Niche on one point, however: that the appropriate tourism strategy for Houston would be founded on gambling. Yes, legalized gambling in Houston might draw people to the city, but this is likely to be a statewide lifting of gambling bans - and places like San Antonio and Austin are more likely to capitalize on it than Houston, in my opinion.

Instead, I would argue that a focus on technology and engineering goes to our strengths. I did a recent analysis of number of engineers by metropolitan division (where appropriate, otherwise using MSA). According to the BLS, the Houston metro has more professionals with 'engineer' in their title (45,740) than any other metro area in the country. By comparison, the LA metro division has 41,260, and the combined Bay Area has 42,760. Houston also has one of the most diversified engineering/technology employment bases in the country (i.e., they're not primarily in one dominant field).

Hardcore engineering is one of our strengths, and technology follows. We have some amazing developments here - especially in the emerging bioengineering and biotechnology arenas. If we could capture this development as a tourism strategy, we'd have something unique which could be rivaled by few cities in the world. To do this requires a coordinated effort, however - probably by the engineering/tech companies in the region, as well as organizations such as the TMC and JSC. It could be done, however - with the right mindset.

That, at least, is my opinion.

I agree that we shouldn't bank our whole economy on tourism, because it's not a primary reason that people visit Houston. No one expects us to do that.

However, the city does very little to promote the things that we do have which could be of great interest to visitors. If someone comes to Houston and they are a big-time American Art buff, they'd probably want to know about the Moores Opera House at UofH. But if they come to town for some other reason and never find out, that's an opportunity missed. It's also an opportunity that is missed by UofH to promote it's school, or by local East End-area businesses to make some extra revenue for the day.

To me what makes the difference is that a "true tourist" comes to a destination with money to burn, and they plan on burning it. It's a big opportunity that our city is ripe for.

Don't take my word for it... check out the evidence.

Houston ranked 16th in the nation for drawing overseas tourists (that's actually DOWN one spot from 2008)...

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2011/05/houston-16th-in-us-for-overseas.html

A Chron article "Looking for fun? Tourists say it's not in Houston"...

http://www.chron.com/business/article/Looking-for-fun-Tourists-say-it-s-not-in-Houston-1615260.php

GLBT is a rapidly growing sector of the tourism industry. With Mayor Parker's election, the GLBT community is now well-informed about Houston, but it still ranks 22nd in the nation among GLBT tourist destinations. There's room for improvement there.

http://www.communitymarketinginc.com/documents/temp/CMI_16thLGBTTourismStudy.pdf

Again, no one is expecting us to become NYC or New Orleans overnight. We know that's not going to happen. But it's silly for us to just pretend like Houston's on autopilot and that no one cares either. If we took some simple, targeted initiatives, Houston's tourism appeal could improve significantly. Something as simple as better signage can make a difference!!

[totheskies]

The vast majority of cities which were not purpose-built as tourist attractions (e.g.. Las Vegas, Anaheim and Orlando) don't actually see all that many pure-tourists. Sure, there are a few exceptions - probably, Paris and NYC - but not many at all.

Neither were Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans or San Antonio, but they do handle tourists quite well.

[woolie]

I freely criticize this city all the time, but it does have a few redeeming qualities.

Ten unconventional things to do with out of town guests, in no particular order:

1. View from UHD at night.

2. Dinner in Bellaire Chinatown. Pick any restaurant, almost all of them are good because of intense competition.

3. Drive 225 to 146, cross Fred Hartman bridge. Preferably at dusk. It will help you understand Houston's identity.

4. Kemah seafood markets. Buy fresh Gulf shrimp.

5. Coffee and people watching at the garden outside Rice's Brochstein Pavilion.

6. Galveston and Bolivar ferry, if you happen to be out that way.

7. Cullen hall of Gems and Minerals, HMNS.

8. Julia Ideson library.

9. "Picnic dinner" and people watching at Central Market.

10. Ship channel boat tour.

[TheNiche]

Neither were Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans or San Antonio, but they do handle tourists quite well.

Maybe we can convince Beyonce to transform herself into a more tragic celebrity figure (because nobody likes their celebrities to age gracefully) with an estate that could be easily re-positioned as a sort of museum and/or shrine to her after she dies on the toilet. That wouldn't be contrived at all!

Or we could transform the Astrodome into a sort of grand ole' opry for heavy metal concerts coupled with state-sponsored rital sacrifices of individuals on death row. What, haven't you ever watched Metalocalypse? It'd be so brutal; we'd be a massive tourist draw for Germans and Scandinavians. They'd bring bizarre cultural practices along with them (yeah, y'all know what I'm talkin' bout), which would of course influence the local culture in an organic and genuine way.

Or we could get Tillman Fertitta to recreate Celebration, FL with a New Orleans flair on the former KBR site. It could be dubbed 'The Crescent', and it could be replete with waterfront, a contrived mish-mash of southern architecture, food, and entertainment activities, and it could even have a roller coaster for good measure. And backing up to 5th Ward, it'd even have an authentic sense of blues history made inaccessible by visceral danger.

And then we could create a retention pond somewhere in the city and obtain federal funding to run water taxis on it. And then we could line it with a prototypical urban environment. It'd be just like The Woodlands...but we'd outsmart them by building fake ruins nearby and by telling ghost stories about something or another. That'll show 'em to think that they're contrived like San Antonio. Suburban dumbasses. Oh, oh! And theme parks. Yes, we need theme parks for some reason. Not the ones we already have (i.e. Splash Town, Schlitterbahn, Kemah Boardwalk, or Pleasure Pier)...different ones. More like those that would exist elsewhere. Like a Schlitterbahn. ...wait, no! Like Fiesta Texas! Yeah. Suckage. That's what we need.

-------------

People...

Cities like Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans or San Antonio only became interesting through a natural and organic progression. Part of that has to do with history. Houston is a newer city, and it shows. We crafted our history and our identity in the 70's and early 80's, during a period of time that many American cities languished. Our identity is old enough that we're desensitized to it and young enough that it isn't established as the de facto vernacular. If other cities are any indicator, we probably won't fully accept it as our own until a fair bit of it has been erased.

But for now, Houston's identity just has to go through a cycle whereby it ages poorly enough to become appreciated again. Our time will come. It may take another fifty years to get there, but we'll mature and we will find our soul. It cannot be decreed or manufactured.

[KinkaidAlum]

Here's what I do with my out of town guests;

load 'em up with food and then get them drunk. By the end of a few days, a majority have grown (literally) to love Houston.

[marmer]

I freely criticize this city all the time, but it does have a few redeeming qualities.

Ten unconventional things to do with out of town guests, in no particular order:

1. View from UHD at night.

2. Dinner in Bellaire Chinatown. Pick any restaurant, almost all of them are good because of intense competition.

3. Drive 225 to 146, cross Fred Hartman bridge. Preferably at dusk. It will help you understand Houston's identity.

4. Kemah seafood markets. Buy fresh Gulf shrimp.

5. Coffee and people watching at the garden outside Rice's Brochstein Pavilion.

6. Galveston and Bolivar ferry, if you happen to be out that way.

7. Cullen hall of Gems and Minerals, HMNS.

8. Julia Ideson library.

9. "Picnic dinner" and people watching at Central Market.

10. Ship channel boat tour.

Excellent list! Much of Montrose and the Heights is very well seen by bicycle with a little thought to your route, weather permitting. Of course that's not really touristy.

[Pleak]

Maybe we can convince Beyonce to transform herself into a more tragic celebrity figure (because nobody likes their celebrities to age gracefully) with an estate that could be easily re-positioned as a sort of museum and/or shrine to her after she dies on the toilet. That wouldn't be contrived at all!

Or we could transform the Astrodome into a sort of grand ole' opry for heavy metal concerts coupled with state-sponsored rital sacrifices of individuals on death row. What, haven't you ever watched Metalocalypse? It'd be so brutal; we'd be a massive tourist draw for Germans and Scandinavians. They'd bring bizarre cultural practices along with them (yeah, y'all know what I'm talkin' bout), which would of course influence the local culture in an organic and genuine way.

Or we could get Tillman Fertitta to recreate Celebration, FL with a New Orleans flair on the former KBR site. It could be dubbed 'The Crescent', and it could be replete with waterfront, a contrived mish-mash of southern architecture, food, and entertainment activities, and it could even have a roller coaster for good measure. And backing up to 5th Ward, it'd even have an authentic sense of blues history made inaccessible by visceral danger.

And then we could create a retention pond somewhere in the city and obtain federal funding to run water taxis on it. And then we could line it with a prototypical urban environment. It'd be just like The Woodlands...but we'd outsmart them by building fake ruins nearby and by telling ghost stories about something or another. That'll show 'em to think that they're contrived like San Antonio. Suburban dumbasses. Oh, oh! And theme parks. Yes, we need theme parks for some reason. Not the ones we already have (i.e. Splash Town, Schlitterbahn, Kemah Boardwalk, or Pleasure Pier)...different ones. More like those that would exist elsewhere. Like a Schlitterbahn. ...wait, no! Like Fiesta Texas! Yeah. Suckage. That's what we need.

-------------

People...

Cities like Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans or San Antonio only became interesting through a natural and organic progression. Part of that has to do with history. Houston is a newer city, and it shows. We crafted our history and our identity in the 70's and early 80's, during a period of time that many American cities languished. Our identity is old enough that we're desensitized to it and young enough that it isn't established as the de facto vernacular. If other cities are any indicator, we probably won't fully accept it as our own until a fair bit of it has been erased.

But for now, Houston's identity just has to go through a cycle whereby it ages poorly enough to become appreciated again. Our time will come. It may take another fifty years to get there, but we'll mature and we will find our soul. It cannot be decreed or manufactured.

Just to add a different take on this reality check - which one of these cities would you actually want to live in to work? Memphis? The economy has sucked since cotton was no longer King. New Orleans? A job I had a few years ago, over 1/2 of the department was from New Orleans. And this was BEFORE Katrina. Houston has been sucking all the professionals from N.O. for the last 20+ years. Great for our economy. Terrible for theirs. All that is left is t-shirt shop clerks, bartenders, and street musicians. But it's a GREAT place to visit.

San Antonio's economy is a bit better - but still not on par with Houston's. And the tourist experience there was better 25 years ago. The Riverwalk is now Kemah West. What's so great about driving three hours to eat at one of Tillman's restaurants? Nashville has had a bit of a resurgence - I personally think that was due to us sending the Oilers up there, but once again - where is the money? Working for a evil, soulless multi-national corporation in Houston or being a starving-artist in Nashville and flipping burgers while waiting for the Grand Ol' Opry to call?

All of these citys have something in common. Line Niche said - they are OLD. They peaked years ago (especially Memphis and New Orleans) and are living off of ancient history. While it's cool and interesting - so is Angkor Wat - who wants to live there?

[samagon]

people visit cities to see their unique virtues, Houston has plenty...

Houston has a lot of unique virtues that no one cares about because no one told them they should care about it

Menil/Rothko; Space Center Houston; Ship Channel; Tunnel System; Feeder Roads; Hermann Park/Miller Outdoor Theater/Zoo; HMNS; MFAH; other random museums.

[woolie]

Feeder Roads