What is Houston?

[nmm]

Theres not ,uch ado in Houston.

What is Houston?

[VicMan]

Yes, there is. It's called Galveston Schlitterbahn. Or maybe Spring Splashtown?

Boy, I love popping that argument.

As for what Houston is? Houston's a hodgepodge of urban lofts and suburban-style houses.

[TheNiche]

i post here on and off, im a student @ Cullen College Engineering at UH studying Civil/Environmental Engineering

anyways, im hearing that the six flags they tore down is to become a set of townhomes.

what a lode of crap -

:start rant:

there is now NOT ONE THING in this damn city of 2,000,000 where you can take out-of-towners to.

Yes we have the galleria, but so does Dallas. And im sure shopping is much trendier in NYC, LA, London, Miami, or Chicago.

The galleria is reserved for the Houston metro area, and is nothing special in the long run

and NASA is a sorry POS.

:end rant:

So whats to become of this city?

In my honest opinion, Houston is getting tried and tiring.

All cities of the US have some "culture" to them

NYC

Chicago

LA

Miami

Philadelphia

Seattle

When you think of these cities, you imagine distinct characteristics of each one. Seattle has a nice downtown set in a beatiful environment; Chicago has arguably the best skyline in the world; Philly is plush with American History; LA conjurs images of Hollywood and glamour, and Miami is all about the beach. Not so for Houston.

What is Houston?

Houston is anything you make of it.

For instance, if I have a visitor that stays four days and three nights, then every meal will be of a different ethnicity. AUTHENTIC Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Indian, and Greek. I could keep on that pattern for a week and not run out of options. Notice that I hadn't even gotten down to the regional cuisines, like BBQ, Tex-Mex, or seafood straight from Galveston Bay. Hell, for the connosuier of such things, I could easily treat a guest to a week of nothing but BBQ from all the great places we have in town. Let them know why we're so frequently chosen as the fattest of cities.

Canoe the Buffalo Bayou from Memorial Park or even further upstream down to the new landing at York. There's absolutely nothing like coming up to Downtown from that vantage point.

If the person is one of the artsy types, then do the Menil Collection.

Drive them out SH 225. Show them what this town was built with...and if you want revolutionary history (like with Philly), then do the Sam Houston monument. Its taller than the Washington Monument-because of course, everything here is.

If all else fails, try out Galveston. If you're so concerned about the loss of Astroworld, they're about to get a new Schlitterbahn...and then of course, there's the Strand. If you educate yourself on the history of Galveston, and I'd recommend the book Isaac's Storm for that purpose, it makes for good storytelling.

Ok, so I imagine that you're thinking that these things aren't impressive enough for your guest? You want something more uppity and glamourous. Well that's too bad. Houston is what it is...a great place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit here.

[Gary]

Why is anyone responding to this thread

[Guest danax]

i post here on and off, im a student @ Cullen College Engineering at UH studying Civil/Environmental Engineering

anyways, im hearing that the six flags they tore down is to become a set of townhomes.

what a lode of crap -

:start rant:

there is now NOT ONE THING in this damn city of 2,000,000 where you can take out-of-towners to.

Yes we have the galleria, but so does Dallas. And im sure shopping is much trendier in NYC, LA, London, Miami, or Chicago.

The galleria is reserved for the Houston metro area, and is nothing special in the long run

and NASA is a sorry POS.

:end rant:

So whats to become of this city?

In my honest opinion, Houston is getting tried and tiring.

All cities of the US have some "culture" to them

NYC

Chicago

LA

Miami

Philadelphia

Seattle

When you think of these cities, you imagine distinct characteristics of each one. Seattle has a nice downtown set in a beatiful environment; Chicago has arguably the best skyline in the world; Philly is plush with American History; LA conjurs images of Hollywood and glamour, and Miami is all about the beach. Not so for Houston.

What is Houston?

If Houston is "the suck" then now then we were "the suck" before they tore down Astroworld. I'd say a lot of people would agree with me that Astroworld was "the big suck" unless you were a kid. So that would make us less "the suck" now.

Once you get behind the stereotypes and superficialities of those other cities, you're left with just reality, and our reality isn't much better or worse than every other Gamma level city. We've never had much in the way of tourist attractions and probably never will, and maybe it's because we're not trying to "suck up" to the rest of the world.

I agree with you though, there's no one thing to put your finger on to define Houston. And that's it right there.

[TheNiche]

Why is anyone responding to this thread

I don't know. Why did you respond?

[RedScare]

there is now NOT ONE THING in this damn city of 2,000,000 where you can take out-of-towners to.

Hmmff. Maybe you have a point.

I think I'll go out for a beer.

[jgs1419]

Dude, when you graduate, move.

After NYC has broken your bank account paying for a 200sf loft, D.C. has broken your spirit with a culture of entitlement, you figure out that everyone in Philadelphia hates you, the wind in Chicago removes portions of your epidermis, you figure out you're not good looking enough for Miami and not corrupt enough for New Orleans, too smart for all of Mississippi and Alabama, too dumb for New Hampshire and Vermont, have too small a view to live out West and not narrow minded enough for Dallas, don't come back here. We suck and we don't want you.

Love,

Houston

PS: I understand Orlando has a couple of nice theme parks. Take your dweeb friends to Florida. You can share a room.

[Saddleman]

Shouldn't this be in off topic? Maybe way off topic?

[DJ V Lawrence]

anyways, im hearing that the six flags they tore down is to become a set of townhomes.

what a lode of crap -

Where did you hear that? I haven't heard of anything being set in stone yet...

[Jeebus]

Dude, when you graduate, move.

After NYC has broken your bank account paying for a 200sf loft, D.C. has broken your spirit with a culture of entitlement, you figure out that everyone in Philadelphia hates you, the wind in Chicago removes portions of your epidermis, you figure out you're not good looking enough for Miami and not corrupt enough for New Orleans, too smart for all of Mississippi and Alabama, too dumb for New Hampshire and Vermont, have too small a view to live out West and not narrow minded enough for Dallas, don't come back here. We suck and we don't want you.

Love,

Houston

PS: I understand Orlando has a couple of nice theme parks. Take your dweeb friends to Florida. You can share a room.

EXCELLENT POST.

[Montrose1100]

Oh you right, this city has nothing unique at all... no character!

Dallas' Galleria is "The Suck" (I'll add that to "Myspace Lingo") compared to ours. They don't have the same shops. Usually, all the higher-end shops are spread all throught the DFW metro.

Its not like the City of Houston forced Six Flags to move so they could allow the developement of "townhomes".

NASA is wonderful, it depends on your interests though! I mean, if your a college student, NASA might seem boring, unless you enjoy learning about space exploration.

Houston is "Tired"?

-Since when are we a night club? and when were we cool? Please oh master of the cool, let us all know so we can reflect back to our time of utter coolness, this pre-tired Houston you speak of.

Geez, Culture and Houston? No way! Being one of the most diverse, its an oxymoron to say we lack "Culture". Its a loose term, and it varies on who uses it and what for.

Your seriously comparing us to NYC? Chicago, LA, Miami, Philadelphia, and Seattle? Last time I checked, Houston was great NOT being like these cities. Whats so great trying to be a carbon copy of another city? I don't get it. Please inform me on how Houston would be NOT the sucks if it tried ever so hard to be like these cities. And name 2 major cities over a million in population that are carbon copies of each other? Seriously, move away, I doubt we would be losing anything special.

Your opinions on other cities (including this one's) are different from others, so don't present them as facts. Not everyone likes Seattle's setting, Chicago's Skyline (since when do a skyline make a city?) Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in this country, so DUH they have History... Sorry We were founded in 1836, because anything not over 200 years old is suddenly so cool. LA is Hollywood, it can present its self to be everything you want to take from it. Miami has a beach? I've seen MUCH nicer beaches, and they didn't have a big skyline or 5 million people attached to it... Why does every city have to present such an image of perfection or 99.9% satisfaction?

If you don't know where to take out-of-towners, then you obviously don't know the city. God forbid we don't try to allure Movie Stars & Film Production... Even worse, that we were not the capital of the nation at one point! (How embarrasing!) We should all just kick ourselves right now because we don't have a Skyline the size of Chicago... Infact, any city without a skyline like Chicago's, might as well not exsist. No city can have it all. Obviously your "Ideal" city has the following:

A billion Skyscrapers, over 20,000,000 in the metro, a founding date in the 1600's, Where all the movie stars live, and a nice Beach.

Infact, I will hit myself right now for all of the city of Houston. I sincerely apologize for Houston being the sucks. Maybe if Paris Hilton told the world how cool Houston is, you would be talking about another city, and include us in your "Why can't we be like them" thread.

[DJ V Lawrence]

NMM, did you start this thread just to get booed? U wouldn't be the first person. There was a dude a few months back that got beat the %$# up by HAIF for talking bad about H-Town just to get more hits on their website.

Though I respect the fact you haven't tried putting up a link or something, what exactly is it you want to see improve. Or is this just a "I'm fustrated, menustrating, and forgot my Tampax at Thanksgiving Tower" thread? Clarification needed...

[MidtownCoog]

Does NYC or London have a them park 8 miles from the city center?

[TJones]

Nmm, did you think they were going to tear down Six Flags to build ANOTHER theme park in it's place ? Would you really take your "out-of-town" guest to Astroworld as representative of Houston's "culture" ? You, my boy, are a wee bit confused. Lucky for you, you will probably get a nice education and be able to move to any of the above cities you mentioned to get a job and won't have to be embarrassed when "guests" come a callin'. Just remember, you are always welcome to come back, because that's just the way we here in this crappy little hick town of Houston ARE !

[sevfiv]

NMM, did you start this thread just to get booed?

trolling perhaps?

i have had the "houston is boring" feeling before, but then i took my arse out of the house and it went away.

[groovehouse]

Let's see what else Houston has to offer...

over 8000 restaurants

some of the finest museums this side of the Mississippi

-The Menil Collection

-Houston Museum of Fine Art

-Contemporary Arts Museum

-Childrens Museum

-Houston Museum of Natural Science

------just to name a few

Antiques and cool shops in The Heights (19th Street)

Huge indoor Asian shopping center

Booming downtown nightlife

Booming midtown nightlife

Eleanor Tinsley Park

Memorial Park

The Houston Arboretum (a huge nature center in the middle of the city)

Tour of Downtown's tunnel system

While we may not offer more than some other major cities, we do offer a lot.

[webdude]

I always thought houston was a better place to live rather than visit compare to other cities, that's why I am moving there.

But some of the reactions here are pretty strong. Might make people think tha t deep down, we really think the criticism is true. We should just be calm about it.

(I said 'we' even even though I haven't move there yet, but feels like I am already there.)

[Jeebus]

The only negative things I can even think of for Houston are:

1. Heat/Hummidity/Mosquitos - The deadly tri-fecta

2. No Zoning (strip-malls)

3. Lack of urban-planning (sprawl)

What else is there really to complain about here? The traffic is only bad if you don't take the time to read a map. Other than that, I can't think of anything worth griping about.

[RedScare]

The only negative things I can even think of for Houston are:

1. Heat/Hummidity/Mosquitos - The deadly tri-fecta

2. No Zoning (strip-malls)

3. Lack of urban-planning (sprawl)

What else is there really to complain about here? The traffic is only bad if you don't take the time to read a map. Other than that, I can't think of anything worth griping about.

You left out crybaby college kids, who blame their lack of personality and sense of adventure on everyone but themselves. That's a pretty big negative. If we could get rid of them, people might think Houston is a decent place.

[Gary]

I always thought houston was a better place to live rather than visit compare to other cities, that's why I am moving there.

But some of the reactions here are pretty strong. Might make people think tha t deep down, we really think the criticism is true. We should just be calm about it.

(I said 'we' even even though I haven't move there yet, but feels like I am already there.)

I still don't understand why anyone is responding to this guy.

[west20th]

"Houston is the suck"? Yes, I can see the lack of culture here must be devastating to a worldly person such as yourself.

[KimberlySayWhat]

the wind in Chicago removes portions of your epidermis

[Highway6]

NMM has not made a remark since his initial post.

We have no reason to defend our city against such a troublemaker...

Lets let this thread fade away.......

[Montrose1100]

But some of the reactions here are pretty strong. Might make people think tha t deep down, we really think the criticism is true. We should just be calm about it.

(I said 'we' even even though I haven't move there yet, but feels like I am already there.)

Well, It just gets annoying hearing "Waaaa.... There is nothing to do!!" when it comes from people who probibly never leave their community. And it always makes me sick when people go goo-goo/gaa-gaa over other cities because they have <insert the 1 item that stands out for the city here>... and so on.

[nmm]

Each city defines itself, what defines Houston?

[TheNiche]

Even worse, that we were not the capital of the nation at one point! (How embarrasing!)

For your information, we WERE the capitol of a nation at one point...our very own nation. And even after Austin stole that title from us, we would have become the capitol again if it hadn't been for that sniveling bastard, Capt. Mark B. Lewis.

hey

dont take it so damn personally you guys.... :?

i guess there isnt much for a person like myself to do in the city, except for the museums we have.

anyways, each city has something that defines itself, something unique. i just thought Houston, for being the "4th biggest city" in the USA would have a distinct personality/culture from other cities.

More or less, its just a commercial city.

dont freak and take it so personally.

btw - is this board mostly filled with architects or engineers?

You need to broaden your horizons. When was the last time you ate at an ethnic restaurant along Bellaire Blvd.?

I think we come from all walks of life, but I'd imagine that there are a disproportionate number of folks in some way connected to the real estate industry.

[nmm]

I am sure Houston will grow on me soon.

[groovehouse]

dont take it so damn personally you guys.... :?

You have to expect us to take it personally when you post on a Houston based message board and flat out call our city "the suck"

You want to call our city "the suck" and get positive replies? Then go do it on a Dallas message board, otherwise doing it here, you're just going to get called a troll and get jumped on.

btw - is this board mostly filled with architects or engineers?

I'm neither. I'm a resident and a Houston enthusiast.

Think about what you are posting before hitting the submit button.

[N Judah]

Hah, the board is sitting here telling him to broaden his horizons and it turns out the dude has lived all over the world. I can easily see how he'd get bored in Houston. It's all relative.

You left out crybaby college kids, who blame their lack of personality and sense of adventure on everyone but themselves. That's a pretty big negative. If we could get rid of them, people might think Houston is a decent place.

Going after college kids or people who have been to college is also something you find in Houston moreso than in most other big cities. I have no idea why.