Houston Ranked as World's 2nd Most Boring City to Visit

[barracuda]

I think that there's a communication problem, here. Allow me to define a place like Austin as lacking a soul, being the "on-beat", conforming to expectations, and being a really exciting city for really boring people (hill country aesthetics notwithstanding).

Austin is generally accepted as a good tourist destination and place to live because folks who compile "best of" lists frequently include it in their list of cities they probably never actually visited but saw in someone else's "best of" list.

Houston encompasses a lot of genuinely "off beat" "quirky" neighborhoods. And I'm not talking about Montrose or the Heights. Those places are utterly boring.

Despite the homogenization and gentrification, Montrose still has some character left. I know people from the suburbs (Katy and Sugarland) who are afraid of the Montrose area, so for them it's genuinely off beat and quirky.

And the Heights is just a residential neighborhood that is conveniently located and has more charm than most beige-on-beige recent construction communities. I'd guess it's off-beat for most folks, since there's little reason to visit unless you live in the Heights.

The ones I'm talking about will never be marketable to the masses (in part because the masses fear cancer). Most people will never know about them. This was something that I really put together when I was censusing. Think: deer skulls in the trees, glaring down at you. Think: a prostitute with fourteen male roommates, unhesitantly welcoming you into their abode. Think about a small town where seemingly everybody knows each other...embedded within the City.

All those things disappear as the neighborhood becomes more desirable. In my previous neighborhood, there was a modeling studio in a small bungalow across the street, next to an old apartment building that was frequented by crack addicts. Shy young Asian female prostitutes would venture out in the spring in uniforms and plant flowers in the yard of their bungalow. Gents would circle the block and park in the next street over to avoid being seen visiting the studio. The bungalow was eventually sold and demolished to build giant stucco townhomes. The crackhouse was boarded up and now sits vacant. And yes, it is all more boring now.

[TheNiche]

All those things disappear as the neighborhood becomes more desirable.

The neighborhoods I'm talking about will never become desirable. They're carcinogenic.

[barracuda]

The neighborhoods I'm talking about will never become desirable. They're carcinogenic.

I wasn't sure you were being literal but that's probably true then. It'd be neat if you had some photos.

[JLWM8609]

The crackhouse was boarded up and now sits vacant. And yes, it is all more boring now.

So a lack of crackhouses equates boring? Hmm... maybe I should have told Good Hope Baptist Church to leave those abandoned apartment complexes on N. MacGregor standing. Nothing makes a neighborhood more lively and appealing than having your hard earned possessions vandalized by crackheads!

[barracuda]

So a lack of crackhouses equates boring? Hmm... maybe I should have told Good Hope Baptist Church to leave those abandoned apartment complexes on N. MacGregor standing. Nothing makes a neighborhood more lively and appealing than having your hard earned possessions vandalized by crackheads!

You presume boring equals bad. You also missed the part about a team of prostitutes in uniforms planting flowers outside. And there was no mention of vandalism.

[JLWM8609]

You presume boring equals bad. You also missed the part about a team of prostitutes in uniforms planting flowers outside. And there was no mention of vandalism.

I don't think boring equals bad. I put the whole "lively" part in there jokingly for the guys who think Houston needs to attract tourists.

I guess things were a bit different in your hood. The only planting the prostitutes did out here on Dixie Drive near Diallo's was the planting of their asses into the passenger seat of their john's car, lest they get a fist planted in their eye by their pimp. I mentioned vandalism only because that's what accompanies the crackhouses I've seen in Third Ward and in Independence Heights.

[ricco67]

Here is a relevant story from KHOU about COH trying to get convention business.

But the way the story is told, it seems that all Houston is doing is wasting money. The comments are, for the most part, fairly idiotic of course.

[Mister X]

Only boring people are bored in Houston.

[713 To 214]

I'll assume for the sake of argument you mean exacerbated. Proceeding on that assumption, you and your kindred posters are one of the reasons many threads at HAIF are doomed to degenerate into little more than megaphone-strewn battlefields that not only discourage meaningful, informed discourse, they nourish and ensure the promulgation of ignorance.

This post resonates with me, and I feel your pain. HAIF has become a colloection of the same usual suspects arguing, nitpicking, and trying to one-up each other all day over trivial issues, and points of view.

As for the thread topic, I would say that I don't think Houston is particularly boring. . .at least not for the first day one visits. There are things to do in houston, but you need a local to show you around. . .because the things to do are mostly for locals. And the things Houston is known for, and houstonians pride themselves on, don't exactly scream tourism. . .NASA, Medical Center (a bunch of hospitals), Ship Channel, Oil Companies, and traffic don't exactly provide a draw for people looking for a vacation destination.

Some other random points:

In response to one poster who stated that (s)he didn't neccisarrily think boring = bad, I got news for you. . .It does. Give anyone a choice between fun and boring, and 9 times out if 10 they'll pick fun.

Most of Houston's visitors won't be casual tourists, but rather conventioneers, and friends/family of people living in Houston coming to visit for whatever reason.

Houston has a lot of Southern Louisiana influence ingrained in it's culture (e.g. Lake Charles, Lafeyette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans). I think that contributes to it's "quirkiness.". Southenr Louisianans are special people (see movie: the Waterboy). I think this mentality has a significant impact on how Houstonians approach issues like tourism, transportation, zoning, and how non-houstonians perceive the city.

[urbancowboy]

I will say that it isn't fair to compare Houston and Dallas. Houston has always been the bigger city. Remember that D/FW comprises two historic cores therefore only combined are they bigger than Houston. The D/FW area functions considerably differently than Houston ever has, so Houston would logically seem bigger because its far more centralized. Houston is large enough that I think there are is always something to do. I agree that it might be best to know someone here, but I can say that with the internet there is always some type of activity going on at all times of day and night (at least on the weekends). Like some have said before even New York slows down at night.

As to the poster that said "Don't you wish the Gulf was cool like the Pacific?" I do everyday between June and September. I wish at least cooled down at nice. Then I might be able to take a stroll somewhere. I do think that the lack of sidewalks in many of the neighborhoods detracts from being able to experience the city. I find it that pedestrian places are more interesting in general. Sometimes it can be just as nice to sit back with a cup of tea or a drink and watch the world go by. There aren't a lot of places here in H-town that one can do that. It a drag that in many place in this city one has to drive to take a walk. Houston has all the makings of a dynamic world class place minus the transport and built environment, which in my opinion are crucial.

[Mister X]

This post resonates with me, and I feel your pain. HAIF has become a colloection of the same usual suspects arguing, nitpicking, and trying to one-up each other all day over trivial issues, and points of view.

As for the thread topic, I would say that I don't think Houston is particularly boring. . .at least not for the first day one visits. There are things to do in houston, but you need a local to show you around. . .because the things to do are mostly for locals. And the things Houston is known for, and houstonians pride themselves on, don't exactly scream tourism. . .NASA, Medical Center (a bunch of hospitals), Ship Channel, Oil Companies, and traffic don't exactly provide a draw for people looking for a vacation destination.

Some other random points:

In response to one poster who stated that (s)he didn't neccisarrily think boring = bad, I got news for you. . .It does. Give anyone a choice between fun and boring, and 9 times out if 10 they'll pick fun.

Most of Houston's visitors won't be casual tourists, but rather conventioneers, and friends/family of people living in Houston coming to visit for whatever reason.

Houston has a lot of Southern Louisiana influence ingrained in it's culture (e.g. Lake Charles, Lafeyette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans). I think that contributes to it's "quirkiness.". Southenr Louisianans are special people (see movie: the Waterboy). I think this mentality has a significant impact on how Houstonians approach issues like tourism, transportation, zoning, and how non-houstonians perceive the city.

I'm glad this post resonates with you because there is no one who has posted more baiting Houston bashing comments for the purpose of arguing, nitpicking, and trying to one up someone than you have. I hope you now see how so many of your posts have ensured the promulgation of ignorance for a very long time.

There are a lot of fun things to do in Houston. Many Houstonians pride themselves on exactly the kinds of things that tourist enjoy, such as the theatre district, the museum district, the Galleria and shopping, the great collection of music venues, bars and restaurants, Hermann Park and Zoo, Memorial Park, NASA, Kemah Boardwalk and the great collection of close proximity of state of the art professional sport stadiums and the sporting events which take place in them. Also, I think Houston prides itself on the close proximity of Historic Galveston, Moody Gardens and other coastal activities. There are a few other things coming down the pike that tourist are going to love.

If you are bored in Houston - it's probably you.

[citykid09]

I will say that it isn't fair to compare Houston and Dallas. Houston has always been the bigger city. Remember that D/FW comprises two historic cores therefore only combined are they bigger than Houston. The D/FW area functions considerably differently than Houston ever has, so Houston would logically seem bigger because its far more centralized. Houston is large enough that I think there are is always something to do. I agree that it might be best to know someone here, but I can say that with the internet there is always some type of activity going on at all times of day and night (at least on the weekends). Like some have said before even New York slows down at night.

As to the poster that said "Don't you wish the Gulf was cool like the Pacific?" I do everyday between June and September. I wish at least cooled down at nice. Then I might be able to take a stroll somewhere. I do think that the lack of sidewalks in many of the neighborhoods detracts from being able to experience the city. I find it that pedestrian places are more interesting in general. Sometimes it can be just as nice to sit back with a cup of tea or a drink and watch the world go by. There aren't a lot of places here in H-town that one can do that. It a drag that in many place in this city one has to drive to take a walk. Houston has all the makings of a dynamic world class place minus the transport and built environment, which in my opinion are crucial.

+1 I was the poster in both of those examples. LOL! Great points! Exactly what I was thinking.

[JLWM8609]

Some other random points:

In response to one poster who stated that (s)he didn't neccisarrily think boring = bad, I got news for you. . .It does. Give anyone a choice between fun and boring, and 9 times out if 10 they'll pick fun.

I guess this is directed toward me. "Fun" can define anything that one likes.

Things I consider to be fun such as auto-crossing and going to zydeco events are boring to some of my friends. Does that mean those activities are bad because THEY think it's boring? Some people like to vandalize property of others because they get a thrill out of it, and it's fun to them. If boring = bad and fun = good, I guess vandalizing is a good thing because some find it to be fun.

[barracuda]

Don't you wish the water in the Gulf was cool like the Pacific? Imagine how comfortable it would be here in the summers.

I imagine swimming in the Gulf would be very uncomfortable if it was cold like the Pacific.

[20thStDad]

I imagine swimming in the Gulf would be very uncomfortable if it was cold like the Pacific.

I swam in the Pacific last week and it was nice. It's all about latitude, Florida has that either way. Colder means clearer also.

Anyway, it's a silly notion unless you are banking on an ice age in the next 5 years.

[livincinco]

I swam in the Pacific last week and it was nice. It's all about latitude, Florida has that either way. Colder means clearer also.

Anyway, it's a silly notion unless you are banking on an ice age in the next 5 years.

You must have been in Southern California. The water temperature in San Francisco is currently 59.2 degrees according to NOAA.

[Gary]

You must have been in Southern California. The water temperature in San Francisco is currently 59.2 degrees according to NOAA.

As a former resident of So Cal, I can tell you that even in the middle of the Summer the water can be on the cool side. There's a reason why allot of surfers wear wet suits on the Pacific.

[TheNiche]

Colder means clearer also.

That is not intuitive. Before ice crystals form, water becomes denser and more viscous as it becomes colder, whereas solid particles of silt or clay that are suspended in water maintain a relatively more stable density. The solid particles are still denser than water, but (at least by my casual observations) will tend to remain suspended longer in a fluid medium that is relatively denser and more viscous.

What makes Texas and Louisiana waters so brown is the composition and size of particles that are suspended in our waters.

[20thStDad]

That is not intuitive. Before ice crystals form, water becomes denser and more viscous as it becomes colder, whereas solid particles of silt or clay that are suspended in water maintain a relatively more stable density. The solid particles are still denser than water, but (at least by my casual observations) will tend to remain suspended longer in a fluid medium that is relatively denser and more viscous.

What makes Texas and Louisiana waters so brown is the composition and size of particles that are suspended in our waters.

The physics of it are counter-intuitive, but I was just talking on observations. Cold water holds suspended solids better, can hold more oxygen, etc. But the colder waters on this planet are just more clear, most of the time, than warmer waters. There are less living tiny organisms in cold water, less of a micro-ecosystem overall, which probably makes a big difference in clarity. If the anus of North America emptied into cold water it would still be a brown mess. Then again, the Gulf is crystal clear once you get just 10 miles out in some places, even without a rock seabed. Depth helps.

[TheNiche]

The physics of it are counter-intuitive, but I was just talking on observations. Cold water holds suspended solids better, can hold more oxygen, etc. But the colder waters on this planet are just more clear, most of the time, than warmer waters. There are less living tiny organisms in cold water, less of a micro-ecosystem overall, which probably makes a big difference in clarity. If the anus of North America emptied into cold water it would still be a brown mess. Then again, the Gulf is crystal clear once you get just 10 miles out in some places, even without a rock seabed. Depth helps.

I would think that temperature and precipitation are key factors contributing to erosion and biomass such as contribute to the suspended particles that tend to make for discolored waters in equatorial climates, however there are key exceptions. The Yellow River and Yellow Sea come to mind, and that is because accumulations of windblown dust from the Gobi desert are eroded by the river and carried to the sea.

But true enough, depth helps. Get away from river mouths and the particles have settled out and the water is clean.

[dbigtex56]

Houston should stop trying to follow NYC. Instead of cracking down on sexually oriented businesses, we should embrace them. We can become a tourist mecca for titty bars, Asian massage parlors, glory holes, and gay bathhouses. My out of town friends get a kick out of sitting outside at the West Alabama Ice House while wondering what's going on across the street at the Hollywood Spa.

This still makes me giggle. About 20 years ago, there was an 'adult bookstore' on W Alabama, which allowed a nearby church to use their parking lot on Sunday mornings It was a slack time for their business, and an asset for the congregation. A uniquely Houston win-win arrangement.

[KinkaidAlum]

Didn't that ABS become Touppes or something like that (a lesbian-esque breakfast joint)? You definitely wanted to hold the cream there...

[dbigtex56]

Didn't that ABS become Touppes or something like that (a lesbian-esque breakfast joint)? You definitely wanted to hold the cream there...

That's the place. I think it's called DiVino's now.

[AtticaFlinch]

Didn't that ABS become Touppes or something like that (a lesbian-esque breakfast joint)? You definitely wanted to hold the cream there...

rim shot!

[Margo Mitchell]

I will give you the reasons why:

Astroworld .........gone

Radio stations.......suck

Traffic.............usual nightmare

Malls.............the fun malls no longer exist

High rises.........................no visitors centers or look out points

Public Transpo.................takes too long, like going on a scavanger hunt.

[Mister X]

I said it before and I'll say it again...

If you are bored in Houston - it's probably you.

[RedScare]

I said it before and I'll say it again...

If you are bored in Houston - it's probably you.

If you read Ms. Mitchell's other posts on the forum, you'll see that, yes, it is her. I don't think she's made a pleasant post yet. But, she has managed to say something "sucked" in all of them.

[samagon]

I will give you the reasons why:

Astroworld .........gone

Radio stations.......suck

Traffic.............usual nightmare

Malls.............the fun malls no longer exist

High rises.........................no visitors centers or look out points

Public Transpo.................takes too long, like going on a scavanger hunt.

astroworld started sucking long before they closed.

people still listen to regular radio?

the rest, it sounds like you're just trying to find reasons to dislike Houston.

Houston takes a lot of work to visit and have a good time, Houston also takes a lot of work to live here for any amount of time and not come to see what all it has to offer and enjoy life here.