N.O. Times Bashes Houston

[The Great Hizzy!]

Hell, I thought the article was rather tame, and I'm glad that people who are still in New Orleans, be they writers or just every day citizens, feel so nostalgic and passionate about that city that even in salvation, they can bemoan a neighboring city not "being" New Orleans.

So there you go. That doesn't make me regret not moving to New Orleans instead of Houston, just gives me better confirmation that some people really, really do love New Orleans.

To each their own.

[VelvetJ]

Oh, lighten up! One chick says she misses NO because Houston is all sprawly and not like NO. Well, godammit, we ARE all sprawaly and spread out and not like NO. Get over it. If Houston was 300 years old, it would look like NO too. But, we're not, so we don't.

These people just got flooded out of their city, many for good, and you people, especially citykid, want them to act like they just came to your house for dinnner. Well, f*ck off. I wonder how you would talk if you just had your life turned upside down. Just because it's been 3 months since you saw that city full of water, doesn't mean they've gotten over it.

I have to say, if I was a NO resident, I'd think Houston was a bit tough to get around, too. Like WesternGulf said, do you want a compact walkable city or not? Don't delicate flower that those who came from one lament that Houston isn't one yet.

Well Redscare you beat me to it. There are times when I think we are from different planets but then there are times when it seems as if you have reached into my brain and pulled out my thoughts. I couldn't have said it better.

The article really wasn't even about Houston. Besides Houston is incredibly sprawled and can be difficult to navigate, especially if you don't have a car. And yes, there is the Montrose and the Heights, but we can't deny the common street scene of Walgreens, nail shops, beige strip centers to no end, and fast food joints. Has anyone ever taken FM1960/Highway 6 from say 45 North down to 59 South? The same scenes seem to literally repeat themselves many times over.

Yeah, we should lighten up folks. The article wasn't bashing Houston so much as it was highlighting how different it is from New Orleans.

[citykid09]

Well Redscare you beat me to it. There are times when I think we are from different planets but then there are times when it seems as if you have reached into my brain and pulled out my thoughts. I couldn't have said it better.

The article really wasn't even about Houston. Besides Houston is incredibly sprawled and can be difficult to navigate, especially if you don't have a car. And yes, there is the Montrose and the Heights, but we can't deny the common street scene of Walgreens, nail shops, beige strip centers to no end, and fast food joints. Has anyone ever taken FM1960/Highway 6 from say 45 North down to 59 South? The same scenes seem to literally repeat themselves many times over.

Yeah, we should lighten up folks. The article wasn't bashing Houston so much as it was highlighting how different it is from New Orleans.

Yes highways 6/1960 is pretty ugly, but the sugarland area of it and a few other parts. all you see is billboards Walgreens CVS stripcenters and powerlines all the way down.

[Parrothead]

I agree with not taking the article so seriously. When a town like NOLA is in the mess it is, berating Houston is a lot like a chihuahua barking at an elephant.

[VelvetJ]

^^^^

Not meaning to start an argument here, but was she really berating Houston in the article? I personally didn't take it that way and we all know how I take things is the way everyone should take them.

[Sunstar]

^^^^

Not meaning to start an argument here, but was she really berating Houston in the article? I personally didn't take it that way and we all know how I take things is the way everyone should take them.

Hate to refan the flames, but let's re-examine this part again:

Trying to maneuver around Houston's spaghetti monolith of highways on a recent assignment, Times-Picayune photographer Jennifer Zdon and I began to understand the overwhelming nature of the place that each Louisiana resident we met did not fail to bemoan. It was so sprawling, yet also monotonous, with few landmarks to distinguish one section from another. It seemed like an eternal Veterans Boulevard, and even by New Orleans standards the drivers were nuts.

That sounds like bashing to me. Whether you care or not, this article is purposefully attacking Houston. I choose to view it as frustration on the part of NO residents, mixed with nostalgia.

[HeightsGuy]

Is Houston narcissistic? You be the judge:

Diagnostic Criteria

- has a grandiose sense of self-importance

- is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, or beauty

- believes that it is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status cities

- requires excessive admiration

- has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with it's expectations

- is often envious of other cities or believes that other cities are envious of it

[sevfiv]

Diagnostic Criteria

- has a grandiose sense of self-importance

- is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, or beauty

- believes that it is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status cities

- requires excessive admiration

- has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with it's expectations

- is often envious of other cities or believes that other cities are envious of it

Is Houston narcissistic? You be the judge

unfortunately, those qualities are the most noticeable because they often come from the most loud and impudent people

[scarface]

I agree with VelvetJ and The Great Hizzy. I didn't take the author's comments as attacks on Houston. The author was just telling it like it is. Houston IS a huge sprawling metropolis with monstrous spaghetti freeways. And yes, to an outsider, Houston can seem very intimidating and overwhelming. Houston is very different from New Orleans in that respect. The author was making a true assessment. It is what it is!

Granted, i didn't take offense to the author. But if the author was trying to insult Houston on the low, then fu@k her, and the same goes to anyone else who can't appreciate this city beyond the freeways, whether they be from NO, Atlanta, or anywhere else.

[Metropolitantexan]

Greetings great pals.....

PASSION! ......yes, that's the word of the hour, PASSION, in all of it's intricate glory.

Now now everyone. let us all take a genuine deep breath for all of goodness sake. Please allow yourself the luxury of placing yourself behind the driver's seat as Ms. Krupa departed N.O. for Houston(can't you just imagine the pain)? Can't you just read between the lines as to the statements she made regarding her normal daily runs through Audobon Park? (so much pain......indeed). So now, you just may be privy to her initial mindset even before she arrived into the fourth largest city in America.

INTIMIDATING! ......yes, that's the word of the moment, INTIMIDATING, only if you are not prepared.

The City of Houston can be quite intimidating, and then some. So many people from all of mankind coming to Houston, Texas with the strangest of expectations(cows, bulls, the wild wild west. big hair, guns w/holster's,) get the picture? Maybe Ms. Krupa just wasn't prepared for all that she experienced upon her actual arrival.......BIG BIG BIG...as in everything! A gleaming metropolis......who would have guessed? Highways and byways everywhere.......as in SPRAWL, not such a dirty word is it? The world's largest med center.......the original and best Galleria in the U.S. ......and the list just grows and grows.......

Now wait just a moment, just who on earth did Ms Krupa speak with upon her arrival in our fair town? For I'm sure that we can all imagine the passions/intimidations that the citizens of N.O. have to face upon a daily basis as they try hard to adjust to life in the fourth largest Metropolis in the U.S. .......for each one of us have to go through our own periods of adjustment at some period or another and we're Houstonians. So we understand their plight ........and it just has not become an issue for us. WE ARE GOING TO HELP THEM AND THAT'S THAT!

SO I say to you great pals.....Citykid, HoustonSemiPro, I appreciate your passion on behalf of your city. Seems we Houstonians always have to come to the rescue of an attack upon our city's image at some point or another. Just tone down your written articulation......for your words seem to contradict your statements againt the mean streets of N.O.............sort of like you are from there intricately......

WesternGulf, your bias is showing. And that's a GREAT THING! .......for all of the mean streets, and precarious areas within the City of N.O. .........the city really is quaint, charming, mysterious, intriguing, and the culture is one big beautiful tasty infusion of ingredients, that make up one memorable GUMBO THAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK FOR MORE........sort of like Cuba, we are actually banned from traveling there, but we all want to go........now don't we....

Ms Krupa, now that you have returned home to the Times-Picayune, please allow yourself to become a real professional reporter. For you must know and understand that Texas is and has always been next door neighbors to the state of Louisiana, and the biological heritage is and always will be undeniable..........for we are all cousins, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers........get the picture? So even though you may have bashed our great city just a bit within your newspaper, I for one can still sense your pain for all that you may have seen, and for all that you may have lost during the horrifying situation that was Hurricane Katrina. And you know what, I still LOVE YOU LIKE A NEIGHBOR..............HOOK'EM HORNS!

Metropolitantexan

[nmainguy]

Well put, Metro.

I think I can feel Ms Krupa's pain now.

Perhaps as she luxuriates in her Uptown apartment, she could count her blessings.

As she so succinctly put it in her moment of Barbara Bush Compasion, "In the end, leaving and staying boiled down to this difference: my Uptown apartment is fine, and all of their houses are gone"

It sounds like, in the end, things are working out very well for her.

[MiDTOWNeR]

I am one who is still learning to like Houston...I am not a complete fan as of yet.

However, I did not find the article to be THAT bad in it's references to Houston. It could have been a LOT worse.

Before taking such grave offense to what the author wrote, consider where they are coming from. The article was PURE propaganda written in an attempt to tempt residents back to town.

It certainly was not saying f you Houston and all that you have done for us.

Just pure propaganda.

[nmainguy]

I am one who is still learning to like Houston...I am not a complete fan as of yet.

However, I did not find the article to be THAT bad in it's references to Houston. It could have been a LOT worse.

Before taking such grave offense to what the author wrote, consider where they are coming from. The article was PURE propaganda written in an attempt to tempt residents back to town.

It certainly was not saying f you Houston and all that you have done for us.

Just pure propaganda.

I agree. She didn't say anything about Houston an 8 year old doesn't already know. We're a really big, sprawling city that takes some getting used to.

My problem with her is she seems totally oblivious to the real plight of her fellow NO'ers. While she is safe, warm and dry in her Uptown apartment, thousands more don't even have a pot to piss in. Her "compassion" is smothering.

BTW, welcome and hope you have a great stay!!

[DJ V Lawrence]

Is Houston narcissistic? You be the judge:

Diagnostic Criteria

- has a grandiose sense of self-importance

- is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, or beauty

- believes that it is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status cities

- requires excessive admiration

- has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with it's expectations

- is often envious of other cities or believes that other cities are envious of it

Okay, you do realize that you have not only described Houston, but you have just described New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Vegas, Miami, Seattle, Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans, Phoenix, Orlando, Boston, St. Louis, Atlantic City, Nashville and just about every city in America whose population is over 750,000 in the metropolitan area, right? If we didn't feel that way about a hometown, why would we want to live there? You don't wanna live n a city with no pride, do ya?

I agree with not taking the article so seriously. When a town like NOLA is in the mess it is, berating Houston is a lot like a chihuahua barking at an elephant.

...But as the chihuahua keeps barking at the elephant, we still listen to them....and we still feed them peanuts. Be mad at FEMA if you want, be mad at whoever didn't get the funding for strong levees and good evacuation prior to Katrina, but c'mon, give Houston a break. At least H-town is TRYING to do something to help. Houston loves New Orleans. Of ALL the problems New Orleans residents are currently facing, Houston would be the last thing I'd complain about.

[stolitx]

That place is just some where to go and do what ever (like get drunk in the street, get laid by any slut, trash the streets etc)

I wish people would stop confusing the French Quarter, and only one street in the French Quarter, with all of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is not all that is in New Orleans or the French Quarter.

[RedScare]

Be mad at FEMA if you want, be mad at whoever didn't get the funding for strong levees and good evacuation prior to Katrina, but c'mon, give Houston a break. At least H-town is TRYING to do something to help. Houston loves New Orleans. Of ALL the problems New Orleans residents are currently facing, Houston would be the last thing I'd complain about.

Well, reading the article again, I didn't see one comment about Houstonians, only the layout of the city (well, except for the bad drivers...do YOU want to defend Houston drivers?). This writer misses what we all love about New Orleans...the compact, walkable part. She also hates what we hate about Houston...the sprawly, CVS, freeway part. Rather than attack the messenger, I'd love to see someone DEFEND the parts of Houston she complained about. Anyone?

[skwatra]

Rather than attack the messenger, I'd love to see someone DEFEND the parts of Houston she complained about. Anyone?

i'll defend houston freeway drivers. rush hour sucks, but that's the case in most cities, even new orleans.

when its not rush hour, the average freeway speed here is much faster then any other city i've driven in, except LA - but their rush hour can be any time of the day. yeah we're spread out, but i can also get 20 miles in 15 minutes without being bothered by the cops.

i know people are going to start talking about being stuck behind someone in the left lane, it happens on occasion. but go to st. louis, orlando, denver, atlanta, austin, or dallas and it happens all day, all the time. and i've spent lots of time driving in these cities.

[Metropolitantexan]

Well, reading the article again, I didn't see one comment about Houstonians, only the layout of the city (well, except for the bad drivers...do YOU want to defend Houston drivers?). This writer misses what we all love about New Orleans...the compact, walkable part. She also hates what we hate about Houston...the sprawly, CVS, freeway part. Rather than attack the messenger, I'd love to see someone DEFEND the parts of Houston she complained about. Anyone?

Greetings Redscare.....

MS. KRUPA ACTUALLY HAS NO RIGHT TO HATE ANYTHING ABOUT HOUSTON, TX!

It is not as though she paid a visit to IRAQ.......a war zone. She departed a city that has been decimated by a KILLER HURRICANE......ventured into the fourth largest city in America........a city that arguably has just set the BENCHMARK in humanity, compassion, and generosity, to hundreds of thousands of her city's citizens.

Please allow me the opportunity to share with this forum a little personal biography. For I was born in the city of Lafayette, LA., raised in the city of Beaumont, TX, and moved to Houston in the year of 1983. I can honestly assure anyone that upon my arrival to the city of Houston, I for one marveled at the freeway system, billboards, gas stations, ......and THANKED GOD THAT I WAS ON MY WAY TO A NEW LIFE IN THE BIG CITY! ......no one held an M-16 up to my head and made me come here...........

REDSCARE, I accept your challenge on behalf of the drivers within the city of Houston. For if you must know, they are the one's that actually taught me how to REALLY drive......as in objectively. defensively. and a little bit more accurately. Growing up within the city of Beaumont, TX, I thought that I was thoroughly prepared for driving anywhere.......now I know that I am prepared.

Metropolitantexan

[MiDTOWNeR]

.a city that arguably has just set the BENCHMARK in humanity, compassion, and generosity, to hundreds of thousands of her city's citizens.

And we are finally starting to experience the downside of these great deeds.=(

[TJones]

unfortunately, those qualities are the most noticeable because they often come from the most loud and impudent people

.....but it also seems that everytime someone from the outside wants to write a story about Houston, they seem to point out those very things as the things this city is NOT, when all the time Houstonians know better.

I read her little story again, and realized that of course she sees no "landmarks" to distinguish the different parts of town, all Houstonians know that it is about which freeway you are on that determines which part of town you are in !

[The Great Hizzy!]

Even the Complaintant's most passionate sympathizers have to admit that some of these criticisms sound ridiculous and petty, which, again (to me, anyway), suggests another motive. I'd rather believe someone who can't find any landmarks (even in god awful Houston ) isn't very observant and may be a bit FOS.

That said, why do Houstonians give their comments as much thought? You really can figure out the ones that are full of it and don't have anything to offer anyway, making their whole existence absolutely meaningless to your or I.

[gto250us]

Hey, everyone knows that New Orleans is one place in America that is actually worse than Houston in any measure; Crime, poverty, politics, corruption, schools, climate, you name it.

Katrina has given NO a golden chance to clean up the place. There was nothing worse than the smell of the quarter on an early Sunday morning.

[nmainguy]

I'd rather believe someone who can't find any landmarks (even in god awful Houston ) isn't very observant and may be a bit FOS.

Williams Tower, Downtown, Greenway, the Astrodome/Reliant Center, MinuteMaid: all visible from a freeway. Was she driving with her eyes closed? I mean, those are pretty big structures by any measure...is she sure she was in Houston?

[WesternGulf]

On a serious note, I think the best thing for a New Orleans evacuee to do who is complaining is to live their life within the inner loop. You honestly do not need a car, you don't have to support chain stores if you don't want to, there are neighborhood markets, even though they are not the busiest i.e. Midtown Farmer's Market, there are festivals every now and then, and there is a stong art community. Once they start to have the curioisity of what else is in our sprawled metropolis, that's when the confusion comes in.

[N Judah]

That said, why do Houstonians give their comments as much thought? You really can figure out the ones that are full of it and don't have anything to offer anyway, making their whole existence absolutely meaningless to your or I.

Are you kidding? That article was like a big fat softball right down the middle as far as the Lone Star Times is concerned. It lets them whine and complain about how the arrogant, ungrateful New Orleansians actually *dared* opine about not enjoying being forcibly transplanted to a place that is almost exactly the opposite of home.

[usonia]

Oh, lighten up! One chick says she misses NO because Houston is all sprawly and not like NO. Well, godammit, we ARE all sprawaly and spread out and not like NO. Get over it. If Houston was 300 years old, it would look like NO too. But, we're not, so we don't.

As a New Orleanian who has lived in Houston for several years, I've found lots of stuff to like and not to like. I love living in the Heights and I've spent many happy hours exploring other old neighborhoods. But I wish Houston would use New Orleans as an example and work harder to preserve its history. Despite rampant development a lot of old Houston still exists and it would be in the city's interest to preserve and promote it. There are some very special things here I haven't seen anywhere else.

Yes, I agree with the writer, driving here is truly hellish. But the food is awesome and the arts scene can't be beat. Plus you're only a 45-minute flight from New Orleans so it's not like you're on the other side of the world or something. And you can get chickory coffee at Fiesta.

Loved living in New Orleans, it's a terrific place. The reason I moved here was not because I wanted to get away, but I was offered a job that just wasn't available in a smaller city.

[Sunstar]

As a New Orleanian who has lived in Houston for several years, I've found lots of stuff to like and not to like. I love living in the Heights and I've spent many happy hours exploring other old neighborhoods. But I wish Houston would use New Orleans as an example and work harder to preserve its history. Despite rampant development a lot of old Houston still exists and it would be in the city's interest to preserve and promote it. There are some very special things here I haven't seen anywhere else.

Yes, I agree with the writer, driving here is truly hellish. But the food is awesome and the arts scene can't be beat. Plus you're only a 45-minute flight from New Orleans so it's not like you're on the other side of the world or something. And you can get chickory coffee at Fiesta.

Loved living in New Orleans, it's a terrific place. The reason I moved here was not because I wanted to get away, but I was offered a job that just wasn't available in a smaller city.

Good point. There's been some talk about what NO can learn from Houston as it rebuilds, but the obvious difference between the two cities is that Houston cares little for its history, which does not work to our advantage.

[supkof]

I understand your frustration. When the writer talks about how New Orleans residents "bemoan" Houston, that is outright rude.... and untrue. I don't know who she is hanging around with, but it my experience that our neighbors and friends from New Orleans are thankful for Houston - and frankly I've always been thankful that New Orleans was our unique, fun, and quirky neighbor to the east. She (the writer) is clearly aloof and arrogant... sure, I understand her sentiments about New Orleans, but she could have written that article without slamming our town. It is downright tacky to slam a city that has come to the aid of hundreds of thousands of people - whether you like it or not.

New Orleans is a GREAT place to visit. Period. It's not, however, a great place to live. There is no doubt the quality of life in New Orleans royally sucks, but that doesn't take away from the charm of this amazingly historical and cultural city.

I live 5-6 hours north of New Orleans in Shreveport. I'm actually an hour closer to Houston, believe it or not. I've been to Houston many times and love it, because I'm a city boy... I love the urban life. But I also like a city with cool, unique cultural and historical offerings. You'd think, being a poster on an architecture website, you'd love New Orleans if for nothing more than its gorgeous architecture from a bygone era.

New Orleans is a very nasty place, but its architecture is undeniably unmatched in this country. And for that, it's also one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. Go figure. I pray to God that city rises from thie ruins.

[houstonfella]

I moved to Houston from NW Louisiana. It is different. Sprawling. But that is what I love about Houston. I enjoy driving the freeways, zipping in and out of traffic and getting from Point A to Point B. We have lots of parking and are car driven. Now, some folks may not understand this - probably NO folks. NO is small and compact. But, ahem, you are in Texas now. Everything is bigger!

[THE CHAD IS GREAT]

I agree I was born and raised in Houston and I love driving on the freeways. Its really the only time you can drive really fast without having to worry about getting a ticket. When I first got my car in high school my friends and I would pick up girls from our school and just cruise around Jam. It seems boring but really its was fun because I just got my car and I wanted to drive all the time and I can't think of any other place I would have enjoyed that more.(maybe because I have mostly lived here) As for the article, shake them haters off. It seems to me the lady was PMS-ING and decided to take her fustrations out on Houston.