rkkwan

Falafel - All of Houston's freeway interchanges have been stack for years. In fact, they're just building the first cloverleaf at the West Park Tollway/Sam Houston Tollway junction. With the amount of traffic that goes between the freeways, a clover leaf will never work, as the speed is too low and you'll need a lot of room to build 2-lane ones, and I think that's pretty dangerous too.

Instead, many of the connectors at the stacks are two-lanes, and you do not have to slow down at all at many. In fact, I can do 80-90mph on connectors safely and effortlessly.

And BTW, while you like the tollways, there's just one problem. I have to pay to use it. Not only that, but if you don't have the electronic tag, you cannot use the West Park Tollway, and on the Sam Houston, you may be backed up for minutes just to pay toll. [Since there's a monthly fee for getting the tag, it doesn't make sense for many people to get one if they don't use it everyday. Myself included. So, I can't drive the West Park Tollway, even if I'm willing to pay.] And the ramp design of the Sam Houston is totally old and ridiculous. Hard to imagine even the oldest section was completed <20 years ago.

Having said that, the freeways aren't too bad here, in my opinion. I've been to many cities that have worse...

indie

I will say the Dallas north tollway can be horrendous at peak times, very annoying to have paid to sit in traffic, fortunately I have a job with completely flexible hours and don't have to deal with it too often.

But they have a nice system for the toll tag here- they charger $40 and deduct for each use, whne the balance reaches $10, the credit card is charged again - the same tag can be used for all the tollways and the aiprot, and I am told, will be able to use it in Houston as well.

Mollie

Yes, we use our Dallas toll tag in Houston with no problem. And as Indie says there is no monthly fee for using it, just the toll, which is a bit less in Dallas than if we paid cash.

Seems strange that a monthly fee is charged in Houston for just having the tag since having it is so convenient and keeps traffic moving! There is a charge here, (a couple of dollars I think) if we want a monthly readout of our usage.

rkkwan

Mollie - Really? I cannot find anything on the NTTA website that says the Dallas Toll Tag can be used in Houston's EZ Pass system. Is there anywhere else I can find information about that?

The Harris County's EZ Tag charges $1 per month. While it's not much, and I may not even go on the toll roads often enough to get $1 of savings. Plus the deposit and initial $40 charges has discouraged me to get the tag here in Houston.

Mollie

rkkwan- It's true! It's been almost a year since they started a reciprocal agreement. Houston's EZ Pass can be used in Dallas as well.

Mollie

rkkwan- By the way, go to NTTA.org and under News Briefs on the right hand side click on 'Use your tolltag in DFW and Houston'.

rkkwan

Mollie - Thanks! I think I will set up an account with NTTA, and get a few tags for my sister (Dallas), my parents & myself (Houston). Cool.

Falafel

spunki, I agree with you. Humidity is not a problem since AC is almost everywhere! Also my understanding is that the humidity is very high for a few months out the year only. Is this correct? or is it always humid in Houston whenever its warm?

I have a great job here in Northern VA but I am so fed up with traffic, high mortgage payments (~ $3000/mo) and the weather. You see, I can sell my expensive house and buy a much much cheaper one (say $400K), but in this area even $400K will not buy anything decent in a good neighborhood. An old crappy townhouse here costs in the $500s nowadays.

Our highways here (will just the few that we have) are clogged with traffic and accidents starting at even 5AM. It is difficult to escape traffic anymore. We don?t have a single stack! The biggest interchange is currently being built right now in Springfield, VA I-95 & I-495 three level interchange and is supposed to take 10 years! The biggest interchange ever attempted by the Virginia DOT (VDOT)! And they are spending $950 million to build it! It?s ridiculous! I read somewhere recently that TxDOT builds a full stack for $300 million or less! I guess since it is the first big interchange VDOT ever attempted, they are learning in the process!

Also we have so many left exits which I think is dangerous and contributes to slowing down traffic. We have left exits even on interstate highways! Totally drives me nuts! The infrastructure stinks here!

Okay, now I feel a little better that I?ve let this out

bellairegirl

As to the question of humidity -- it occurs whenever when the air flow comes from the direction of the Gulf. Sometimes it's humid when the temps are cooler and sometimes the humidity level is low when it's hot.

mikemo

Both are socioeconomic disasters!
M
PS I have lived in Dallas for 24+ years, but I'm selling my house in Northwood Hills if you have any interest.
M

Mollie

Mikemo - You probably live about four miles from me. Are you moving to Mexico?

qzseattle

Hey Falafel, why are you concerned about real estate cost in Virginia when you already have a house? It would be more of a concern if you didnt have a house.

By the way, speaking of humidity in Houston, what about evenings and nights? If days are hot and humid, are evenings and nightst comfortable enough for strolling or to be out in the backyard/patio?

spunki

re: evenings and nights -- this time of year (Sept - Oct) they're nice enough for walks and sitting out in the back yard, esp. if you live outside the loop like I do. It's at least 5 degrees cooler outside of the stuffy city. We usually turn off our AC by October -- but we're not the norm; we can stand a little warm air if it means fresh air.

qzseattle

Hey spunki,

When I was in Houston in August, I actually felt that people tend to overdo the use of AC. We often had this argument with our hosts who were showing us around that we wanted to have evening coffee or dinner outside but they wanted to sit inside. Sometimes, I actually felt too cold to be inside due to AC. I actually shivered inside the hotel and had to step outside for warm but fresh air.
Perhaps I am used to warmer weather since I grew up in a warm and humid region. I am quite sure that I would need AC in summer months sp during the day time but in other months I could do wihout it. What part of the year do people genrally turn the AC off? Someone suggested that there are only three or four days in a year when you can actually live without the AC.

Binthair

Restaurants are frequently over-airconditioned here. I love going to Mexico and not having AC! AC will be necessary every month of the year, often for humidity control as much as temperature.

Statia

I've typically gone w/o AC in Houston at times during the spring or fall, but it's never been a constant for long periods of time. There is usually a couple of weeks when I can leave the A/C off during the day, come home and leave the windows and doors open, and only put the A/C on when I got to bed at night. But, this is not the norm in Houston due to the humidity.

Having lived in the tropics for over a decade now, I can fully agre with you on the A/C being cranked too high in public places, gzseattle. I tend to wear a sweater at restaurants, stores and other indoor places in Houston at any time of year, including summer. People typically look at me like I'm nuts.

spunki

Apologies to falafel for carrying out this off-topic discussion... as to when AC can be turned off, it really depends on mother nature. Like I said, we're not the norm, but we usually turn it off in Oct - Nov and don't turn it back on until April - May. Use of ceiling & other fans in every room is enough for us. On the flip side, we have had to use our heater for a few months in the past few years! In fact the frosts were bad enough the last couple of years that it killed the plants that we didn't cover/ protect. On the other hand, when I first moved here in '98, I remember wearing shorts and t-shirts in December-January (not running AC though, it wasn't that hot).

Falafel

That's fine (the off subject thing) I am actually learning more & more about Houston by monitoring this thread

tx_girl

Hi, falafel! Great name - love it.

I've lived in Houston for 24 years and, while every place in Texas has advantages, I think Houston is a better place to live as opposed to Dallas.

Houston has pretty much everything you'd find in Dallas and then some. It's just a matter of what you're into and how far you want to drive to get it.

While living in the nicer suburbs could save you money on real estate it will cost you much more in the end in terms of wear and tear on your vehicle, gas, and time. The nicer suburbs are quite far from town and an average rush hour morning commute from Katy to the 610 Loop hovers near an hour. I personally live only 8 miles from my job on the west side of Houston and my commute is 30 minutes, due mainly in part to the 5 school zones I pass through. This is the city that I learned to drive in, though, so I'm used to all the extra travel time and it's normal now for me to have to drive to get anywhere of interest.

I guess from a visitor's point of view, the constant construction is a good sign, but when you have to deal with it everyday, let me tell you, it's a nightmare. 24/7 construction causes major traffic tie-ups, makes your vehicle filthy, makes people physically sick, and is a general eyesore. TxDOT is looking to make all of the freeways into tollways, which creates a whole other set of problems.

On the brighter side, we have world-class art, theatre, music, sporting events, and healthcare facilities. People from all over the world come to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Childrens' Hospital for treatment. Baylor College of Medicine is a leader in medical science.

There are so many great places nearby if you like daytrips. And the Hill Country is wonderful for a weekend.

pepper131

Just thought of something...since you are from DC and are used to having 3 Ikea stores...Houston has one off Katy Hwy. Dallas will have one next summer, but in Frisco...about a 45-60 min drive from Dallas.