Erin,

"(Very excited to not have to start my car 20 minutes before leaving the house in the morning and spend 15 minutes scraping the snow off!)"


If all you want to do is avoid snow and cold temperatures, you may just like Houston. However, there are many other cities in the South that also are very warm, but don't have the problems Houston does.

All bkluvssNola is saying is that Houston is not like Vancouver and Montreal. I guess there are plenty of people in the world like him/her that can only live in the same type of city as one's already living in.

Maybe you are as close-minded as he/she. Or maybe not.

There is no vibrant street life, but there is night life. And Houston is not "cutured"? We have world class symphonies, operas, museums here that are likely to be better than the ones in Montreal.

We have a bus system and plenty of people use it to go to work. I take the bus almost everyday, and others do as well. We love our cars, and we have massive freeways, so what? Our traffic jams are no worse than Toronto and Montreal, which I have got myself stuck in plenty of times.

I suggest Erin464 come down and take a look. She may like it or she may not. Hey, I love living in Hong Kong more than Houston myself. But I cannot stand people trashing a place just because it doesn't fit his/her lifestyles.

BTW, Houston is not a beautiful city. And yes, we have no zoning. Coming down from the airport, you'll see strip clubs, XXX shops, pawn shops, billboards after billboards, etc.

But it means we have less bureaucracy and we favor entrepreneurship. If you feel like opening up a stripclub next to the freeway is your American dream and makes tonnes of money, you can do it here in Houston with no problem.

" If you feel like opening up a stripclub next to the freeway is your American dream and makes tonnes of money, you can do it here in Houston with no problem."

You said it... Houston in a nutshell.

I remember visiting my sister in Houston and she told me to drive down Westheimer to the Galleria from Katy. She said that I would be impressed with Westheimer, that it was Houston's premier commercial thoroughfare. All I remember is an 8 lane highway with a million stop lights, giant parking lots with no trees, and rundown shopping centers that were built in the 70's but have never been maintained. Yes there were good restaurants along there, like Fogo de Chao, but the setting was not very picturesque.

I remember thinking, "Why would anyone want to live here? "

I mean, there's great restaurants and shops to go to, but don't Houstonians desire something more attractive than 70's style strip malls with glass and concrete fronts and corrugated metal sides? I'd hate to see what a hurricane would do to that city.

I suggest that Houstonians drive 2.5 hours west to Austin and walk around the downtown 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th Street areas. You'll find plenty of people roaming around, outdoor cafes, excellent bars and nightclubs, a children's museum, then head on over to the lake and look at beautiful Town Lake and the trails next to that lake.

Why can't Houston do something like that? It's much bigger than Austin, but Austin seems to be investing in the things that make cities great, not Houston.

As I said before, the move is involuntary so regardless of what Houston is like, I'm coming anyways! I work for a large international oil company and Houston is the corporate headquarters, so I'm viewing this as a step forwards, not back! No snow (and great shopping!) is just an added bonus :)

BkluvsNola - I'm sure many Calgarians like being around the mountains, but I am (sadly?) not one for the outdoors. Calgary is a large city, based on oil, where you have to drive to get anywhere so I think Houston will seem like a bigger version of Calgary! I'm sure I will love it - if I can just figure out where I'm going to live :)

Erin464 - I love your attitude. You'll enjoy living here.

I live in one of the suburban planned communities and this is definetly not the place for a young person. My 20 something kids love living in the midtown and Galleria areas. So much night life, cultural and sporting events. I think you will really find the people here friendly and welcoming. Enjoy!

I agree; we just got back from a trip to Boston and loved it, but we noticed no one said "Hi" to us on the streets or smiled at us. My husband told me to quit expecting strangers to smile and greet me because we weren't in Houston anymore. It's just a different culture. Erin, you have such a great attitude - I think you'll feel very welcome here.

I am chuckling at the picture of Houston painted by bkluvsnola because some of the same comments I have made myself, but aside from the gruesome humidity and heat for at least 1/3 of the year it really is a pretty good place for someone in their 20 or 30's to live. Yes, it will not win awards for its downtown skyline - but then again, downtown, Greenway or the Uptown/ Galleria areas all offer an urbane setting that is at least pleasant. And there most certainly is a night life - several, in fact. Sure the burbs are just like the burbs everywhere - same as in any place - tract houses and clogged streets leading to shopping centers.
But the museums are great, symphony, opera and theatre scenes quite vibrant, and great restaurants are all over town. And if yo consider Fogo de Chao to be great, you will be enthralled in Houston.

I feel bad that her sister took her to Westheimer and told her she would be impressed. I think that explains a lot - it's not on my list of places to take visitors. Erin, if you love shopping, you have to check out the Galleria - you will be in heaven.

....and if you miss Stampede, Houston has the Rodeo and you will feel right at home. (I have been to both). Miss hockey? We have that too. and of course several indoor recreational rinks. And if you crave a Berryhill tamale (like at Eau Claire marketplace), this is home to that and many others. Cirque du Soleil regularly visits Houston for a several week stay. Even though you are not from eastern Canada, take a hop over to Louisiana to visit. The local culture is influenced by its Acadian roots.

Kind of funny how first impressions differ. My first ride down Westheimer one evening I was totally amazed at the sheer mass of commercial enterprise. Maybe not beautiful, but amazing all the same. An item out of stock at one Target store? Go down a few blocks to the next one, or the next one after that. And I think many folks are fond of the Houston skyline. I live in an upscale deed-restricted neighborhood near the Galleria and relish the extreme convenience of my daily life...much, much easier than daily life in suburban Washington D.C. ever was. There are MANY parks in the area. I can jog in Memorial Park or down the treelined path through the center of the neighborhood, ride my bike or kayak along the Bayou to downtown, take in the Art Car Parade each spring, or walk to fireworks on Thanksgiving.

There is no comparison between Austin and Houston in my book. Austin is largely a college town, with the good and the bad that goes with that. The de facto city slogan is "keep Austin weird". Okayyy...Enough said. It DOES have nude bathing in a beautiful lakefront setting at Hippie Hollow State Park if you are interested (yes, I have been there, many years ago). Austin has nowhere near the "gravitas" of Houston or Dallas, less developed theater district, less multicultural melting pot, inconvenient air service with connections through Houston or Dallas in most cases, and is just not large enough for me to consider living there.

Binthair,

Where are you originally from?

I suspect that you may be from some small town and maybe the fact Houston is so large is exciting to you.

As a world traveler, I have been to New York, Paris, and other world cities, so I am more impressed with a thoroughfare like the Champs Elysees or the like, now that is a thoroughfare...

By the way, the Galleria is nice, but out of date. The latest craze are new "outdoor lifestyle malls", with recreated town centers with outdoor cafes, musicians playing, and parking lots underground or away from the pedestrian areas.

Austin has one of these developments, called "The Domain". This is the type of development that Houston lacks.

Also, Austin has a much more vibrant downtown than Houston, and you can actually see people walking around. In Houston, it's dead after dark, unless you happen to be around the Arts District, but that is a very small portion of Houston.

I once took a friend from New Jersey on a tour of the South. He loved New Orleans (who doesn't) and Austin (thought it was hip, urbane, and cool), but absolutely hated Houston, except for the area near Rice University. He commented that Rice looks like it should be in New Orleans, with the oak trees and all. His comment was "Houston, land of freeways and concrete, flat as a pancake except for the vista given by freeway overpasses."

We then went to the Galleria, and he was discriminated against because he's Asian. This was in 1996, so maybe things have changed, but I was surprised at this in such a self-proclaimed "cosmopolitan" city.

We did enjoy the restaurants, however, and real estate is cheap, so I can understand why some people want to live there.

However, I do want to point out that if you are in the oil industry, like Erin is, Houston is the oil capital of the world, so she may very well like it.

One plus: Humidity = no more dry skin!

volcanogirl,

What street do you suggest I go down then? Give me the name of the street that will "sell me" on Houston. I'm really curious. Next time I visit my sister at Thanksgiving I will give it another try. But if it sucks, I will definitely report back.

No small-town upbringing here. I am originally from Washington D.C. and environs, which I last visited a month ago. I have visited Paris within the past year and have witnessed the negative global-business commercialization of Champs Elysees that has many a Parisian fretting, and will visit both N.O. and Manhattan for the umpteenth time next month. It has actually been very difficult to arouse much interest on the part of many people I know in visiting New Orleans lately, especially since Katrina.

As for out of date, I guess Bulgari, Cartier, Armani, Lalique and other boutiques are enclosed at the Galleria, however I suppose nothing is worse than breaking a sweat strolling Via Condotti or Place Vendome on a hot June day. Then again Sugarland has the "Town Center" type concept you mention (but a bit suburban for me), and there are traditional sidewalks and shops in Rice Village and River Oaks.

No, I just like it here. Didn't realize that would be so enigmatic.

Forgot to mention we now have a YEAR ROUND Mexican freetail bat colony under the Waugh Street Bridge near downtown. Fun to watch at dusk when they emerge. Used to be that was an attraction you did have to to Austin to experience.

Houston is not for bkluvsNola. No need to waste time trying to "sell" it to him/her.

Houston is not Austin, not Vancouver, not Montreal. Nothing will make him/her like Houston.

Erin,

How do you like Aberdeen? My company has an office in South Queensferry (near the Firth of Forth Bridge) and I've been many times. That's right near your neck of the woods.

Scotland is such a great place to visit. No snow there either (Gulf Stream ensures that), but tons of rain and not really a climate I like (too cold for me most of the year). However, it's arguably better than Canada's climate.

Binthair,

If you live in Houston and are afraid to sweat, then you live in the wrong city.

It's not a life to live indoors all year just to avoid the heat or cold. If you hate the heat and humidity that much, you should live in another city. Somewhere in on the California coast where it doesn't get hot may be better for you.

I actually like the Gulf South climate, and spend quite a bit of time outdoors. Hailing from New Orleans and having lived in that area most of my life, I'm used to having to walk around in the heat (or cold). On the plus side, when there is a brilliantly mild fall or spring day, I get to enjoy that as well. It's called living. I visited Houston once when it was 72 degrees and sunny, and there was nobody to be found on the streets. Since most of the Houston residents had told me that the only reason people in Houston didn't go outside was because the weather was usually terrible. However, I realized that was a false statement. Even on the most beautiful day of the year, people were still shopping in the indoor Galleria, driving with the A/C on, etc... The problem is that people got so much into their air conditioned lifestyle that when nice weather finally comes, they don't even realize it because they are inside.

In the North, people aren't like that. In the winter, people do stay indoors in heated buildings, malls, etc.. , but the first sign of Spring, everybody and I mean everybody is outside.

It's for these reason that cities like Austin appeal to me. In Austin, if the weather is nice (or even if it's 100 degrees), you'll find people eating outside at cafes, jogging along trails, etc.. Yes, I'd rather walk around outside in a European plaza (or a New Urbanism Austin development or the French Quarter in New Orleans) even on a hot August day than walk around an indoor air-conditioned sterile mall in Houston. The problem is that a mall is not a city - there are only people there that want to shop and mall security filters out the rest. In a city center, there are folks from all walks of life, from business men (or women), street performers, tourists, shoppers, etc... The mix is more interesting and the atmosphere more live. Also, I sometimes get cold in 68 degrees air conditioning in the mall when it's 102 outside. Why do they have to keep it so cold? It's such a waste of energy. So, I vote with my feet.

"It has actually been very difficult to arouse much interest on the part of many people I know in visiting New Orleans lately, especially since Katrina. "

There is more to visit in post-Katrina New Orleans than there ever was (or will be) in Houston.