Been living in Europe for years now and I can confirm that Houston isn't a glamorous international destination. Most of my European friends only know it because of the space program, and as soon as they realize it's in Texas they immediately think of rednecks, cowboys and desert places like West Texas. And let's not get started when they realize Bush is from Texas... However, I've had the opportunity to persuade some to visit Houston, and to my surprise all of my friends told me they would rather live there than in a place like San Francisco or LA... So it's no wonder all these athletes who have travelled the world decide to call Houston 'home' during the offseason.
You mean its not full of rednecks and NRA conventions? I'll have to check it out. Dag nabbit, with no taxes I'll move my HQ there! Is Houston the one with the awesome Texas BBQ?
Houston is ahead of all those cities outside the top 4 or 5 at this point... i don't even think it is debateable.
Ahead of them in terms of what? Economics sure, but that's it. Don't misunderstand me to be knocking Houston. I have no hate for Houston nor do I have an anti-Dwight agenda. I want him to come here and think there is a chance. That said I realize that Houston's appeal as a place to live is not because it is a cool city, a cultured city, a sexy city, a destination city, etc. It's because it has a good job market, cheap property, low taxes, that sort of thing.
are you sure about that? <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QKemKFx5FM4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So I grew up in Houston and Germany and currently live in LA. There is NO DOUBT that most (Western) European cities and even the cities listed by other posters have more to 'offer' in terms of city beauty, location (near ocean, mountains), and 'liveability' by which I mean able to walk to destinations, use non-city bus transporatation etc. I didn't think Houston was "all that" so I left after high school and experienced a lot the rest of the world has to offer. Having said that, Houston does offer a number of things that most other big cities don't: 1) strong economy + jobs (thats why everyone comes there) 2) great standard of living + affordability (see what $200-$800K buys you in a decent neighborhood in West LA--answer: NOTHING) 3) Friendly people--this is not overrated. Cities like boston, nyc are exhausting when you have to do battle with idiots on the street/in their cars all day 4) A not-so-overbearing government culture: I never thought government intrusiveness would bother me so much....until I moved to LA. Everything is a permit, a tax, environmental standards are beyond reasonsable, and the people follow anything Leonardo DiCaprio says or any other idiot hollywood star that has no clue. Also, the state of CA is drowning in debt and people are fleeing. It creates a lot of anxiety--no doubt. It sounds weird to say but when I go back to Houston to visit my parents, I have to say its very eye-opening and the more I think about it the more impressive Houston looks. Houston may not be the hottest chick at the dance but after you get with the hot chick you sometimes find out she's not that smart and looks terrible without makeup. Also Forbes wrote an article in 2012 calling Houston the 'coolest' city in America. Hey, at least its a start: http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganb...-our-list-of-americas-coolest-cities-to-live/
Haha, same sponsor for Lin. That's the Nike event in Shanghai? I can't find video for you right now but I'm sure Lin is similar. And I'll bet this year just as big as that. I would say bigger but looks like you can't fit anymore people in. LMAO! I'll post some video later when I get back home.
I hope you are joking. NYC have the largest concentration of Chinese in America and have 9 Chinatowns that covers pretty much all of the regional cuisine styles of China and have all the way from street vendor type foods like lanzhou lamian & yang rou chuan all the way up to the premium restaurants. The same can be said about LA, though they are not really located in Chinatowns but in predominantly Asian suburb cities such as Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead, Roland Heights etc Even Chicago's Chinatown feels more complete (in terms of the cuisine style coverage and low&high end coverage). Though I'm not really surprised considering Chicago's Chinese population is significantly larger than that of Houston's.
Houston has mild winters Let's not talk about Summer. Houston is an economic boom town. Houston has some very pretty parks and elite neighborhoods. U of Houston has one of the largest populations of international students anywhere, and Rice has a classically gorgeous campus. Houston is very diverse; Blacks have called it "heavenly Houston" for decades. Taxes are cheaper in Texas. Galveston island is just a few miles away, so is Freeport. Add to the list assuming Dwight is reading this thread.
You've posted this video multiple times on this site. Just because the title says Kobe is more popular doesn't make it true. I found a video titled "Kobe is a b****!" Does that mean Kobe's a b****? ... possibly. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VWQHB0Iz49U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Here's another one with a similar title, for good measure <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-jXZY3YeYD0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Houston has some amazing restaurants. First class concerts, shows, and sporting events. Not as congested as LA, Chicago, N.Y., etc.
This is pure and utter nonsense. You're seriously going to come to a HOUSTON ROCKETS message board, and talk about how Yao is less popular in China than Kobe?? Yao is a GOD there. I'm not of Chinese heritage, but I've been there a few times over the past 8 years, and Yao's status there is unquestionably that of Micheal Jordan over here. People LOVE him there. If it wasn't for Yao, Kobe wouldn't have any business GOING there. Get out of here with your lame attempt at trashing everything Houston does.
