lol my cousin came from New York and felt similar. She was like "theres nothing to do here!" i didn't know what to tell her and i was slightly offended because i love houston so much. although she did like midtown. is new york that much different? i get the whole walking everywhere part but we got clubs and bars with live music, lounges, and museums too. Food is also pretty good. look, I'm not a huge party goer or go out every weekend but I feel like New York doesn't have anything I like that I could not do over here. Fill me in. Please don't mention any tourist stuff. Thats cool for one visit and then boring. I mean, not owning a car and walking/ubering everywhere sounds cool until you have to carry stuff like groceries back home. Actually, it would suck not to own a car.
I've never lived in NY. I'm not a big city guy myself. I'm a beach bum, but i like the option to go to a big city nearby. That's why i love SoCal so much. I've lived in Honolulu and i felt trapped there, so just a beach alone isn't going to cut it for me. I imagine the fact that most of these big city people don't know how to drive and or don't have a car is big reason why they can't enjoy a city like Houston where you pretty much have to drive everywhere.
the buffalo bayou park is like a 20+ year plan if they finish it all. would dramatically change the city but w'ere still about 15+ years away from the full vision.
The thing about Houston is that there's a ton of stuff to do here, but you have to actively look for it because it's spread out. You can't just walk around and be like, oh hey, a live concert, look a farmer's market or sidewalk art gallery.
i hate to pile on but houston is not my ideal city either. i'd rather be somewhere i can walk and not waste my life in traffic. it's also why i want out of austin but can't leave unless i somehow get custody of my son one day. obviously people like the city though and keep moving here. im curious how much of the population growth is from other parts of the U.S. and how much is from (il)legal immigration from mexico and other countries.
Houston has things, but there's different atmosphere and culture here than cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. Some of those have their own unique culture too like Houston does, but they're far more vibrant which I think a lot of people are used to. I for one never cared for it until I moved away from Houston. Now that I'm back in Houston, I just want to move back to a place that is dense and vibrant with a different culture. I think I can do pretty much any weather, but having things like public transportation are something I wish Houston really had more of. Sadly I don't see it ever happening.
I've never understood the complaint that there is nothing to do, what do other cities offer that Houston does not. I'll also call BS on the argument that it takes forever to get anywhere. I grew up in Houston, near Rice University and the absolute furthest I would ever got from the city was the Galleria. That's like what? 5 miles.
I'm a foodie. Have eaten everywhere and live in town. Go to other towns. This city progresses like molasses. Case in point how all of our relevant architecture was done over 25 years ago.
not every city is universally loathed or loved. i like ny but hate la. i love nocal but hate socal. i like portland but hate seattle. i hate pretty much the entire south east and all of florida. i like certain pockets in the midwest but hate others. i love the hill country but hate the metroplex. i'm sure many have similar or completely different views compared to mine.
Usually boring people always claim there is nothing to do in any particular place. Houston has plenty of things to do that suits almost every interest. The music and arts scene has exploded in the past decade. A lot of people don't have actual outside interests other than watching tv, drinking and going to the gym, so for them life in general is boring. The only thing I don't like about the city is no readily suitable public transport that serves the whole city other than a bus. I really hate driving. It would be amazing if I could take a train from the airport to midtown. I still enjoy visiting the city, but I avoid rush hour traffic no matter what.
My wife, who grew up in the Northeast, complains its too commercialized, with too much driving. Of course, when we visit my family, it's in the Magnolia/Tomball/Conroe area, so it's a ways out. I agree that it's a bit commercialized (basically, her version of the strip center argument), but it's what I know and love. We'll be down in a week and a half, and we're going for a two day trio through the hill country and San Antonio. She's been to Austin for a day trip, bit that's about it, as far as outside Houston and driving through Galveston once. Doing the rodeo thing, as well. We'll see how she likes it.
http://88designbox.com/architecture/houston-library-and-exhibition-center-by-ma2-894.html Reminded me of this thread
If we had functional public transportation here I wouldn't use it much. Only after 6pm. I'd be drenched in sweat 10/12 months a year just walking from point to point B and getting on a train/rail/etc... It makes sense places where it exists. In Houston, it still makes sense, just not for the same reason. I don't see the entertainment/pleasure value in having it. Not in this city.
Oh, man. This is so true. Especially the first sentence. Hell, I went to college in Huntsville, TX and I never had a boring weekend.
Boring and lazy. There are lots of things to do but it does require a little effort to seek those things out. People just expect them to arrive and have fun fall in their lap
Yep this Russian chick sounds like a miserable person that missed her boyfriend. There's a lot to do here.
She just sounds depressed. Most people from outside the US will only be impressed. It's people from other cities who think it's lame.
