I agree for the most part. Brown's a joke, but Lanier was a joke too. I'll give you the coherent part, however, Brown just looks lost & uncomfortable a times. Lanier "plays the part" better, but who cares? Where are the results? As for #3, Brown is trying to push a drainage fee aimed to improve...CORRECTION: connect much of the city to the existing drainage system. It seems that he's the 1st person to realize that those little drainage ditches (man, do I hate those things!) in many Houstonians' front yards don't do jack in terms of flood control, and he has actually bumbled & stumbled (as he always does) his way towards a plan to tie these neighborhoods in. Will it accomplish this goal? We'll see. And as for not being vocal about rail (which I agree with you about, Brown needs to stand for something), to play Devil's Advocate, maybe he respects the public's will & doesn't want to sway opinion. LOL! (You're just going to have to believe that I was able to keep a straight face when I typed this. ) And Brown just lucked up with the Texans, no argument there. As a "leader" -> advantage Lanier Comparing "results" -> hard to argue against Brown regardless of how "accidental" his "success" was But once again, they both suck, "Houston" grew in spite of them, IMHO.
He's obviously got a bad attitude and needs to get out of our city, but some of the things he says are true. BILLBOARDS!!!!! AAAAAHHHH They should be made illegal EVERYWHERE, I really hate billboards. The pollution is bad, and could be made at least made a little better, the Southwest breeze does blow all the refineries toxins over the city, but most is from cars, lawnmowers, etc. Houston has one of the greatest skylines and they really need to continue to develop the downtown area. Make it a major entertainment district, its fun going to clubs amongst all the giant skyscrapers. Its soooooo Cosmo.
I love living in the inner loop. I live a quick bike ride away from Memorial Park and its 10 minutes from my garage to my desk at work downtown. Now a town I HATE is L.A. But I love Newport Beach.
The area inside the loop is certainly nice. But you have to remember that like 80-90% of Houston is outside the loop. Outside the loop is where you're relegated to strip malls, abandoned grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Unfortunately the negatives of Houston significantly outweigh the positives, as Band Geek Mobster mentioned. When I think of Houston, I think of the following: 1. Heavy pollution 2. Terrible climate (high heat, worse humidity) 3. Strip malls, strip malls, strip malls... 4. Nothing but highways 5. No natural beauty (lakes, hills, etc.) If you enjoy driving a Tahoe, living in a big house in the burbs with a Best Buy, Home Depot, and Macaroni Grill down the street, then Houston is a good place for you. But for young people, places like the Bay Area, San Diego, NYC, and even Austin are much better.
Look, the inner loop is great if you're in your mid-20's, don't plan on buying a home, don't have a dog, and don't mind spending a mortgage payment on renting a halfway safe & decent place to live. Or if you're loaded. If you plan on buying a house, inner loop is NOT the way to go. 200k inside the loop buys you a 40 year old ramshackle home. 200k outside the loop buys you a much newer, nicer home - w/ many more amenities. There are no real "community villages" in Houston - you have to drive EVERYWHERE! Even living inside the loop, I have to jump in my car to get a paper, coffe, shop, drink, etc. So what's another 10 minutes tacked on to a drive if it translates into a much better home & better quality of life. As far as this "strip malls & suburbs" thing - gimme a break! What do you guys think Rice Village is? It's a massive strip mall of retail shops & restaurants? Midtown? A half-ghetto/half-Vietnamese strip mall. C'mon now - it's all relative...
I like Houston a lot, but that guy makes a lot of really good points. Every city has its Shortcomings and problems, I just think he did a good job of summing up Houston's and making it entertaining for those of us who live here. As far as Mayor is concerned, I don't live <i>in</i> the city of Houston, so I can't vote, but if I could, I'd vote for <a href="http://www.billwhiteforhouston.com">Bill White</a>.
i like how everyone in other cities in texas pretends the weather is so much different in houston than it is in their towns. that's so funny to me. i've spent considerable time in those other towns...it's ass-hot there too...and humid as well. i still argue that waco was every bit as humid as houston...if there was a difference, i couldn't feel it. and waco is in central texas, north of austin...and just 1.5 hours south of dallas.
I know. It's Texas for pete's sake. It's hot as hell everywhere in the summer. Working outdoors on an August day in the Hill Country is absolutely, positively just as unbearable as any day in Houston.
Truer words were never spoken. Think Houston sucks? Try living in LA for 12 years! I guarantee you will appreciate Houston (affordable cost of living, down-to-earth people, great restaurants that will seat you in a timely manner even though you aren't a celebrity) more than ever.
What are Bill's political leanings? His website had some pretty middle of the road kind of stuff that you would expect any politician to say. Is he a Dem, Rep., other? Is he moderate? I couldn't really garner that from the website.
I just did a little searching on the internet about him. He seems OK. I'm not sure that I like the fact that he made all his money suing corporations everywhere. He has a degree in economics, which I like, but he's a "consumer lawyer" as well, which means, sue everybody who is a big corporation. I'm not sure. I need more research. P.S. I don't think big corporations are evil. Big corporations are made of thousands of people like me, trying to make a living...so when they get sued...it costs people like me jobs and hurts the economy...not to say a company shouldn't pay up if they need to, but most of the time awards are dumb-tardedly high.
Big corporations are not evil. Unfortunately, they've historically often done a good job of screwing regular folks over in the name of the bottom line. Sometimes they need to be sued. I'll have to look into whatever public info is out there on his case history before I'll condemn him for being a "consumer lawyer".
Which area is this? I'd say about 95% of the city is dirty...just because your little priviledged end of town is clean, doesn't mean the city in general isn't dirty. Just take a look at the city in the morning...it's almost comical how dirty the air is here... If you go to any rich section of any city, it will more than likely be clean. This doesn't differentiate the city from any other town. Most positives of the city are the same positives every city has when discussing sports or recreation. The only good things Houston has is the weather (only during certain seasons), the food (it is definitely diverse), and the frontage roads (makes it a lot easier to get around town, unfortunately the high amounts of traffic cancels out the positives of frontage roads). The positives don't outweigh the negatives...at least for me. When I was living in Orlando, they had good food and nightlife. The only thing I missed about Houston were the frontage roads... Orlando was so awesome...1 hour away from Daytona, 2 hours from Clearwater...damn I miss that...
Houston doesn't suck at all. I moved to Omaha for a little while and I was like WHOA!!! Houston rocks hard, believe this.
Well I used to live in Houston and then moved to Pasadena. I can tell you that Pasadena, although definitely very quirky (its a bit overrated tho) is an awesome town. Weather, cleaniness, nightlife (LA and hollywood is a 10-15 minute drive away), girls everything. That being said, in Houston the people are awesome. I'd trade the people in Houston for LA people anyday. I think I'm going to stay in Pasadena for the rest of my life, but Houston was really nice as well. EDIT: By the way, I am talking about Pasadena California
Might seem like an A-hole thing to say, but it's true. There's lot of great (clean) places to live like River Oaks for example. As much as I'm opposed to the guy for saying what he did about Houston, it's pretty damn funny Truer words have never been spoken. I agree 100% with your assessment. Our sports teams are the best in the world, even if they only have 2 major championships between them, THEY ALL KICK @SS! We also have the hottest women.
I can and will provide a NON-BIASED view to Houston's status. I am from New York City and have done a ton of traveling throughout the U.S. and the world, being that I worked at LGA for Continental at the time as an airport official. (I took advantage of my buddy passes and vacation time). I have also been to SA, Austin and Dallas. I can actually say really and truthfully, with no-newfound-homerism in mind now that I live in Houston, that Houston DOES NOT SUCK at all. In fact I would put Houston at the top of the list of best cities in Texas and the entire South..............or Southwest or whatever region we are in. As for the state, Houston would be at the top in my non-biased list for reason you will be soon reading. Austin would be a VERY CLOSE Second. Great music and bar scene is really appealing. Very happenin' town to be in, especially during the music festival. Austin is perfect in every way except its has a SMALL-TOWN atmosphere. It lacks the luster and amenities of a big city, which I crave. SA would be a very distant third because while it does have the Riverwalk and the Alamo, it DOESNT have much anything else to do. I do like both attractions, but not to go visit them 365 days a year just to do something when I'm bored. Six Flags Fiesta Texas is not a place that would thrill me either. If you wan a real theme park with thrills and spills at every corner, try Cedar Point, Kings Island, Magic Mountain.............now those should not be attended by people who have a history of heart problems. Astroworld is pretty cool, but not at the top YET. And Sea World flat out SUCKS! And that would leave Dallas ath the bottom. Dallas is a nice city, but its too laid back for me. Its too.....well, country-fied. Its basically a big city done Texas style. Deep Ellum is pretty cool, I will give you that. And West End is okay, but other than those areas, that's it. Not much goin on. Houston on the other hand, actually reminds me of LA. Its almost like these two cities are carbon copies of each other. Except the beaches are better in LA and so are the girls, sorry H-town but that's my honest opinion. No Hollywood either. But everything else is the same. Here are some points. 1. Both cities have that same urban sprawl problem really bad. But, development is spread out evenly with the sprawl, thus there always seems to be something to do, some club to go to, some mall to shop at, some place to eat, some place to catch hotties at...............in your neighborhood or close by. So as long as that is the case, I can give a FLIP about urban sprawl. And with both cities being so spread out, there is also a great parking situation here too, which cant be found in NYC. 2. Both cities downtown's TRULY SUCK..............but there working on it both at the same time. Staples Center was built next to the convention center to spark much needed development along Figueroa. And what do you know.........The Rockets new arena is next to the convention center to spark development. It almost even looks like Staples on the inside. Both cities also sport TRULY fair-weather bandwagoner sports fans. 3. If this guy wants to bring up Houston being trashy, obliviously he has never been to LA. Hey buddy, if you want trash, just cruise by Rosecrans or Crenshaw for a little while..............you'll see what I mean. But Houston also has this problem, just not as bad. And there is also the air issue too, in which both cities and surrounding counties are neck and neck with each other. 4. And then there are the finer things in life which both cities posses. Both cities have fantastic malls found throughout the city. And the rich neighborhoods...................don’t even get me started. Houses in Houston seem to get just as wild and insanely designed as in LA. La has Beverly Hills, Houston has River Oaks, La has Anaheim (maybe not according to people in ANA) Houston has Sugar Land, Woodlands............I can go on and on. La has Compton, Watts, Houston has All of the Wards, 3rd, 5th, there all bad. But both cities are working on them to make them better too. 5. Transportation. There is still a major lack of rail system in both cities. Both cities rely on cars a lot, thus the roads and freeways are far more superior than any other city I have been to in the world. And that's despite the gridlocks both cities experience on an HOURLY basis. But both cities are working on adding or expanding rail at the same time to provide a hopeful solution to this traffic nightmare. And then there are the airports. While Bush IAH might not be as bad as LAX now, it WILL be very soon. Mark my words. With the current international terminal expansion underway at Terminal D to accommodate an increasing amount of international flights, business and traffic through Bush will sky-rocket to the point of where it will soon begin to resemble the nightmares you currently find at JFK, MIA, O'Hare, LAX. Why you ask? Because Houston is at a centralized location and could basically serve as a gateway to Latin America and crossroads of America. Plus, Continental uses it as its hub. Good luck, cuz were all gonna need it soon when it come to air travel. 6 Both cities seem to be filled with economic high rollers with clout. And both cities have a laundry list of major companies who have there home address listed in both cities. Both cities are known for there rogue attorneys and lawyers as Houston sucks pointed out. But the major difference that makes Houston better than LA is the low cost of living. And I cant believe no one on this board has brought this TERRIFIC FACT up. From houses and land, to cars, to gas, to groceries.....................everything seems to be cheaper here than any place I have been too in the United States. So that's what Houston is in my mind, LA's long lost twin. And everybody loves LA, so sooner or later Houston will get lots of lovin too. Right now, Houston is kind of unknown to the outsiders...............and I prefer to keep it that way. If people were to find out how truly great this city really is like I have, they would move here too and cause even more of a traffic nightmare. So just keep it on the D-L, its better for everyone who lives in Houston.
