Stop Hating on Houston

urbanactivist · #1 Posted **Aug 7, 2009, 7:56 PM**

Yeah, I know it's gonna get closed, but I just had to post this here...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6563392.html

Commentary
Houston naysayers need to get a life
By RONNIE CROCKER
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 7, 2009, 6:10AM

Add Outside magazine to the long list of Bayou City bashers.

Over the years, we've been branded the nation's fattest city, the smoggiest, the sprawliest … blah, blah, blah. Now, in its latest issue, Outside not only leaves Houston off its list of the nation's best cities, it makes a point of criticizing us for our weather, our sprawl and even our topography.

In an aside headlined “Houston, We Have a Problem” (original, right?), the magazine offers backhanded compliments to our strong economy, low housing prices and “surprisingly good barbecue and soul food.” (Surprisingly?) “But,” the article concludes, “here's the thing: You're congested, sprawly, hot, and flat, and you scored miserably on our multisport factor (grade: D).”

To which I say, so what?

Yes, it's hot and muggy and ironing-board flat, and so most of us spend less time on our bicycles and kayaks than folks in Portland or Seattle. But rather than gripe about the weather, Houstonians long ago learned how to deal with it. The first time my mom brought me downtown, in the late 1960s, I marveled at the tunnel system that connected the buildings. And when I returned years later to work for the Chronicle, I quickly came to appreciate those underground lifesavers.

Houstonians were the first to move baseball indoors, which seems pretty smart to me if you love the game but don't want to risk heat stroke watching it. Yet I can't count how many times I've been told what an abomination our domed stadium was.

Whatever. I think of those nattering nabobs every time I hear about a game being rained out. A rainout in this day and age? If you want to nitpick, why not go after the cities that spent taxpayer money on stadiums and still have to postpone games because of a little shower? Have they not heard of retractable-roof technology?

I'm tired of hearing about sprawl, too. I live 5 minutes from my office, I walk to as many places as I can, and I'm probably about as enamored of suburbia as the editors of Outside are. But I keep it to myself. You want to live out there? Doesn't hurt my feelings. I might take issue with that SUV you're driving, but it's not like there weren't plenty of those in Austin the last time I was stuck in a traffic jam there.

Outside loves Austin, by the way. It's No. 4 on the list.

Granted, to the uninitiated, our indoor rodeo might seem a little weird. But for the most part, these unsolicited critiques baffle me. As does the need people apparently have to share their hostile little opinions.

Last summer, for example, as we were settling the tab for a perfectly nice stay at a resort near Lake Tahoe, the woman at the desk found out we were headed home to Houston and told us that she used to live here, too. And that she hated it. She was passionate about her hatred. Something about spiders, she said.

Spiders. Really? I still wish I'd asked for the manager.

I hesitate to respond like this for fear of sounding defensive, which I'm not. Bemused is more like it. Maybe a little irritated, though I should be used to this by now. Another memory, from back in the '70s-era oil boom, was a letter to the editor from a Rust Belt transplant complaining about the city, and its cockroaches in particular.

Even as a teenager, I was struck by the ingratitude. Would you really rather be freezing and unemployed?

I was a kid then, here for reasons beyond my control. But now I live in Houston by choice. It's flawed, sure, but I love the people, the restaurants, the sports. I'm stirred by the sight of our skyline on a moonlit night, and a balmy February afternoon leaves me feeling downright smug.

I travel and I enjoy many cities across the country, and except possibly for St. Louis I never feel the need to ridicule any of them.

My personal favorite is any comment about how Houston is so "hot". Apparently these people have never been to New Orleans, Miami, or any other city in Texas.

Major AWACS · #2 Posted **Aug 7, 2009, 9:29 PM**

I never understood the "hot" argument. It's called summer in the Southern tier of the United Statets.

I'll be back in DC all next week and I expect humid muggy times. DC in the summer is normally very hot, and very humid. Ditto New Orleans, much of FLorida, including Orlando, which has a higher average humidity than Houston.

I've done more than my share of walking around Austin in the summer time-miles and miles around UT campus and other areas-and it is very hot and you get very "moist".

Plenty of southern cities sprawl. and plent of big cities are flat- Miami, Chicago, Dallas etc etc.

Take outside magazine with a grain of salt, it is not exactly the most read magazine on the planet. Besides, I'd rather be leading the jobs and business lists, which Houston is doing.

Ciao,
AWACS

TexasPlaya · #3 Posted **Aug 8, 2009, 6:10 AM**

Outside magazine, what's that?

JAM · #4 Posted **Aug 8, 2009, 3:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya

Outside magazine, what's that?

who cares...

Atlantan26 · #5 Posted **Aug 8, 2009, 6:41 PM**

Northerners like to put down the south any chance they get because it is all insecurity and fear. They want to instill fear in the public to keep them from leaving. I know this for a fact because I moved south from the north. Its not just Houston they put down its anything south. People down here may not think living up north is desirable but they usually will have something polite to say "Boston is a nice city" instead of point out all of its flaws. It all boils down to a defensive nature because they keep hearing about how many people have been leaving for it for decades now.

Houston has a lot going for it. Beautiful scenery (trees, near the coast, warm winters). Diverse population and economy and an amazing skyline. You dont think people are jealous of that?

JManc · #6 Posted **Aug 8, 2009, 8:04 PM**

yep, i know of more northerners living here in the south than southerners living up north.

alexjon · #7 Posted **Aug 10, 2009, 6:58 PM**

Rest assured that folks in the north loooooooove Austin.

JManc · #8 Posted **Aug 10, 2009, 10:15 PM**

believe it or not, most folks up north do not hold strong opinions either way about texas. the only thing people seem to not like about it here is the heat and humidity..which rightfully sucks.

urbanactivist · #9 Posted **Aug 11, 2009, 1:49 PM**

I lived in Michigan for a time, but it is unique to northern states (much more "conservative" and less of the population is in dense urban areas. In some ways, Michigan has a lot in common with the South, eventhough it's clearly not a Southern state. Anyhow, their opinion of Texas was very neutral... they didn't care either way.

Sadly, I think Texas/Houston is a big topic of conversation up there now, just because the job situation is so much better here. But that has nothing to do with whether or not people like the state. So much of Michigan's employment sector is rooted in manufacturing, so it's natural that those people would look to other strong manufacturing sectors for their employment hopes.

TexasBoi · #10 Posted **Aug 11, 2009, 2:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

I lived in Michigan for a time, but it is unique to northern states (much more "conservative" and less of the population is in dense urban areas. In some ways, Michigan has a lot in common with the South, eventhough it's clearly not a Southern state.
.

Really? I heard the same things about Ohio. That's interesting.

KevinFromTexas · #11 Posted **Aug 11, 2009, 8:42 PM**

It's Texas, it gets hot. If you're down on the coast, it's hot and humid, if you're farther north, it's hot and dry. Take your pick. I was just in Corpus over the weekend, man was it hot (and humid). But the evenings were beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, full of stars though, big yellow moon over the bay, lots of cool wind blowing. It was definitely worth waiting for. Sunday I went swimming too. I can't imagine living there with long hair though since it's so incredibly windy. I went up in the Omni Bayfront Hotel. They have a balcony that faces the bay on the 20th floor, and it was a little scary actually! Anyway, the heat thing isn't that big of a deal. You get used to it. Seriously, I've been working outside for most of this summer, and Austin just went through the 2nd or 3rd hottest June ever, and the hottest July ever. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hottest Julys took place in the mid to late 1800s. And not only was that the hottest July ever, but it was the hottest month ever for Austin. The average temp for July was 89.5F. And we've had about 50 days so far this year where we've hit at least 100F. But anyway, you get used to it. And when winter rolls around, you're glad for it, and when it's 58F outside in December and you can still stand to wear shorts and flip flops and sleep with the windows open, it pays off. I hate cold weather anyway.

Rail Claimore · #12 Posted **Aug 11, 2009, 11:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

I lived in Michigan for a time, but it is unique to northern states (much more "conservative" and less of the population is in dense urban areas. In some ways, Michigan has a lot in common with the South, eventhough it's clearly not a Southern state. Anyhow, their opinion of Texas was very neutral... they didn't care either way.

Sadly, I think Texas/Houston is a big topic of conversation up there now, just because the job situation is so much better here. But that has nothing to do with whether or not people like the state. So much of Michigan's employment sector is rooted in manufacturing, so it's natural that those people would look to other strong manufacturing sectors for their employment hopes.

Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio all received lots of white Southern transplants during the Great Migration 3 or 4 generations ago. The Great Migration wasn't exclusively black Southerners. Many white folks from those states have relatives here in Alabama as well as in Tennessee and Georgia.

shane453 · #13 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 12:06 AM**

If the author of this editorial wrote a book, I would definitely buy it. That's quality writing. Funny, satirical, personal- reminded me of David Sedaris.

I think all the magazines (and a lot of people on forums like this one in the national sections) are tired of seeing Texas and Oklahoma in the news as #1 for everything

Great_Hizzy · #14 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 2:18 AM**

Houston: doomed for failure...

Since 1836.

JordanL · #15 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 2:27 AM**

I personally don't like Houston at all, but it has nothing to do with being "hot" or "flat".

And I've been to Houston several times... I have to travel to Bush Intercontinental to visit my sister in Sulphur, LA.

I wouldn't say I "hate" Houston, but there's precious little I like about it. "Tollerate" is a better word.

But that's the city, not the people that live there.

feufoma · #16 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 1:27 PM**

Funny thing I've noticed since moving from Dallas to Houston in 1995 is the prevalence of people who have bad things to say about Houston in general being mere visitors to the city rather than those who have chosen to call Houston home (you know, the 5.8mm people in Metro Houston).

I'll just say the city has been good to me-I've got a wonderful family with opportunities for all as well as an overall great standard of living making more money than 95% of the population. Granted, I would make that money in quite a few places. But you can't beat Houston for providing tenable options for success and generally a great quality of life for successful people.

Moreover, Houston is actually a very unique, eccentric, city that towers over the other cities in Texas (and, frankly, the South) as far as the arts and international offerings. Period. That's something that the naysayers often overlook.

feufoma · #17 Posted **Aug 12, 2009, 5:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexjon

Rest assured that folks in the north loooooooove Austin.

Yeah, I never got that actually. Austin has always been, well, Austin... Nothing really remarkable unless you're a 20 something year old hipster.

urbanactivist · #18 Posted **Aug 13, 2009, 2:56 AM**

Well the reason my sig says what it does is not to slam Austin... it's a wonderful city and plenty "weird". But there's no other way to say it, Houston's just not "normal"... things sprout up in this city in very random ways. Construction seems to happen really quickly here for the most part. There's a street in the East End that used to be old projects (like two weeks ago) and now there's already piping in for more 3 story townhomes. It seems like it hapens overnight here. The city is very forgetful too, now you'd never know that this street of homes existed there.

And the city is so understated. Places like Dallas, New Orleans and Atlanta PRIDE themselves on having tourists. They work hard to show off their city, and make a name for themselves. Houston has got to be the largest city I know of that just doesn't "seem to care" about tourism and self promotion. WE know that the Museum District is awesome. WE know that the TUTS theater company and Houston Grand Opera are some of the nations' best outside of NYC. WE know about awesome places like Hong Kong City mall, the Hindu temple at Synott, and other places that seem like a world away from Texas. We know about the 60,000 apartments that the city paid for (without government assistance) so that Katrina and Rita evacuees wouldn't be on the streets, and paid for them for nearly two years. But Houstonians don't give a damn whether outsiders know it or not. The need to impress, be loved and revered, and steal attention is just not in the nature of the city of Houston. And that is not normal.

JordanL · #19 Posted **Aug 13, 2009, 3:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbanactivistTX

Well the reason my sig says what it does is not to slam Austin... it's a wonderful city and plenty "weird". But there's no other way to say it, Houston's just not "normal"... things sprout up in this city in very random ways. Construction seems to happen really quickly here for the most part. There's a street in the East End that used to be old projects (like two weeks ago) and now there's already piping in for more 3 story townhomes. It seems like it hapens overnight here. The city is very forgetful too, now you'd never know that this street of homes existed there.

And the city is so understated. Places like Dallas, New Orleans and Atlanta PRIDE themselves on having tourists. They work hard to show off their city, and make a name for themselves. Houston has got to be the largest city I know of that just doesn't "seem to care" about tourism and self promotion. WE know that the Museum District is awesome. WE know that the TUTS theater company and Houston Grand Opera are some of the nations' best outside of NYC. WE know about awesome places like Hong Kong City mall, the Hindu temple at Synott, and other places that seem like a world away from Texas. We know that over two million the 60,000 apartments that the city paid for (without government assistance) so that Katrina and Rita evacuees wouldn't be on the streets, and paid for them for nearly two years. But Houstonians don't give a damn whether outsiders know it or not. The need to impress, be loved and revered, and steal attention is just not in the nature of the city of Houston. And that is not normal.

Your guys' downtown is incredible. I don't think anyone knocking downtown Houston has been there.

It's the other several hundred square miles that I don't like very much.

urbanactivist · #20 Posted **Aug 13, 2009, 1:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordanL

I personally don't like Houston at all, but it has nothing to do with being "hot" or "flat".

And I've been to Houston several times... I have to travel to Bush Intercontinental to visit my sister in Sulphur, LA.

I wouldn't say I "hate" Houston, but there's precious little I like about it. "Tollerate" is a better word.

But that's the city, not the people that live there.

From your posts, it doesn't sound like you know enough about the city to make up your mind about it. If you like downtown, then there's a high probabilty that there are other areas that you'd like. But if you're making judgements about it based on two or three places (like the airport area and downtown), then you're just missing out. Like you said, there are hundreds of square miles of this thing called Houston, so it's not like you can paint it all with one brush.

When I first moved here, I "didn't like" east Houston. I thought it was dirty, smelly and useless. You know why?? Because almost everyone I talked to didn't like east Houston. I was basing my opinion on their experiences and assumptions instead of taking the time to properly investigate it for myself. But then through some oddities of chance and good old roommate swapping, I ended up living in East Houston for a year. The place that I once hated and would never go to suddenly became a new adventure, full of surprises in itself. Now that I know about all of the cool stuff that's there like the Washburn tunnel, Frenchtown, and Bayou des Plains, I now think it's a very cool and misjudged part of the city. My preference of places to live is still inside the loop, but I'm glad I took a chance and got to know that part of the city.