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Once LA gets its new supertall (Wilshire Grand Tower 1) along with its smaller twin (tower 2) it will make a significant impact on the LA skyline. As of now I think LA and Houston is a wash. They are very similar looking unless its a birdseye view.
Once LA gets its new supertall (Wilshire Grand Tower 1) along with its smaller twin (tower 2) it will make a significant impact on the LA skyline. As of now I think LA and Houston is a wash. They are very similar looking from a distance unless it's a birdseye view.
I don't see it man. From the day time pictures, they look similar from 30 miles away where the buildings are dark shadows and not colored.
From up close range, they look similar in layout but different in design, especially the colors of the buildings. The first color I think of when seeing Los Angeles's skyline is white, then brown, and red. The first color with Houston is green, beige, and then black.
I'll say this though, both skylines look interchangeably similar at night time though.
Once LA gets its new supertall (Wilshire Grand Tower 1) along with its smaller twin (tower 2) it will make a significant impact on the LA skyline. As of now I think LA and Houston is a wash. They are very similar looking unless its a birdseye view.
But you really think the downtown L.A. skyline looks bigger than downtown Houston?
I'm not saying that the skyline looks bigger. Those superficially look the same as far as I can tell. I'm saying that on closer inspection downtown LA is much larger despite having similar sized skylines.
The downtowns look very similar to me. I can tell the difference, but they aren't easily distinguishable to people that don't pay that much attention to skylines. They are also similar in many respects at street level from some other pics that I've seen. But downtown LA looks to be quite a bit larger and much more densely built out.
Also LA was almost a decade late to the downtown revitalization trend and had much farther to go than most cities, but downtown is booming now. It's the hottest neighborhood in LA. I haven't heard that the same is true for Houston.
Downtown Houston's boom was 10 years ahead of LA's. It was hot. I remember the crowded sidewalks everywhere on party nights.
Then Midtown happened, now currently Washington Ave.
What happened is more of a settling factor. The different entertainment areas in the Houston metro definitely have competed well with downtown. But downtown has held its own.
Downtown Houston still has a fair number of bars and clubs that appeal to different demographics. I still see a mix of black folks, stylish Latinos, frat people, professionals and some hipsters milling around.
There's a new Sundance Cinema slated to open in the Bayou Place...Sky Bar over at Houston Pavilions...La Carafe, Flying Saucer, Sambuca still going strong.
The Theater District will always be a high powered cultural resource at night. Party on the Plaza. It's still going on in dt Houston.
Downtown Houston does seem to have the edge in decent wide public spaces. I like Market Square and Jones Plaza over Pershing Square in LA. But Pershing Square is not as bad as some detractors make it out to be. I've enjoyed milling around downtown LA on some Sunday afternoons.
Downtown Houston is still a pretty cool alternative in this sprawl of a city. Love going to Minuti, La Carafe or No Tsu Oh...
Last edited by worldlyman; 08-21-2011 at 11:10 PM..
Houston needs to become more urban around downtown, the open spaces are giving me an eyesore. The skyline is fantastic though.
I think Houston needs to maintain the areas it already has. Fill in some of those cool areas on the way to the Med Center. Fill in the Montrose's old gaps (and it's happening already). Continue the opening up of cool stuff on White Oak and other points in the Heights.
If there are to be new things built close to downtown, it's more in Midtown, I'd like to see a structure be built at McGowen/Main. There are a few LA style structures of old along the Red Line that could use some business.
But I like that block of Midtown off the Red Line that contains Continental Club...stuff like Mink Lounge and Tacos A Go Go into the night!
The rail does connect Midtown to downtown to the Museum District to the Med Center...so there is definitely positive energy forward that I see going on here in Houston.
Downtown Houston's boom was 10 years ahead of LA's. It was hot. I remember the crowded sidewalks everywhere on party nights.
Then Midtown happened, now currently Washington Ave.
What happened is more of a settling factor. Downtown Houston still has a fair number of bars and clubs that appeal to different demographics. I still see a mix of black folks, stylish Latinos, frat people, professionals and some hipsters milling around.
There's a new Sundance Cinema slated to open in the Bayou Place...Sky Bar over at Houston Pavilions...La Carafe, Flying Saucer, Sambuca still going strong.
The Theater District will always be a high powered cultural resource at night. Party on the Plaza. It's still going on in dt Houston.
Downtown Houston does seem to have the edge in decent wide public spaces. I like Market Square and Jones Plaza over Pershing Square in LA. But Pershing Square is not as bad as some detractors make it out to be. I've enjoyed milling around downtown LA on some Sunday afternoons.
Downtown Houston is still a pretty cool alternative in this sprawl of a city. Love going to Minuti, La Carafe or No Tsu Oh...
Once L.A. Live and Grand Avenue are complete, L.A.'s downtown will be on par with Times Square and Champs-Élysées, making it far better than it already is.
Once L.A. Live and Grand Avenue are complete, L.A.'s downtown will be on par with Times Square and Champs-Élysées, making it far better than it already is.
That's the thing. Houston, in my opinion, doesn't need to be or have "Times Square."
I love the overall range of different looks in downtown Houston. From the stylish sophistication of the Theater District in the middle to the oddball Houston Pavilion to the side...Discovery Green Park,...to the urban futuristic open mall walkway down the Red Line...the lovely bayou walk almost underneath the busy Bayou Place. I just enjoy the range of items in downtown Houston.
Plus we have an uber cool tunnel system loaded with good food, retail and services that's handy in bad weather.
But if the other stuff works for Los Angeles...great.
Once L.A. Live and Grand Avenue are complete, L.A.'s downtown will be on par with Times Square and Champs-Élysées, making it far better than it already is.
I'm all for the boom and revitalization that is going on in downtown (Grand Ave, LA Live, soon street cars, Wilshire Grand, revitalization of the broadway theater district) etc, but I don't like the "Times Square/Champs-Elysees" comparisons.
I don't think LA Live will ever be on par with Times Square, although it could become a time square like area on the west coast. And the Grand Ave project will definitely not even remotely compare to Champs-Elysees. I really don't see that comparison at all quite honestly. But yes, the completion of these projects will definitely make Downtown a far more vibrant and lively place to be in. I'm far more interested in "Bringing Broadway Back" project along with the addition of street cars than the LA Live/Farmer's Field behemoth projects.
We should just be happy about Downtown getting a new breath of life instead of the silly comparisons.
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