The one thing that Houston is missing? (Austin, Sugar Land: waterpark, employment)

[bigpapasmurf76]

I was talking to my wife the other day about what we would add to Houston if we could add just one thing. The only rule was that the "thing" had to be technically possible. An example would be that wishing for Discovery Green before it was built would have been possible (ie, the land was available, it wouldn't cost too much to build or maintain, etc.), whereas just wishing that we had a giant, 850 acre park smack-dab in the middle of our city like NY is not possible.

I like Houston a lot, but the one thing I truly hate with all my passionate guts are our brutal summers. I think having some kind of recreational place where you could go to swim and cool off in the summer that was close to downtown would make those miserably hot days a lot easier to deal with. It may just be me, but I think it would be awesome if there were some kind of big community pool (like the ones in Austin or in Astoria, Queens) or a waterpark that didn't suck (think New Braunfels-Schlitterbahn) in or near downtown. Galveston is all well and good, but it's a 2-to-2.5 hour roundtrip commitment, and for 3+ months in the summer the water is more "bathwater" than "refreshing".

As far as placement...it could go in that large open area near midtown (I know they have a regular park planned which is super-awesome), the old Astroworld location, etc. Up until a year or so ago they could have built a big pool (perhaps with a park around it) where the new HEB is, which I think would have been really neat. Or, you know, it could always go inside the Astrodome. Hahahahaha, just kidding.

Agree? If not, what would your one thing be that would greatly improve Houston if it existed?

[DJboutit]

Memorial Park 1,466 acres

Memorial Park, Houston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[westhou]

The one thing that would make Houston great is an extensive rail system.

As for what was suggested in the original post I feel we have plenty of places to cool off on a hot day like Lake Conroe, Lake Houston, and Galveston Bay. All those are pretty close to the city. There's also Splashtown not too far in Spring. Driving to Galveston is also not that bad of a drive. Driving an hour and a half to get to a beach is pretty darn good.

[bigpapasmurf76]

I meant close to downtown. Like close. As in something you could bike to/walk to/take a quick 15-minute public transportation ride to if you lived in or right near downtown. Something you could take a quick jaunt to and cool off without having to make a day trip out of it. That's why I compared it to Austin (Barton Springs) or the Astoria Park pool. And Splashtown is AWFUL.

As for the park-comparisons, I was merely outlining the rules, saying you couldn't wish for an 850-acre park in the middle of downtown, as in, there are buildings already there and it wouldn't fit. But yes, our park is bigger, thanks for pointing that out :P

[bigpapasmurf76]

Originally Posted by westhou

The one thing that would make Houston great is an extensive rail system.

Totally agree with this, though. I only didn't say it because I'm (overly?) optimistic that it's already in the works and will happen someday. Fingers crossed.

[diablo234]

More dense residential/retail/mixed use development in Downtown, Midtown, EaDo, Museum District, and Montrose.

A decent sized rail system like the Chicago "L", Bay Area's BART, or DC's Metro to connect the inner loop employment districts with outlying suburbs such as Sugar Land, Katy, etc.

A decent sized theme park comparable to Six Flags or Cedar Point.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by westhou

The one thing that would make Houston great is an extensive rail system.

The same for me. If I only get to pick one thing to change, I would certainly wish for a sufficient heavy rail system in place. Of course there are many other things that I wish were different, but they wouldn't mean much without being accompanied by some other change.

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by diablo234

More dense residential/retail/mixed use development in Downtown, Midtown, EaDo, Museum District, and Montrose.

A decent sized rail system like the Chicago "L", Bay Area's BART, or DC's Metro to connect the inner loop employment districts with outlying suburbs such as Sugar Land, Katy, etc.

A decent sized theme park comparable to Six Flags or Cedar Point.

Cedar Point or Busch Gardens. Six Flags is going through too much. LOL

[Redlionjr]

Plenty of pools in the city. What Houston needs more then anything is a tourist trap. Something in the city that will make thousands of tourist flock that caters to adults and kids. That can rival a fishermans wharf or a Times Square or Smithsonian, something of that magnitude. Something that natives will avoid(like they do w/ most tourist traps) but will make ppl visiting preciate and discover what a great city Houston is,instead of going too tired NASA or skipping to Galveston. Houston biggest tourist destination is The Galleria. Houston really needs this. Think big. You know how many new jobs this will create?

[bigpapasmurf76]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

Plenty of pools in the city. What Houston needs more then anything is a tourist trap. Something in the city that will make thousands of tourist flock that caters to adults and kids. That can rival a fishermans wharf or a Times Square or Smithsonian, something of that magnitude. Something that natives will avoid(like they do w/ most tourist traps) but will make ppl visiting preciate and discover what a great city Houston is,instead of going too tired NASA or skipping to Galveston. Houston biggest tourist destination is The Galleria. Houston really needs this. Think big. You know how many new jobs this will create?

I like this! The old Astroworld land could be used for whatever it is, too. Any ideas?