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This is the most ridiculous super booster post I have ever seen. Worldly, you're known as the resident booster but this post takes the cake. I mean to actually compare a bunch of good bars and restaurants to the likes of an already established international world class city like Los Angeles is laughable.
I am a Houston booster myself. I critique only because I see it's potential going to waste. It could be the next major world class city but I see it trying to be more like Dallas 2.0 instead. With LA's natural topography, it's beaches, Santa Monica Mountains, hills, the fact that you can ski, hike and surf all in the same area, Hollywood, etc. How in the heck can you actually compare this to Houston? Seriously are you that delusional? I am glad you enjoy Houston as much as I do but can you really with a straight face say that Houston is somehow better than LA aesthetically? Not only that but I am not talking about your personal preference but the fact that LA is WAY more established as a major city when Houston is just getting it's start.
Now on to your ridiculous premises:
I didn't say Disneyland was free, I said that the city offers a lot of free events for people and it's parks are amazing and cannot compare with Houston's. What the heck is wrong with you? How are you gonna compare Griffith Park and the Observatory with Herman or Memorial.
How are you going to compare Kemah or even Galveston to Santa Monica, Venice or Malibu? Are you joking? If you prefer Houston to LA that is one thing, to each his own, but to go out on a limb and start saying that Houston (which has potential to be the best) has somehow surpassed Los Angeles as a major hub is bonkers, dude. Straight up bananas. That seems delusional and insecure at best. There is no amount of name dropping all the best little hot spots in Houston that will clear that check for you. So stop pretending you're a wannabe Houston Press blogger, you're not going to convince anyone that Houston has somehow made it. You will convince me and others in here that Houston has the best potential of any city in America right now to be the best city. It has the ability to outshine the major cities by a huge mile. On that I agree but for now I see that Houston is wasting it's efforts by shunning the basic things that most major cities in America do, like creating a city government that lives out of the shadow of big business.
Los Angeles and Cali in general suffers from chronic unemployment due to the housing crash which devastated the region. Something like 10 percent of the population is unemployed. That is HUGE. Housing prices are insane here and people do live like paupers. But LA is also the biggest working class city I've ever seen. But for all of it's problems it still remains a relatively safe city in comparison to its size and it hasn't fallen into complete disarray. Why? Because it has an active government that has done a lot to keep it from looking like Detroit. Many people live on assistance. That's sad and shouldn't be but it has kept the city from going into Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome territory. There are also mad opportunities in education here which blow the silly junior college/trade school thing in Houston.
I am not here to just defend LA, it has it's own problems, but the point is that you clearly do not know what you're talking about. Not in the slightest. Los Angeles is densely populated, one of the most packed areas in the nation, so real estate is expensive. Many people want to live here so land is not cheap. Houston is not as developed or densely populated which keeps land prices low. Texas has the second-biggest land area in the country, much of it quite flat and thus available for development. The supply of land keeps prices low and makes it considerably less expensive to start a business or build housing than in many other parts of the country. Texas has by far the most open land among the nation’s most populous states. Because of it's unique position in this regard it was able to weather the housing storm easily. Other States like CA were not lucky.
Houston has a very diverse economy that keeps it strong. The State has abundant oil resources which with high commodity price on oil remains it's most valuable asset. Also, whatever benefits Houston and TX for that matter may be acquiring by virtue of having lower taxes likely have been wiped out by its lower expenditures on services. The city and state spend less because they lack A LOT of stuff other states don't have, which is why parts of Houston and the rest of the state look THIRD WORLD. Everyone says Houston's infrastructure sucks big ones! Instead of capitulating to every demand businesses want, take some of that wealth and build your frickin' roads back. People are without health care working low wage jobs with no benefits and no real right to unionize. I guess that's all OK because you were able to afford that house in rapidly deteriorating suburb where poverty is going up.
Don't even get me started on crime. The point is that Texas is unique. Very unique. Several factors keep it strong that other States cannot replicate. So you cannot compare TX or Houston to every other city or state in the country. It's a different bird altogether. That is why I think it's silly when the boosters post every article on here the financial rags put out about Houston. Those rags are just trying to promote an agenda across the country to change national policy to fit the Texas "model". And because I think it's in such a unique position that Houston CAN afford to provide for more social services, allocate more public space to build more Discovery Greens, spend more on education, and fix infrastructure. The businesses aren't going anywhere. You guys are just being bamboozled into believing they will leave if you do anything to anger them.
You are correct. Houston is not LA or NY or Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, and never will be. Houston only is hot right now because the out of state unemployed people are moving here HOPING to get a good job, which they will find out is hard to find just like in any other part of the country if you have no skills. Immigrants move here because of the easy access. Quality of life is better in NY or LA, thats why all the celebs live there. You RARELY see anyone famous or insanely rich consistently repping Houston. If you are struggling financially move to Houston, if you are rich leave the city.
You are correct. Houston is not LA or NY or Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, and never will be. Houston only is hot right now because the out of state unemployed people are moving here HOPING to get a good job, which they will find out is hard to find just like in any other part of the country if you have no skills. Immigrants move here because of the easy access. Quality of life is better in NY or LA, thats why all the celebs live there. You RARELY see anyone famous or insanely rich consistently repping Houston. If you are struggling financially move to Houston, if you are rich leave the city.
So we are generalizing the 1.2 million people that moved to Houston as people who are mostly unemployed hoping to get a good job and low skilled immigrants?
You are correct. Houston is not LA or NY or Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, and never will be. Houston only is hot right now because the out of state unemployed people are moving here HOPING to get a good job, which they will find out is hard to find just like in any other part of the country if you have no skills. Immigrants move here because of the easy access. Quality of life is better in NY or LA, thats why all the celebs live there. You RARELY see anyone famous or insanely rich consistently repping Houston. If you are struggling financially move to Houston, if you are rich leave the city.
If you're insanely rich then of course the places to be to enjoy your wealth in pure opulence are Manhattan, West LA, South Beach Miami or San Francisco.
Houston is really an upper middle class town that grants people with skills, young professionals and high skilled labor, the chance to live out their middle class fantasies. While I think this is great, and this is a personal opinion, I think it stagnates the culture. The really wealthy purchase and bring a market of really eclectic art and different styles, while the struggling artists and working class produce it. I think the only realm in which Houston has this is in the hip hop game. Other than that, I personally think Houston is treading Dallas territory focusing too much on uber-modern-Western hybrid stuff, Town Center development, and bland conservative yuppie culture. That's just my two cents but I think Houston is really not interested in pursuing international status by being an eclectic city per se. If anything I think the enclaves of art, music and culture are being gentrified and ready to be posted on Houston 002 Magazine.
So we are generalizing the 1.2 million people that moved to Houston as people who are mostly unemployed hoping to get a good job and low skilled immigrants?
Not at all. But there is a component in which low skilled and unemployed people from hard hit states are moving to Houston. Most of it has to do with the fact that a large component of the job growth is also low skilled low wage work.
Houston's boom is benefited the most by people who have the credentials, own a small business or are have extensive experience in high skilled labor. That's not the majority in the country, so it wouldn't be the majority in the city or in any city. So the gains are not all evenly spread. With Texas having one of the lowest minimum wages in the nation coupled with poor social services, no unions, a high population without health insurance, this is a recipe for uneven economic development in cities as large as Houston.
Sorry but when you rely on private initiative to spur most of the growth, you're going to get these problems and you cannot stop people from coming in from much worse off States.
This is the most ridiculous super booster post I have ever seen. Worldly, you're known as the resident booster but this post takes the cake. I mean to actually compare a bunch of good bars and restaurants to the likes of an already established international world class city like Los Angeles is laughable.
I am a Houston booster myself. I critique only because I see it's potential going to waste. It could be the next major world class city but I see it trying to be more like Dallas 2.0 instead. With LA's natural topography, it's beaches, Santa Monica Mountains, hills, the fact that you can ski, hike and surf all in the same area, Hollywood, etc. How in the heck can you actually compare this to Houston? Seriously are you that delusional? I am glad you enjoy Houston as much as I do but can you really with a straight face say that Houston is somehow better than LA aesthetically? Not only that but I am not talking about your personal preference but the fact that LA is WAY more established as a major city when Houston is just getting it's start.
Now on to your ridiculous premises:
I didn't say Disneyland was free, I said that the city offers a lot of free events for people and it's parks are amazing and cannot compare with Houston's. What the heck is wrong with you? How are you gonna compare Griffith Park and the Observatory with Herman or Memorial.
How are you going to compare Kemah or even Galveston to Santa Monica, Venice or Malibu? Are you joking? If you prefer Houston to LA that is one thing, to each his own, but to go out on a limb and start saying that Houston (which has potential to be the best) has somehow surpassed Los Angeles as a major hub is bonkers, dude. Straight up bananas. That seems delusional and insecure at best. There is no amount of name dropping all the best little hot spots in Houston that will clear that check for you. So stop pretending you're a wannabe Houston Press blogger, you're not going to convince anyone that Houston has somehow made it. You will convince me and others in here that Houston has the best potential of any city in America right now to be the best city. It has the ability to outshine the major cities by a huge mile. On that I agree but for now I see that Houston is wasting it's efforts by shunning the basic things that most major cities in America do, like creating a city government that lives out of the shadow of big business.
Los Angeles and Cali in general suffers from chronic unemployment due to the housing crash which devastated the region. Something like 10 percent of the population is unemployed. That is HUGE. Housing prices are insane here and people do live like paupers. But LA is also the biggest working class city I've ever seen. But for all of it's problems it still remains a relatively safe city in comparison to its size and it hasn't fallen into complete disarray. Why? Because it has an active government that has done a lot to keep it from looking like Detroit. Many people live on assistance. That's sad and shouldn't be but it has kept the city from going into Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome territory. There are also mad opportunities in education here which blow the silly junior college/trade school thing in Houston.
I am not here to just defend LA, it has it's own problems, but the point is that you clearly do not know what you're talking about. Not in the slightest. Los Angeles is densely populated, one of the most packed areas in the nation, so real estate is expensive. Many people want to live here so land is not cheap. Houston is not as developed or densely populated which keeps land prices low. Texas has the second-biggest land area in the country, much of it quite flat and thus available for development. The supply of land keeps prices low and makes it considerably less expensive to start a business or build housing than in many other parts of the country. Texas has by far the most open land among the nation’s most populous states. Because of it's unique position in this regard it was able to weather the housing storm easily. Other States like CA were not lucky.
Houston has a very diverse economy that keeps it strong. The State has abundant oil resources which with high commodity price on oil remains it's most valuable asset. Also, whatever benefits Houston and TX for that matter may be acquiring by virtue of having lower taxes likely have been wiped out by its lower expenditures on services. The city and state spend less because they lack A LOT of stuff other states don't have, which is why parts of Houston and the rest of the state look THIRD WORLD. Everyone says Houston's infrastructure sucks big ones! Instead of capitulating to every demand businesses want, take some of that wealth and build your frickin' roads back. People are without health care working low wage jobs with no benefits and no real right to unionize. I guess that's all OK because you were able to afford that house in rapidly deteriorating suburb where poverty is going up.
Don't even get me started on crime. The point is that Texas is unique. Very unique. Several factors keep it strong that other States cannot replicate. So you cannot compare TX or Houston to every other city or state in the country. It's a different bird altogether. That is why I think it's silly when the boosters post every article on here the financial rags put out about Houston. Those rags are just trying to promote an agenda across the country to change national policy to fit the Texas "model". And because I think it's in such a unique position that Houston CAN afford to provide for more social services, allocate more public space to build more Discovery Greens, spend more on education, and fix infrastructure. The businesses aren't going anywhere. You guys are just being bamboozled into believing they will leave if you do anything to anger them.
You mention "free" things yet you throw in EXPENSIVE stuff like Disney Land and Universal City to make Houston some sort of boring place in comparison. For such "weak" city governance like Houston's, the free stuff here ain't so bad, eh?
Putting down Memorial and Hermann, now, in favor of your L.A. icons? Subjective are we? Ah, much easier to find a nice panorama of ACCESSIBLE LUSH GREEN forestry in Houston's metro than it is out in SoCal. How's them apples for ya? Cleveland National Park, for instance doesn't fit the bill by any means. No pretty bayou walk to add some nice rustic flair in downtown Los Angeles? Oh, but there is a nice slanted elevator ride of sorts there.
Living in SoCal, I personally only knew of two surfers. One was originally from H-town, the other a typical Cali a-hole. Many other people I knew and met in SoCal never got into the snow-capped mountains, surfing and desert and yada yada. Quite a few had two jobs but still little pleasure funds, no time for that stuff. Others had children to care for. They did things like people in other states do: shop a little, hang out at favorite restaurants and chat, stroll somewhere, watch some movies, buy groceries, occasional club. No desire, time or money for those toys needed for those SoCal topographical pursuits genuflected by the Cali Snoots. Some we keep in contact with are very curious about Houston.
People do bike trails, jog en masse in the lush forested parks, fly kites, visit quality museums, jet ski, tandem bike along a seaside wall, maintain yachts (those with the moolah) here in the Houston region. But it aint Cali...thus such a no-good wasteland Houston is, by the overall City Data standards.
LOL. LA and SoCal's economic troubles are more than just "housing crash" and bubbles-n-suds, man. Indeed, what kind of life is out there in increasing service-sector SoCal when I need a "government" to keep me sustained? I am not against government oversight by any means. But the veracity which you poo-poo Houston on this is quite amazing. We middle class types have savings we would like to have, privacy in our homes sans roomies and crude borders. We can enjoy some awesome big city amenities here in Houston yet live quite comfortably, actually SAVE money. I couldn't do that living in SoCal and I ain't ashamed to admit it. I have a comfy modest house, we are actually able to put something in this item called a savings account. Lots of ex-Californians are doing that in Houston while enjoying their time going to Galveston, doing the Ensemble Theater, dropping tips at Okra Bar or Dean's Credit, or watching movies at Studio Movie Grill or downtown's awesome Sundance Cinema.
Infrastructure. They need to do something about those primitive, no-light freeways in L.A. Those dangerous exit/entrance exchanges...yeah. At least Houston's lengthy multi-lane feeder roads allow some distance for changing and passing. Those recent upgrades to the likes of Wilcrest, Kirby, Richmond Ave...with substantial ongoing improvement in others like the major route Bellaire, must be a mirage. The near completion of two additional METRORAIL lines must be a tease of sorts. Houston successfully widened a major six lane freeway (I-10) to about twelve lanes. When will L.A. get to finish widening a major six/eight lane freeway (I-5) to about twelve lanes like Houston? Wonder why the OC's freeways look more bright and modern than LA's? But it's Houston. It's never enough for the Anal Urban Standard. We get that.
Kemah Light House District, not including Fertitta's section (though the boardwalk is really nice), possesses FAR MORE character than either Old Town Pasadena or Santa Monica. The first time I ever took a drive to Pasadena back in '03 or '04...I was looking forward to it. I got out walked around and I was amazed how much the street texture and storefront veneer looked just like that uppity slick facade we call Santa Monica. All these "I'm so cool" types walking around... Only difference it was set away from the beach. I cracked up, got back in my car and headed to the Howard Hughes Center to catch a movie before going back home. LOL. Nothing "insecure" or "delusional" with my recollection and perspective. I love the hell out of a place like T'Bone Tom's, something not noticeablly available in more prim-n-proper Cali.
Now, in Houston's great region...we can enjoy that extreme dichotomy of sophisticated well-dressed crowds of the Theater District on a Wednesday or Thursday night...yet take in the truly bawdy UNPRETENTIOUS bar crawl that is called the Kemah Light House District. In SoCal, whether in Pacific Beach or Santa Monica, lots of fake-a*s*s people try to out-trend, out-Cali each other. I laugh at that to this day, behind my keyboard, whenever I think about it. And the Cali Boosters want to make us bow down to the alleged superiority of that regional image.
Robertson, Melrose, Sunset, La Brea, Santa Monica Blvd...you name it. All those streets have practically the same sidewalk girth, parallel parking, block buildings...but downtown San Pedro, that place does look different. I like that tight, gritty grid it has.
At least in Houston...I can enjoy a truly unique World War II retro bar crawl 'hood like White Oak, practically unlike anything I'd come across anywhere else. Love the foot traffic as people go from bar to bar while looking out the window overlooking Public House's al fresco seating. White Oak is already happening yet still has greater potential.
Then, we have the W. Gray and Brazos/Bagby perpendicular array in Midtown for something UTTERLY DISTINCT from White Oak. One portion of it looks like the typical urban block you might see in *gasp* Santa Monica with cool al fresco bars and restos (Layal, CoCo's, Fish come to mind), another portion offers big clubs and roof top bars betwixt those newer town homes, peppered with nocturnal party foot traffic.
Then another portion offers converted mini-Victorians and bungalows as great cafe bars (exhibit: Byzantio, Cecil's Pub)...huge oak trees that give a really different vibe and cool sort of canopy.
Downtown Houston's regrowth in bars for the urban style yet we have...
Richmond Avenue and its incomparable wildly assorted HUGE patio deck bars, a totally diverse collection not available in "dense" L.A.
Ah, those "aesthetics," you know?
You simply cannot beat Houston's eccentric construction and diversity of texture. Anal Urbanists dislike it, but it's their problem. I don't have a problem with it, I just have FUN with it. Anal Urban types, as I've said time and again, can have their monotonous overpriced "density."
You and the others wanna keep on spewing condescending words about Houston unfavorably to other more enlightened and superior burgs with your backhanded compliments, feel free I guess. You types seem to have plenty of time on your hands on this board for it.
You're such a "booster" all right. You driving around L.A., taking in that metro's supposedly superior amenities, stating "miles" above Houston's.
Last edited by worldlyman; 12-05-2013 at 02:47 AM..
This Koreatown organization spells out the harsh socio-economic reality for a certain yet sizable segment of Angelenos who do not have means or probable desire for things like Rodeo Drive, Universal City, mountains, beaches and desert. Poverty, what's that? The L.A. city government will rescue them and make it all better eventually, won't it...no need for "community union?"
Don't look at premier world-class L.A. for hard times, let's just point the fingers at "weak-governance" Houston instead! About KIWA
I love Koreatown. I've had my share of good meals and late-night snacks off Western.
Last edited by worldlyman; 12-05-2013 at 03:16 AM..
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