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Old 12-05-2013, 04:38 PM
 
34,619 posts, read 21,607,699 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99 View Post
Last I hear, you have to pay to go on to that boardwalk in Galveston that looks like a cheap knockoff of the Santa Monica Pier? Is that right? I truly don't know.
I wouldn't know, I personally have no interest in it.

I'm sure, I'll be towed to it by my kids at some point, but I won't be leading the parade.

Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99 View Post
Anyways, LA's public spaces are free and open to the public. Parking is another matter entirely but I was surprised by how much the city allocates for it's citizens. You don't have to be rich to go to the beach, hike the hills or hang out at the parks.
When I was in LA this summer, the meters across from the beach were fairly pricey.

It is amazing how many people you can find on the beach with bonfires going having a great time there.

I love going to the beach when I'm in Cali. I have a friend, and she lives half a block from Manhattan Beach. I could easily spend an entire weekend there happy as a clam, but that is also true of many beach resorts. When it comes down to it though, since I can't possibly afford to live in a home on Manhattan Beach, I might as well consider living on a beach in Hawaii or The Keys - it's out of reach for me and every other middle class person.

When I lived in Austin, I moved down closer to the lake and some cool parks thinking I'd go to them all the time. The reality turned out to be that I just didn't nearly as much as I planned. Even a short journey just become too much of a "Meh, I'll go tomorrow." Living close to something is NOT the same as living at that place.

In Houston, people can afford to be where they want, even if it's not as good as that place in _____. I'll take living on Lake Houston over living near Lake Austin any day of the week. And with all of my wife's family living in Austin, that has been debated a few times.
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Old 12-05-2013, 05:56 PM
 
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The best part about Cali beaches are the bonfires at night. Man, I miss my UCLA days. Since the weather's getting cold here, maybe I'll have one this weekend. Nevermind, gonna rain here all weekend.
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:16 PM
 
1,162 posts, read 1,885,205 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3shipguy View Post
The advantage LA has over Houston is its location. It's natural setting and the weather can't be surpassed by Houston's flat and humid environment. In that regard, Houston will never be better than LA no matter the amount of money spent on beautification. With that said, I think Houston is doing a good job, albeit slow, in developing "natural" beauty with landscaping, man-made lakes in MPC, gentrification of previous downtrodden areas, etc. Houston is doing its best with the hand it is dealt. Could there be improvement in infrastructure. Hell yes.
This thread isn't about L.A., though.
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:18 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99 View Post
Well I like how they remain shrouded from the limelight. It gives them a mysterious quality. The only glimpses I get are some of the social society rags in Houston, other than that I don't think too many people have stories about this wealthy class to tell. It's not like living in LA or NYC and talking about being in the same bar or club or party in the hills with James Franco or something.

The thing I like about Houston is how un-pretentious the people are. For instance, as much I completely disagree with former President Bush, I think he is a rather humble man and I am always surprised that whenever TV showcases his homes or his lifestyle or where he eats it's always stuff that reminds me of my family and where I've eaten before. I mean it doesn't take a gozillionaire to visit Mesina Hof. Everything, no matter how wealthy in Texas, always has that upper middle class Western feel to it, do you guys know what I mean? It's never that off the wall utterly pretentious clearly exclusive other worldly vibe to it. I like that and love Texas for that very reason. It's not like trying to dine in NYC where you feel like there are modern day Pharohs that occupy the god-like structures built in their name *cough* Trump, P.Diddy....
I agree with your comment about unpretentiousness in Houston, and your Bush example. Even when Bush was running for President, he was having dinner routinely at restaurants in Houston and elsewhere, where you didn't pay more than $15-20 total per person. We saw him frequently. Like you, I didn't agree with him, but always admired his humbleness.
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:29 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Weatherguy View Post
I agree with your comment about unpretentiousness in Houston, and your Bush example. Even when Bush was running for President, he was having dinner routinely at restaurants in Houston and elsewhere, where you didn't pay more than $15-20 total per person. We saw him frequently. Like you, I didn't agree with him, but always admired his humbleness.
Yes, and even though I am to the left of Obama, I've always found his type to be unbearable in college. Very wonkish, self assured, technocratic, and academically trendy. They're the "new" Democrat types that have shifted the party to the center-right. I can hear all of the people gasping in here but that may be because the GOP is beyond right wing and libertarianism is the new thing. There is a difference between a limousine liberal and an old school union supporting Democrat.
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:48 PM
 
1,162 posts, read 1,885,205 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99 View Post
Yes, and even though I am to the left of Obama, I've always found his type to be unbearable in college. Very wonkish, self assured, technocratic, and academically trendy. They're the "new" Democrat types that have shifted the party to the center-right. I can hear all of the people gasping in here but that may be because the GOP is beyond right wing and libertarianism is the new thing. There is a difference between a limousine liberal and an old school union supporting Democrat.
We've probably said enough politically, though. Time to return to the topic of the thread....
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Old 12-05-2013, 06:56 PM
 
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Agreed.
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Old 12-05-2013, 07:03 PM
 
1,011 posts, read 976,578 times
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No need to have topic of thread pointed out to me. A simple ignore would have been suffice
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Old 12-05-2013, 07:14 PM
 
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If Houston could just develop its public spaces more, get some serious mass transit and start spending more on higher education and trade schools to make them within reach for people to get in on the good trades, I think the city would improve ten fold.

I do agree that while natural beauty is not Houston's forte that doesn't mean the city is still not unique. It's in a state that can withstand major economic storms because of its diverse economy, continuous influx of people, and land mass which is ripe for development, keeping prices low. With oil a high commodity, I can see it losing.

But just what is the hold up? Seriously what are planners doing?
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Old 12-05-2013, 10:04 PM
 
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One major thing I hate about Houston is all the wannabe rednecks that move in and around the city. That whole "culture" is annoying . I still can't comprehend why you would move near Houston if you have s problem with minorities. But on the flip side, LA is full of constant liars, bull****ters snd fake people. At least people in Houston "keep it real".
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