Why does nobody walk around in this city? (Houston, Dallas: restaurant, vs)

[Lakewooder]

After 14 pages he's starting to wear out his welcome to Texas!

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

After 14 pages he's starting to wear out his welcome to Texas!

um, that would be his Provencial (yawn) Texas Welcome.

[fabulous_nobody]

Originally Posted by robertobaggio

Sure, and 50% of people in NYC drive to work. :-)

Maybe they are including people who lives outside of Manhattan! If you live in Manhattan, you either use a town car, catch a cab, or use the subway. Still remembering days when I walk in my Sergio Rossi heels from 79th to SoHo.

Anyway, Houston is not Manhattan or downtown Chicago, when we moved here we were fully prepared for the differences we were going to face. Have to take the bad with the good.

[TexasTheKid]

Originally Posted by DaveV

Funny thread.. SO.. if you can't walk anywhere, how do u go out drinking? And how the heck did this place get to be the 4th largest metro area??

I'd like to reiterate I use my feet to get around quite a bit, especially to drink. So, to answer your first question, I'll also use a question. How do the people go out drinking if they're from the 'burbs in your neck of the woods? Don't tell me all of your metro is connected to a train or bus line which run 24/7 because I simply won't believe it. And for your second question, sometimes affordability and availability of jobs is more important for people than something as benign as a lack of rail. Do you think the incoming wave of people from Michigan is concerned about Houston's single rail line and car culture, or are they worried about feeding their children? When you're well-fed and surrounded by four walls covered by a water-tight roof, then you can bother with esoteric concerns like a city's walkability. Survival is more important to the immigrants fueling our growth.

By the way, Houston is the fourth largest city, not metro.

Originally Posted by robertobaggio

Ignorant??? We are talking about how Houston is the antithesis of World Class cities (face it), and you call me ignorant for defining boring and provincial that type of suburban life style?

I don't dig the 'burbs either, but if I had to be surrounded by boring or boorish, I'd choose boring.

Moderator cut: personal attack

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by fabulous_nobody

Maybe they are including people who lives outside of Manhattan! If you live in Manhattan, you either use a town car, catch a cab, or use the subway. Still remembering days when I walk in my Sergio Rossi heels from 79th to SoHo.

That's exactly the point I was trying to make about San Francisco's use of public transports percentage at 31% but the poster did not want to accept it as an explanation.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by robertobaggio

Moderator cut: orphanedWe are talking about how Houston is the antithesis of World Class cities (face it), and you call me ignorant for defining boring and provincial that type of suburban life style?

Is Houston really the antithesis of a World Class city? Or is it a World Class city in the early stages of its development? A lot of people, including myself would agree with the latter. No city in the United States has Houston's potential.

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Is Houston really the antithesis of a World Class city? Or is it a World Class city in the early stages of its development? A lot of people, including myself would agree with the latter. No city in the United States has Houston's potential.

I see the potentials although they need to be better leveraged but at the same time what would differentiate it so much in terms of potentials from Dallas at this stage?

By World Class city I was also meaning a destination city and most foreigners around the world would agree that in the US only NY, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, DC and Miami would fall in that category. Maybe Boston.

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by fabulous_nobody

Maybe they are including people who lives outside of Manhattan! If you live in Manhattan, you either use a town car, catch a cab, or use the subway. Still remembering days when I walk in my Sergio Rossi heels from 79th to SoHo.

Anyway, Houston is not Manhattan or downtown Chicago, when we moved here we were fully prepared for the differences we were going to face. Have to take the bad with the good.

The good would be the cost of living and the overall state of the economy and job market, which is better than most of the country, I think. I also don't mind the weather personally.

The bad is the suburban feeling and lack of education and awareness about the country annd the world when you leave the loop. Basically, the bad but true stereotype of Texas culture or lack there of. Exemple, we were having dinner with family friends/acquaintances who live in Katy. They are far from uneducated in the sense that they all went to college (Texas A&M) and graduated. We were at a so called fancy Italian restaurant (not a good one by east coast or San Francisco standards), and none of the people of the family had ever heard of Tiramisu, Capers, Muscles, etc and asked what kind of cheese was in a Caprese Salad. My fiance being from the DC area thought that was the cutest thing she had ever seen (in a sad way). I found it shocking but very true of the stereotype.

Now, try that with people from San Mateo, Weston, Orange County, Long Island, etc...I doubt you would find people like that.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by robertobaggio

and none of the people of the family had ever heard of Tiramisu, Capers, Muscles, etc

You mean "mussels?"

What else do none of us dumb hick Texans know about?

[modster]

I have lived inner loop and out, and I do find I have more in common with people in the city. So I am usually not one to defend suburbia, Katy especially, but I do find it interesting that you feel so qualified to make such sweeping generalizations about everyone outside the loop after living here how long?

Thank you for your opinion on all of that, but I don't think you are really qualified to make those kind of sweeping judgements just yet.

One other thing on the "nobody walks in Houston" discussion. One other section that meets many of the criteria people seem to set for the pedestrian friendly urban experience, street front retail, mixed use, people walking from the immediate community to local retail, use of mass transit, etc., does exist in a healthy dose across another broad section of town. It is called Harrisburg Boulevard, but since it is not an environment that typically serves so-called "upscale" white folks, I guess it doesn't count.