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Old 09-19-2013, 02:48 PM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,447,646 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTallest View Post
please dont get people thinking that Rail is unnecessary.. were going to need it when each of the metros have 10 million people by 2050.. our highways cant hold that many cars.. i think Houston just overall has the better highway system.
Comments like this always leave me scratching my head.....better for who?..Houston?...Because Dallas sure does have an excellent freeway system for Dallas......It just kinda doesn't make any sense.
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Old 09-19-2013, 05:33 PM
 
Location: Upper East Side of Texas
12,498 posts, read 26,979,445 times
Reputation: 4890
Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasboi View Post
Comments like this always leave me scratching my head.....better for who?..Houston?...Because Dallas sure does have an excellent freeway system for Dallas......It just kinda doesn't make any sense.
The Gulf Freeway between Houston & Galveston was the first freeway in Texas. It opened in 1948. I think Houston has more experience building better freeways than Dallas does.
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Old 09-19-2013, 10:57 PM
 
28 posts, read 71,675 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasboi View Post
Comments like this always leave me scratching my head.....better for who?..Houston?...Because Dallas sure does have an excellent freeway system for Dallas......It just kinda doesn't make any sense.
One thing I do have to say (and admittedly I've spent very little time in Dallas) is that--and some transplants have expressed the same thing to me--for a large city, it's actually kind of hard to get lost in Houston. If you venture someplace unfamiliar, so long as you have a basic idea of how which freeways connect to each other, you can find your way home, albeit potentially with a bit of trial and error. Really you just have to find either 610 or the Beltway because I think every freeway in town connects to at least one of them, if not both.
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Old 09-20-2013, 10:13 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,440,633 times
Reputation: 3391
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro Matt View Post
^ This

Time spent in traffic during the workweek is almost identical for both areas despite Dallas having the better rail system. It makes me wonder if rail is even worth it or if its mainly for bragging rights.
If you don't use commuter rail, that's your problem...
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Old 09-20-2013, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,440,633 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magicman84 View Post
I think it really depends on who you are what want you want and need to be happy. I've lived in Houston my whole life, and at 29 I'm very much thinking the time to move on to elsewhere is coming very soon, which wouldn't be too hard as I work for a Fortune 100 company with offices all over. For various reasons I can't do that now, but hopefully next year. But having traveled quite a bit to various cities all over the country and world, I've come to see Houston's bad AND good points a lot more clearly I think. I'll admit this town is not going to win any awards for being the most exciting city, but I think it's a long way from awful. Most people I know who think it's awful do not live inside the loop (and usually live in some far flunt area lightyears away from it) and/or haven't spent much time there. I remember being at a party last year and talking to this guy who moved here from Michigan. He told me "it seems like Houston made up ofr 90% rednecks!" I asked him where he lived and he said Conroe. There's your problem right there. I wonder if moving to the other side of 610 (which isn't cheap; but doable with a roomate) might do more for your happiness.
I've spent plenty of time inside 610, mostly Montrose and the Heights. It's OK but not that great. I got tired of the trashy hipsters with tattoo sleeves and piercings everywhere. It's also really expensive to live inside the loop. Did you know Dallas is cheaper? You can spend what you would with a roommate in Houston, but have your own place.

If going to bars is all it takes to make you happy, well good for you. But for people who like to do outdoors things during the day, Austin and Dallas are much better than Houston, not to mention the other great cities in this country.
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Old 09-21-2013, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
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I have one friend who goes on and on about the great restaurants in Houston. Well I don't have enough disposable income to be a recreational eater.
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Old 09-21-2013, 03:20 PM
 
Location: The Bayou City
3,231 posts, read 4,561,932 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis View Post
If going to bars is all it takes to make you happy, well good for you. But for people who like to do outdoors things during the day, Austin and Dallas are much better than Houston, not to mention the other great cities in this country.
how is Dallas any better than Houston when it comes to outdoors activities? Houston has the better park systems with the more extensive trails and has just as many waterways as Dallas.. i cant think of a single thing Dallas has on Houston when it comes to the outdoors..
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Old 09-21-2013, 09:59 PM
 
Location: Upper East Side of Texas
12,498 posts, read 26,979,445 times
Reputation: 4890
Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis View Post
If you don't use commuter rail, that's your problem...
40,000 daily boardings in a city of over 2 million people.

That's a whopping 2 percent of the population that uses rail each day. A fraction of that if you factor in the entire metro.

How on Earth would you in your right mind begin to call that effective? Its not, lets get real here.

Don't get me wrong, rail is cool & all, but I'm not entirely sold on its effectiveness (in Houston at least) till that number gets around 10 percent.

Last edited by Metro Matt; 09-21-2013 at 10:23 PM..
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Old 09-22-2013, 10:25 AM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,440,633 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro Matt View Post
40,000 daily boardings in a city of over 2 million people.

That's a whopping 2 percent of the population that uses rail each day. A fraction of that if you factor in the entire metro.

How on Earth would you in your right mind begin to call that effective? Its not, lets get real here.

Don't get me wrong, rail is cool & all, but I'm not entirely sold on its effectiveness (in Houston at least) till that number gets around 10 percent.
The July 2013 average weekday ridership for Park & Ride in Houston is 31,174. I'm amazed that more people don't use it, because driving your car in traffic for 2+ hours a day is horrible. Texans just like their cars. It's not rail's fault that most commuters are dumb. With rising gas prices and increasing congestion they won't have a choice though. When that time comes, Dallas will be far ahead of Houston because it already has commuter rail, while Houston doesn't even have plans for commuter rail.
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Old 09-22-2013, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,440,633 times
Reputation: 3391
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTallest View Post
how is Dallas any better than Houston when it comes to outdoors activities? Houston has the better park systems with the more extensive trails and has just as many waterways as Dallas.. i cant think of a single thing Dallas has on Houston when it comes to the outdoors..
The City of Houston itself might have more park acreage but the Dallas area has more and better hiking trails and mountain biking trails than Houston, some state, some local, some private. http://www.dallashiker.com/dallashikingtrails/
http://www.dorba.org/trails.php


This Houston website doesn't have a map but they only list 6 parks. http://www.bayoucityoutdoors.com/clu...menuoptID=9078
And half as many mountain bike trails http://ghorba.org/trails

You know how Bear Creek Park has a huge acreage that pumps up the Houston number? The trail portion of it is a tiny little loop.

As far as waterways... I'm not kayaking in the bayou

Last edited by winkosmosis; 09-22-2013 at 10:53 AM..
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