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I wouldn't say the Houston area is as flat as a pancake either. Miami would be a place that is, but not Houston. Obviously nothing compared to what you get in Atlanta, or even DFW. As for the tree coverage, there is plenty from just south of I10 on north. They clear cut developments in Atlanta just like in Houston. Developers are cheap. There are plenty of areas in Houston where there were no trees, bit development brought them in.
I guess Nairobi it's all a matter of perspective.
After living in the midst of the Atlanta foliage coverage for so long, and flying in and out of Atlanta & Houston with great birds eye views so many times, the differences are just very stark to me.
I specifically remember visiting a friend in Houston who lived closein just off of Westheimer. He made a geographic in-town neighborhood comparison statement & said that the area looked like very similar to Atlanta's Midtown.
I didn't understand his rationale at that time & I still don't given the dearth of trees all along his street. As that was my first visit, my thought was that it was just me & that I was missing something that he could see. LOL!
Certainly the very toney River Oaks area had shade but I noticed a lack of general cover in the city parks & even along the bayous.
Generally in the eastern third of the U.S., there is an underlying or surrounding forest present or very close by. Even in the case of New York City, you don't need to go very far upstream before you are encounter the lush & thick forests & covered bluffs, as in along the Hudson.
Given that green prevalence in the east & in the southeast, I doubt that Houston would rank as above average in the "lush" factor as you seem to categorize it.
The absolute pancake flatness of the land there does not help the cause of Houston as being an attractive city either.
At this point, I don't think there's any getting through to you, because I honestly doubt you've even been to Houston. Everyone has their opinions about the city, but the lack of tree coverage certainly isn't one of them.
You don't come off as very well traveled, if you honestly think that the entire "eastern third" of the country is covered in trees. I suggest you visit some of the Atlantic Coastal Plain or even go on down to Florida. You'd be surprised at just how much they look like Houston.
And last I checked, the nation consisted of more than just the East Coast. There's also countless Midwest, Southwest, and West Coast cities that Houston is more lush than. So, yes, based on my travels, I would categorize the city as being above average, when it comes to greenery. You don't have to agree, but I'm sure I've presented a more convincing argument than you.
With that said, while Houston does have many palms, live oaks are the preferred street tree in this town, and at maturity they provide a mystical canopy that can be witnessed in many of our oldest neighborhoods.
I didn't say that Houston has no palm lined roads. What I did say, is that the palms *I* observed in Houston, were scattered and patchy. None of which lined a major thoroughfare through the heart of the city. That to me, is the difference between cities that I associate with palms, and those that I do not.
When Los Angeles is shown as a television setting, it is most commonly represented by the Hollywood sign framed by palms at street level, or palm lined Rodeo Dr. or the LA skyline with palms in the foreground etc. When Miami is shown, its almost always Ocean Dr. or Collins Ave. in Miami Beach overrun with palms. When New Orleans is shown, it's either going to be the FQ, or Canal St. lined with palms. I honestly had no idea that Houston was a palm city until I visited for the first time, since it isn't marketed as such.
When Houston is shown on television, the most common image is that of downtown from around Buffalo Bayou with no palms in sight!
I didn't say that Houston has no palm lined roads. What I did say, is that the palms *I* observed in Houston, were scattered and patchy. None of which lined a major thoroughfare through the heart of the city. That to me, is the difference between cities that I associate with palms, and those that I do not.
When Los Angeles is shown as a television setting, it is most commonly represented by the Hollywood sign framed by palms at street level, or palm lined Rodeo Dr. or the LA skyline with palms in the foreground etc. When Miami is shown, its almost always Ocean Dr. or Collins Ave. in Miami Beach overrun with palms. When New Orleans is shown, it's either going to be the FQ, or Canal St. lined with palms. I honestly had no idea that Houston was a palm city until I visited for the first time, since it isn't marketed as such.
When Houston is shown on television, the most common image is that of downtown from around Buffalo Bayou with no palms in sight!
Point taken, but I'm not seeing how any of this negates the other poster's point, which was that Houston simply had a lot of palms. I didn't see him claim that they were as tied to the city's image as they are Miami and Los Angeles.
Point taken, but I'm not seeing how any of this negates the other poster's point, which was that Houston simply had a lot of palms. I didn't see him claim that they were as tied to the city's image as they are Miami and Los Angeles.
He said they were "all over the place" and that "you literally can't go anywhere in Houston without seeing palm trees, every front yard, and every place of business has them," to which I vehemently disagree.
My point is, yes, there are plenty of palms there... but stop acting as if you're going to black out, then wake up dressed like Don Johnson, or Phillip Michael Thomas while you're there!
He said they were "all over the place" and that "you literally can't go anywhere in Houston without seeing palm trees, every front yard, and every place of business has them," to which I vehemently disagree.
My point is, yes, there are plenty of palms there... but stop acting as if you're going to black out, then wake up dressed like Don Johnson, or Phillip Michael Thomas while you're there!
I already called Matt out for claiming they were in every yard and in front of every business, but "all over the place" is a vague statement, and many could describe Houston that way. They are very numerous and can be found in each area of town.
At 4:32 pm EDT, the current temps as noted at the Weather Channel online are:
Houston 100 degrees.
Atlanta 79 degrees.
And somebody continues to bake in the extended 10 day forecast.
Ahhh.....
Summer hasn't quite hit ATL yet, just wait. They are always later than Texas. Even the trees bloom months later.
This is Houston's first 100 degree day for the year.
He said they were "all over the place" and that "you literally can't go anywhere in Houston without seeing palm trees, every front yard, and every place of business has them," to which I vehemently disagree.
My point is, yes, there are plenty of palms there... but stop acting as if you're going to black out, then wake up dressed like Don Johnson, or Phillip Michael Thomas while you're there!
Houston is the largest palm producer/importer between Florida & California.
Looking in Houston's Yellowpages there are literally hundreds of places specialized in selling, growing, & installing palm trees.
Of course I'm aware of that, I see them from time to time. There's a stretch along Piedmont in Buckhead that is lined with palms. There's also a side street off Hwy 54 in Riverdale that is surprisingly lined with tall, healthy (looking) palms, but I couldn't find any images of them. I notice them most often in upscale type neighborhoods though.
They aren't that difficult to find if you're actually looking for them... the frostbitten comment was said in jest hun.
Last edited by NorthDeKalb; 06-17-2013 at 06:17 PM..
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I didn't see him claim that they were as tied to the city's image as they are Miami and Los Angeles.
