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We will never get there. Our city makes no effort to try to attract tourists. We have Nasa but that's not even in Houston. It's in Clear Lake, a suburb of Houston. Everything within the city of Houston is geared for people in the Southeast Texas region. No one outside that region wants to come here. People coming to Texas usually want to go to San Antonio to see the Alamo, the Riverwalk, or Sea World.
yeah you have to start getting people in nyc/sf/boston and outside of texas to fly into texas for this stuff... otherwise they are just going to go to nyc 7 out of 10 times and throw in dc/sf/la for instance for the other 3.
I think you are probably right that Houston is gearing it up for the Texas area, not national, and certainly not international like nyc/dc.
I would add Pittsburgh for Carnegie alone, it is better than anything in Houston...
That being said, Houston is definitely trying to get there but has a long way to go still.
Quality over quantity. The thing with cities like london and paris and nyc though...they have the quality AND the quantity. They have a virtual monopoly on it outside of DC then a few things in chicago, sf, philly as these cities were getting their own arts stuff setup in the 1800s.
There are only so many good pieces of art, and other cities already have gobbled them up. You can't really fault Houston for this though.
Yes Houston has theater, but most of those (correct me if I'm wrong) are coming off Broadway, and have diff actors than the real deal.
But that's what I'm saying, Houston may not compare to the NYC's SF's so on and so forth, but compared to a majority of the US Houston can be in the top teir for culture.
I would add Pittsburgh for Carnegie alone, it is better than anything in Houston...
That being said, Houston is definitely trying to get there but has a long way to go still.
Quality over quantity. The thing with cities like london and paris and nyc though...they have the quality AND the quantity. They have a virtual monopoly on it outside of DC then a few things in chicago, sf, philly as these cities were getting their own arts stuff setup in the 1800s.
There are only so many good pieces of art, and other cities already have gobbled them up. You can't really fault Houston for this though.
Yes Houston has theater, but most of those (correct me if I'm wrong) are coming off Broadway, and have diff actors than the real deal.
Houston Museum District (http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp?id=1 - broken link)
Do you think people are coming from across the country or across the world to see any of that? The fact that you have to remind us of those things Houston has is an indicator that no one really knows about it or even cares.
Do you think people are coming from across the country or across the world to see any of that? The fact that you have to remind us of those things Houston has is an indicator that no one really knows about it or even cares.
Quote:
Theater District
Alley Theatre - One of the oldest and most respected resident professional theater companies in the country, this Tony Award-winning theater literally began in an alley in 1947. Houston Ballet- A top-tier troupe with an international reputation, the Houston Ballet is America's fifth largest ballet company. The ensemble of dancers have been hailed by The New York Times as 'one of the nation's best ballet companies. Houston Grand Opera- HGO is passionate about creating a vital and moving opera experience and is one of the largest opera companies in the United States. The list of kudos is long, including numerous Grammy, Tony and Emmy awards. Houston Symphony - One of America's pre-eminent performing arts organizations under the musical direction of Hans Graf, The Houston Symphony was founded in 1913. It has an impressively rich history and is counted among the world's finest orchestras. Society for the Performing Arts - This 40-year-old organization brings the world's greatest performing artists and companies to Houston. Performances serve as a catalyst for the enrichment, growth and pleasure of Houston audiences. Theatre Under The Stars] - As one of the largest non-profit producers of musical theater in America, TUTS has a reputation for ushering in new musicals. It offers revivals of great Broadway classics, musical premieres and national and international tours. Da Camera of Houston - Founded in 1987, Da Camera is renowned for its creative and diverse programming of jazz and chamber music. Performances take place at Houston's Wortham Theater Center and the Menil Collection. ]Broadway in Houston - This organization brings the best of Broadway touring productions to Houston, including many Tony Award-winning actors and performances.
Truthfully and honestly if you are really talking about tourism and attraction Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston are not really tourist cities. In the future I believe all three will become top tourist destination in America. What draws people to San Fran " The Golden Gate Bridge" What draws people LA "HollyWood". What fascinates people with NYC "The Empire State Building & the stock exchange". When you think of Chicago you think of the Sears Tower. Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas are cities with no true idenity yet. Think about it? These cities are young compared to the Chicagos and New Yorks of the world. So I think all three are doing pretty darn good for themselves. They are very attractive cities when it comes to affordability, living, working, climate, and jobs. That is mainly why all three have lead the nation in growth.
I know what it is. I live here. I'm talking about those out of state. They don't know or care about all that and why should they? They have their own Museums and Theaters and If they want to go to a world class one most likely they will go to one of the more well known ones. Not to Houston. How often do you think people say, "I'd love to go somewhere with a world class museum and theater district, hey let's go to Houston!" I don't think so.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Oh God... must this become yet another Houston-bashing thread?
Just say it. The list is wrong. The real experts are wrong.
The people who have hardly set foot in Houston, and the one or two people here who are unhappy and are the "grass is always greener" types who happen to live in Houston, are all right.
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Originally Posted by grapico
I'd rep you more if I could, finally another poster from Houston who isn't extremely biased or boaster.
Oh, but westhou is being biased. Just not in a good way.
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Originally Posted by westhou
Dallas and Houston are not even the top cultural places in Texas so why should it rank in the top 10 in the U.S.? San Antonio and Austin are light years ahead of Houston and Dallas when it comes to culture.
That's utterly ridiculous. And yes, I have lived elsewhere in Texas. I was married in San Antonio. Some of the cultural highlights of Austin include Eeyore's Birthday and Spam-O-Rama. One of the main reasons I moved out of Austin was the lack of world-class culture there; I got bored. It's a biggie for me. Houston, on the other hand, has all the major performing arts companies. An extensive museum district. A large theater district. Do you ever look at the schedule for HMNS to see the overseas exhibits it attracts, that often come to only a handful of US cities? I was at the HMFA expansion of the Beck, which raised Houston even higher on its already high ranking for amount of fine arts museum space compared to many other cities. Houston has lots of great home-grown stuff too. Want something more quirky and "Austin-like"? How about the Art Car Parade? If Austin has that now, they got the idea from Houston. And where else in Texas has two Chinatowns, complete with street signs in Chinese?
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Originally Posted by westhou
That doesn't make us special. Other cities have a museum and theater district.
Several of those others you named off don't. Yet you think they're light years ahead?
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Originally Posted by Rachael84
Well, my dear friend, you're one in a few and speak the honest truth of Houston.
How would you know what the honest truth about it is? (And believe me, that's not it). Yet in the same sentence complain about people claiming to know NYC yet never having visited?
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Originally Posted by westhou
I already did but I'll do it again for you.
Philly, San Francisco, San Antonio, Miami, Nashville, Santa Fe, St. Louis, Austin, and many more.
Have you ever lived in any of these places? Tell me, how their culture is so superior.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westhou
We will never get there. Our city makes no effort to try to attract tourists. We have Nasa but that's not even in Houston. It's in Clear Lake, a suburb of Houston. Everything within the city of Houston is geared for people in the Southeast Texas region. No one outside that region wants to come here. People coming to Texas usually want to go to San Antonio to see the Alamo, the Riverwalk, or Sea World.
Truthfully and honestly if you are really talking about tourism and attraction Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston are not really tourist cities. In the future I believe all three will become top tourist destination in America. What draws people to San Fran " The Golden Gate Bridge" What draws people LA "HollyWood". What fascinates people with NYC "The Empire State Building & the stock exchange". When you think of Chicago you think of the Sears Tower. Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas are cities with no true idenity yet. Think about it? These cities are young compared to the Chicagos and New Yorks of the world. So I think all three are doing pretty darn good for themselves. They are very attractive cities when it comes to affordability, living, working, climate, and jobs. That is mainly why all three have lead the nation in growth.
Also the point I"m trying to make.
That's why I put a lot of other cities ahead of Houston. For instance, people go to St. Louis to see the Arch, New Orleans for Bourbon Street, San Antonio for the Alamo and Riverwalk, Nashville if you are really into country music, San Diego for the Zoo, and countless other cities for their famous tourists attractions and while they are in those cities they also go to the theaters and museums.
All I'm trying to say is no one is coming to Houston or Dallas from across the country or the world for the theater and museums.
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Oh God... must this become yet another Houston-bashing thread?
