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-Still smoking allowed inside restaurants, though some establishments prohibit it
-Guns carried on college campuses
-4x4 trucks everywhere--and they don't even get snow here!
-Worst traffic going into and around the city that I've ever seen, except maybe parts of CA; much worse than Chicago
-Humidity is stifling and encourages mold and mildew everywhere, even my car and house vents
-The service roads alongside the interstates are one way, so you may need to drive miles in one direction and make a U-turn under the interstate and drive miles back in the other direction to get to a place accessible only via that side
-NO sidewalks in our community of multiple subdivisions, home to 94,000+ people
-Kids in school say both a Texas pledge and the US pledge of allegiance
-Racism
When we traveled with kids we would have a little scavenger hunt game going in the car with lists of things to check off. We went the entire length of Mississippi without seeing a single bird. Not one bird.
- The expanses of wilderness actually don't feel as isolating as I was expecting. Even on the famed "Loneliest Road in America", you pass a group of trailers or some old shack every so often, and even in the dead of night you pass another vehicle every 10-20 minutes.
Over the last 40 years I have driven that road maybe 8 times - the first couple times, I think we saw another car maybe twice the entire trip. The last time, about 4 years ago, we were very frequently in sight of multiple other cars. As the population in the west increases, those lonely stretches of road aren't so empty.
The other stretch that used to be like that was Highway 140 out of Lakeview (Oregon) to Winemucca (Nevada) through the Basque sheep herding country.
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-Still smoking allowed inside restaurants, though some establishments prohibit it
-Guns carried on college campuses
-4x4 trucks everywhere--and they don't even get snow here!
-Worst traffic going into and around the city that I've ever seen, except maybe parts of CA; much worse than Chicago
-Humidity is stifling and encourages mold and mildew everywhere, even my car and house vents
-The service roads alongside the interstates are one way, so you may need to drive miles in one direction and make a U-turn under the interstate and drive miles back in the other direction to get to a place accessible only via that side
-NO sidewalks in our community of multiple subdivisions, home to 94,000+ people
-Kids in school say both a Texas pledge and the US pledge of allegiance
-Racism
People drive 4 wheel drive vehicles in Houston often because they work in the oil and gas industry, and/or they hunt a lot. Which translates into "being off road or on terrible roads." My husband has always owned a 4 wheel drive truck for these reasons and his company HQ was in Houston for years, so he was driving around Houston in a 4 wheel drive truck - maybe you saw him. That was about 12 years ago - LOL!
Did you actually get mildew or mold in your car? I ask because if so, you're the first person I've ever known to experience that.
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the US. What sort of racism did you encounter? How does it differ from racism in other major metro areas in the US in your opinion?
I was shocked by ramps and ramp festivals in West Virginia. OK, and the extreme poverty too. I was like "WHAT THE HECK IS A RAMP?" Then our grocery store got some in and wow, they were expensive, and really a disappointment to me as well. I was expecting some sort of fabulous ramp thingie.
I was also shocked that people buy bags of PEPPERONI slices in WV and in PA and eat them like they are chips.
Also, so many people in PA look like they are related to Billy Joel. I'm just sayin'.
People drive 4 wheel drive vehicles in Houston often because they work in the oil and gas industry, and/or they hunt a lot. Which translates into "being off road or on terrible roads." My husband has always owned a 4 wheel drive truck for these reasons and his company HQ was in Houston for years, so he was driving around Houston in a 4 wheel drive truck - maybe you saw him. That was about 12 years ago - LOL!
Did you actually get mildew or mold in your car? I ask because if so, you're the first person I've ever known to experience that.
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the US. What sort of racism did you encounter? How does it differ from racism in other major metro areas in the US in your opinion?
Notice my post is about "northern burbs," not Houston proper, so thanks for the link, but it's moot for my post. Still smoking inside Chilis bar here, for example. I moved here in 06 and still live here.
I wasn't criticizing the trucks, just shocked--no need to justify.
Yes, I have mildew in my BMWs' car vents (both cars) and inside my 7-year-old home vents--had the entire HVAC system replaced in November, but it didn't remediate the problem. Since I've been dealing with it, I've found many others here as well who have the same problem. Could be the newer homes
Again, my post was about the suburbs, not Houston. You may know that IL leans liberal, so from my experience of 14 years there, many enjoyed cultural and ethnic differences, though my spouse hated the politics there. My spouse follows a different political party from me; he and his friends and (white collar) co-workers and spouses here often discuss their political views and philosophical musings, believing that I share their positions simply because I don't comment. I consider myself a witness. I wouldn't even dream of repeating the repugnant things they say.
The highest point in Wisconsin is Timm's Hill, which is 1951 feet. That's a bit iffy to be called a mountain.
I was really surprised to find out that the mountains behind my town are higher than the highest points in 31 states. At 5600 feet, they are not at all high by West Coast standards.
Notice my post is about "northern burbs," not Houston proper, so thanks for the link, but it's moot for my post. Still smoking inside Chilis bar here, for example. I moved here in 06 and still live here.
I wasn't criticizing the trucks, just shocked--no need to justify.
Yes, I have mildew in my BMWs' car vents (both cars) and inside my 7-year-old home vents--had the entire HVAC system replaced in November, but it didn't remediate the problem. Since I've been dealing with it, I've found many others here as well who have the same problem. Could be the newer homes
Again, my post was about the suburbs, not Houston. You may know that IL leans liberal, so from my experience of 14 years there, many enjoyed cultural and ethnic differences, though my spouse hated the politics there. My spouse follows a different political party from me; he and his friends and (white collar) co-workers and spouses here often discuss their political views and philosophical musings, believing that I share their positions simply because I don't comment. I consider myself a witness. I wouldn't even dream of repeating the repugnant things they say.
OK well you didn't clarify that "the burbs" were not in "Houston proper" so thanks. I would still be willing to bet that many restaurants in the Houston burbs are smoke free. Can't speak for Chili's - it's not a restaurant I ever get the urge to visit. They have like four ingredients and they just mix them up in different ratios and call them different things!
I'm not "justifying" the trucks by the way, just clarifying that people aren't driving them due to snow (as your original post mentioned) but for other reasons, which happen to be valid. But sure, I can imagine that you're shocked by them. I am shocked to see rusted out vehicles all over the roads when I travel through places that get a lot of snow and ice, believe me. While we're talking about what shocks us, I'll add that when I was in Ohio in March, I was shocked to see huge piles of dirty snow piled up in parking lots all over the place. Oh my gosh! I. Can't. Even.
Too bad about the mildew - Houston must be a lot more humid than my NE Texas region - I'm sure it is. I've never known anyone to have mildew in their car vents - or their home vents for that matter. Though my husband did get some pretty nasty mold in his accommodations up in PA once and actually got sick from breathing it, so yeah, that's a bad problem to have.
I'm not going to get into your political musings - sorry to disappoint. It must be frustrating to sit so quietly while others go on and on in apparently repugnant ways in real life. I can't even imagine! I don't know how you stand it - I sure couldn't.
-Still smoking allowed inside restaurants, though some establishments prohibit it
-Guns carried on college campuses
-4x4 trucks everywhere--and they don't even get snow here!
-Worst traffic going into and around the city that I've ever seen, except maybe parts of CA; much worse than Chicago
-Humidity is stifling and encourages mold and mildew everywhere, even my car and house vents
-The service roads alongside the interstates are one way, so you may need to drive miles in one direction and make a U-turn under the interstate and drive miles back in the other direction to get to a place accessible only via that side
-NO sidewalks in our community of multiple subdivisions, home to 94,000+ people
-Kids in school say both a Texas pledge and the US pledge of allegiance
-Racism
I just relocated to TX last year from PA and agree with all the things you listed. I am located in the Dallas area and what you said about Houston area can apply to the Dallas area. The racism from all races of people shocked me too. Everyone here only dates and socializes with their own race. I've had the worst experiences with Chinese, Indians and native Texan Whites. I've been here since April 2018 and have 0 friends and no women have expressed an interest in dating me.
Other things that shocked me about the Dallas area
-Horrible traffic at all hours of the day, aggressive driving and road rage.
-Overcrowded
-Racially segregated neighborhoods (my apartment bldg in Richardson, TX is all Muslims (I moved there because the rent was lower than other places and it was my first apartment in TX) while 2 other apartment buildings next to mine are all Whites in one of the buildings and all Chinese people in the other one.
-Excessively large population of Indians and Chinese, especially in Collin County.
-High rents for apartments (It used to be affordable 8+ years ago).
-Police everywhere
-Extremely socially conservative and family oriented.
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