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From my experience, Austin is definitely more laid back than Houston, mainly because it's a city full of younger people who value fun and friends. I live in Central Austin and every night people are all out and about, going to the bars, exercising at the park, just enjoying their lives. Houstonians are more business focused, worried about work, preparing for the next day. There are certain trade offs to both cities but I much prefer the lifestyle of Austin.
Your comparing a metro area to around 6 million to a mid size city of 1 million. Here's the thing, being Houston is double or tripple the size of Austin you will see more variety of different types of people. You can't just paint the city is business first and play 2nd. 3rd Houston is much much bigger then Austin. What Austin has is more of a centralized concentrated area of those things you mentioned. I mean hell is Austin full of unemployed hippies who just love to have fun? Do people not have jobs in Austin? Houston is more random and a little over here and over there. Which means all those things you mentioned go on every day it's just not in concentrated areas like Austin. Houston isn't full of miserable people man. The fact that you have a job and it's easier to get a job makes your life a little bit better. With that said you can enjoy bars,clubs,lounges monday thru sunday in Houston.
Your comparing a metro area to around 6 million to a mid size city of 1 million. Here's the thing, being Houston is double or tripple the size of Austin you will see more variety of different types of people. You can't just paint the city is business first and play 2nd. 3rd Houston is much much bigger then Austin. What Austin has is more of a centralized concentrated area of those things you mentioned. I mean hell is Austin full of unemployed hippies who just love to have fun? Do people not have jobs in Austin? Houston is more random and a little over here and over there. Which means all those things you mentioned go on every day it's just not in concentrated areas like Austin. Houston isn't full of miserable people man. The fact that you have a job and it's easier to get a job makes your life a little bit better. With that said you can enjoy bars,clubs,lounges monday thru sunday in Houston.
Houston is a hip place. I don't know about "hippest" as those rankings can have some valid data that are molded by subjective editing. But with the constant influx of newcomers, active economy and always new entertainment options...Houston is a top city in that regard. The naysayers cannot even come out and effectively argue otherwise except to desperately hold on to knee-jerk static notions of what the "hip" cities are. By not effectively observing the continual ebb and flow of developments in stereotyped cities that are as large and varied as Houston, these naysayers lack "hipness" themselves.
Austin is definitely a cute city, with nicely arranged commercial areas...but it lacks Houston's all-around edginess that I find thrilling and never boring. I love South Congress and all. For a change of pace, it's nice to go hang out in the ATX and kick back at one of those patio places even after they close. It's relaxing to grab some Amy's Ice Cream before it closes, then find a ledge or empty patio table with a cone somewhere on SoCo after a meal at Guera's Mexican (some pretty good stuff, surprisingly, for a gringo Tex-Mex place). Now, SoCo's Amy's Ice Cream closes at 11 pm on a Saturday night? But the Houston Amy's closes at 1:30 am on a Saturday night. Interesting.
6th Street is full and loud, 4th St Ware House District is a nice overflow area...but like any worn touristy or popular "nightlife" district that never seems to change...it lacks edginess. Just crowds. Same types of crowds. The same lack of edginess applies to the likes of Sundance Square and Gas Lamp. You really, really get tired of those areas after awhile. I once lived in the Gas Lamp in downtown San Diego for a few months, by the way.
When I'm out and about in Houston, with its much greater abundance of nightlife areas and options...you do feel an edginess, and greater possibilities.
I can go take a stroll from Frank's Pizza or La Carafe down the Main Street environs on a Friday or Saturday night...see the truly MIXED variety of white hipsters to Latino club fashionistas to the African-American hip hop brothas to the frat boys as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around...and that is truly a blended social demographic I never notice quite as much in Portland, OR and Austin. In Austin and Portland, predominantly just white hipsters...as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around
Watching white hipsters share the sidewalks with stylish Latinas and black clubbers en masse in Houston. And these different types walk among each other on the downtown streets without much problem. That is a relatively beautiful thing here in H-town.
The cute concrete environs of the more hyped smaller towns don't even begin to match that genuine Houston urban vibe like that. Just that juxtaposition of many different types of spots and people make Houston more "hip" than Austin or Portland. It's just that futuristic Blade Runner sci-fi vibe of downtown Houston itself just adds to that edge. That offers more visual complexity to take in than the predictable sidewalk style of downtown Austin (it's amazing how 4th Street looks structurally like Dallas' Knox/Henderson or Bishop District).
And Austin is kind of a Texas version of Portland or Seattle...and I like that for what it is. It's nice to have Austin as our neighbor...for a different pace or style.
Portland I found very snooty based on two trips there. Austin is much friendlier.
"Hip" is when you truly have that international mix going on, especially in the late hours. In Houston, go to Cafe Europe. Zanzibar. Mazaj. Byzantio. Shisha Express. Cafe 101. The patio at El Rincon on Westheimer/Winrock. That in-your-face cosmopolitan availability is Los Angeles-level stuff. Hard-pressed to find that mix of late-night worldly coolness in more whitebread Austin or Portland or Denver or Seattle or...
Then there's the burgeoning White Oak scene in the Heights. Man, that's like a nice growing slice of Austin right here in Houston...oops.
...see the truly MIXED variety of white hipsters to Latino club fashionistas to the African-American hip hop brothas to the frat boys as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around...and that is truly a blended social demographic I never notice quite as much in Portland, OR and Austin. In Austin and Portland, predominantly just white hipsters...as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around
Watching white hipsters share the sidewalks with stylish Latinas and black clubbers en masse in Houston. And these different types walk among each other on the downtown streets without much problem. That is a relatively beautiful thing here in H-town.
The cute concrete environs of the more hyped smaller towns don't even begin to match that genuine Houston urban vibe like that. Just that juxtaposition of many different types of spots and people make Houston more "hip" than Austin or Portland. It's just that futuristic Blade Runner sci-fi vibe of downtown Houston itself just adds to that edge. That offers more visual complexity to take in than the predictable sidewalk style of downtown Austin (it's amazing how 4th Street looks structurally like Dallas' Knox/Henderson or Bishop District).
That description could easily be about Downtown LA five years ago (even with the "blade runner" feel!)... especially the hipsters mixing with the club kids and the frat boys. I loved that kind of stuff.
I don't know if Downtown LA has changed or if the world has changed---but while Downtown LA still might be just as diverse ethnically, you really don't get the same level of subcultural mish-mosh you used to get when The Smell was a true punk venue, Bar 107 was a legitimate hipster bar, Club 740 was the biggest cheesy club around, etc. Nowadays it feels like downtown is more dominated by one (albeit very ethnically diverse) demographic.
Glad to hear that Houston is a little less locked-down... but watch out! The same fate may await Downtown Houston as well!
Houston is a hip place. I don't know about "hippest" as those rankings can have some valid data that are molded by subjective editing. But with the constant influx of newcomers, active economy and always new entertainment options...Houston is a top city in that regard. The naysayers cannot even come out and effectively argue otherwise except to desperately hold on to knee-jerk static notions of what the "hip" cities are. By not effectively observing the continual ebb and flow of developments in stereotyped cities that are as large and varied as Houston, these naysayers lack "hipness" themselves.
Austin is definitely a cute city, with nicely arranged commercial areas...but it lacks Houston's all-around edginess that I find thrilling and never boring. I love South Congress and all. For a change of pace, it's nice to go hang out in the ATX and kick back at one of those patio places even after they close. It's relaxing to grab some Amy's Ice Cream before it closes, then find a ledge or empty patio table with a cone somewhere on SoCo after a meal at Guera's Mexican (some pretty good stuff, surprisingly, for a gringo Tex-Mex place). Now, SoCo's Amy's Ice Cream closes at 11 pm on a Saturday night? But the Houston Amy's closes at 1:30 am on a Saturday night. Interesting.
6th Street is full and loud, 4th St Ware House District is a nice overflow area...but like any worn touristy or popular "nightlife" district that never seems to change...it lacks edginess. Just crowds. Same types of crowds. The same lack of edginess applies to the likes of Sundance Square and Gas Lamp. You really, really get tired of those areas after awhile. I once lived in the Gas Lamp in downtown San Diego for a few months, by the way.
When I'm out and about in Houston, with its much greater abundance of nightlife areas and options...you do feel an edginess, and greater possibilities.
I can go take a stroll from Frank's Pizza or La Carafe down the Main Street environs on a Friday or Saturday night...see the truly MIXED variety of white hipsters to Latino club fashionistas to the African-American hip hop brothas to the frat boys as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around...and that is truly a blended social demographic I never notice quite as much in Portland, OR and Austin. In Austin and Portland, predominantly just white hipsters...as well as some economically marginalized individuals wandering around
Watching white hipsters share the sidewalks with stylish Latinas and black clubbers en masse in Houston. And these different types walk among each other on the downtown streets without much problem. That is a relatively beautiful thing here in H-town.
The cute concrete environs of the more hyped smaller towns don't even begin to match that genuine Houston urban vibe like that. Just that juxtaposition of many different types of spots and people make Houston more "hip" than Austin or Portland. It's just that futuristic Blade Runner sci-fi vibe of downtown Houston itself just adds to that edge. That offers more visual complexity to take in than the predictable sidewalk style of downtown Austin (it's amazing how 4th Street looks structurally like Dallas' Knox/Henderson or Bishop District).
And Austin is kind of a Texas version of Portland or Seattle...and I like that for what it is. It's nice to have Austin as our neighbor...for a different pace or style.
Portland I found very snooty based on two trips there. Austin is much friendlier.
"Hip" is when you truly have that international mix going on, especially in the late hours. In Houston, go to Cafe Europe. Zanzibar. Mazaj. Byzantio. Shisha Express. Cafe 101. The patio at El Rincon on Westheimer/Winrock. That in-your-face cosmopolitan availability is Los Angeles-level stuff. Hard-pressed to find that mix of late-night worldly coolness in more whitebread Austin or Portland or Denver or Seattle or...
Then there's the burgeoning White Oak scene in the Heights. Man, that's like a nice growing slice of Austin right here in Houston...oops.
I will have to take a trip to Houston again and take some friends with me. I always felt that Houston could reach that level, but the times when I was there it was pretty mediocre... and a bit bland. This was back in 2005/2006? People were still cool though... it's just the options and amenities didn't cater too much to the cool crowd's like you say. Everyone was mostly going to play pool at some bar, or some friends of mine there were all into strip clubs. And it was mostly around those neighborhoods you're talking about. I do know what you mean about that "urban factor" and being so close to downtown, looking at that skyline. I have fond memories going through that area listening to Massive Attack. Those were good times, only except I was breaking up with my girlfriend who lived there.
If it is indeed that much concentrated now more than before, then I'm looking forward to it. I know many things can get lost in translation and things don't turn out the way it was explained, but I always pictured Houston reaching this level of diversity.
You can't just paint the city is business first and play 2nd. .
Most Houstonians do this themselves here on city-data. In all of the "Houston is boring" threads, you can find Houstonians proudly proclaiming that the city is "business" first. Personally, I think the list is crap. Also, while its not my favorite city, Austin is more laid back than Houston. Its probably as liberal as Texas is gonna get so that helps.
Yeah, Austins got crowds, but is 6th st anything to be proud of? its incredibly douchey and all there is to do is go from one bar to the next, which is something I really do not understand. None of the bars on 6th are particularly diatinctive... What the hell is the point of jumping from douche-bar to douche-bar when they're all pretty much the same?
Im glad we dont have Austins 6th st because Washington ave is already more than enough of that crap for me.
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