Negativity (Houston: 2008)

[usc619]

Originally Posted by irwin

If anything, I see people in Houston (and Texas in general) as being overly positive, almost annoyingly so.

People in other cities love their city but they also are quick to point out the problems. People in LA complain about the traffic and pollution all the time. People in New York complain about the noise and cost. People in Chicago complain about the wind and cold. People take the criticism, maybe using it to identify areas of needed improvement, but still love the city.
In Houston (and Texas in general) people seem to take it personal if someone points out the obvious problems with the place. Either the person is negative and "unfriendly" or some outsider that needs to be mocked (a "Yankee" or a intellectual snob).

Part of the reason is perhaps because people nationally have a negative view of Houston which makes the people overly defensive. Maybe it is also the whole Stepford Wives-like attitude so common in the burbs which (given Houston's overwhelming dominance of burbs over urbanity) seems more common in Houston as compared to other large cities.

Bingo!! That's right on the money

[gold dust]

Originally Posted by modster

Yeah but when it is friggin cold up north it is 24/7 cold.

Ah, but it feels sooo good! You get to use the fireplace, have some wine, put on your favorite fuzzy slippers on those cold winter nights .... priceless!

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by citizen_jane

I can understand long time locals complaining about crime and congestion. The city has changed a lot and maybe they are nostalgic about the "good old days". Of course, that doesn't explain complaints about the weather! Maybe they would appreciate your insight having lived other places. Many problems are not unique to Houston but if you haven't lived elsewhere you wouldn't appreciate that.

Bingo! It took me living some other places as an adult to really appreciate Houston. A lot of long time locals have never lived anywhere else and think the grass is always greener. Little do they know it ain't!

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

No, it's just that people who talk bad about Houston usually make one post, don't say anything remotely positive and expect people to take them seriously. I think Houstonians are actually more likely to give pro con posts than anyone else on this forum.

I totally agree! I wonder sometimes if we are all reading the same fora/posts...

[cubssoxfan]

The reaction we get when we tell people we are moving there (we are in Chicago) is "Wow, no more winters!"

The reaction I get is "Wow, Houston? We know a (relative/friend) who moved down there (from Chi-area) and they really like it" Not, why in your "right" mind would you ever dream of moving to that backwater?

Ah, but it feels sooo good! You get to use the fireplace, have some wine, put on your favorite fuzzy slippers on those cold winter nights .... priceless!

Quite interesting how our body thermostats vary so widely. The snow cold is fun through early January. Then it's, when the #ell will spring finally get here. Then most of spring is hi-jacked by the winds off lake Michigan. So in Rockford, Joliet, Kankakee its 60's-70's everything closer in is 40's-50's. June-Mid Oct is phenomonal in Chi-town, the rest of the year it's very inconsistent and mediocre at best. I also think as I become more of an "old" fart, I hate winter more and more. Is this the dreaded onset of Florizona Fever?!

[Hayato]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

The reaction I get is "Wow, Houston? We know a (relative/friend) who moved down there (from Chi-area) and they really like it" Not, why in your "right" mind would you ever dream of moving to that backwater?

Quite interesting how our body thermostats vary so widely. The snow cold is fun through early January. Then it's, when the #ell will spring finally get here. Then most of spring is hi-jacked by the winds off lake Michigan. So in Rockford, Joliet, Kankakee its 60's-70's everything closer in is 40's-50's. June-Mid Oct is phenomonal in Chi-town, the rest of the year it's very inconsistent and mediocre at best. I also think as I become more of an "old" fart, I hate winter more and more. Is this the dreaded onset of Florizona Fever?!

Age definitely plays a huge part in loving Houston. Nothing lets an old person down more than teens and young adults having too much fun. Also my joints seem to function better here. I missed those cracking sounds they make.

The heat keeps kids from playing on the streets - good for drivers and for staying out of trouble. How's that for positive thinking?

The idea of having a fireplace here is quite odd to me but it seem to be a nice-to-have and some people do use it. Maybe atleast once. A waste of space in my opinion

[Stephanie P]

Originally Posted by Hayato

The idea of having a fireplace here is quite odd to me but it seem to be a nice-to-have and some people do use it. Maybe atleast once. A waste of space in my opinion

My husband loves having a fireplace here (I'll never understand that either.) When we use it in the winter, we usually have to turn on the AC. Oh well, it is fun for the kids.

[stoneclaw]

As for the fireplace comment, Houston has houses with fireplaces. You can use them on the cold and rainy months like January/February. Houston can dip into freezing temps but it doesn't last long at one time. It'll be cold for 4 days, then warm up, then be cold again before you know it ( only during the winter months).

[Texas Mack]

Weatherwise, my favorite month in Houston is December with March a close second. November, in general is very good, too. February can be a bit dreary, though, because we seem to have a lot more cloudy and chilly days in February relative to the rest of the year. It's not uncommon for it to be mostly cloudy if not completely cloudy for a couple of weeks straight in February, even if we don't get much in the way of rain. Kind of like Pacific NW weather, actually.

Least favorite month, weatherwise, is May. With June, July and August, I know it's going to be hot and I've settled into it by then, but May starts off with the lasting effects of late winter and spring weather and then abruptly shifts to HOT by about the second week. It takes me a couple of weeks to adjust.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by Texas Mack

...It's not uncommon for it to be mostly cloudy if not completely cloudy for a couple of weeks straight in February, even if we don't get much in the way of rain. Kind of like Pacific NW weather, actually.

We visited the north Oregon coast last year and said this on a couple of cold & wet February evenings this year. Except the difference was the Pac NW in October/November was still a bit colder and the wind had more bite... all when it was sunny. Like San Francisco on steroids, but with less fog.