People Say Houston's ugly but not cities like Chicago, NYC, etc? (Irving: high crime, homes)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

[quote=feufoma;10915457]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

The only thing Houston has that Dallas doesnt is the beach.

quote]


Yeah, but access to the ocean is a pretty big difference. White Rock Lake, notwithstanding...

No arguement there.

[AddieJane]

Originally Posted by AK123

You can drive to hills and beaches from Houston. As well as multiple lakes.
Wow, I'd hate to see what you think about Dallas.
Jfre has done a good job explaining things here. It's obvious that Texas is not for some people. I've lost count of how many people I've known who have moved to Austin from out of state, and were extremely disappointed that it didn't live up to the hype, still had strip malls, some ugly freeways, unattractive parts of town, and (gasp) sprawl and car culture. Like I said... Texas is Texas. If you're going to move to Texas, take it for what it is and try to enjoy it, rather than getting on these forums and complaining all day long (especially when half the complaints are misguided and not completely valid.) We're getting really tired of it, if you can't tell. If there's something you don't like, form a citizen's group to try and do something about it, or move back home, whether that's CA or NY. But please, don't whine all day long on these forums about how it's not like where you came from. If where you came from is so superior and you can't stand it here, then by all means, please just go back so the rest of us can enjoy it.

I think it is interesting that you singled out my post as "bashing". This thread was titled "People Say Houston's ugly but not cities like Chicago, NYC, etc? " and I specifically answered based on Chicago, NYC and LA (because OP mentioned LA as well in his post). I didn't bash Houston at all. Simply gave a reason for why people think other cities are pretty. You are right, I am not in love with Dallas either. I lived there for 3 years.

I am also not living in TX and I'm not technically from anywhere, so I can't go back to where I came from, since my whole life I have moved every 2-3 years around the world consistently. I suppose if I picked a place to be from, it would be Houston.

I actually said I think LA is ugly, which is pretty close to where I currently live. No-one seemed to take offense to that? When did I say it was superior? Nice try. You are overly defensive.

As for the pictures above. I guess I am not getting it. Is that supposed to be a bridge? It looks like some train tracks going over the bayou. That certainly doesn't rival Brooklyn Bridge, Tacoma-Narrows Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge. I also don't understand the photo of the feeder just South of The Woodlands. I drove that route everyday for 4 years and I can assure you, it gets backed up from traffic. It looks like you took that photo at noon on a Saturday... but that is besides the point, since I never mentioned traffic conditions at all in my post.

[jfre81]

[quote=AddieJane;10916159]As for the pictures above. I guess I am not getting it. Is that supposed to be a bridge? It looks like some train tracks going over the bayou.

I drove that route everyday for 4 years and I can assure you, it gets backed up from traffic. It looks like you took that photo at noon on a Saturday... but that is besides the point, since I never mentioned traffic conditions at all in my post.

It is, both are correct. So?

[AK123]

Somehow I thought you might show up!

Originally Posted by LAnative10

The only thing Houston has that Dallas doesnt is the beach.

Which is a huge deal, if you ask me. Here, you can drive to the beach within an hour or less, on a whim. There's also the bay, and Houston ranks something like 3rd in the country for number of pleasure boats.

Another thing Houston has are the forests of tall pine trees around the northern part of town. I personally think Lake Houston looks nicer than any lake in Dallas... but that's just a personal preference of course.

If someone is complaining about Houston's natural scenery, you have to admit they'll probably find Dallas -- with its less lush landscape, shorter trees, and land-locked location -- even less appealing. The point was that they're trying to compare other states with Texas.

Originally Posted by LAnative10

There are just as many (if not more) really nice lakes up here in North Texas and while DFW may be flat compared to a place like LA, DFW does have many hills. Houston is flat.

Dallas is only slightly less flat than Houston. These Houston vs Dallas issues have been debated over and over in here, so let's not go there again because it's overdone already and wasn't the intention of me bringing Dallas up.

The reason people are bringing up places like Chicago, NYC, Dallas etc. in this thread is because it seems like in this forum (and on US General too) is that people single out Houston for being flat, sprawled, having some abandoned buildings, blah blah blah. Yet, they never seem to have the same complaints for these other cities. At the same time, they don't want to admit Houston also has some walkable areas, street art, and other positives the other places do. So, they're either completely uninformed, or they just like to bash.

Originally Posted by AddieJane

I think it is interesting that you singled out my post as "bashing".

I wasn't trying to single you out. My response was in reply to the numerous similar posts in this forum, all the same general thing every time. It's getting old.

Originally Posted by AddieJane

I am also not living in TX and I'm not technically from anywhere...

So I'm confused as to why you seem to care so much?

[solytaire]

Ive also wondered why people think Houston is just soo hideous in comparison to cities like Boston, Chicago, LA, etc. I keep hearing people complain about Houston not burying their power lines. I personally think the reason Houston doesnt bury them is because they have a system of underground tunnels which contain actual businesses.

Too, as Zhange Fei (sorry if I mispelled your name) said: People in Houston/Texas dont live right on top of one another. They dont have to. So walking everywhere really isnt even an option because people drive from their OWN space, to their destination. In cities like Boston, people line the streets because their dwellings are right ON/against the sidewalk. Cities such as Boston saw the bulk of their growth before cars became so mainstream. Walking was really a quite effective way of transportation. Thus those cities have been structured for such. But, as much as I loved Boston, and NYC, IMO people ambling around in the streets, and running in front of cars in congested streets, hardly equates to a desirable living situation (for me).

[stoneclaw]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

The only thing Houston has that Dallas doesnt is the beach.

There are just as many (if not more) really nice lakes up here in North Texas and while DFW may be flat compared to a place like LA, DFW does have many hills. Houston is flat.

.

Yeah but just like Dallas has many nice lakes, you can find some rolling hills in the Houston metro in cities like Conroe, The Woodlands, and a few others in Montgomery County. The rolling hills that Dallas has are nothing to go home bragging about. Believe me, i'm from Colorado and know what a real hill, mountain, or plateau is. Hills that are the height of a Gas Station/Convienient store like DFW and Conroe have are not really noteworthy, they are just small slopes at best! Austin and San Antonio have hills.

[Rachael84]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

Crime in NYC is pretty high, when you consider that it has 10x the police coverage per square mile that Houston has (80 cops per sq mile in NYC vs 8 per sq mile in Houston). Big chunks of Manhattan are still pretty dilapidated looking, never mind the rest of NYC. Here's are some 2008 photos of parts of Harlem:







2009 Daily News caption: On the upper west side in Harlem are abandoned buildings that evoke images of ancient ruins more than urban New York. They are the ultimate fixer-uppers. But for the creative and ambitious, they could be a steal. Pictured above are the ruins inside 140 w 130th St. are unstable and dangerous.

Note that this is Manhattan, the most expensive part of New York City. The other boroughs are infested with ancient ruins like this one.

Uhhh, I spent a good amount of my life in the outer-boroughs, and there arent any ancient ruins. Don't lump Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten island with the Bronx. Please show me proof of this.

[solytaire]

Originally Posted by C2H (ComingtoHouston)

Hills that are the height of a Gas Station/Convienient store like DFW and Conroe have are not really noteworthy, they are just small slopes at best! Austin and San Antonio have hills.

I feel the same way...I never mention hills as a topographical advantage of North/Northeast Texas... Although North/Northeast Texas has more hills than the Gulf Coast Region, people from cities/places with true elevation, would find our "hills" to be quite laughable. So I just find it better to not really mention them.

Just like in the Houston/Gulf Coast region, I dont really think enough of its "beach" for it to be anything to make note of. Especially not when speaking to someone who lives in or has been to Honolulu, Miami, L.A. or San Fran. Again, just like the Northeast Texas "hills", although we (Houston/Texas) can technically say we have a "beach", its just no comparison to places that actually have the beach

[vicket]

Originally Posted by solytaire

I feel the same way...I never mention hills as a topographical advantage of North/Northeast Texas... Although North/Northeast Texas has more hills than the Gulf Coast Region, people from cities/places with true elevation, would find our "hills" to be quite laughable. So I just find it better to not really mention them.

Just like in the Houston/Gulf Coast region, I dont really think enough of its "beach" for it to be anything to make note of. Especially not when speaking to someone who lives in or has been to Honolulu, Miami, L.A. or San Fran. Again, just like the Northeast Texas "hills", although we (Houston/Texas) can technically say we have a "beach", its just no comparison to places that actually have the beach

While I agree I have never seen the 'hills' that are supposed to be in "Hill Country", I have to disagree with the 'beach' comment. Even if you count the Great Lakes as a coastline, a LOT of states have no reasonable drive access to a coastal beach at all. Galveston may not have the most scenic beach (compared to Hawaii or FL) but I think it still counts as a big plus for the Houston area. And if you are looking at all of Texas...South Padre is nothing to sneeze at.

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

Uhhh, I spent a good amount of my life in the outer-boroughs, and there arent any ancient ruins. Don't lump Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten island with the Bronx. Please show me proof of this.

http://alphanos.com/gallery/d/236-1/Internet_argument.jpg (broken link)

You are long ways away from NYC forums. Seriously, just drop it. The point of all the OP was to invoke debate about why Houston get's so much flack when other cities don't. It is naive or foolish to say NYC doesn't have any ugly parts.