Relocating to Houston from Chicago -- Need advice on where to live! (Rosenberg: sales, apartment complexes)

[Shaun0779]

Hi -

I'm hoping someone can help! In the next week, I've got a sneaking suspicion my employer is going to quickly relocate me from Chicago to Houston (...its a long story). For a guy who's spent the last 25 years hating midwest winters, I'm actually pretty pumped about it -- but the problem is, the only time I've actually even been to Houston has been in and around the airport . . . and my searches thus far about neighborhoods/places to live haven't really yielded what I'm looking for. There's a lot on this board related to great family / school locations, but that's not exactly what I'm aiming for.

I'm looking specifically for a place that has a ton of entertainment, shopping, restaurants all packed around it. Something with a stylish/modern feel to it. (If anyone's familiar, kinda like the north side of Chicago . . . like Rush St)

I'm the kind of guy that, up here in Chicago, likes to go grab a great steak once or twice a week . . . and have a couple of good cocktails and spend some time people-watching at an upscale bar full of good looking people. I'm hoping I can find an apartment in the area thats close (maybe even walking distance? .. altho I've read that driving is pretty much a requirement in Houston) to that place .. with a rent range up to 2000 a month.

I'm single, 30, and have no real family-friendly requirements for schools/etc . . . outside of the area being "safe" and "nice."

Any thoughts? So far, research points to the Galleria area . . . but then again, most articles I've read have a sales pitch of some kind attached to them.

EDIT: One thing I should probably toss in here is relative to commuting to the office. I'd be smack dab in the center of Houston ... and am willing to stomach up to a 60-minute commute. (God knows itd be shorter than what I do now!)

-Shaun

[Malvie]

Shaun, welcome to Houston!

Describe "the center of Houston" Where exactly is your office? If you mean "downtown", downtown is not really the "center" of Houston; the actual "center" is more about the Galleria.

It sounds to me like you're describing "Midtown" more; the area south of downtown and toward Montrose. There's no exact equivalent to Rush St. Midtown is working on it but not quite there yet.

Your price range is very doable (you should be able to get something "nice" and "cool") for either Midtown or the Galleria area. You're not going to be able to walk to work or take the "L"; public transport here is the bus, the bus, the bus, or you could always take the bus. We have the beginnings of a cute little train system, but nothing like what you're used to.

You can get some really nice lofts in that area, though. I was downtown Friday (work near downtown) and the re-do of the old Rice Hotel (now the Post Rice Lofts) looked great; I'd love to live there myself if I were 30 and not so tied down. You might investigate that.

Just south of downtown, in "Midtown", are the bars you appear to be seeking.

60 minute commute = waaaaaaay out in the burbs, like the western fringes of Katy, Rosenberg, etc. Now, there are days when it sucks to be human here (rainy and everybody playing bumper cars on the freeway), but I made it from my nephew's house at Barker-Cypress/IH-10 to Minute Maid Park at 5:00 with wrecks on IH-10, Beltway, Southwest Freeway, and surface streets in under 45 minutes (the foregoing is a nightmare situation). There's nothing like the Eisenhower here (any more).

Good luck and we're glad you're coming. Just beware: Houston August = Chicago January. It's hotter than Hell here right now, seriously. But bring light colored short sleeve clothes and come on down. You can cry about the heat to your Chicago friends while sipping a cool refreshing beverage under a palm tree....

[hsw]

Great advice from Malvie

Much like Chic, best way to insulate oneself from weather/hassles is to find an upscale condo to rent in Galleria area w/a secured, reserved garage space; figure out garage at office; figure out valet parking game in front of one's favored bars/dining spots....same game for any yuppie in any major US city...only 2-3 dining spots matter, even in "big" towns like NYC or LA

Have several colleagues who started their career in Chic and would drive from rental condo in a MagMile tower to office garage in Loop and drive to whichever favored dining/bars in MagMile or LP....quite a civilized lifestyle amidst Chic's ugly winter slush and rest of yr humidity, but Chic (unlike NYC) has admirably car-centric city infrastructure, w/garages (incl hand car washes at office pkg garages) and valet parking everywhere that matters

With this approach, anything relevant in any major US city is usu a <20min, uneventful drive in a climate-controlled, safe, comfortable car

[modster]

Houston offers a lot of urban amenities, but not in typical urban-style settings. Personally I don't agree that the Galleria is the center of Houston. It is certainly the center of retail, but a shopping mall & strip centers doesn't make for a city center. The central business district is still the center.

Currently the Washington Avenue corridor is where the lion's share of clubs have moved. There are still some in midtown as well. Montrose has become more tame, but still has a more urban and bohemian character. Any of these would work for you.

[texas7]

Agree that central business district is still the center. I also agree that Midtown, Montrose and even Heights would work for you. A lot of the young singles or young, no kids couples I work with tend to move to Midtown area. Welcome - hope you love it. It gets hot in the summer but if you are ready to leave the cold - you'll be fine.

[alaskaneric]

Rice village is nice too. Montrose is quirky in a good way, if you like that. Don't even think about the burbs. Galleria has some nice restaurants and apartment complexes, but it lacks the community feel of downtown. Plus, the commute is better downtown. From Galleria it would be under 30 minutes.

[Malvie]

Clarification:

By "center" I was speaking geographically (look at a map; downtown's east of the geographic center, which is how I took his question).

Speaking of the "hub" or the "main area", downtown is still "it" and coming back even stronger.

[dkag]

What would be your pick Washington Ave or Montrose/ W Grey? I'm living in the Galleria area but right now, but looking for a place somewhere inner loop.

[KayHaggard]

Definitely -- you don't have to do 60 minute communte. The Center -- even Downtown has some choices -- the old Rice Hotel -- as well as what has been said Rice Village, Midtown, Memorial / Montrose / West Gray and some neighborhoods that are east of downtown are up and coming. Not much people watching as what you are used to -- people want to get out of the heat. This is A/C and automobile country, but you can check out Discovery Green or Memorial Park.

[DDDD24DDDD]

Welcome Shaun. I just made the move from Chicago to Houston, and was looking for a similar neighborhood. They don't really exist in Houston, at least not in the same way as Chicago. But there are a lot of great places in Houston and the weather is so much better than Chi-town, even in the summer. My one golden piece of advice: don't dismiss a bar or restaurant in Houston just because its in a strip mall. In Chicago, I would never go to a place in a strip mall, it was trashy. In Houston, there are really good places in strip malls. You'll get used to it.