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I have no problem being objective, but no universally accepted FACTS on the worth of a city are being discussed here. When people say things like "this city is 'worse' because it's more humid and has more overweight people", they aren't being objective, in case you weren't aware.
Sorry I didn't get the far in the thread or I missed it. Didn't see anything like that from earlyretirements quote which you were highlighting specifically.
Yes Houston is humid and known to have a nationwide obesity epidemic. Facts. Not better or worse. Obesity is a societal issue within Houston whether your are part of that equation or not.
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by earlyretirement
I lived in Texas many years. Certainly not as long as you have but I don't think you need to live in Houston for 44 years to know it's clearly not a "24 hour city". And to that end, I don't think many cities in the USA are "24 hour cities".
When I think of "24 hour city" I think in terms of a town like Buenos Aires where literally everything is 24 hours. Where you can see 80 year olds sitting down drinking/laughing at a cafe at 2:30 AM, where discos and clubs don't even OPEN until 2 AM, where you see people at a restaurant eating dinner at 11 PM with their 8 year old kids that have school the next day. LOL. I'm speaking about truly vibrant cities where people are out and about all hours of the night. I don't include a city littered with 24/7 IHOPs as a "24 hour city".
Obviously we can all agree to disagree. I know with some people that love Texas you won't be able to convince them that Texas isn't the greatest place in the world. Never mind that the temperatures in Houston typically have over 100+ days of 95+ degree weather most years. That it is muggier than Manila (that's NEVER a good comparison), and it's one of the most obese cities in the USA.
The truth of the matter on cities like Houston is they are NO where near as good as natives think it is and it is no where near as bad as others think it is. I think we should leave it at that.
True not many cities are 24 hour cities but you can find things in Houston that are going on all hours of the clock. None of which are happening at the IHOPs. And no it does not take living there for 44 years to know this.
These all night places are mainly for the night folks or for people like me who worked into the early morning hours and nonmainstream folks and a lot of it is underground by word of mouth so as not to attract mainstream crowds...not that mainstream crowds would want to be up at all hours of the night frequenting the warehouse district or some late night Vietnamese restaurant. I worked my way through college back in the day at upscale clubs and I would get off work sometimes at 2:30 or 3:00 AM. There were places that I could go and watch live music, listen to house music, dance, drink alcohol or eat (no 24 hour breakfast place) if that is what I wanted to do. Those places exist today in Houston. You just have to know about them through being a night owl or someone who is out and about late at night on a regular basis. Houston never sits still. This is what I what I meant when I said it was a 24 hour city. You can find things to do at all hours...you just have to be in the know about them.
What I continue seeing people say in this tread is the word Texas. We are talking about Houston not the State of Texas. I could care less what people say about the whole state of Texas. Believe me there are parts of TX I want nothing to do with. Houston does not represent the entire State of Texas unfortunately
But when certain folks misstate the facts about a city that someone is inquiring about it certainly needs to be addressed by Houstonian's that do know the city very well. To me it does not matter if you have lived in Houston for 30 years it does not mean that you know the city very well. Houston is a very complex place and it takes years and knowing people that know that city inside out to really experience all that it has to offer. And it takes being someone who likes to explore and who is not your mainstream average Joe. If you are just a mainstreamer or tourist you are not going to experience the Houston that I or many others do.
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd
Sorry I didn't get the far in the thread or I missed it. Didn't see anything like that from earlyretirements quote which you were highlighting specifically.
Yes Houston is humid and known to have a nationwide obesity epidemic. Facts. Not better or worse. Obesity is a societal issue within Houston whether your are part of that equation or not.
Obesity is a societal issue within the USA. It's not unique to Houston.
Humidity is not a bad thing...some people actually like it.
Obesity is a societal issue within the USA. It's not unique to Houston.
Humidity is not a bad thing...some people actually like it.
LOL then you agree with me!
Re-read what you are quoting me on. Its not a 'better or worse' scenario. But is a highlight of contention when folks are looking at facts like the weather. eg. dry/warm or muggy/warm.
Obesity is not just national its global. Houston just happens to be mentioned a lot more than other cities. Again, something to take note of. What someone chooses to do with that information is up to them.
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,455,752 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd
LOL then you agree with me!
Re-read what you are quoting me on. Its not a 'better or worse' scenario. But is a highlight of contention when folks are looking at facts like the weather. eg. dry/warm or muggy/warm.
Obesity is not just national its global. Houston just happens to be mentioned a lot more than other cities. Again, something to take note of. What someone chooses to do with that information is up to them.
See comment 89
I took note
Quote:
Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd
Obesity is a societal issue within Houston whether your are part of that equation or not.
When you say obesity is a societal issue within Houston I took is as you saying the society within Houston has an obesity issue that is unique to Houston.
Which is why I stated that it is not unique to Houston. I find it strange that Houston comes up a lot with that claim attached to it. Very inaccurate indeed. Just go visit some of the Midwest towns and almost everyone is seriously overweight. Houston has an over abundance of very athletic in shape people and tons of gyms that are always busy. People like to look good in Houston since there are a lot of in shape athletic people you certainly would be out of place. Nobody likes feeling out of place. And we all know that looking good has it's advantages
The misstatements of facts and misconceptions about Houston are certainly getting old.
I lived in Texas many years. Certainly not as long as you have but I don't think you need to live in Houston for 44 years to know it's clearly not a "24 hour city". And to that end, I don't think many cities in the USA are "24 hour cities".
When I think of "24 hour city" I think in terms of a town like Buenos Aires where literally everything is 24 hours. Where you can see 80 year olds sitting down drinking/laughing at a cafe at 2:30 AM, where discos and clubs don't even OPEN until 2 AM, where you see people at a restaurant eating dinner at 11 PM with their 8 year old kids that have school the next day. LOL. I'm speaking about truly vibrant cities where people are out and about all hours of the night. I don't include a city littered with 24/7 IHOPs as a "24 hour city".
Obviously we can all agree to disagree. I know with some people that love Texas you won't be able to convince them that Texas isn't the greatest place in the world. Never mind that the temperatures in Houston typically have over 100+ days of 95+ degree weather most years. That it is muggier than Manila (that's NEVER a good comparison), and it's one of the most obese cities in the USA.
The truth of the matter on cities like Houston is they are NO where near as good as natives think it is and it is no where near as bad as others think it is. I think we should leave it at that.
This is EXACTLY what I was getting at with my "family" comment. If you are from there, forget it, nothing will ever beat Texas. If you move there....good luck making friends unless you jump on board about how AWESOME Texas is and where you came from is shameful and your attitudes from that place have been wiped from memory...lol....oh and that Calfornia place, don't even mutter it...
This is actually one of the reasons I wanted to leave, it was the driver over the heat and lack of froo froo places to eat. I do miss it occasionally but I lived in the San Antonio area which did have some outdoor benefits ...well about 3 months of the year and proximity to Austin and West Texas I actually really like...for road trips and photography.
Anyway, this thread really illustrates what I was getting at -- native Texans will fight til the death for their state, and won't always do so rationally. if you can deal with that then move there!
this is where the phrase "I'm not from Texas but I got there as fast as I could" comes from. If you move there get used to saying that so people will like you and consider accepting you (well 80%) into their circle!
A city is JUST as great as any individual personally believes it is, whether they're a native or not. That goes for any city, and not just "cities like Houston". I love this city, and regardless of what you or anyone else thinks, it's not because I simply don't know any better. I've lived and traveled extensively across the nation, and I still love this town.
The homers here obviously appreciate San Diego far more than I do. Frankly, I can take or leave the city, and I see little appeal to it besides its gorgeous coastal location. I wouldn't even trade our humidity for SD's annoyingly uneventful weather. So there you have it.
Many of you live with the belief that certain types of people or places are superior to another kind. I've never been so arrogant.
not a homer. I'm from Illinois and have moved around a lot for my job, I've finally landed in Coastal CA after a lot of hard work and uprooting myself. I've enjoyed other places and cities but knew I ultimatley wanted to land here and am glad I now get the choice to move to SD. As I said to the OP, if you are young, I'd be willing to go most places to build your career...then you can start making demands about where you want to go (but you can also experience places to see if you like them)
When you say obesity is a societal issue within Houston I took is as you saying the society within Houston has an obesity issue that is unique to Houston.
Which is why I stated that it is not unique to Houston. I find it strange that Houston comes up a lot with that claim attached to it. Very inaccurate indeed. Just go visit some of the Midwest towns and almost everyone is seriously overweight. Houston has an over abundance of very athletic in shape people and tons of gyms that are always busy. People like to look good in Houston since there are a lot of in shape athletic people you certainly would be out of place. Nobody likes feeling out of place. And we all know that looking good has it's advantages
The misstatements of facts and misconceptions about Houston are certainly getting old.
The midwest? please support that one. When I moved to Texas (from midwest) the southern culture, availability of huge portions and abundance of fried foods, large portions of meat and well everything plus rich mexican food was immediatley apparent. The midwest tends to be quite a bit more slimmed down...and well, bland in terms of food.
To deny the food culture of the south is like saying Paula Deen is a nutritionist...and quite frankly most of the southerners and Texans I know are quite proud of this culture. There is a lot of great things about it. To deny it is kind of strange. I think you even mentioned the authentic soul food and bbq yourself.
PS. I do agree that Houson is not Texas, and have said that Houston would be more tolerable than other places in TX culturally.
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,455,752 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rgb123
The midwest? please support that one. When I moved to Texas (from midwest) the southern culture, availability of huge portions and abundance of fried foods, large portions of meat and well everything plus rich mexican food was immediatley apparent. The midwest tends to be quite a bit more slimmed down...and well, bland in terms of food.
To deny the food culture of the south is like saying Paula Deen is a nutritionist...and quite frankly most of the southerners and Texans I know are quite proud of this culture. There is a lot of great things about it. To deny it is kind of strange. I think you even mentioned the authentic soul food and bbq yourself.
PS. I do agree that Houson is not Texas, and have said that Houston would be more tolerable than other places in TX culturally.
First of all no one is denying the food culture of the South...we are correcting the misstatements that continue to be thrown about claiming that everyone in TX eats that type of food and as a result are fat and unhealthy. As well as the misstatement that unhealthy foods are the majority of foods found there. That is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.
Now about the Midwest...just go to Ohio and take a good look around at the food they eat. I have relatives there and the only time I go is for an occasional family reunion or funeral. I suffer immensely with the food choices when I'm there. Fried everything. Heavy gravy for everything. Crappy salads with crappy dressing. Greasy breakfasts UGH! I was spoiled growing up in Houston with all the healthy food choices and my Whole Foods Market. Good luck finding excellent and authentic Persian, Turkish, or Greek food in the Midwest. It is very well represented in Houston. Also good luck finding a Whole Foods Market.
BTW I have never heard of Paula Dean until I watched Master Chef. Get over your stereotypes of Southerns...it is total crap. You come off as quite ignorant when you make blanket statements.
Where in TX did you move to?
And your comments about fitting in when you move to TX is another BS blanket statement. Houston embraces people from all over the planet. Which is why it is has a very diverse cultural population and a very diverse food scene. That diversity thing is fun in Houston!
Again keep in mind this thread is about Houston vs. San Diego NOTTexas vs. San Diego
Sorry I didn't get the far in the thread or I missed it. Didn't see anything like that from earlyretirements quote which you were highlighting specifically.
Yes Houston is humid and known to have a nationwide obesity epidemic. Facts. Not better or worse. Obesity is a societal issue within Houston whether your are part of that equation or not.
Being overweight and being obese are two different things. About a third of Houstonians are overweight, but the most recent Gallup study I found put the obesity level of the metro area at only 26.1%, which is on par with the national average. Several metros like St. Louis, Milwaukee, Detroit, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh were found to be more obese than Houston.
Houston's reputation for being obese comes from an outdated documentary and a highly-referenced junk study compiled by a tacky fitness magazine.
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I have relatives there and the only time I go is for an occasional family reunion or funeral. I suffer immensely with the food choices when I'm there. Fried everything. Heavy gravy for everything. Crappy salads with crappy dressing. Greasy breakfasts UGH! I was spoiled growing up in Houston with all the healthy food choices and my Whole Foods Market. Good luck finding excellent and authentic Persian, Turkish, or Greek food in the Midwest. It is very well represented in Houston. Also good luck finding a Whole Foods Market.
