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I just got back from an extended road trip from Houston to Austin and San Antonio visiting friends and sightseeing, so I figured I'd chime in while the memories are fresh. I've been to Texas several times before, but it had been quite some time since I actually made a purposeful visit to the state as opposed to just driving through or being there for work. I haven't spent enough time in Dallas to form more than a superficial impression of it (it reminds me a lot of LA people-wise), but here's what I think about the other three:
Houston: To be honest, my initial impression wasn't great when I first got there and it was the same as the last time I visited: massive, sprawling, beige. Driving on the freeways, you see chemical plant after chemical plant and the downtown area is a little sterile and bland at first glance- I've never been blown away by the skyline, but it's not terrible either. As for tourist attractions, I bought the City Pass and it was worth it given how much I saw. I found the Museum District to be really nice (beautiful homes off of Bissonnet) and I enjoyed the Natural History museum the best, but the Aquarium was filled with out of control kids and NASA was probably the most disappointed I've been in a long time visiting a museum with so much hype. I've been to Cape Canaveral and the DC Air/Space Museums, so maybe my expectations were high, but I was underwhelmed to say the least. Now before I get attacked for pointing out what I didn't like, I'll be happy to discuss what I did like.
I was blown away by the diversity and friendliness I encountered, everywhere I went. In a weird way, Houstonians remind me of people from Oakland. I spent my time Downtown/Midtown/Montrose/the Heights, and I visited family in the Woodlands, and stayed with friends down by Seabrook/Kemah area, and I even went to Galveston as well (liked it a lot). I covered a lot of ground, but everyone I talked to was very kind. I'm from the Bay Area where diversity/multiculturalism is celebrated and one of my favorite aspects of living/working there, but I also grew up in VA and NC and miss a lot of the outward friendliness people display, along with good manners and Southern hospitality. Although I'd been to Houston before, I'd mostly forgotten just how "Southern" of a city it is, and in a lot of ways it feels more the South and where I'm from than the Texas I usually think of. In general, I would say the Houston area is pretty clean and the freeways make it easy to get around, and the overall vibe is very laid back and relaxed. Weather-wise, Houston reminds me of Miami or Central Florida, and while I'm not a huge fan of high heat and humidity, I greatly preferred it to places like Phoenix or Vegas which are unbearably hot to me.
I'm fortunate to have friends and family in the area who told me where to go and what to do, but I think the average traveler isn't going to find Houston to be terribly exciting since it's really not set up for the typical tourist- at least not a gay one without kids Overall, it's seems like a really nice place to live, and given the cost of living and family oriented vibe of the place, I can totally see why it's the fourth largest city in the country. If I had to move to Texas, it would be my obvious first choice for a major metro.
Austin: My brother went to UT for graduate school, so I was familiar with 6th street and the bar scene (hazy memories, mind you), but I hadn't done much exploring outside of the downtown area. Overall, the Austin area is probably one of the most beautiful parts of Texas I've seen so far. While I liked the coastal areas I saw in Houston a lot (they remind me a bit of coastal NC), once you get to Austin, it's just a very different world in terms of aesthetics. The downtown is really growing fast, with sleek mid/high-rises that give it a much more compact and walkable feel than Downtown or Midtown Houston. 6th street on the Fri/Sat night definitely has the same party vibe you'd find in New Orleans or Vegas that I remembered, but it's a bit much for me these days. I'm really glad I drove out to the Lake Travis area to explore a bit, and that I got to go for a swim since it was so brutally hot outside. Some of the homes there have views that would make a lot of Californians really jealous.
Speaking of Californians, the city seems to feel way more like Orange County/LA than I remembered- lots of homeless people downtown to boot. The hipster presence is strong, but at the same time, Austin feels much more homogenous compared to Houston (everyone is white and young for the most part). I'm 32, but I felt old pretty much wherever I went. I realize Austin is a total college town, but given the fact that it's one of the most populous cities in the US, I was expecting it to feel a bit more "grown up" since the last time I visited, especially when you consider how much rents/real estate has gone up, but maybe not. While I enjoyed my time there, it wouldn't be the first place I'd move to in Texas. The food wasn't nearly as good as what I had in Houston (the BBQ was nothing spectacular), the people weren't as friendly as other places I've been to in Texas, I thought the weather was actually worse than Houston (felt more like Vegas/Phoenix than), and the COL wouldn't be a huge selling point for me either since it's still fairly high. When stacked against cities like Portland, Sacramento, Denver, or even Boise, Austin holds its own, but in the end, unless I was a UT student, I couldn't see myself living there. If planning a vacation, I think Austin is probably a better weekend trip or getaway for the average traveler than Houston since it's compact, easy to get around, and there's plenty to do outside (lakes/hiking/fishing/football games/museums/etc). Either way, I'll be back at some point to check out more of Hill Country since that's the part I found the most interesting.
San Antonio: I had never been to San Antonio before but the reviews I heard from both Texans and Californians weren't exactly rave. I was warned how tiny the Alamo was and how touristy the Riverwalk area was, but that's really all that anyone could tell me. Some people even told me to skip it altogether and spend more time in Austin, but I'm really glad I ignored their advice. While the Alamo was underwhelming and small and the Riverwalk is definitely touristy (and beautiful!), there was so much more to see and do in San Antonio than I had time for. For one thing, the mixture of Mexican/Spanish colonial churches with German architecture was completely unexpected. At first glance, San Antonio looks very old and Mexican, but it actually has a great variety of interesting and unique neighborhoods and beautiful German architecture. The King William area is absolutely gorgeous and it would be at the top of the list of neighborhoods I would choose if I moved to Texas. I also thought the Pearl neighborhood had a cool design/concept, and I had no clue that San Antonio would have an Art Deco area. The Market Square, although touristy, was fun to walk through, and reminded me a bit of markets I've seen in various places in Mexico. Of the three major cities I visited, San Antonio felt the most unique and historically interesting. It has a very Southwestern vibe that's hard to describe, but for some reason, it felt the most "Texan" to me. Well, at least in the traditional/stereotypical way that non-Texans imagine Texas is like (I guess like non-Californians think of LA being what the rest of CA is like). I didn't do any of the theme parks and I didn't check out all the Missions, but I think San Antonio is probably the best city set up for for the average tourist, given the variety of things to do. I was told that San Antonio is the "youngest" city in Texas (demographic-wise) and that there's a huge effort to build up the downtown area with skyscrapers and open a bunch of Hollywood type studios, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. In any event, San Antonio would probably be the first place I'd fly back to in Texas to explore more. I had lunch in New Braunfels and the water park there is probably a ton of fun, plus Austin isn't a long drive at all.
Overall, I had a great time on my trip and I look forward to another Texas visit. Texas gets a pretty bad rap from Californians, but I think it's a great state with great people. Someone convince me why I should check out Dallas now
Sounds like you had a great time in Texas. If you're gay, you should definitely check out Dallas, the scene is very visible in the city and super fun. Dallas and Fort Worth both have lots to see and do. I've lived here 8 years and still haven't done everything. Fort Worth will give you more of an experience like you had in San Antonio mixed with a great museum collection like Houston.
I really enjoyed it! My friend who lives in Houston says Dallas is a lot of fun and he's got a ton of friends out there, so we should probably head there next, but I felt like I barely scratched the surface in San Antonio- wish Dallas and SA were closer! I'm partnered and while we don't mind going out to gay bars every now and then, we're definitely more into the outdoors, food, photography, museums, etc when we're traveling. The bars were a lot better in Houston crowd-wise (laid back and friendly) than Austin (young, cliquey, judgy) in both the gay and straight bars we went to, but we didn't go to any of them in San Antonio, so no clue what they're like there.
Dallas and Houston are both good cities to live in, but one thing I'll give Houston is that people there are relatively friendly. Driving not so much, but your one on one interactions with folks; most people that you meet are "Southern" in manners.
Contrast that to DFW where people are polite but not exactly friendly.
Dallas and Houston are both good cities to live in, but one thing I'll give Houston is that people there are relatively friendly. Driving not so much, but your one on one interactions with folks; most people that you meet are "Southern" in manners.
Contrast that to DFW where people are polite but not exactly friendly.
AMEN TO THAT!!! Beneath the surface of all the cultural and ethnic diversity, Houston is still very Southern city, so most of the people you meet there are very warm and friendly.
Dallas, on the other hand, barely feels Southern anymore and many of the people who live in DFW these days are not very welcoming and friendly, and certainly aren't full of Southern Hospitality. Hate to keep beating a dead horse, but too many Californians have moved into DFW too fast and it has definitely changed the attitude, culture, and feel of DFW, especially when it comes to how people act and how nice they are (or aren't).
AMEN TO THAT!!! Beneath the surface of all the cultural and ethnic diversity, Houston is still very Southern city, so most of the people you meet there are very warm and friendly.
Dallas, on the other hand, barely feels Southern anymore and many of the people who live in DFW these days are not very welcoming and friendly, and certainly aren't full of Southern Hospitality. Hate to keep beating a dead horse, but too many Californians have moved into DFW too fast and it has definitely changed the attitude, culture, and feel of DFW, especially when it comes to how people act and how nice they are (or aren't).
To me Houston doesn't feel southern but that's because I lived in Louisiana for 3 years. And once you go there, Houston is 0% comparably southern to Louisiana. That being said. It does have southern influences.
From my experience, Dallas people are much friendlier than ppl give credit here. Especially in the outer places of the metro. The way I feel, Houston's suburbs are less friendly than a dallas suburbs. But Dallas may be a little less friendly being smaller, but definitely not to the degree that people are saying in here.
If you want to see unfriendly, go to either Philly or Boston. Enough said
To me Houston doesn't feel southern but that's because I lived in Louisiana for 3 years. And once you go there, Houston is 0% comparably southern to Louisiana. That being said. It does have southern influences.
From my experience, Dallas people are much friendlier than ppl give credit here. Especially in the outer places of the metro. The way I feel, Houston's suburbs are less friendly than a dallas suburbs. But Dallas may be a little less friendly being smaller, but definitely not to the degree that people are saying in here.
If you want to see unfriendly, go to either Philly or Boston. Enough said
LOL agreed. I didn't find the people in Dallas to be particularly unfriendly. East Coast (DC, Philly, NYC, Boston) are all way worse!
We went to Boston and Cape Cod recently on vacation and the people were quite nice.
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Overall, it's seems like a really nice place to live, and given the cost of living and family oriented vibe of the place, I can totally see why it's the fourth largest city in the country. If I had to move to Texas, it would be my obvious first choice for a major metro.
