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It's easy to judge a large metro area like Houston because there is nothing to see there? Outside the downtown area, what is there to do that would persuade anyone to visit Houston from Paris or Berlin? It is not an aesthetically pleasing city, it is the world's largest village, it has the amenities of a European city of 200,000 people and there is virtually no mass transit system. I mean, the tram of Houston has less daily ridership of the metro system of a metro area in England of less than 1,000,000 people (113,000 people use the mass transit system in Newcastle daily, compared to 37,400 in Houston, a metro of over 5 million people!!)
Sorry, but Texas just isn't sophisticated or cosmopolitan. It never will be, either.
It's easy to judge a large metro area like Houston because there is nothing to see there? Outside the downtown area, what is there to do that would persuade anyone to visit Houston from Paris or Berlin? It is not an aesthetically pleasing city, it is the world's largest village, it has the amenities of a European city of 200,000 people and there is virtually no mass transit system. I mean, the tram of Houston has less daily ridership of the metro system of a metro area in England of less than 1,000,000 people (113,000 people use the mass transit system in Newcastle daily, compared to 37,400 in Houston, a metro of over 5 million people!!)
Sorry, but Texas just isn't sophisticated or cosmopolitan. It never will be, either.
No, there is plenty of stuff to do in Houston such as museums, different ethnic restaurants, festivals, amusement parks, waterparks, etc, it is just not a typical touristy city (ala London, NYC, etc) sort of like Frankfurt in Germany. Also that light rail line you are refering to has the second largest daily ridership in the US (per mile) and is being expanded even further.
Anyways to all of you Houston bashers out there maybe you should actually visit the place first (or at the very least do more research) before making yourself look like idiots here.
It's easy to judge a large metro area like Houston because there is nothing to see there? Outside the downtown area, what is there to do that would persuade anyone to visit Houston from Paris or Berlin? It is not an aesthetically pleasing city, it is the world's largest village, it has the amenities of a European city of 200,000 people and there is virtually no mass transit system. I mean, the tram of Houston has less daily ridership of the metro system of a metro area in England of less than 1,000,000 people (113,000 people use the mass transit system in Newcastle daily, compared to 37,400 in Houston, a metro of over 5 million people!!)
Yeah i wouldnt expect anyone from Berlin to go on a vacation to Houston but that doesnt mean people have to constantly bash the city. and i dont think a city in Texas should be compared to a city in Europe especially when discussing transportation. In Houston the Freeway system is far superior to any European city. And i'm sure many cities in the UK have a much better mass transit system than Houston.
I do like Houston but i will admit if i was in Houston for a week i would take most of that time to hop on a bus and head over to New Orleans.
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Originally Posted by dunno what to put here
Sorry, but Texas just isn't sophisticated or cosmopolitan. It never will be, either.
Those images don't clear up any misconceptions but instead reinforce them. Houston is a low-density mess with very little cultural attractions or venues for a metro of over 5 million people. I could find more culture and entertainment in my own back yard.
If you haven't actually been to Houston, don't pretend like you know what you're about. Houston is a city of 6 million now. If you can't find culture or anything to do, then maybe you are the problem.
It's easy to judge a large metro area like Houston because there is nothing to see there? Outside the downtown area, what is there to do that would persuade anyone to visit Houston from Paris or Berlin? It is not an aesthetically pleasing city, it is the world's largest village, it has the amenities of a European city of 200,000 people and there is virtually no mass transit system. I mean, the tram of Houston has less daily ridership of the metro system of a metro area in England of less than 1,000,000 people (113,000 people use the mass transit system in Newcastle daily, compared to 37,400 in Houston, a metro of over 5 million people!!)
Sorry, but Texas just isn't sophisticated or cosmopolitan. It never will be, either.
I know a French couple who decided to Visit Houston on their first ever trip to the USA. The reason being is they wanted to see a part of USA that was away from main tourist areas and get up and personal with the locals.
After they visited Houston they were not at all impressed with Houston except for the Space Centre. Due to their experiences in Houston they disliked the American way of life. Before they visited Houston they were very curious about USA.
No, there is plenty of stuff to do in Houston such as museums, different ethnic restaurants, festivals, amusement parks, waterparks, etc, it is just not a typical touristy city (ala London, NYC, etc) sort of like Frankfurt in Germany. Also that light rail line you are refering to has the second largest daily ridership in the US (per mile) and is being expanded even further.
Anyways to all of you Houston bashers out there maybe you should actually visit the place first (or at the very least do more research) before making yourself look like idiots here.
But what you've listed there are all things one can do in any other city.
Oh, and I just moved away from Houston. So I know it's a **** hole. It's just a boring and ugly city. Instead of trying to defend something that can not be defended, you should lobby the city to improve Houston. Like, you know, not tearing down the only entertaiment park would be a start...
I guess thats true, you can't really argue with someone with a very negative outlook on things, they will always look at the negative and ignore the positive things. some people cant stand the look of a shopping mall, and some people could care less about the shopping mall because they are just there to shop.
One thing i really love about Houston is the diversity, Houston is probably integrated city in the country.
Houston does have a large multi-national workforce based on oil and gas and other industries. The Hispanic influence is very noticeable.
It actually has a British Consulate located there due to the large number of Brits based in the area.
To give one example of the city's diversity, at the time I lived there there were apparently 40,000 Russians living in Houston.
I used to get my lamb from a Lebanese butcher and have coffee next door at a Brazilian café. Pretty much any ethnic food was catered for.
I don't think it's as international as NY, LA and so on, and it's not a tourist destination in itself.
What I can tell you is that it is full of lovely and very friendly people and if we had to go back there again to live I would not be upset, indeed I would look forward to it.
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It's just a boring and ugly city. Instead of trying to defend something that can not be defended, you should lobby the city to improve Houston. Like, you know, not tearing down the only entertaiment park would be a start... 
