<p>i cant seem to really get a grasp on what houston's like. i've never been to texas in my entire life and i havent really been out of the northeast cept for california. could someone from new jersey or the northeast comment on houston?? how is houston like compared to nyc? basically the only city i really know about.</p>
<p>The first time my son and I visited Rice (native Long Islander's) I was sure I wouldn't like Houston, having heard all kinds of bad things about it; but my son and I ended up liking it a lot. It's feels more like a suburban city, than a true city like NY. You don't feel as cramped and overwhelmed, even though many buildings are tall, they are broken up by very nice housing and lots of green and many low buildings and wide streets. I really liked it. Great shopping and restaurants. A lot of it is very pretty, with flowers and flowering crape myrtle trees everywhere.</p>
<p>If you are worried about being immersed in some "backwards Southern culture", don't be. </p>
<p>If you are just trying to get a feel for the city. Houston is an alright city, though I will admit it isn't one of my favorite cities. Like the other poster said it does feel like an surburban city, partly because the downtown is spread out over three areas(official downtown, medical center, galleria). Don't let the fourth biggest city statistic fool you, Houston isn't manhattan-esue. Public transportation sucks(for the general pop, Rice students will find the metro quite convenient) and traffic is bad.</p>
<p>However there are some very nice areas. There are a wide variety of restaurants, including a chinatown. There are some very nice theatres located right near Rice, I just went to the opera on Friday. Houston actually has the second largest theatre district after New York. It is a diverse city with a wide variety of cultures, including a well-known gay district (montrose). Basically it has everything you would expect to see in a big city.</p>
<p>As someone who grew up in Maryland and has lived in Houston for the past 20 years, I'll jump in here to give you my thoughts on Houston.</p>
<p>First of all, put every preconceived notion you have of Houston and Texas aside. Houston is very different than any place I've ever lived or visited, but at the same time very similar. I remember when I first moved here forgetting for long stretches that I was actually in Texas. No Texas accent, no cowboy attire, etc. It's really not until you drive a little to the west and pass the ranches that it hits you that you're really in Texas.</p>
<p>Houston is a young, dynamic, multi-cultural, vibrant city that is full of optimism and incredibly welcoming of outsiders. There are no old ethnic neighborhoods like in Baltimore, Philly, Boston, etc., and few historical buildings. Everything is new or fairly recently built, and the city looks to the future instead of the past. This attitude creates lots of opportunities for people to become a part of Houston's future, and has fostered a can-do attitude in attracting businesses and promoting cutting edge research and technologies.</p>
<p>Most people you meet in Houston are from somewhere else. It's hard to find a native -- at least a native that's over 20 years old. Houston is a blend of many nationalities, especially Hispanic and Vietnamese, but also many expats from all over the world. The energy industry and the Texas Medical Center brings many people here from England, South Africa, China, and on and on. Interestingly, despite the fact that people are from so many different places, on the whole you will find everyone incredibly open and friendly. The biggest difference I have found between Houstonians and northeasterners is the friendliness. Typically, whenever I am in line at a store, in the elevator in an office building, etc., people start talking to each other. It takes a little getting used to, but after you're here a short time you'll find yourself doing the same and it will feel off-putting to go back to the northeast where people ignore you in similar situations.</p>
<p>While Houston has no natural beauty, many parts of Houston are indeed beautiful. There are many trees, flowers, beautifully maintained lawns, scuptures, etc. all over the city. Some areas remind me of Los Angeles with their palm-treed line streets, other areas remind me of New Orleans with their live oak canopied streets dripping with Spanish moss (especially near Rice's campus), other areas remind me of a Southern city when the azaleas are in full bloom, and other areas remind me of a northeastern city with winding residential streets and pine trees. </p>
<p>Downtown Houston is fairly large and sprawling with wide streets and mostly new buildings. Unlike Chicago or Philly or NY, the shopping is indeed lacking downtown. It is home to great cultural attractions, though. Downtown is the site of great theater, ballet and opera, as well as home to the Houston Astros, Houston Rockets and the Houston Aeros (in new venues).</p>
<p>Houston has an incredible amount of really great restaurants and shops. While some cities might have more 5 star restaurants, I really don't think you can beat Houston for the variety, value and quality of its restaurants. If you want Greek, Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Cajun, seafood, whatever... you'll find an incredible selection to choose from. Shopping is also wonderful and varied. There are also a number of world class museums in Houston (and very close to the Rice campus).</p>
<p>One of the main differences between Houston and the northeast is the weather. Houston's weather is big and dramatic. Unlike the northeast where it might be overcast and drizzly for 5 straight days, Houston's weather changes quickly. It might be clear in the morning and then there will be a torrential downpour for an hour, and then the skies will clear up and be sunny again. Yes, the heat and humidity are present from about the end of May through September. (I hate September weather because it's just as hot as August.) But the winter can be surprisingly mild. For example, it's a gorgeous day today with bright blue skies and a fresh cool breeze, with a current temp of 66 degrees. I just opened the windows of my house to let in the pleasant breeze. The grass is green outside now and flowers are blooming. My son is a soccer player and he plays year-round here. In fact, soccer is a winter sport at his high school. How many places in the country can you have that?</p>
<p>Other observations -- Houston probably has more strip shopping malls than any other city in the country. It's very convenient, but do we really need a CVS on every corner? Houston allows billboards, which I think is not particularly attractive.</p>
<p>For some reason, Houston has a very poor image throughout the country. I honestly have no idea why. It's actually a really pleasant place to live.</p>
<p>If anyone wants any restaurant recommendations during a visit to Houston, feel free to PM me. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Wonderful post Susan. I'm a Native Texan (family has been here since the days of the Alamo) and was reared in the Rio Grande Valley. I've lived in Houston for the last 15 years and I think you described the essence of Houston and what it means to be a Houstonian brilliantly.</p>
<p>also...Amen about the corner CVS's. Get rid a few of those and give us back our Randalls. :-)</p>
<p>omg thanks susan! now im really excited to see houston. i always liked texas for some weird reason even though i've never been there, even though a lot of people in the northeast think texas is the armpit of america.</p>
<p>Idmom, where in the rio grande valley did you grow up?</p>
<p>Hi deadhead - </p>
<p>I was born in Mercedes and attended Mission High School. We moved my senior year and I graduated from another high school upstate near Houston. [My mom was born in Mercedes and graduated from Mercedes H.S., my dad born in Harlingen, graduated from La Feria H.S. I still have relatives in Weslaco and San Benito. Our family has extended Valley roots...they moved from upstate Texas to the Valley in about 1900.] </p>
<p>Are you from the Valley?</p>
<p>wow small world...i live in mission and was going to go to mission high school, but they built a new high school in 2002, veterans memorial, and i fell into that district...im a senior there now...i don't know how you felt about growing up here, but IMHO this is the most boring place on the face of the planet..the only redeeming quality is the proximity to the mexican border and the beach...good texmex food too</p>
<p>Susan - as a native Houstonian (quite a bit older than 20, unfortunately!), thank you for your post. Parts of Houston I hate, but parts of Houston I absolutely love. I love the mix and blend of cultures, the great museums, the azaleas in bloom, the cost of living, and - my favorite symbol of Houston - the Beer Can House.</p>
<p>lol deadhead! Yup...Mission's a pretty small place to be be, even back in the mid 70's when I was in high school. I liked it though...easy drive to South Padre & Matamoros/Reynosa, and I had really good friends with whom I stayed in touch for years after leaving the Valley. My family used to live on Bryce Drive, near the hospital at Bryan Road. I think that whole area is completely changed now.</p>
<p>Have you always lived in Mission? </p>
<p>(sorry for the thread hijacking btw...)</p>
<p>fireflyscout -</p>
<p>I agree...and I love the fact that no matter when you arrive or where you are from, be it a small town in South Texas or a country on the other side of the world, you are automatically accepted as a fellow Houstonian. (And Rice is located in the best part of Houston...the campus is stunning imho.)</p>
<p>yes!! idmom is def. right! rice is located in the museaum district...every time i visit rice, i always go to the art museaum! haha..</p>
<p>fireflyscout, I am a native Houstonian too, as were both of my parents. How rare is that?!? Where did you go to school? I went to Memorial Hs (a long while back!).</p>
<p>Blackeyedsusan, beautiful description, I can't argue with a thing you said. One more thing to mention. Houston is on the coast and many people are into water sports, sailing, skiing, fishing, etc. and we are close to the beach (although Galveston beaches cannot be compared favorably to the many beautiful coasts in the US, we love what we have). When I travel across the country to regattas, I often hear, "Where do you sail in Houston?" I think people have the perception that we are in some dusty, Western movie location, with tumbleweeds blowing down the street. </p>
<p>Houston is a great place to live: the people are fantastic, there's plenty to do, great arts, music, foods! And - Rice is a beautiful campus.</p>
<p>How close is Houston to the coast? I always thought that it was like right on the water but all of the maps seem to place it quite a ways inland. So how far do you have to drive before you can see the ocean?</p>
<p>about 1/2 hour drive to Galveston from downtown. South Padre is a much nicer beach, and that's like 5 hours away... very popular spring break destination.</p>
<p>galveston isnt so great, unless you like brown murky water, however it isnt dirty, as you might hear many say, its brown because of the shallow water, which causes dirt from the bottom to rise up with currents.</p>
<p>Houston has a massive footprint...if you are setting out from The Woodlands, you are looking at a 1 - 1.5 hour drive. If you live in Clear Lake, less than 30 minutes. Just depends.</p>
<p>And yes, they don't call it the Gulf of Yoohoo at Galveston for nothing...but it isn't really THAT bad. The currents and the proximity to the mouth of the Mississippi are why the water isn't clear. On the East side of the Mississippi in the FL Panhandle, the beaches are pristine because they are on the back side of the current...and the further down the Texas coast toward Mexico you go, the better the beaches. SPI is pretty...turquoise water, decent surf and big, wide beaches.</p>
<p>And, at a certain time of the evening, and the sun is setting, when you look at the water just right, it almost looks blue!!</p>
<p>I love upper Galveston Bay. I have spent my entire life sailing those waters. There is usually always a prevailing 5-10 knot breeze that goes left throughout the day, there is very little current, and there are waves that can be ridden downwind with a good spinaker. From my house in west Houston, it takes 45 minutes to get to the bay.</p>
<p>Firefly, your message box is full. Talk to you later!</p>