<p>I’m glad someone had the courage to compare Houston and Austin. I’ve been to Austin several times, but I never quite grasped what made it so great, at least not on a relative scale. For me, the main attraction is the downtown area. There are respectable suburbs, yes, but these are also available in Houston. I expected to be wowed when I drove down there, but I still prefer my city and its ‘spread-outness.’ I guess we’ll always side with our hometown to some extent.</p>