It's not all bad...
-
7/2/2006
I'm going to try and give an objective, clear-eyed review of this city that I call home. Every city has bad points, and, obviously, Houston is no different. So yes, Houston has roaches you could give small children rides on, mosquitoes, and sauna-like conditions from April to October if you're lucky, but usually into November and even December. Some people like that sort of weather. I am not one of those. And what's that smell?? Oh, I think we're downwind from Pasadena.
It has no zoning laws, which makes it seem a bit messy and chaotic, though that has a certain bizarre charm with the right frame of mind (or enough drugs, take your pick). It sometimes seems as if the street plans were laid out by someone who had ingested some very interesting substances, or who had a sadistic sense of humor. The streets don't seem to be organized in any particular way in most areas, and to make it even more fun, some streets change names for no apparent reason.
Everything is very spread out here. I live in the Montrose area, which is very central and close to downtown, but if I want to go see friends who live in one of the suburbs on the north side of town, I have to drive about 30 minutes to do it if the traffic is moving smoothly, and I have a 40-minute (assuming light traffic) drive to see my family in Katy, a suburb on the west side of Houston. And the lack of decent public transportation is a strike against this city, as it can sometimes make it difficult to get around if you don't own a car.
Cultural activities are available, such as museums and theatres and the occasional festival, but these things are mostly concentrated in the Montrose/Downtown/Museum District area. While this is great if you live nearby, it's not if you live in the suburbs, which means you have to drive 20-30 miles to do anything. I've lived in the general Houston area for 11 years, beginning in Katy when I moved here with my family at 15 and then moving into Houston when I moved out of my parents' house. The only things there are to do in the 'burbs are shop and see movies. There's nothing else. The 'burbs are generally very bland and homogenized, I suppose to counter the relative aesthetic anarchy of Houston for those that decided to flee.
On the positive side, the cost of living is low for the size of the city. I was able to find a relatively inexpensive apartment in a central area of town that is convenient to just about anything I would want to do
Jennifer | Houston, TX