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Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,691,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jfre81
Yeah, it's there, 1700-1800 block or so of Westheimer - I think they actually moved the old building there because it looks just like I remembered it years ago.
I'm just saying it sucks to see that make way for something no better than the same type of CVS you see in Sugar Land or something. It looks so out of place where it is.
There's also a sushi bar near Bambolino's at its current location Westheimer location, so sometimes things have a way of staying the same despite changing...
Oh, yes, I agree, but I've come to expect it, love it even. Out of place? What isn't in this town?! I've begun to find it a quirky, endearing quality... the frenetic pace and rapid cycling of tear-downs, building and re-building, the house-moving. It's all so jumbled up, you blink and something gets shifted, and you don't notice till a year later when you drive by the area again, and by then something new has taken its place and you've forgotten what the old thing was... I've had many conversations with myself at those long red lights: "Didn't something else used to be there?" Racking my brain trying to remember what it was... asking family, asking friends, maybe finally remembering and then the light bulb goes on, "Oh yeah!" Then it's forgotten again and you keep moving on, till it happens again somewhere else to something else. I think I said something similar in another thread around here. Houston is perfectly consistent in its inconsistency. The more something changes around here, the more it stays the same. And so it goes.
Well yeah, it wouldn't be Houston if it's not changing all the time.
If the yuppies will shut up and crawl under their beds while they bring back WestFest (the real thing, not this scaled-down block party crap) they can put five more CVS's wherever they want. I can do trade-offs.
Not really rivals because Houston is unarguably the energy capital of the world. It's not just energy either. Medicine and space travel are big business in Houston. The only reason Houston is not more popular is because publicity hasn't been the greatest and it's not a very very old city. Still, it has much more in common with the New Yorks and the Los Angeleses than it does when cities smaller than it. It will not always be this way. I guarantee that its reputation will get larger as the years go by.
And if it only has one more point than Houston, what makes Moscow so great?
I am arguing it - therefore it's arguable. You apparently not taking into consideration a simple fact that "Russia is the largest oil producer in the non-OPEC countries, and second biggest in the world after Saudi Arabia, which it overtakes as the world's number one from time to time." From Wiki "Russia has the largest known natural gas reserves of any state on earth, along with the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. This is 32% of the world proven natural gas reserves (23% of the probable reserves), 12% of the proven oil reserves (42% of the probable reserves), 10% of the explored coal reserves (14% of the estimated reserves) and 8% of the proven uranium reserves."
The reason Russia is 8th in oil reserves is because of how probable vs proven reserves are calculated and explored. I think Russia has more oil than all Arab countries together, it's a matter of time before the estimated/probable reserves will become proven. Oil exploration still continues, now under the Arctic shelf - the territory they compete for with US along with some other countries. Need I remind you that Russia has pretty much all of Europe (both Eastern and Western) in its grip as far as gas is concerned? They depend on Russian gas as junkie depends on the next fix. For them it's either use Russian gas or freeze, or build more nuclear power plants. Which they will chose?
Let's see Russia close its borders for western companies and kick out Shell, BP, Exxon, etc, etc, out. You would see how many people should lose jobs here in Houston.
Regardless, this is all off topic. But to finish my argument..
Space travel - Russians were the first to put a man (and a woman) in space , first space walk, and to launch artificial satellite. They still are the first in the number of people they launch into space, including those billionaire-tourists. All this effort is coordinated from Moscow.
Medicine - every 4th doctor on the face of this planet works in Russia. It by no means has less medical research establishments as Houston, that's for sure.
And now to the main point. Population of Russia is roughly 140 million people. At least 10% of them live in Moscow. That's 14 million people. The lowest number is close to 11 million. That's official data from 2000 census. Nobody knows how many migrants from former USSR stay in Moscow. The estimate by some independent bodies is that population of Moscow is close to 17-20 mil, Moscow suburbs not included. It's like nobody really knows how many illegals are here in Houston. Some say at least 500K. So, if for nothing else Moscow great just because it's great - meaning huge.
The GaWC takes into account mainly the presence of certain multinational companies in its ranking. While the difference between Houston and Moscow might be just one point in terms of presence of these companies in town, even by that parameter they are in different categories. Like I said earlier, I do not find this ranking consistent. GaCW also takes political, cultural, etc influence into consideration. That makes the fact that they put Moscow in "beta" category, below cities like NYC. Tokyo, London etc rather strange.
Nobody in their right mind would argue that events happening in Moscow have influence world wide. When was the last time something happened in Houston that shook the world?
I am arguing it - therefore it's arguable. You apparently not taking into consideration a simple fact that "Russia is the largest oil producer in the non-OPEC countries, and second biggest in the world after Saudi Arabia, which it overtakes as the world's number one from time to time." From Wiki "Russia has the largest known natural gas reserves of any state on earth, along with the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. This is 32% of the world proven natural gas reserves (23% of the probable reserves), 12% of the proven oil reserves (42% of the probable reserves), 10% of the explored coal reserves (14% of the estimated reserves) and 8% of the proven uranium reserves."
The reason Russia is 8th in oil reserves is because of how probable vs proven reserves are calculated and explored. I think Russia has more oil than all Arab countries together, it's a matter of time before the estimated/probable reserves will become proven. Oil exploration still continues, now under the Arctic shelf - the territory they compete for with US along with some other countries. Need I remind you that Russia has pretty much all of Europe (both Eastern and Western) in its grip as far as gas is concerned? They depend on Russian gas as junkie depends on the next fix. For them it's either use Russian gas or freeze, or build more nuclear power plants. Which they will chose?
Let's see Russia close its borders for western companies and kick out Shell, BP, Exxon, etc, etc, out. You would see how many people should lose jobs here in Houston.
Regardless, this is all off topic. But to finish my argument..
Space travel - Russians were the first to put a man (and a woman) in space , first space walk, and to launch artificial satellite. They still are the first in the number of people they launch into space, including those billionaire-tourists. All this effort is coordinated from Moscow.
Medicine - every 4th doctor on the face of this planet works in Russia. It by no means has less medical research establishments as Houston, that's for sure.
And now to the main point. Population of Russia is roughly 140 million people. At least 10% of them live in Moscow. That's 14 million people. The lowest number is close to 11 million. That's official data from 2000 census. Nobody knows how many migrants from former USSR stay in Moscow. The estimate by some independent bodies is that population of Moscow is close to 17-20 mil, Moscow suburbs not included. It's like nobody really knows how many illegals are here in Houston. Some say at least 500K. So, if for nothing else Moscow great just because it's great - meaning huge.
The GaWC takes into account mainly the presence of certain multinational companies in its ranking. While the difference between Houston and Moscow might be just one point in terms of presence of these companies in town, even by that parameter they are in different categories. Like I said earlier, I do not find this ranking consistent. GaCW also takes political, cultural, etc influence into consideration. That makes the fact that they put Moscow in "beta" category, below cities like NYC. Tokyo, London etc rather strange.
Yeah yeah yeah...
Moscow is a very important place, no doubt. But so is Houston. Point is, when you say Energy Capital of the World or Space City, 99% of the time, people are going to assume you're talking about Houston.
Quote:
Nobody in their right mind would argue that events happening in Moscow have influence world wide. When was the last time something happened in Houston that shook the world?
Oh, I don't know. Just this little thing called the first heart transplant ever. And the first word uttered from the moon. But whatever. Claiming that Houston does not have an extreme influence on this earth (and outer space, lol) is a mistake, and you can tell everyone else on this website the same thing.
Location: where nothin ever grows. no rain or rivers flow, TX
2,028 posts, read 8,125,370 times
Reputation: 451
Quote:
Originally Posted by nyevik
Of course, there is always more to the story than can be said in a forum reply. You are correct, the people I was talking about were given ample warning by JPMC. But they were presented with a choice - either move to Houston - or find yourself another job - within the company or elsewhere. Some people moved to Houston, may be you are one of them. You did not say why you ended up in Houston if you like NY so much. Most people did not - for whatever reasons. When I was hired a manager and an employee whose place I took tried to "teach me the ropes" while being in NYC. Both left the company because they did not want to move to Houston. Just an example.
Unfortunately, I am not that young. I had my fun years (so much fun it should be illegal). My best years were spent in cities that offer way more opportunities for social life than Houston. Now it's time to think about the damn money Since I plan on getting married soon and having kids - I seriously doubt I will ever have a chance to be buried in my life earnings. Anyhow, we are not in ancient Egypt. I will look into what you said about commuting and comparing cost of living in NJ.
The UNDEAD... people who retire or own places where noone wants to visit.
I got married finally last november and we moved to houston so my mom can help with the baby thing. also to give my wife an instant family. i also watched HGTV and got challenged. i guess those are just few of the reasons i'm here and not there. I'm sure you can relate.
I dont love houston, I dont love NYC - definitely not. but I'd rather be a destination/contact person living near NYC. It feels good to have long lost friends, family and whoever is drawn to you because youre an easy shot away from NYC.
There are other benefits to be living near NYC. In this internet age where relationships are built on e-mails and e-chats... anyway, i've provided a place to stay, *ahem*, to a few 'acquaintances'. some for an interview in NYC, some vacationing. i had one who was going to run some famous marathon. anyway, the point is you got some kind of gravity especially if you live in the city.
almost all foreigners start near and within NYC, and eventually they find their way to NJ. all my russian friends moved their families to NJ from Kew Garden Queens. but but dont just settle for middlesex, NJ or nassau NY. When I go back I'd be going for the best spot i can think of... Fort Lee, Edgewater, Pavonia Newport NJ, just across the river. as you know the best pic of manhattan skyline is taken from NJ. Easy access to nature tripping stuff out west and south NJ/PA, easy access to upstate NY, queens, westchester and LI. charter buses and non-stop metro buses to the main hub
Location: where nothin ever grows. no rain or rivers flow, TX
2,028 posts, read 8,125,370 times
Reputation: 451
Quote:
Originally Posted by nyevik
Of course, there is always more to the story than can be said in a forum reply. You are correct, the people I was talking about were given ample warning by JPMC. But they were presented with a choice - either move to Houston - or find yourself another job - within the company or elsewhere. Some people moved to Houston, may be you are one of them. .
also dont feel too bad for your counterparts in NYC. Its natural in this field to resign and comeback in 1 yr to a higher position - its a shortcut to promotions. CSFB, Deutche, BA, Meryll, B&S etc are more than willing to acquire knowledge from JPMC, and JPMC is willing to pay top dollar when you come back
Moscow is a very important place, no doubt. But so is Houston. Point is, when you say Energy Capital of the World or Space City, 99% of the time, people are going to assume you're talking about Houston.
Oh, I don't know. Just this little thing called the first heart transplant ever. And the first word uttered from the moon. But whatever. Claiming that Houston does not have an extreme influence on this earth (and outer space, lol) is a mistake, and you can tell everyone else on this website the same thing.
Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah...
Looks like we are in a violent agreement again.
Houston is important and Moscow is important. Duh!
Only my point was that Moscow is immensely more important than Houston in terms of worldwide influence. You were arguing that.
To tell you the truth I had no clue where first heart transplant was done.
You know why? Because this is not the kind of thing that matters to me, not at my age anyway. Hardly an event that influences billions.
In any case - you are wrong.
According to Wikipedia.org : The first heart transplant was performed by Professor Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in December 1967. The patient was a Louis Washkansky of Cape Town, South Africa, who lived for 18 days after the procedure before dying of pneumonia. The donor was Denise Darvall, who was rendered brain dead in a car accident.
So check you facts first.
"First words on the Moon". Some claim it never happened. Regardless, again, hardly an event that influences the whole planet.
About those 99% of the people... - you are making me laugh.
Even in US an average person might not know this. You don't believe me - watch this: "How stupid and average person is?" You will laugh too. You want some more funny stuff type "stupid americans". Hours of entertainment guaranteed.
“Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!” G. Carlin.
So if you ask somebody in Europe the same questions - I doubt an average person would even understand what you are talking about.
Only my point was that Moscow is immensely more important than Houston in terms of worldwide influence. You were arguing that.
Actually, Moscow only has one more point than Houston on the GaWC scale. So, more important? Yes. Immensely more important? Not really.
Quote:
In any case - you are wrong.
According to Wikipedia.org : [i]The first heart transplant was performed by Professor Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in December 1967. The patient was a Louis Washkansky of Cape Town, South Africa, who lived for 18 days after the procedure before dying of pneumonia. The donor was Denise Darvall, who was rendered brain dead in a car accident.
A mistake I can admit being wrong about like an adult. I was misinformed, but I should have checked my facts. Still, it isn't like you knew. I love the way you copied it word for word off of wikipedia.
But, yeah you're right. Houston is a mediocre city. No one knows a lick about it. I guess all of these 90+ nationalities here must have been aiming for Los Angeles and crash landed in Texas. And all of these F500 companies probably just needed another slab of cow land to stick their businesses in. Whatever.
Houston is not that big, but it is big time. You don't have to agree, it will just be another fact that you're in the dark on.
Getting back on topic, people are too one-way (as it seems most people are with just about everything in their lives whether it is food, politics, or in this case cities). Preferences and opinions aside, we (people in general worldwide) find it hard to put things into perspective that we individually do not agree with and/or understand which almost always leads to naiveté and arguing that goes nowhere with varying levels of extremity depending the case at hand. It is all about perspective in anything that is mediated.
I have lived in New York a total of 5 years in my life and currently choose living in Houston (both are reasons I am speaking here), but my home "city" is America itself. I was born circa 60 years ago in Guam (military family). Looking in the 2007 World Almanac I have personally lived in 26 of the 50 largest consolidated metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. and have recently been back to nearly all of them in the past 10 years due to business and to time on my hands. I have a large family and an extremely extensive friend network that, with all the cities I have lived in, encompass the top 53 CMSAs in the greatest country in the history of the world. I have lived in and visited most of the worlds global Alpha, Beta, and Gamma cities, with friends and family currently living in them as well. I am unfathomably blessed to be in the position that I am in, in my life. If only those on this forum and others could perceive what I have seen and experienced in it!
New York AND Houston/Houston AND New York are both truly remarkable places (when you truly understand the histories of many places on this planet).
When researching sources we are supposed to check our references for validity (to discern whether it is a primary are secondary source) and then check their references to make sure we know what we are talking about before we start spouting hoopla that turns emotions into defense/attack mechanisms. That is rarely done. Almost everything off of the Internet needs to be checked with dire scrutiny, especially on Wikipedia. Books are THE way to go, especially in cases such as this.
Beyond the fact that certain people will prefer one for the other and will pick out things they like/love/hate about both, the fact remains that they are both incredibly important, inextricably linked, and absolutely comparable. Taking the comparisons/similarities that have been aforementioned into account (some of which are strong, and some, weak) there are quite a few that are rarely known let alone mentioned. A couple of which really are huge and should shed light on why I choose Houston as my city to live.
The following examples are lifelong thoughts that I have conjured from texts and life experiences involving individuals in history, geography, and how they reflect on what is occurring today in what I do believe is THE MOST misunderstood, misinterpreted, and hated metropolis in the United States compared to the amount of dislike people have for other cities in the union.
New Yorkers should be proud of Houston, after all, it is the progeny of it. The Allen brothers (born and bred New Yorkers) came to Texas near the end of the Texas Revolution with the intent to found a prosperous city on or near the Gulf Coast. They wisely chose a landing upstream from where General Sam Houston fought and won Texas Independence on Buffalo Bayou with the future plan of dredging a channel for shipping lanes that would occur 75 years later with the steam of oil driving the way. (We all know that occurrences in history always lead to new occurrences down the road... S.H.'s victory straight-up led to the Mexican-American War which won America the rest of the current western U.S. with the Mexican Cession, minus the Oregon/Washington Territories and Gadsden Purchase.) This choice would be proven wisely in 1900 when Isaac’s Storm (the 1900 hurricane) destroyed Galveston which was on its way to becoming one of the largest metropolis’ in the U.S. (Estimates place it between 9 and 14 million people today had the worst disaster of any kind in the U.S. had not occurred – this and the desire to populate the rest of the state kept this from happening; this is why the other cities in Texas are as big in population as they are today.) At the time it was considered the ‘Ellis Island and Stock Market of the South’. So much for the Greater Galveston Metropolitan Area, the southeast region of Texas at this point belonged to Houston, thanks to thoughtful New York foresight.
Geography and the lingering notion of Manifest Destiny existing to this day are also prevalent and hardly ever noticed except by few individuals. Manifest Destiny was the driving force for the expansion and colonization of areas to the west of the original colonies starting in the Ohio River Valley. Many consider St. Louis and the Mississippi or Dallas and Fort Worth as where the East meets the West in North American. But people considered themselves to be in the west once they hit the plains and prairies of the Great Plains. It's never connected that when you cross the Mississippi the terrain is the same as before it was crossed, and that DFW is entirely in the plains. What settlers did notice though was that at one point heading west they were all of a sudden on the rolling, nearly treeless terrain of the Great Plains. They left a forest that extends from Nunavut all the way to... Houston, where the tree line ends on the convergence of the southern extension of the Great Plains and the sub-tropical/tropical Gulf Coast. The forest is all over the East Coast, South, and Eastern Midwest regions of the U.S. There is not another city in the U.S. that inhabits topography quite like this. The closest would be Minneapolis/St. Paul and Tulsa, but I do know that are not placed as such like Houston.
Another proponent is the individual for whom the city is named. Sam Houston was a Unionist that was like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson rolled into a single entity in that he was a victorious war hero and an extremely gifted orator (same field as writing only spoken) who owned slaves, like Jefferson.
Here are a select group of real quotes that I find truly intriguing and make my heart swell every time I read them (he said these during the most turbulent time in U.S. history in Texas which was a new Southern slave-holding state at the time:
"I declare that civil war is inevitable and is near at hand. When it comes, the descendants of the heroes of Lexington and Bunker Hill will be found equal in patriotism, courage and heroic endurance with the descendants of the heroes of Cowpens and York." "To secede from the Union and set up another government would cause war. If you go to war with the United States, you will never conquer her, as she has the money and the men. If she does not whip you by guns, powder, and steel, she will starve you..." "I beseech those whose piety will permit them reverently to petition, that they will pray for this Union, and ask that He who buildeth up and pulleth down nations will, the mercy preserve and unite us. For a Nation divided against itself cannot stand."
All of this is why New York and Houston should have no reason to get along. One is definitely not better than the other. Houston is still a child and IS GOING to be one of the metropolitan leaders of the world for centuries to come, just give it time and due credit. Its historical jumpstart began in 1901 with Spindletop (outside of Beaumont) followed by the fields of Humble and Goose Creek (nearly 50 years after the Gold Rush in California and 340 years after the incorporation of New York City). Perception and context is all that is needed to understand why I choose Houston as my city to live, "an American city, a place of dreams."
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I am arguing it - therefore it's arguable. 
You apparently not taking into consideration a simple fact that "Russia is the largest oil producer in the non-OPEC countries, and second biggest in the world after Saudi Arabia, which it overtakes as the world's number one from time to time." From Wiki "Russia has the largest known natural gas reserves of any state on earth, along with the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. This is 32% of the world proven natural gas reserves (23% of the probable reserves), 12% of the proven oil reserves (42% of the probable reserves), 10% of the explored coal reserves (14% of the estimated reserves) and 8% of the proven uranium reserves."
Since I plan on getting married soon and having kids - I seriously doubt I will ever have a chance to be buried in my life earnings. Anyhow, we are not in ancient Egypt. I will look into what you said about commuting and comparing cost of living in NJ.
