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Roger living in Houston has mellowed you out .. awesome post ... I was out there a few weeks ago .. in Westchase at the Marriott just off Westheimer ... great and very underrated city Houston ... has its problems like all cities but very underrated in my opinion .. funny thing when you tell Houstonians you are from South Florida .. they think you are crazy for being in Houston as if life in South Florida and Miami in particular was spent at the beach all day sipping margaritas and checking out eye candy !!
Rock Newman, I agree! Believe it or not Houston was among the top, and still in the top 3 of my list as far as areas to relocate to. However, the large metro area and heavy traffic is almost like being in Miami. Whether it is Houston, Raleigh, or any other city, people think of Miami like paradise and wonder why someone would rather live to another city if they already live in Miami. They think it is all beach and fun. Many of those people have never been to Miami.
Rock Newman, I agree! Believe it or not Houston was among the top, and still in the top 3 of my list as far as areas to relocate to. However, the large metro area and heavy traffic is almost like being in Miami. Whether it is Houston, Raleigh, or any other city, people think of Miami like paradise and wonder why someone would rather live to another city if they already live in Miami. They think it is all beach and fun. Many of those people have never been to Miami.
The heat and humidity are like Miami ... beaches and eye candy are not ... that said it is a great restaurant city , good night life , great museums and festivals ... awesome theatre district ( 2nd largest after Broadway ) ... even with the ugly eye sores on the highways due to no zoning .. it has its beautiful areas and jobs and the economy are way superior to Miami ... traffic sucks in Houston , but people are generally nice and helpful ... was moving to the Woodlands with my family a Weston like community about 50 minutes north of downtown Houston a few years back but that fell through ... many Houstonians do not know what they have and they think Miami is all about the beach , bodes and glamor .
Ahh the Woodlands. Yes, been there, driven through there, checked that area out too. The Woodlands is really nice.
-People in general are definitely nicer in Houston.
-I believe Houston has the most, or one of the most restaurants per capita of any US city.
-Many parts of Houston are indeed ugly. In Houston proper, many areas inside the beltway south of the city has many streets in bad shape.
-The suburbs and the houses are REALLY NICE! However, too far of a drive if working in or near downtown Houston.
-Great prices on the houses. Extremely high property taxes. Probably why the value of houses do not appreciate much.
-Within the City of Houston, the area around Rice University is really nice. I believe it's called Montrose? Anyway, some parts are hit or miss.
I definitely like the fact that there a BUNCH of restaurants, sports bars, and even though I am not that familiar with them, a good nightlife from what I've heard. People are also much nicer and simpler; not as image oriented and materialistic like Miami.
Roger living in Houston has mellowed you out .. awesome post ... I was out there a few weeks ago .. in Westchase at the Marriott just off Westheimer ... great and very underrated city Houston ... has its problems like all cities but very underrated in my opinion .. funny thing when you tell Houstonians you are from South Florida .. they think you are crazy for being in Houston as if life in South Florida and Miami in particular was spent at the beach all day sipping margaritas and checking out eye candy !!
I know, right? They get this starry-eyed look and almost always ask, "Why did you move HERE?". When I say "job" they always say "oh" with a tone that sounds like they are so sorry for me. Like being employeed in Houston is worse than being unemployed in Miami. lol.
Yeah, I really have mellowed being here. Part of it is that I have recognized that part of my problem with Miami was me. I had the same expectation of Miami 200X as I did of the Miami I grew up with (198X-199X). Miami had changed and I was in denial. Its a different Miami today and that works for some people, but just not for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by observer
Rock Newman, I agree! Believe it or not Houston was among the top, and still in the top 3 of my list as far as areas to relocate to. However, the large metro area and heavy traffic is almost like being in Miami. Whether it is Houston, Raleigh, or any other city, people think of Miami like paradise and wonder why someone would rather live to another city if they already live in Miami. They think it is all beach and fun. Many of those people have never been to Miami.
I'd say the highways are about 80% as bad in terms of the mph speed in rush hour. The street level roads are much better though because the traffic flows. They have everything timed down to the second, except when a train goes through and there are a lot of trains here. One thing you have to be careful for though is not to run a red light or you WILL get hit. That's because when your light turns red the light on the cross street one intercetion down already turned green a few seconds ago and the cars are coming and they don't slow down as they approach their red light (at your intersection) because they know it will turn green right as they get to it. Did I explain that correctly? I almost found this out the hardway as I was going to make a right at a light that had just turned red, only to find several cars coming at 40 mph through the intersection from the left.
I have to admit, I'd enjoyed reading JM's trials and tribulations with the City of Miami. He's very articulate, writes very well, and is an asset to this forum. But, I do have to say that most of his problems with Miami could of been very easily prevented.
The mail down here is very, very poor. I've had numerous Netflix movies get lost in the mail over the psat couple of years. Therefore, I pay every one of bills (including rent) online. FPL has a very user friendly online bill pay.
You should never buy a used car from a private seller, that's a recipe for disaster. You are much better off going to CarMax and getting a good deal on a quality used car, not some crappy BMW.
I'll preface this last one by saying that I'm not a dog person. Having a dog will seriously limit your apartment search, this is true in every city. I would of ditched all the doggies and rented a 2 bedroom in a decent building in Brickell.
I'm sure if you analyze most of your gripes, you will find that most are fairly preventable.
I have to admit, I'd enjoyed reading JM's trials and tribulations with the City of Miami. He's very articulate, writes very well, and is an asset to this forum .
I totally agree, he is so misunderstood, it's ridiculous. Maybe he needs to open his posts with this soundtrack, I think more people will enjoy reading his 15-40 paragraph posts while they listen to this music compilation
I ride my scootter over the sidewalks and many times in the wrong direction, it's the only way to travel in any congested Historical Center. Sometimes I have to cut through groups of tourists and dumb pedestrians. Here the sidewalks are packed with scooters, bykes and skaters avoiding stopped cars and trucks in the streets. Trucks and vans that carry groceries and supplies collapse entire towns and cities during mornings, so you have to board the sidewalk and scare pedestrian so you can pass through.
When driving, many times you have to park illegally risking fines, or you have to use absurd explanations and excuses. I live in a town and I know all the "Municipal Police" ("Blues Brothers") so they look the other way, sometimes they hire a new one that disrupts the traffic and imposes fines to everybody for a short time, until local politicians "clip his ears".
Those roundabouts are dangerous, now they are everywhere but before they were only in France. I had an accident in a roundabout at the entry of Perpignan. France is perhaps the most dangerous place to drive after Italy. In Spain, the worse place is Madrid.
French drive real crazy, they are unpredictable.
Oh so you're in France? Haha! Yeah, you people are nuts. I may have filmed my own version of the Arc de Triomphe rotary madness but I figured I probably wasn't the only one who noticed!
Yeah you actually reminded me - they do ride motorcycles on the sidewalk in Miami too (yes I did every now and then just for the F of it) - just not as much as they do in Paris. In Miami you see that maybe once every month or so. In Paris of course it's every block. Yeah and I noticed the parking thing too. Oh, and actually I have have seen them drive cars on the SoBe sidewalks on an occasion as well.
I hated the density of Miami traffic but I never thought the drivers were super bad like the OP does. I've heard Dallas drivers are just as bad, espicially if your big issue is with people not letting you in.
No that's not the case with Dallas drivers. Dallas drivers are fairly friendly and largely congenial. Most people in Dallas drive with common sense, but a small percentage create a definite danger - most to themselves, often to others. I have seen more accidents - and serious ones - in any given year in Dallas than 15 years in Boston. And Boston drivers are far more aggressive than DFW or MIA. And the Boston grid is well, stupifying.
But no in Dallas you have 80% sensible people, 10% assertive bully trucks (who are however quite competent), 5% incredibly stupid people who crash into medians and fall asleep at the wheel, and 5% utter lunatic bozos playing half-back on the highway.
The danger in Dallas is the likelihood that one of the stupid or crazy will wreck while you are too close. Most people do the right thing driving in Dallas. I actually am even quite sure some people purposely dynamically maneuver their cars to prevent the jackazzez from doing zig-zags. I know I do.
I think the default behavior in Dallas is "I won't be a jerk to you if you don't be a jerk to me." (Unless you're driving a beamer) Miami could use a dose of that.
I lived in Houston for a year and Dallas for about 4 months.
Houston was way, way hotter and muggier than Miami and it was a little dirty compared to other places I've lived and if you have to use Metro...be prepared for a long bus ride even if you only have to go 5 miles. Seems the buses go in to downtown and then back out again. Kind of a pain.
However, Houston was friendly. Very, very friendly. Unbelievably friendly. One time, I was walking home from the store, about 10 blocks from where I lived. There was a bus stop about 400 meters ahead of me as I walked. A Metro bus driver saw me walking, stopped at the bus stop and waited for me, "just in case" I needed a ride.
I didn't need the ride but I was touched by how kind he was to do that. In Seattle and in Miami, the bus drivers seem to enjoy watching you run for the bus or just simply pass on by you if you don't put your hand up that you want the bus.
Anyway, if you have a car, (which I didn't when I lived in Houston but do now), Houston can be a very cool place to live and I didn't notice traffic being too bad when I did get to borrow my brother's car. Then again, I didn't get to drive all that much so maybe I was just thrilled to be in a car and not waiting for a bus.
As for OP, the statistics you are providing don't tell the entire story. Yes, there are horrible drivers here and yes, many of them do. not. care. about anyone else on the road, cars, bikes or people and yes, when they do hit someone, some people take off because they are cowards, (or are not here legally), but how many of those who were hit were jaywalking? Or not following the rules of the road for pedestrians and cyclists? You can't blame every last thing on motorists. I've seen people waltz right on out in front of cars here, DARING you to hit them because they "have the right of way". You may, but when you dart out in front of my car at an intersection, you do not have the "walk" light and I'm going 35-40mph, that "right of way" isn't going to help you at all.
It's not taking in to account jaywalkers, people who were riding skateboards in the road, weaving in and out of traffic on their bikes, etc. I've said many times here, these people walk like they drive, poorly, and you can't blame it all on the drivers. At some point, people have to take responsibility for their own actions and if you step off the curb without a walk light and get hit...well, it sucks for you and I hope you're ok but what the hell do you expect?
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