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I don't know if it's Stockholm syndrome or not, but every one of my friends that are from Houston prefers the way they do it compared to every other city (like
by TheBiv 10y ago
I don't know if it's Stockholm syndrome or not, but every one of my friends that are from Houston prefers the way they do it compared to every other city (like Dallas where I live).
- meddlepal 10y agoI mean it seems like Houston does get a lot right. The off-street parking and mega blocks though are really where it gets it wrong. That said, how much do people actually want to walk around in Texas? It's fucking hot down there most of the year say compared to Boston or NY which are only really unbearable for small portions of the year. I was in Austin a month ago and I was really unhappy walking half a mile in the heat compared to say Boston where I'll walk two or three miles to cross the city and not even think about it.
- larsiusprime 10y ago(Texan here) -- if we had some decent shade and short distances to walk, it'd be a lot better. You get used to the heat after a while; also if walking culture took off people would adapt to a more traditionally Mexican schedule of not being out right smack in the middle of the day.
- whamlastxmas 10y agoTexan here, myself and several people I know never got used to the heat. It will never be acceptable for me to want to walk to lunch, even 10 minutes away, when it means coming back drenched in sweat and smelling terrible.
- Frondo 10y agoIf you smell from the sweat of a lunchtime walk, I would suggest a different deodorant, seriously. I have sensitive skin and can't wear the kind of antiperspirant with aluminum in it. It took me until relatively late in life (early 30s now) to find the combination that works for me: crystal rock deodorant plus one of the "natural" spray kinds. As for the sweat, a good wicking t-shirt will let it evaporate quickly, or if you need to wear a button-up shirt, a good cotton undershirt will keep your outer shirt nice and dry (usually).
- briandear 10y agoAir conditioning solves the problem perfectly well. 10 minutes walk in 98 degrees with high humidity.. every part of your body is soaked in sweat.
- sotojuan 10y agoI'm from Houston and lived there until moving to NY for college... it's one thing to "get used" to the heat, it's another to be able to walk a decent distance every single day in it. Even here in NY some summer days were pretty terrible.
- lightcatcher 10y agoAlso from Houston. Even if you get to the point where the heat doesn't bother you, it doesn't stop the heat from making you sweat and smell. I didn't mind going for a walk (or run) on Houston summer afternoons, but there's no way I could walk >.5 miles or bike to work without a shower at the destination.
- SwellJoe 10y agoBikes are super great in Austin. And, you get used to the heat. I spent many years in Texas; Houston and Austin (about 20 years, in total, across both cities), I really don't mind the heat. I prefer it over cold, anyway. And, there's a certain style of living that is/was pervasive in Austin; do stuff early in the day or late in the day. Hang out inside during the heat of the day. Lots of bars and restaurants have outside patios, which are open nearly year round; many have misters to keep it cool. The only things most people do outside during the heat of the day are swimming or tubing or stuff in the shade (and there's loads of shade along the river and green belts).
- angersock 10y ago(current occupant of Houston here) The thing is that the heat isn't the whole thing, it's also the humidity. We had a few weeks last month or two that had a heat of 90F with heat index of 107F. Humidity is the big difference, and with Texas as large as it is you can't just assume that somebody from say DFW or El Paso or Brownsville or Austin will experience the same weather as somebody from Houston given the same wall temperature.
- skolos 10y agoThat's why Houston has tunnel system: https://www.downtownhouston.org/district/downtown-tunnels/ https://www.downtownhouston.org/district/downtown-tunnels/ Which makes downtown quite walkable any time of the year.
- sswaner 10y agoReally? I just moved away from Houston and in my 2+ years there I never found a single person who thought the land use regulations were effective. Many friends who were life-long Houstonians routinely referred to it as "the worst run city in America." I lived in north-east Houston just outside Beltway 8. Hundreds of new homes were being built along West Lake Houston Parkway, with no apparent plans for upgrading traffic. It was a real mess and will only get worse.
- ryanmarsh 10y agoI have no idea why this was downvoted. It's spot on.
- angersock 10y agoAt the risk of being a jerk, Houston proper is basically just inside 610 with maaaybe a dispensation for inside the Beltway. Outside that it's basically just suburbs and exurbs.
- chao- 10y ago>I lived in north-east Houston just outside Beltway 8. So you lived out near Humble? That's not living in Houston. That's like living in Newark and saying you live in New York City.
- sswaner 10y agoNo, I lived in Houston. It is like living in Queens and saying you live in New York.
- ryanmarsh 10y agoFind out how much they've lived elsewhere. I had Stockholm syndrome (Houston syndrome?) until I lived in a few other good cities. Houston's food tho...