Banning together in h-town
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Loading ...As I hunker down in houston for the storm, I am actually in a small way actually having a decent time. This is this nicest I have EVER seen houstonians act toward each other. I chatted with a complete stranger for easily 20 minutes in one of the few restaurants open over a very good dinner. We talked to the person standing in line standing behind us for the past 20 minutes at Tom thumb. We met and talked to at least 3 of our neighbors in our complex, and sat in the pool with one of them for about an hour.There is an incredible sense of community and togetherness formed between all of us staying through the storm. Some because they too turned around after spending hours on the highway. Others because they identified with me because they too were in a profession that required them to stay through a disaster at times. (such as one IT manager from MD anderson, she was on call the entire weekend).This is easily the first time I felt a sense of belonging in this city, and the most sense of community since I lived in austin during the early ’90s (before it became tres’ chic) . Not that h-town is UNfriendly, but natives seem to feel that they are much open and lovey lovey than all the other big cities in TX. I hate to say it, but normally I have not found this city to be any more welcoming or friendly than the next big burg, despite the PR blitz they give about this being a ‘friendly’ big city, especially in comparison to their big city Texas neighbors (Austin, San Antonio, and especially Dallas). Not that Dallas was welcoming at all when I lived there for 4 years , but there is certainly no appreciably big change in ‘neighborliness’ on a day to day basis from there to here. If dallas is a 7/10 on the ‘don’t bother me I’m busy” scale, and austin was a 4.5/10, then houston has been a 6/10 normally.But now, I definately feel a sense of community, and feel of “hey you, how’s it going?” from an entire neighborhood.Here’s to hoping it lasts.
Philosophical Musings | Raul | 
September 23, 2005 12:45 am
By enrico, September 26, 2005 @ 12:35 am
Texas friendly
It’s not that Houstonians aren’t friendly, they usually just don’t pay attention at all. Anonymity is the norm. Most of the time you have to get someone’s attention, otherwise, they’d just go right past you. Once acquainted, I think Houstonians are quite friendly on the whole, but the onus is on you to start the conversation.
Unlike Dallas or Austin, people in Houston are far less snobbish (this of course, takes into account I never ran with the River Oaks or Tanglewood crowds). There was always this superficial veneer that I couldn’t stand when I was in Austin (granted it was in the shi-shi tech-90s), which was a stark contrast to the hoodlum/Jester-rat lifestyle of my UT college friends that I associated with Austin in the early 90s. Dallas folk (particularly the northern ‘burbs) were, on the whole, way too stuck-up and elitist. I had the feeling that if you didn’t look, act, or seem like “their type” you wouldn’t get the time of day. Dallas has a lot more disposable money than Houston (per capita), and their attitude reflects it. One plus about Dallas: cleaner and craploads more electronics stores.
Although it’s too small for me, San Antonio is probably the most friendly and laid-back of all the “major” cities in Texas. It’s got a little of everything, but only a little. Houston has entire areas of town in different languages…there’s just no comparison.
By Raul Benavides, September 28, 2005 @ 11:52 am
seen one, seen them all
I agree that SA, is definately the friendliest top 10 city under normal circumstances.
The big thing was that during Rita, people were OVERTLY friendly, paying attention and starting conversation where, admittedly, even I in the same circumstances had gotten used to ignoring the guy next to me, even if we were standing in line next to each other for 40 minutes.
It just blows my mind that in big cities (austin likes to THINK its one of the power players in TX, but come on, it’s SA, dallas, H-town in texas) “leave me alone i’m too busy” is so pervasive that it becomes part of the norm, and I was blown away when it takes a 180 and you have small town mentality in a metroplex the size of houston. These are the SAME people, same neighborhood, same grocery store, streets, etc. But all of a sudden they were, poof, overtly friendly. Why can’t we all be that way all the time?
make no mistake, I have seen some friendlier disposition in houston vs dallas so far, (that I mainly attributed to moving from close to Uptown and Highland park( affluent neighborhood) in D to a middle class sector in H -town) but Rita proved my eariler thoughts that ALL big, crowded, affluent, competitve, economically attractive cities in TX have the same inherient ‘personality’, and the differencies seem to me are measured quantitatively in degrees rather than qualtitatively.
Either way, I love Houston. and Dallas. to me they’re like brothers, similar, but always different enough that some will like one more than the other. New cities are great, and houston has plenty to do to keep me going for the next 4 years.
To be honest after 4 years in each, despite the humidity I might wind up liking h-town better because I am closer to museums, outdoor/indoor theatres, and happening areas like rice village (5-10 minutes) here than I was to the museums (ft worth), park (ft worth again), shopping (dallas) and happening/student areas (THAT was actually close to me in SMU/Knox henderson/greenvile) than in dallas. I’m all about convenience But, I think that ‘big city’ thirst is starting to become quenched…..