Comments on: Banning together in h-town http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2005/09/358 Every journey has a pitstop. Welcome to mine. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:12:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: enrico http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2005/09/358/comment-page-#comment-1286 enrico Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1286 <b>Texas friendly</b><br/>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. 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 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2005/09/358/comment-page-#comment-1288 Raul Benavides Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1288 <b>seen one, seen them all</b><br/>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..... 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…..

]]>