Haters Gonna Hate

I know all about being a hater.

I grew up in a small town in western PA. My friends and I were always hating it for being too darn small, suffocating in the way that you couldn't do anything without everyone knowing your business. I visited New York City for the first time in high school and longed to live right in the middle of Times Square, mostly because it was the total opposite of Charleroi.

Living in Pittsburgh for five years, I was surrounded by haters. The snow was too dirty, the taxes too high, the politicians too incompetent, the public transportation too unreliable, the jobs to few and far in between.  My last year there, I felt the rivers closing in on me- I HAD to get out.

Then I moved to Houston. I worked summer school with a bunch of people that were only in Houston for the summer, and they put all the other haters I knew to shame. They had a list of complaints,  and loved to run through them everyday on our commute. I knew I was going to remain in Houston long after they left, and I was already starting to wish I was leaving with them.

I've lived in Houston for seven years for now, and for about seven years have experienced bouts of strong and mild planning to leave. I've interviewed for jobs in other cities, researched costs of living, looked at real estate, grad programs, etc. Every time I would travel for work, I would fantasize about living in that other city. Life would be so much more awesome if I worked at a vineyard in Napa, a non-profit in LA, a school in Brooklyn, a government job in Pittsburgh, a policy job in DC, etc etc etc.

Then, a few months ago, it dawned on me: I was a hater. I've essentially hated everywhere I've lived. It was time for a change, and not in a city, but in me.

I've already changed my feelings on Charleroi; it's amazingly beautiful, unique, and has the best pizza places in the world. I had some amazing friends and adults in my life that had a huge influence on who I have become, and am grateful for having them in my life.

I think part of me will always be a bit desperately homesick for Pittsburgh. Every time I go back I must eat my delicious Italian food in Bloomfield or take in the scenic views on Mt. Washington, or even have a beer at Gene's. I see some of the amazing things that are happening there, like my friend Brett's OnlyinPgh project, and it makes me really want to jump back home and be a part of it all. But, as I learned awhile ago, Pittsburgh is not a center for education reform, and has very little opportunities for me there now.

That brings me to Houston. Now, I believe to truly love something, you must embrace the hate. Pick whatever you most hate about someone/something, and find the positive, make it work. Now, let's address the three most common complaints about Houston:

1) The weather

It gets stupid hot and humid in the summer. The positives of this:
     a) It's not like snow and ice. Driving in the heat is not dangerous.
     b) You can still go outdoors, especially in swimming pool, to the beach, or out at night.
     c) Your skin is never, ever dry.

Yes, I know it's not perfect California weather, but I'm not ever going to be able to afford to live in CA on an educator's salary, so here I am. Also, no one was complaining about the weather today in Houston. It's February 22nd, sunny and 72. Its like this for a lot of Jan, Feb, and March. And through most of the fall. So shut up.

2) The traffic

It sucks. BUT there are a lot of great initiatives like the expansion of the rail line that will help make the city have more alternate transportation systems. So, instead of just sitting around and complaining about not having reliable transportation, Houston is doing something about it!

3) The sprawl


In certain areas, Houston can look like one giant shopping center that just never ends. And even though there is a ton of sprawl, the closer you live to downtown the less likely you are to see it. There are beautiful historic neighborhoods, homes, skyscrapers, etc. Besides, the sprawl isn't all bad; although it's not the prettiest to look at, it's a sign that the city is growing, and fast. It's better than closed down storefronts.

Haters gonna hate, Houston, but I am no longer a hater. You have achieved the goal many have in relationships; you've changed me for the better.

Houston: The Best Angle of the Triangle

When I first moved to Texas, I quickly discovered that Austin, San Antonio, and Houston form a triangle-ish shape. It takes anywhere from one hour from three hours to get from one city to the next, making for fun weekend excursions.

Pretty soon, I knew the reputation of each city: Austin is where you go to play on 6th street and eat creative, inventive, and award-winning food that's fairly accessible in price.  San Antonio is where you go to eat Tex-Mex, soak in some great history, and just be a tourist. Houston is the city where you have to go to work, and perhaps a stop on the drive to the beach at Galveston. 

Now, initially, I was enthralled by Austin and San Antonio. As a vegetarian, Austin seemed to have unlimited options that were not just some veggies or pasta thrown together, but actual thought-out dishes. I could even order something Vegan if I wanted to go really go all out, even at the same place as Andrew could order a steak. The hippie in me lived the laid back vibe of Austin, and for being a fairly "urban" city, the outdoors are extremely accessible and gorgeous to boot. 

San Antonio is also captivating. The architecture, the history, and the beauty of the buildings and homes, and the Riverwalk are easy to swoon over. People are friendly, and the downtown part of the city is very walkable and accessible. The Tex-Mex is absolutely fantastic, the pace is nice and slow, and you can drink and listen to Jazz on the Riverwalk. 

Then you come to Houston. Houston is giant in comparison to the other two, and surrounded by what locals call the "Spaghetti bowl" of highways. 

Now, I'm not going to lie. I cried the first time I had to drive on the spaghetti noodles. I was 22 and in the Hobby airport parking lot. I called my mom, who very calmly told me to just take it one step at a time, just put the car in reverse and drive out of the parking lot. 

After spending seven years in Houston and making semi-plans to move to Austin or San Antonio or random other city, I've realized that Houston is the best in the triangle for many + reasons. 

+ The diversity. Sorry other cities, but you just can't compete. I've already talked about this in earlier posts, but it really is a great factor for Houston. I love interacting with people from all over the world and from all different ethnic backgrounds on a daily basis. San Antonio has a rich Hispanic tradition, and Austin does attract people from all over the world with the University of Texas. However, our sprawling Chinatown, the El Salvadorian, Jamaican, Mexican restaurants all in one block in the Southwest, the restored Bungalows of the Heights, Frenchy's Chicken by the University of Houston, Pappadeaux's, and even the random Polish restaurant on I-10 make Houston the most diverse and international city of the three. 

+ Food. Yes, I know Austin is "foodie" central, but there are great restaurants, farmer's markets, bars, celebrity chefs, etc here in Houston. My favorite places sell $2.50 Vietnamese tofu sandwiches and $1 breakfast tacos.  I like cheap, good food, and Houston has a ton of it! If you want the fancy chef of the month featured in the New York Times, you can get that. If you want the I've-worked-from-7-7-and-I just-want-to-eat-an-amazing-burrito-and-pass-out dinner, we've got that too. 

+ The Pace. We have more jobs, and we are very serious about careers. In Austin and in San Antonio, the vibe seems just so laid back. I like a faster pace. I've grown to enjoy the busy highways, the hustle and bustle of a major city. It's like the streets of NYC, but in cars and on highways. There are efforts to create more public transit, and this would be a huge bonus (and this is something that all three cities need much more of!)  

+ Professional Sports. We have professional basketball, baseball, soccer, and football. Even though I am a diehard black and gold Pittsburgh fan, I enjoy attending professional sporting events, and can root for the Houston Dynamo MLS team guilt-free. Andrew is a forever loyal Cubs fan (I know, pity him) and just in general loves baseball, so he routinely walks to cheap Astros games from our condo. We can even watch minor league hockey, and although it's not watching the Pens and Sidney Crosby, I can actually get tickets and afford to go to the Houston Aeros games. 

+ We are bigger, and you know in Texas, that means everything. 

I will concede many victories to the other cities. San Antonio, you are the prettiest and most attractive, the beauty queen. Austin, you are the coolest, the guy in class who listens to music you wish you'd heard of. But Houston, it's clear we are two of a kind; awkward, slightly overwhelmed with life, but doing pretty well and and trying to form a unique identity.

I will stay loyal to you Houston, as long as you let me see San Antonio and Austin on the occasional weekends. 

The Allure of the East End

Readers, beware. This will be the first of many posts that describe with my flirtings in the East End of Houston.

Now technically, I now live in Eado, i.e. East Downtown. So this is one of those awesome things about living as an educator in your 20's in Houston; you can actually live and own a downtownish condo, where in many cities CEOs and lawyers and stockbrokers fight to rent 500 sqft apartments.

Since we moved to EaDo nearly five years ago, this area has boomed. It used to be just us, some sketchy warehouses, and the punks from the Insane Clown Posse show at Warehouse Live. Now we are surrounded by restaurants, a sports pub, a wine bar, and within a 10 minute walking distance to the already almost famous Discovery Green park and the new Phoenicia. I can actually ride my bike to Phoenicia and get groceries, which makes me nearly fall over with delight every time I make the trip. For those of you more veteran and hardcore Houstonians, you know what a big deal this is, in a city where it generally takes 15 minutes to get anywhere by car.

But alas, our lovely condo was a great place for our early 20s, but now as we are moving into the next decade of life, we're not as concerned with bars or rooftop parties. We are now looking to move into a house that will eventually be filled with some children. Preferably a historic house in a great neighborhood. And of course, inside the loop. What has made me fall for Houston is the affordable and lively city life, so there is no way I am giving that up. So I have set my sights on the East End.

The East End is the next hot area of inner loop real estate, and tons of development projects are already underway, including....wait for it...wait for it....public transit! You will actually be able to take the light rail from the East End to either downtown or the University of Houston area. If we lived in the East End, my husband would never have to drive, and I would hate him for all 30 minutes I'm usually stuck in traffic on the way home.

One of the strongest things about the East End and probably the biggest perk is the sense of community. I learned that tonight when I attended the first steering committee meeting for the East End Food Co-op. About 20 people gathered to discuss the mission and vision for a new food cooperative, and everyone from laywers to PTO members to politicians to retirees contributed to the initial conversations about what the neighborhood needs. I left the meeting with new friends and invitations to local community events, and was surprised at how just darn happy I was to be getting in on the ground stage of such an awesome movement. In Pittsburgh, I was always involved in local politics and activist movements. I had been disconnected from that in Houston, which allowed me to continue to keep up barriers and avoid getting too attached, or even worse, invested in the city. The more connected I am here, the harder it will be to leave.

So sorry Houston, it really was about me and my issues, and I did shut you out. I'll try harder to open up to you. I promise.