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.
I will stay loyal to you Houston, as long as you let me see San Antonio and Austin on the occasional weekends.
Jen, I still have dreams on a regular basis where I am driving on the spaghetti bowl and I have to make one of those dead-mans-curves turns with 100 other cars who are also all doing 80MPH. Terrifying.
ReplyDeleteLol, I know Joanna. We are trying to do more to cut down on the driving. The light rail is going to be huge. Once it's done, Andrew will be able to take it to work, completely avoiding driving altogether. I also ride my bike to a lot more places, and the city is getting much more bike friendly.
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