― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 7 October 2004 00:31 (nineteen years ago) link
i have to say that whenever i am in big cities like chicago or new york, you know REAL cities and not just the intersection of several suburbs and sprawl, i find it very exciting but also vaquely clausterphobic and threatening. no space, no light, no sky or horizon! it would take me a long time to adjust to that. i like my buildings FAR apart thanks very much!
― ryan (ryan), Thursday, 7 October 2004 03:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― still bevens (bscrubbins), Thursday, 7 October 2004 05:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 7 October 2004 11:49 (nineteen years ago) link
Anthony was otm above. Where are these William Norman Floyd houses? Are they the ones in the Menil's neighborhood?
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 21 May 2005 16:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― anthony, Saturday, 21 May 2005 17:04 (eighteen years ago) link
Or drive up Hillcroft, if you're in the mood for something else. South of 59, it's Central American, all pupusas and gorditas. Drive north and you hit first Little Bombay, then Little Tehran, then Little Beirut, all of which are interspersed with random stuff like Mexican hip-hop clubs, Tejano gay bars, and a "Flying Pizza" joint straight outta the 1950s.
Or drive down Bissonnet west of the little enclave city of Bellaire. There you'll find African CD and Video shops run by Cote de Ivoirian women, the Moo Hive Honey Ice Cream Parlor, an outpost of Pollo Campero, and the Tat Dat Azz tattoo parlor. There's a little Havana down there, not to mention Colombians, Nigerians, Katrina Exiles, Salvadorans, Filipinos, Hondurans, Belizeans, etc.
No, the suburbs are not dull here. The far ring is; the inner ring, esp. on the SW side, is the immigrant city of the future.
― Fetchin Bones (Fetchin Bones), Saturday, 3 June 2006 21:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― me and deluca (account), Saturday, 3 June 2006 22:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 3 June 2006 23:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Saturday, 3 June 2006 23:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― me and deluca (account), Saturday, 3 June 2006 23:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 4 June 2006 00:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― me and deluca (account), Sunday, 4 June 2006 03:49 (seventeen years ago) link
I went to Smith & Wollensky recently and got their highly praised pork shank with applesauce and wanted to throw up afterwards. It was shit. The service was shit. Everything was shit. I would've faired better with IHOP.
If you're downtown then Zambuka (not sure if that's spelled correctly) is a lovely place. For sushi I love Koko's Yakatori on Richmond. Yum, yum. Houston's is always a good bet. It is comparable to Capital Grille but has a more local flavor.
― Rebekkah (burntbrat), Sunday, 4 June 2006 05:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― me and deluca (account), Sunday, 4 June 2006 05:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― me and deluca (account), Sunday, 4 June 2006 05:31 (seventeen years ago) link
Try Thelma's just east of downtown. You won't forget it.
― novamax (novamax), Sunday, 4 June 2006 12:50 (seventeen years ago) link
http://american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/lone-star-rising
(Joel Kotkin alert)
― gabbneb, Friday, 28 March 2008 05:08 (sixteen years ago) link
saw dude at the Lyle Lovett show tonight wearing Goode Co t-shirt
he probably says it to all the audiences, but Lyle remarked that in his experience, New Yorkers make great Texans
― gabbneb, Monday, 30 June 2008 03:35 (fifteen years ago) link
reading old city/tourism threads kinda fascinating.
― s1ocki, Monday, 30 June 2008 05:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Houston living
― Mackro Mackro, Thursday, 2 October 2008 23:56 (fifteen years ago) link
I hear there's a store in Houston that has a HUGE selection of Bollywood/Indian flix. Anyone know the name?
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 02:57 (fourteen years ago) link
i'm going in a couple of weeks, so bump more for convenience as it seems to be quite a thorough thread. no idea how much free time i'll have, the rothko chapel and menil collection are probably top of my list should i get enough time to myself, but is there anything which hasn't been covered here already?
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Sunday, 21 February 2010 18:53 (fourteen years ago) link
http://kr3wdenim.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/lowlife025B-2.jpg
― freebird manjunya (zvookster), Sunday, 21 February 2010 22:37 (fourteen years ago) link
it's possible I could wind up visiting Houston, Austin and Phoenix next year. More far-flung outposts, I would depend on the kindness of drivers.
― Miss Arlington twirls for the Coal Heavers (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 15 August 2013 17:35 (ten years ago) link
i have the day to myself in houston today. my plan is more or less the same as lex here - any more tips??
― out here like a flopson (tpp), Sunday, 7 December 2014 14:21 (nine years ago) link
is the contemporary arts museum worth visiting?
― out here like a flopson (tpp), Sunday, 7 December 2014 15:25 (nine years ago) link
The CAM is a large box with month-long exhibits. The Fine Arts Museum across the street is good, the De Menil collection a mile or so away is excellent, for permanent exhibits.
― TTAGGGTTAGGG (Sanpaku), Sunday, 7 December 2014 16:11 (nine years ago) link
thx. rothko chapel & de menil were both great. loved some of the stuff in the surrealist exhibition.
stopped somewhere for lunch on the way back. they seemed to be doing bottomless cocktails and everyone was getting wasted despite the fact there was absolutely no way to get to this place without driving. i don't get this place!
driving back out west to my hotel i saw this lakewood church. man what the hell is that??
― out here like a flopson (tpp), Monday, 8 December 2014 01:39 (nine years ago) link
It's the largest (in membership) single site church in America, with 43,500 attending attending weekly sermons of prosperity theology. The building is a former basketball arena once known as The Summit.
http://lightingdesignalliance.com/project_images/lakewoodchurch002.jpg
I commuted by it daily and found it deeply repulsive.
― TTAGGGTTAGGG (Sanpaku), Monday, 8 December 2014 01:55 (nine years ago) link
I figured it was a former hospital by the looks of it.
People drive everywhere in Houston all the time whether wasted or not. It is the driving-est city I have ever experienced (note: I have not experienced L.A.). Also the only city in Texass where I regularly stop for drive-thru margaritas. I heart Triple Shot Tuesdays!!!
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Monday, 8 December 2014 04:44 (nine years ago) link
(I figured Lakewood was a former hospital from the outside, that is)
I knew Houston was a little fucked up since it has NO ZONING LAWS, but I didn't realize how ridiculous it got in some places.
For example, see this nice little residential neighborhood with townhomes and sidewalks? Great place for a CREMATORIUM.
http://i.imgur.com/160lnGH.jpg
____________________________________________
At least when you have parties here, your guests won't have to park on the street.
http://i.imgur.com/jiXQRLq.jpg
Plenty of parking here, for at least the first 4/5's of your car.
http://i.imgur.com/3FTt9pv.png
Maybe you're looking for something within walking distance of all the shops....
http://i.imgur.com/Q7UpfUp.jpg
Imagine a backyard where every day there's a solar eclipse!
http://i.imgur.com/p4c89S7.jpg
You only thought Dillard's sold everything.
http://i.imgur.com/GjH7AEp.jpg
And I had to doublecheck, but no, this isn't a screengrab from that Woody Allen movie.
http://i.imgur.com/hbSDlfL.jpg
― pplains, Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:10 (six years ago) link
reasons why limited government is bad, part #27548
i can't stop laughing at ZONE D'EROTICA tho, the d' really classes it up
― frankfurters take on new glamour in this gleaming aspic (bizarro gazzara), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:18 (six years ago) link
I just realized the name of that place rubs the lack of urban planning in the city's face.
― pplains, Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:23 (six years ago) link
hahaha, Zone D'Erotica is even more hilarious when you know they plunked one right next to the Galleria, one of the most upscale retail areas in the city.
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:26 (six years ago) link
i've changed my mind, limited government is good again
― frankfurters take on new glamour in this gleaming aspic (bizarro gazzara), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:31 (six years ago) link
Tbf, I'm pretty sure that crematorium was there before those apartments.
Fun Fact: The Zone D'Erotica building started out as a Roy Rogers burger stand way back when. These days I think it's a Houston 420 shop, although I haven't looked in that direction the last several times I was in the neighborhood.
― to fly across the city and find Aerosmith's car (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:48 (six years ago) link
Didn't Zone D'Erotica come after the Houston 420 at the Galleria location? I admit I... zone it out and don't really notice anymore. It's just that hilarious prurient retailer next to 610 at the Galleria. It's like all the Planet Ks in Austin, you don't notice them until you need to get your bong fixed.
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 14:59 (six years ago) link
As of February 2017, still Zone D'Erotica, per Streetview. It was there dating back to the mid-90s (at least), if memory serves.
― Obliterati (Sanpaku), Wednesday, 30 August 2017 15:12 (six years ago) link
Going to Houston for a quick weekend at beginning of June for baseball. Also Looking for Vietnamese, African, Creole/Cajun, and barbecue food ideas.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 7 May 2018 04:41 (six years ago) link
rent a car so you can drive to all the good restaurants, which mostly live in strip malls in the vast suburbs ringing the city.
― com rad erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 7 May 2018 14:05 (six years ago) link
yeah a vehicle is a must-have in Houston
preferably an F150 pickup
― mom tossed in kimchee (quincie), Monday, 7 May 2018 15:19 (six years ago) link
So we had a great time in Houston and ate Indian, Ghanaian, African-American Barbecue, Mexican and went to an Astros game, a tour of their stadium, a zydeco & more accordions concert, museums, art car museum and stuff. At a free outdoor funky folk art park we started talking to someone else who was there checking it out. He was a writer for GQ and his article proclaiming Houston the capital of southern cool is now out:
https://www.gq.com/story/houston-restaurants-capital-of-southern-cool
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 29 August 2018 12:23 (five years ago) link
What were some of the restaurants you liked? I need to get to know Houston better.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 29 August 2018 12:25 (five years ago) link
As others spelled out above, Houston is sprawling and restaurants are spread out in strip malls and neighborhoods all over. We liked the below (Anthony Bourdain featured Himalaya and Burns Original BBQ on his Houston episode)
Afrikiko restaurant- Ghanaian place
Gorditas Aquascalientes -Mexican
La Guadalupana Cafe and Bakery- Mexican
Himalaya Restaurant- Indian and Pakistani
Burns Original Barbeque - African-American
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 30 August 2018 01:25 (five years ago) link
I was a fan of Himalaya when I lived in SW Houston. At the time, the general recommendation was to let the 60-something proprietor pick out what he wanted you to eat. The pilaf dishes were huge.
At the time, I would have also called out Caracal (Mexican seafood), Mai's (midtown Vietnamese), Blue Nile (best Ethiopian I've had in 4 cities, not incl. DC), Star Pizza (Chicago style pizza).
Should I ever mend bridges with my mother, I'll drag her to Afrikiko, that sounds fun.
― nonderepressible (Sanpaku), Thursday, 30 August 2018 01:41 (five years ago) link
When I was in Houston a little while back, I ran into writer Joe Nick Patoski at a zydeco and Cajun show at a park. He told me he was going to southern soul bar the Silver Slipper. He didn't mention they had live music, just the jukebox. I didn't go. I should have.
http://www.texashighways.com/culture-lifestyle/item/9051-experience-one-of-the-best-live-music-scenes-in-texas-at-houston-s-silver-slipper
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 23 September 2018 20:12 (five years ago) link
Pour One Out....
https://abc13.com/society/zone-derotica-in-galleria-area-to-be-replaced-with-velvet-taco/5329982/
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 8 June 2019 20:04 (four years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/sYAi983.jpg
― pplains, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 15:49 (four years ago) link