Hidden Houston

Discover the Hidden Houston Beyond the Stetson and the Derrick

Houston means....

Howdy

Houston is Cowboy Country. This is evident even in Katy, a mere 25 minutes from the chic Galleria area. You'll find long horns, pickups, bad driving, ten gallon hats, "No Guns in Restaurant" signs, rodeo, line dancing, macho culture and sappy country and western songs which, incidentally are taken very, very seriously!
While Houston and Texas is about upscale shopping, medical excellence, high rises, oil and urban sophistication, the most authentic image is of home spun informality, wide open spaces, pickups and dusty roads, and empty country towns...
Old fashioned southern manners - Miss Sarah, Mr. John, Ma'am and Sir. There is almost an innocent, child-like enthusiasm for your accent. Texans are generally friendly, but don't argue with them. They don't like it!
Texans are usually taller and stronger (with big guns)! See ‘Arguing With' above!
Be prepared for brownies on the doorstep but no more. Houstonians eat out, not in!
The Texans are direct and plain speaking - there are not many fillers in the language, which to foreign ears can appear abrupt at times. However, Texans are generally very polite ("Excuse me") except on the roads!

Historic

You have to know Texan history to understand Texas and the Texans today. History has had a profound and enduring affect upon mindset of the people. Houston is named after Samuel Houston, who fought Santa Ana (Mexican Dictator) and won the freedom of the Republic of Texas in 1836.

Texas is therefore based on:

Sacrifice (Remember the Alamo). Please note that this is a shrine in San Antonio so keep children in check when visiting.
Huge sense of pride, hard won freedom and independence. The Texan flag is the only state flag allowed to fly at same height as the Stars and Stripes. The union joined Texas, not the other way around!
Cities were carved out from the swamps. Huge cities like Houston mushroomed in just half a century.
Gritty Pioneer Spirit. Visit Fredricksburg which was founded by German immigrants who first settled in 1846, before air conditioning, antibiotics, roads, and before the Native Americans were defeated and moved onto reservations.
There is a great sense that anything is possible, a "Go for It" spirit and a "Can Do" mentality amongst Texans.

A Brief Timeline
16th to mid 19th Century: Texas was under Mexican control and the area was largely uninhabited except for Spanish explorations and missions and Native American tribes. This explains the large Hispanic population found in Houston today (20% of the population). They owned it all once!
Mid - end of 19th Century: This began the huge influx of immigrants from Europe. It became the era of great cattle drives and cowboys as the European settlers moved west. The siege of the Alamo, 13 Days of Glory, took place in 1836 closely followed by the battle of San Jacinto won by General Samuel Houston. Texas became an independent country and was then annexed to the United States in 1845.
20th Century: 1900 - A hurricane hits Houston killing 6000.
1901 - Oil is first discovered in Texas.
1962 - NASA sets up Mission Control in Houston and the Space Race begins.
1963 - President John F Kennedy assassinated in Dallas.
1989 - George H Bush becomes President of the USA, followed by his son George W in 2001.

Understanding some Texas history helps to understand Texas which is a very conservative political landscape.

Huge Potential and Wide Horizons

The notion that everything is bigger in Texas is certainly true! Texas is over 1000 miles across and even wider measured north to south. It's huge! To really experience its potential try to get out of Houston once in a while. Find the big sky and the wide horizons. Visit the Hill Country and experience first hand honest, kind, proud (but politically extreme people!), cowboys, a gentler pace to life and some home spun, good old fashioned values. Get out and explore Big Bend National Park, the Guadalupe Mountains, Los Maples National Park and Padre Island seashore. Rent rustic cabins in the wilderness, holiday at a Dude ranch, go camping - however, be sure to watch out for things that can bite or kill you! (Note that virtually everything wants to bite or kill you: brown recluse spiders, various lethal snakes and mean red ants for a start!) But, don't forget, "Everything is bigger in Texas!" Driving distances can be deceiving so be sure to fill up with gas and have lots of water in the car. Also, please note that there is no public transport so make sure you buy a good (and preferably large) car! You will spend a great deal of time in it. You may also want to invest in a car DVD for the kids - it's a must have!

High Tech

This is the place to get ill! The Medical Centre is world class, a frontier in all fields of medicine, which is good news as the chances are that, here, you will get ill! Note the following medical advice:

Houston has to be the allergy capitol of world and there is high pollution from the seemingly endless and expanding traffic.
Go to the doctor in Houston with a simple cold and you will find yourself subjected to hundreds of tests and likely come out with some sort of obscure disease!
Texans are aggressively proactive! (I know, ironic considering the size of people!) Texans are not healthier because of their preemptive tests - this is a proven fact. They just know faster than we do what's wrong with them.
There is a huge difference in approach between private and public health.
Diet! Don't eat like a Texan or you will be very overweight and likely die young!

Other high tech industries: There is a huge concentration of technology firms in Houston with every major player having a head office here or in Dallas. Down town high rises are a testament to the Texans love affair with high tech - visit the tunnel system which runs underground throughout the down town area and links all the high rises together. It's a maze so be sure to get a map from City Hall before you start! Finally, note the major engineering epics such as the widening of Highway 10 without stopping traffic flow (well, just about!)

A last thought. As opposed to the high tech world of health care, visit NASA to see how "un high tech" the Apollo missions and the moon landings were!

Highbrow

Houston is certainly not all country and western, bandanas, bull riding and gun slinging.

You will find that Houston boasts a surprisingly diverse, active and first class art and cultural scene. For example, The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest galleries in the USA and the Menil Collection, another top flight collection of paintings and sculptures, is housed in a modern building designed by one of architects who is responsible for the Pompidou centre in Paris. Also, Rothko Chapel is a contemplative space designed around the abstract art of Mark Rothko. Discover opera, ballet, symphonic recitals, theatre, huge name bands, choirs, poetry readings, workshops, art festivals, artist in residence events, etc. These are happening all the time and there is something for every taste and era. And, it's much cheaper than the UK. You'll find a number of free newspaper and magazine publications in shops and restaurants around Houston to keep you informed of forthcoming events. Your only excuse for not exploring the art and cultural scene is distance. However, this just requires some planning and that Texan "Can Do" attitude. (Also, the traffic tends to be less busy in the evenings so you can get places quicker!) One big plus is you can park underneath the theatres - try that in London!

High energy and Hectic

Houstonians are highly motivated:

Houstonians take religion very seriously and consider the US a new promised land. Note that the first question you'll be asked after a Houstonian enquires about where you are from is, "Which church do you attend?" Steer clear of controversial topics such as ‘The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown.
They are highly programmed, often getting up at 4.30am to get to the gym, to beat the traffic to the office and drop the kids at daycare. They rush the kids around to soccer, ballet and extra math tuition to get home by 8pm to their take out meal!
Weekends are the same! If you get an invitation from non-expatriated Americans expect strict times. These are busy people. They have, not only family commitments, but also community (see bullet point 1). There is a huge emphasis on community and giving, probably because the welfare state is so bad, but there is also a genuine drive to contribute. UK... take note. If you want to get involved in volunteering there are plenty of opportunities, such as being a Docent or through MD Anderson.
Children are also highly programmed. American kids are pushed from an early age to achieve, encouraged to participate in team sports, get on Honor Roll and be grade A students. All sports are a vehicle for possible college scholarships from a very early age and provision for youth sport is excellent. We highly recommend your kids join in local team sports. As well as getting great coaching, you experience a little bit of real America outside of the BSH bubble.
Please note that mobile phones are an absolute must in Houston where traffic can play havoc with plans, pickups from games etc!

Hot and Humid

Houston's climate can be described as:

HORRIBLE for about 4 months of the year; BEARABLE for another 3 months; BRILLIANT for 5 months!
In the summer it can be 40 plus outside and 100% humidity. However, winter weather is fantastic. We have great weather for outside sports - walking, running, golf, playing tennis, whatever. Be sure to get outside during these winter months as you will spend long enough inside in a/c conditions over the summer!
A few summer tips:

When you go away always leave your air conditioning on automatic. Never turn it off.
Have your air con checked every winter. It is cheaper then!
Always, always, always wear sunscreen. Put it on you and your children all year round. You can easily get burnt here in December. Skin cancer is huge in Texas for a reason. Remember you are not on holiday and this is not for a couple of weeks. This is a serious health warning... As serious as those you find on a packet of cigarettes.
Always carry lots of water wherever you go and regardless of the time of year. Children get very easily dehydrated, especially doing sports. Be conscious that you will lost a lot of water in the summer because of the humid conditions.

Humongous Choice of Restaurants = Heavy on the Scales!

Beware that Houston is the fat capital of the world! This title is based on the sheer number of take out restaurants per capita.

Note that most Houstonians eat out at least 5 times a week (it can be cheaper than doing a weekly grocery shop!) Beware the lifestyle! Everyone complains about putting on loads of weight in the first three months of arriving. Why is that!?!

Portion sizes are HUGE! Funnily enough though, after a while we all can accommodate them! Result: pounds on and unhappy mummies! Solution: skip the starters (which can be the size of your average UK main course) and start sharing main courses (which are really enough for two people in Europe!) The good thing about eating out in the US though is that it's the choice capitol of the world. Everything is on the side, without this or that or extra! Share with your partner or kids. No one will bat an eyelid!

Or, get out and exercise! It's easy to blame the limited access to walking opportunities (and the fact you have to drive there)! But get a friend and get out there - there are excellent walking circuits at Memorial and Bear Creek parks and around subdivisions such as Twin Lakes. You'll also find a gym on virtually every street corner catering to many different markets and all very reasonable priced.

So, please don't be put off the eating out experience here in Houston for fear of packing on the pounds! There are ways around it! I'll leave you with the thought that Houston restaurants are very accommodating with kids, diets, disabilities, etc. The choice of restaurants and the quality of the food is wonderful. Plus, you'll get polite, friendly and helpful service all at a fantastic price!

Highways, Horrendous Traffic and Hummers

Beware that traffic in Houston is unpredictable. At all times!

Always be prepared for traffic. It can be a big problem, but only if you leave too little time for pick-ups! Always over estimate the time needed to get from A to B, especially on Fridays and during rush hour.

Accept that the I10 freeway will be a mess for years to come!

Use Beltway 8 to circumnavigate Houston.

Always carry a cell phone containing your network of possible help if you are running late.

Drive positively as everyone else does. Indicate and go!

Only in Texas can you drive a huge gas guzzler with a relatively free conscience! Plus the gas is cheap. They don't believe in Global Warming here so the world must be okay!

Hurricanes and Hyperbole

Texas has big weather in accordance with the mantra, "Everything's bigger in Texas"! On this occasion, it is not hyperbole!

Do not underestimate the weather. Be sure to heed weather warnings.

When it rains, it floods and very quickly. Ask anyone who has driven a mummy van full of kids when the water is rising up the door of the car will tell you it's scary.

People die every year because they drive into underpasses full of water, thinking they can make it. Observe the Flood Sticks on sides of roads which indicate the level of the water.

If in doubt, wait. The water usually subsides very quickly as soon as the rain stops.

Hurricane Season
Don't wait for the threat of a hurricane to loom.
Have emergency supplies of water, batteries, torches, buckets, dry/canned food and a first aid kit at the very least.
Have a plan for staying and one should you need to evacuate. Identify a safe room within your house and have a map of your escape route ready.
Any one who went shopping when Rita was coming can tell you about the EMPTY shelves, panic buying, no petrol, long queues... and this was four days before the hurricane was due to hit! You have been warned.
Lightening
You'll be treated to some spectacular light shows here in Houston, but be warned - they can be very dangerous. Huge numbers of people are killed every year by lightening. Tip: If you hear thunder, make sure you and your children get out of the swimming pool and stay out until it has been quiet for at least 30 minutes.

Hyperactive Shopping and Huge Diamonds

When you arrive you'll be told the shopping in Houston is spectacular. You'll think, ‘Yeah, maybe. But, there's more to life than shopping...' In Houston, there isn't!

Memorial City Mall, Galleria and outlet shopping all beckons. All have special offers all the time from buy two get one half price to up to 70% off! Houstonians like nothing better than a trip to the mall of an evening or during the weekends, but on a week day you can get the mall to yourself. Be warned it is possible to be completely seduced by the relative cheapness and good value, the constant sales and bargains to be had, especially compared to the UK. It is addictive! Take my advice and always go shopping with a sensible friend who will ask all the right questions - Do you need it? - and will be honest and tell you your bum does look big in it!

When you first arrive you may also begin to think a local woman's daily workout is just lifting their hands up and down! Unbelievable the size of some of the rocks! You'll also find much surgical enhancement! Like shopping, plastic surgery is something of an obsession here with specials and bargains to be had! It is a seen as a cure for many things such as obesity! Well, this is a city of many million and billionaires. Of course the trend has led to high divorce rates and lots trophy wives!

Happy Families and Home

In Houston one thing you will find are large, beautiful houses with fantastic amenities, both on site and nearby, depending on where you choose to live.

There are downsides to living in Houston, but you can also be very happy here. When you arrive it takes a little time to create a network of friends and find your way around, but you will soon realise how many wonderful opportunities there are in Houston and what a great city it can be in which to live. Whatever you and your family are interested in, you'll find a way to do it in Houston, and if not, Houston Intercontinental is the hub for Continental Airlines so you can get virtually anywhere in the US directly from Houston. Use your time here to explore the US - you may be very pleasantly surprised by what you find. We now totally understand why many Americans feel it's unnecessary to have a passport!