
Green Acres: What if Houston were known for its parks instead of its stripmalls? - benbreen
http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/green-acres-2/
======
dakotasmith
Hermann Park is within walking distance of my home in Houston. Living by such
an amazing space has done wonders for my mood, and my opinion of Houston. The
park is wonderfully anachronistic.

It seems plucked straight out of some european city, or at least the east
coast of the US. I think that owes a lot to it using the original plans from
the 1910s. Growing up in Texas, most of the parks you see are basically
undeveloped land, set aside for public use. A playground might be the only
feature of some parks. This is completely different.

Where I live in Houston, I can ride light rail to downtown or a baseball game.
I can walk to a wonderful park. The museums are stellar (if you haven't heard
of the Menil collection, please look it up). I rarely have to even get on a
highway, except when I'm heading out of town. The climate is miserable in the
summer, thanks largely to the humidity of being a city built on top of what
once must have been swamp land. However, the rest of the year is moderate.

I share this because before moving to Houston I would not have assumed any of
these things.

~~~
saryant
For anyone who wants to see what Houston has to offer food-wise:
[http://www.underbellyhouston.com/houston-
love/](http://www.underbellyhouston.com/houston-love/)

Great food isn't surprising given that it's the most ethnically diverse city
in America:
[http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/07/01/195909...](http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/07/01/195909643/tx2020-houston-
racial-ethnic-diversity-americas-future)

------
zxv
I remember when there were woods and stables around the inner loop 160 freeway
in central Houston 50 years ago. A few woods remain, and couple of stables
remain, even around the loop.

City parks are wonderful, but they don't replace what I know Houston for - the
wilderness. It's still here but a little farther away.

Sure, it's sprawling and crowded, and crazy at rush hour. But any day of the
year, if you want to go camping or go horse riding, well hell, if it's not
raining go -- and if it is, put on a raincoat and go.

If you like camping, about an hour south, there's overnight camping at Brazos
Bend state park. George Observatory is also there.
[http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/brazos-bend](http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-
parks/brazos-bend)

Theses are the things I know Houston for.

------
gojomo
I grew up in Houston. This would require a technology for air conditioning the
parks.

~~~
meatysnapper
Shade and water would go some way towards that.

To your point though, the big desert cities (whether in Texas or Arizona or
elsewhere) would not exist without AC.

~~~
oneJob
Houston,,, not really a
desert:[http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm](http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/annualrainfall.htm)

I lived in both Arizona and Texas, and the issue is only supersonically the
same. But even given that, I must agree with the spirit of the parent comment
remark. Though, having spent some time in both Tucson and Phoenix, I'd
strongly argue that the heat island affect just makes a bad situation worse.
Replacing concrete with parks is a win virtually 100% of the time in that
regard. Not to mention quality of life. The out door shopping in AZ and CA is
much more pleasant than that of the strip mall experience.

~~~
oneJob
Also, supersonically=superficially and affect=effect. Jeez. My bad;
autocorrect is not a crutch.

------
ericclemmons
As a native Houstonian, this article was a fantastic read on the history that
I never knew.

Just last year, my family moved _back_ into the loop (walking distance to
several parks) and haven't looked back.

This quote perfectly sums up the problem Houston has had: > We could get high-
quality job applicants to land at Intercontinental Airport,” said Fowler. “But
on the way into town the wives would look over at their husbands and say,
‘What are we doing here?’ ”

Finally knowing how the city is layer out has taught me to:

1\. Get away from the airport and downtown, unless it's for work, drinks, and
a ball game. 2\. Find one of the park + restaurant pockets and relax, walk to
great coffee (Blacksmith), and Uber home. 3\. Rent a B-cycle to connect
between the culturally rich areas. Within the loop, they're only 1-2 miles
apart. 4\. Visit museums. Each one seems to be nestled by a park, nice homes,
and good food.

Like most cities I've visited, when I go alone, I get a tilted opinion of it.
But, with someone who knows the area, you'll be the best it has to offer.

Lastly, despite being an oil and gas town, there's a huge medical community
and a bustling Node/JavaScript/Ruby community.

The open-source crowd is extremely supportive and we consistently help find
work for new comers and Iron Yard graduates.

------
grishas
Nitpick mode: on

    
    
      cat article.txt | wc
        134    6494   39992
    

So almost 6500 words and only 1 map and 1 photo. You'd think if you were
writing about Houston's parks you might, you know, show them to us?

~~~
saryant
Brays Bayou:
[http://swacdn.s3.amazonaws.com/1/75bf6780_braysbayou45471_11...](http://swacdn.s3.amazonaws.com/1/75bf6780_braysbayou45471_1100x1100.jpg)

Hermann Park:
[http://www.hermannpark.org/media/uploads/pages/.thumbnails/h...](http://www.hermannpark.org/media/uploads/pages/.thumbnails/hermann_park_2825-tom_fox__680x400-680x400.jpg)

Buffalo Bayou: [https://silvereagle.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/08/slideshow...](https://silvereagle.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/08/slideshow-09.jpg)

Discovery Green: [http://pagethink.com/media/uploads/project-gallery-
images/lg...](http://pagethink.com/media/uploads/project-gallery-
images/lg_arch_of_discgreen_16.jpg)

Memorial Park:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Memorial...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/MemorialParkHouston.JPG)

George Bush Park: [http://mw2.google.com/mw-
panoramio/photos/medium/70118114.jp...](http://mw2.google.com/mw-
panoramio/photos/medium/70118114.jpg)

Grounds of the Menil Collection:
[http://theredlist.com/media/database/muses/couples/art_cultu...](http://theredlist.com/media/database/muses/couples/art_culture/dominique-
and-john-de-menil/030-dominique-and-john-de-menil-theredlist.jpg)

Sesquicentennial Park:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Buffalo_...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Buffalo_Bayou_at_Sesquicentennial_Park.jpg)

Mason Park:
[http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/22/13/06/4764076/7/rawImage.jpg](http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/22/13/06/4764076/7/rawImage.jpg)

