Houston
Elyse Lanier, not at ALL representative of Houston (IMO)
Like a lot of locals, I'm not a Houston native, but a transplant.
And like a lot of locals -- transplanted and otherwise -- I make fun of this city's quirks, from Marvin Zindler to Mattress Mac to that depressing daily newspaper.
But I also like this city. Quite a bit, actually. And it annoys me when the bicoastal snobs turn up their noses and snort at any mention of Houston, as if it were some sort of backwards outpost. No, it's not San Francisco or New York or Seattle or any of those trendy places. It doesn't have any one distinguishing characteristic that makes one say, "Ah, THAT is why I love Houston." But it does have diversity, a low cost of living for a big city, great weather all but three months of the year (can you grill a steak outside in December in Seattle? Didn't think so), access to the world via a major international airport, nearby beach (yeah, it's the Gulf, but it beats what much of the country has), etc. And it also has a refreshingly laid-back attitude about itself.
So I'm glad to see a couple of our local bloggers defending our city after this piece (by a former Houston Press hack) in today's New York Times Magazine.
Go check out the thrashing Ginger Stampley and Laurence Simon administer.
(06-11-2002) Charles Kuffner slams the piece also.
[Posted at 14:27 CST on 06/09/02] [Link]
