Green Acres: What if Houston were known for its parks instead of its stripmalls?

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.

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

Theses are the things I know Houston for.

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.

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