in Houston
in Houston
Sweatyballs wrote:
in Houston
Very enlightening, thank you.
Are there cities in the US that are better than Houston, hell yes. But is Houston a bad place to live. Hell no. Cost of living is cheap compared to other big cities like LA, Chicago and NY. Crime is very low for a big city. The restaurant scene is as almnost good as NY. And there is even a budding craft brew scene that is pretty excellent (Rodeo Clown IPA--you can thank me later).
$1000 a month can go a long way or not very far at all. It all depends on where you want to live. If you live out in the burbs, $1000 a month can get into a a 2 bed in a big complex with a pool and parking garage. Inside "the loop" (610), you will be more limited to 1 bedroom apt in an older complex or an old duplex or garage apartment. You can get it done for under $1,000, but it takes some work. Apartment construction inside the loop did not keep pace with population growth. The result is that it is a landlord's market inside the loop (for now, lots of new complexes being built).
If you want to be as close to UH as possible without living in the crapper (area around UH is not very nice), the Medical center is the best option. The problem is that there is a lot of demand/competition for cheap housing in that area from Rice and UH students. You will have to be able to pound the pavement on the ground in Houston to find a place and lock it down before some trust fund kid from Rice gets it.
Montrose is also closer to Rice and has a great restaurant/bar/coffee scene. Almost too great as it can get pretty crowded at night. Similar issues with the Med Center as it is close to Rice.
Probably the best spot for a runner is to rent along the bayou on Allen Parkway. The villas at River Oaks is probably 100-200 above your max price range, but would be worth it if you worked downtown. There is an older complex on the other side of the bayou that is cheaper, but a bit grimey.
Houston Heights is a great neighborhood. You may be able to get a nice garage apartment for very cheap or get into an older apartment complex for cheap. Lots of good restaurants and coffee houses. Very unlike the rest of Houston in that there are lots of small businesses and cool old houses. Most of the city is McMansions and stripmalls.
When all else fails, there is the Galleria area. Just make sure you find something north of Westheimer, if possible. Tons and tons of apartments.
The running scene in Houston is very strong. There are plenty of clubs and training groups. Memorial park is the best place to run in that it has a 2.9 mi crushed granite trail that goes around a golf course and is lighted from dusk until dawn. Runners are packed in like sardines @ 5-6pm, but mornings are great and later in the evening is also good. There are lots of great routes for long runs that keep you in quiet neighborhoods or parks for most of the way.
The heat in the summer is bad, but you will acclimate after a while. You are rewarded with great weather in the winter when everyone else is inside on a treadmill. Houston marathon is a no-miss. Register this week if you want to run it in 2013. There is an advance registration for people who meet a very weak time standard. There are plenty of other races from 5k-30k. Local elite competition goes in waives. Some years, there are 5ks where plenty of guys are under 16. Some years, not so much. Dallas and Austin put on more competitive middle distance races. Houston puts on a far better marathon.
Houston is a city of hidden treasures. It takes some work to separate out the wheat from the chaff. It looks like the city is nothing but stripmalls with nothing to eat except for Quiznos. But then you find a guy making amazing crepes from a cart (Melange Creperie), a zillion different amazing Tex-Mex restaurants, the Art Car parade (this weekend!) and free movies and concerts at Discovery Green, and realize that it is ok to love Houston.
By far the most helpful post in this thread, thank you!