[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/

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...