10 Things I Didn't Realize About Houston Until I Left | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

10 Things I Didn't Realize About Houston Until I Left

I never realized how much my hometown had to offer until I went to college.

21
10 Things I Didn't Realize About Houston Until I Left
CSMonitor

I never knew how much I loved my hometown until I left it. Once I left Houston for college, I realized how much the city had to offer! Houston taught me so much more than I thought.

1. Houston Driving is Tough.

I know that if I hadn't learned to drive in Houston, then I would be a much worse driver than I already am. I had to drive on freeways to get basically anywhere around Houston, so I learned quick how to drive on the highway. Also Houston may not have the best drivers, so I also learned how to deal with that issue.

2. There is a big difference from the city of Houston and its suburbs.

When I went to college I learned quickly that when people said that they were from Houston, they usually didn't mean Houston Houston, but a suburb. While I thought of going to Rice Village or The Galleria as a normal day activity, people who lived father out of Houston would make an entire day of it.

3. There are way more shopping options than anyone needs.

The Galleria, Rice Village, Highland Village, Riveroaks Shopping Center, all the boutiques and shops in Montrose & the Heights. Houston is an amazing city that has so much to offer (especially when it comes to shopping).

4. We have such a diverse population.

Houston is filled with a ton of different people everywhere you go. It is very evident in Houston how we have so many cultures that have come together and created the city that we call Houston!

5. Houston has amazing restaurants.

Wow oh wow I did not realize how amazing the food was in Houston until I lived in Waco (sorry Waco, but the city is not adding a lot of new restaurants). We have amazing Tex-Mex, there are tons of greek food options, there are great Italian restaurants all over the city. Also, we have some pretty spectacular nice restaurants that are so amazing you can *almost* forget that they are so expensive.

6. Westheimer is one of the best streets ever.

This street is about 20 miles long and goes through multiple areas of the city. The best part of the street is in Montrose. Here it house amazing restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and is an antique wonderland. You can walk down the street and find almost anything you want from great food to fun boutiques.

7. No, I do not know anyone that you know who lives in Houston.

If you weren't aware, Houston is the 4th largest city in America. So it is highly unlikely that I will happen to know someone you know, even if they did go to my 3300 person high school.

8. Rice has one of the prettiest campuses.

I grew up knowing Rice as one of the best places to go for a run and if you want a scenic walk to walk around or through the beautiful campus. I also knew it as the place where sports camps happened during the summer and with all this sometime forgot it was even a college campus. I went to a university with a beautiful campus, but I also learned that not everyone has a beautiful campus near them.


9. Everything is at least 20 minutes away.

Unless you are going somewhere less than a mile away from your house it will feel like it takes forever to get there. Houston has a ton of traffic so somewhere that is 5 miles away come sometimes take over 20 minutes to get there. Depending on what time of day you are driving to your destination you could get caught up in this horrible traffic and spend a lot longer in the car than you estimated.

10. It is nice to have a beach less than an hour away, even if it isn't the prettiest.

Galveston Island is about 45 minutes to an hour away depending on where you live in the city. While it may not be the clear beaches of Florida, it is still an amazing place to go for a day trip to escape the real world for a couple of hours. Galveston has a ton of tiny communities, and elegant hotels to stay in and also offer a variety of restaurants and a pier full of games and rides.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

13004
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2349
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1445
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments