Houston - drive time, but lots of options

I have to admit Houston was not high on my list of cities to spend time. Milhaus was led here by incredible job growth and demand by our investors. Houston contradicts Indianapolis in many ways: horrible traffic, car dependency, oversized personality, and a focus on driving their economy through energy consumption. To be fair, the population size of Houston is five times that of Indianapolis. This size of a city, no matter how it’s planned, will provide a foundation for a dynamic city. Houston’s cultural mix is reflected in the diverse restaurants and retail scattered throughout its large land area. As a daily walker, I would prefer to not need a car, but once you learn your way around and understand the amount of variety in each visit, it just seems to work. Every visit opens up new areas, restaurants, entertainment, and new things happening or being built. As long as you are in the car, it is a quick 30 minute ride to Kennedy Space Center, an hour drive to swim in the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, or a 45 minute drive north to the Woodlands Town Center. It’s much different in Indianapolis where in a couple weeks you would exhaust the variety of things to do. Yes, Houston is clearly opposite of what all the planners and theorists talk about as an example of how to develop a thriving urban metropolis. However let’s not underestimate what is perhaps the most eclectic, diverse, and entertaining mix of dining, attractions and architecture in the country.