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POLL: Which US-city should step in?


Which city should step in?  

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  1. 1. Which city should step in your point of view?



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Not that it really matters in the context that this is being discussed here, but you're saying that Houston is going to grow as big in size as the city of Boston within the next five years? Yeah, I find that highly doubtful. Maybe within the next ten to fifteen years maybe, but that's beside the point anyway, since how many people actually live in Houston proper is not really the issue.

houston is already much larger than boston in gdp, population, area, everything. if you meant chicago it closer but Houston is not far off chicago in metro pop (-20%) and metro gdp (-12%), it's much larger in area (more than double)

.....somthing like that.

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houston is already much larger than boston in gdp, population, area, everything. if you meant chicago it closer but Houston is not far off chicago in metro pop (-20%) and metro gdp (-12%), it's much larger in area (more than double)

.....somthing like that.

I was merely talking population, since that is what the other poster brought up. Boston CITY-PROPER wise is 655,000. While Houston is 2.2 million. That means Houston is 4'xs larger than Boston in within the *city-limits* only. Metro wise, they're both pretty similar. But since you brought up Chicago, metro-wise it's still much larger than Houston, at almost ten million. While Houston is just over six million. And that wouldn't change anytime soon even if/when Houston surpasses Chicago in city-proper wise population. But again, all of this is beside the point, since it's perception that would matter most in the end anyway.

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Just look at San Francisco, less than half the size of Houston city-proper wise, & globally S.F. Is considered far & above Houston in virtually every category, including as a terrific setting for an Olympics (if they can every get their act together, that is), & why the USOC still had S.F. in the running for 2012 & 2016 while telling Houston (& Philadelphia) to pack it up & go home. So that major problem for Houston isn't going to change simply because it's population has grown.

Oh yawn, San Francisco the Olympic bid that never will be. For decades it's been trying to get the Olympics and it's been looked over and over again. If it couldn't even beat Boston for the US bid, then that's telling that it never has what it takes to be an Olympic bid. I don't deny that it's a beautiful city with great views and great weather, but clearly that's not enough for the USOC and may never will be.

Well, not according to our Olympic weather 'expert' in the last page. Their answer in short is, "if Atlanta can do it with its hot & humid weather, than so can Houston". Another thing I would add to that though, is the potential for tropical storms in Houston during the Games-time window.

Tropical storms and hurricanes in the Houston area are a non-issue provided the games take place in July rather than any month after that. The majority of the major storms we've received in Texas for the last 35 years before August hit landfall in the south of Texas. The last major storm that Houston received before August was Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Although it was a tropical storm, it was pretty damaging because of the excessive flooding for which we learned a lot about how to deal with flooding like that again. We're constantly expanding our bayous to prevent that type of flooding we saw in Allison and this past May.

This I agree with. But even here, the USOC still found issue with a Dallas bid for 2024. Before they announced their initial 2024 domestic short-list, many thought that Dallas would be one of the U.S. finalists, due to their initial, seemingly technical strength & Texan financial means. But even in this case, it still wasn't enough & the USOC still went with a smaller city, in comparison, in the end. Go figure.

I don't think most people have ever been to Dallas who thought they were shortlisted but it's a nightmare to get around. And the setting isn't any better than Houston.

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Oh yawn, San Francisco the Olympic bid that never will be. For decades it's been trying to get the Olympics and it's been looked over and over again. If it couldn't even beat Boston for the US bid, then that's telling that it never has what it takes to be an Olympic bid. I don't deny that it's a beautiful city with great views and great weather, but clearly that's not enough for the USOC and may never will be.

And yet with all of San Francisco's bureaucratic shortcomings (which I don't disagree with), it still managed to jump over Houston's (more "viable" plan) both times both cities were running together for the domestic nod. That right there should tell you how a Houston Olympic bid will also never be. Boston is beside the point here, & again even with SF's downfalls, the USOC was still naive enough to still have them in the top four for 2024. Go figure.

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And yet with all of San Francisco's bureaucratic shortcomings (which I don't disagree with), it still managed to jump over Houston's (more "viable" plan) both times both cities were running together for the domestic nod. That right there should tell you how a Houston Olympic bid will also never be. Boston is beside the point here, & again even with SF's downfalls, the USOC was still naive enough to still have them in the top four for 2024. Go figure.

And the USOC knows that San Francisco is right up a few of the IOC's old geezers' and their wives' alley -- becuz it's compact, chic, and still one of the top 2 tourist destinations in the U.S.

And yet with all of San Francisco's bureaucratic shortcomings (which I don't disagree with), it still managed to jump over Houston's (more "viable" plan) both times both cities were running together for the domestic nod. That right there should tell you how a Houston Olympic bid will also never be. Boston is beside the point here, & again even with SF's downfalls, the USOC was still naive enough to still have them in the top four for 2024. Go figure.

And the USOC knows that San Francisco is right up a few of the IOC's old geezers' and their wives' alley -- becuz it's compact, chic, and still one of the top 2 tourist destinations in the U.S.

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So does FYI not realize that Houston is the nations fourth largest city? At least that's the vibe I got from the last page of posts.

I highly doubt Houston will be the next US Olympic city, but I would wager they will host at some point this century. Given the global economic trends the only place Houston and LA have to go is up. Chicago on the other hand is staring down a barrel of economic stagnation and hell.


As for San Francisco...the only city that visually, IMO opinion that comes close is Chicago. If only Chicago was on the east, west, or gulfcoast...

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I highly doubt Houston will be the next US Olympic city, but I would wager they will host at some point this century.

This just doesn't make any sense, though. Other than population, which Mumbai and Calcutta have too, what assets does Houston bring to the table for the Olympics?

Efficient mass transit system? No.

A solid base of existing Olympic sporting venues? No.

International prestige? No.

Favorable climate? No.

Atlanta's leaders admitted they got the Olympics through shady dealings. (read: bribes and prostitutes) That isn't going to be an option for Houston, so it faces a huge uphill battle to win over the IOC. It is possible that Houston might win a bid race, but right now it's hard to point to anything they have that makes them a likely Olympic host.

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So does FYI not realize that Houston is the nations fourth largest city? At least that's the vibe I got from the last page of posts.

Oh no he's well aware that Houston is the 4th largest city in the US. He's just saying that being the 4th largest city isn't enough to be an Olympic host city, and I agree. But I don't agree with him that Houston is unfit to host the Olympics.

This just doesn't make any sense, though. Other than population, which Mumbai and Calcutta have too, what assets does Houston bring to the table for the Olympics?

Efficient mass transit system? No.

Houston has redone their transit system to make it run more efficient and it will be implemented in a little over a week. Also there is a light rail system that runs north and south of downtown and all the way to Reliant Park, which is where the NFL stadium and abandoned Astrodome are. Also two lines new lines opened up going east to west, with both of them going to passed our MLS soccer stadium and one of them going all the way to University of Houston. Our light rail works amazing when it transports over 2 million people to and from the HLSR (Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo) in March during a 3-week period.

A solid base of existing Olympic sporting venues? No.

Besides the NFL stadium and an abandoned Astrodome that still can be converted to an indoor track and field stadium, Reliant/NRG park also has a large convention center that can serve as the media center and NRG arena with a capacity of 8k. Temporary venues can be built in the area in lieu of letting people drive into the park. There is also the former Astroworld lot that now serves as additional parking. That can serve as more space for venues, or even the Athlete's village.

Downtown is not only home to our MLS stadium, which has a 20k+ capacity, there is also another large convention center, bigger than the one in Reliant park, that can be used to host various events. Walking distance from all these venues is our NBA arena as well as our MLB stadium. There's also of course the college football stadiums from Rice University and University of Houston, which both have a minimum capacity of 40k. UofH also has a lot of other sports facilities that can be temporarily or permanently renovated for the games.And all of these mentioned are accessible through our light rail system. Besides these venues there are other venues around the city that can host events if something can't be converted within light rail distance.

International prestige? No.

I won't claim that Houston is the Paris of the US, but I certainly don't believe that we have no international prestige. We may not have an entertainment value as high as Los Angeles and NYC, but we're far from lacking in anything to do. We have the 2nd largest theater district behind NYC and we have a great museum district that regularly showcases exhibits of art from museums around the world. We have surpassed NYC as the most diverse city in the US, and with that we have a number of diverse neighborhoods, shops and restaurants around Houston.

And we excel internationally in areas no one ever thinks of. Houston is home to the largest medical center in the world, and the center regularly receives patients from all sorts of countries. We also have one of the largest retail districts around as well. Uptown Park is home to The Galleria, the largest mall in the south with over 400 stores. The area see an abundance of Latin America customers on a regular basis. When I worked in the area a lot of customers from these countries would tell me they set up a shopping vacation to come to Houston just to shop. And that's not surprising considering our largest airport serves as a Latin American hub that has daily flights to and from most of the countries in Central and South America.

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So does FYI not realize that Houston is the nations fourth largest city? At least that's the vibe I got from the last page of posts.

Don't be fu@king silly. Of course I know that Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. But what does that have to do with anything other than absolutely nothing in this context.

Being the U.S.' fourth largest city would mean diddly-squat when put up against much bigger global Alpha players, like New York City, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Moscow or St. Petersburg, Melbourne, Shanghai & others.

Are you really going to say in a final presentation; "look IOC, you could have the 'fourth' largest city in the U.S. instead of those other top gun cities". C'mon, get real. That's not the kind of "vibe" the IOC is looking for.

Given the global economic trends the only place Houston and LA have to go is up. Chicago on the other hand is staring down a barrel of economic stagnation and hell.

Well, judging by this hyperbolish statement, you really don't seem to know anything about 'global economic trends'. Considering how the enormous numbers of illegal immigration is taking it's toll on both Southern California & South Texas, I wouldn't be too sure about. Which incidently, is why Houston's population numbers continue to grow at a steady pace.

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1. Oh no he's well aware that Houston is the 4th largest city in the US. He's just saying that being the 4th largest city isn't enough to be an Olympic host city, and I agree. But I don't agree with him that Houston is unfit to host the Olympics.

2. I won't claim that Houston is the Paris of the US, but I certainly don't believe that we have no international prestige. We may not have an entertainment value as high as Los Angeles and NYC, but we're far from lacking in anything to do. We have the 2nd largest theater district behind NYC and we have a great museum district that regularly showcases exhibits of art from museums around the world. We have surpassed NYC as the most diverse city in the US, and with that we have a number of diverse neighborhoods, shops and restaurants around Houston.

3. And we excel internationally in areas no one ever thinks of. Houston is home to the largest medical center in mall in the south with over 400 stores.

1. Define "unfit".

2. Having "no" international prestige is not the same as having international prestige. On a scale of 1-10, Houston doesn't even rank in the top five. I also don't buy the second largest theater district behind New York either. I heard people from Toronto claiming the same thing. Unless you mean in the U.S. But even then I still don't buy it, especially when you have cities like Chicago, Boston & San Francisco, etc, very well known for theaters & museums.

3. And having one of the largest malls is something to boast about? In that case, Minneapolis here we come! Home to the Mall of America, the largest in the U.S.! Or better yet, how about Edmonton, AB! Home to Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in the world!! :-P

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mhhh - I think I should have done the poll differently:

1st Question: which city should step in?

Los Angeles
San Francisco

Washington D.C.

USA shouldn't stay in the 2024 bid competition

2nd Question: should the USA bid for 2028?

Yes

No

3rd Question: which city do you want to see as US-bid in 2028?

Atlanta

Chicago

Honolulu

Houston

Los Angeles

Miami

New York

Saint Louis

San Francisco

Seattle

Washington D.C.

another one (please specify)
USA shall not bid for 2028
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So does FYI not realize that Houston is the nations fourth largest city? At least that's the vibe I got from the last page of posts.

Funny, the vibe I got from his post (http://www.gamesbids.com/forums/topic/25172-poll-which-us-city-should-step-in/?p=483391) is completely different.

For me (a non-native speaker), it was immediately obvious that he was referring to the population gap between Houston and Chicago, which more or less equals the total population of Boston, so Houston has to grow in the size of Boston to overtake Chicago.

Reading properly sometimes helps more than hyperventilating.

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1. Define "unfit".

2. Having "no" international prestige is not the same as having international prestige. On a scale of 1-10, Houston doesn't even rank in the top five. I also don't buy the second largest theater district behind New York either. I heard people from Toronto claiming the same thing. Unless you mean in the U.S. But even then I still don't buy it, especially when you have cities like Chicago, Boston & San Francisco, etc, very well known for theaters & museums.

3. And having one of the largest malls is something to boast about? In that case, Minneapolis here we come! Home to the Mall of America, the largest in the U.S.! Or better yet, how about Edmonton, AB! Home to Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in the world!! :-P

1. No sweetie, you need to define it since you're the one who continues to address Houston as a city incapable of being an Olympic host.

2. I'm confused, are you grading Houston on a scale of 1-10, or are you ranking it? And if you're ranking, what exactly are you ranking it for, and what are you taking into account for your ranking/grading?

And I wasn't entirely correct and incorrect when I said Houston has the 2nd largest theater district behind NYC. Yes I meant in the US. But on further researching, they have the 2nd largest theater district concentrated in a downtown area behind NYC. So yes that statement needed to be more specific.

3. Never implied we should get an Olympics because of our retail district. I was just adding what Houston has to offer since so many people feel a city must have something for visitors to do at all times during an Olympics games, even though there have been articles stating that an Olympic games does not significantly increase attendance at museums, theaters, shopping malls, etc. and many residents of these cities, including here on these forums, can attest to that as being true.

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No sweetie, you need to define it since you're the one who continues to address Houston as a city incapable of being an Olympic host.

No honey. I never said that Houston was "incapable". I said it was NON-ELECTABLE. Which are two totally different things, & which I would still stand by. Unless again, Houston was hypothetically competing in a much less than stellar field, like the Doha's, Baku's, Budapest's & Minneapolis' of the world. But against the big boys, you guys would be SOL.

Never implied we should get an Olympics because of our retail district. I was just adding what Houston has to offer since so many people feel a city must have something for visitors to do at all times during an Olympics games, even though there have been articles stating that an Olympic games does not significantly increase attendance at museums, theaters, shopping malls, etc. and many residents of these cities, including here on these forums, can attest to that as being true.

I think you're misunderstanding this element. I don't believe that aspect is as much for spectators & tourists for the Olympics as much as it is for actual IOC members, who are the ones that VOTE on the Olympics.

Surely there's a heck of a lot more to do & experience in let's say, IDK an international global city like Paris, then let's say, oh IDK one not as internationally appealing like "Houston".

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.....the retail in Houston in not just big it is premier and it is luxury, you have to go to NYC to get more volume out of retail stores, it’s a very style conscious and sophisticated client who travels everywhere and wants the best of the best and understands quality.

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And of course the never-ending attack on Houston not being an "electable" city in the international arena. The truth was said about Atlanta, which without ever hosting the Olympics would still have less international appeal than Houston, and it still won. Sure people love to say that was a fluke but it's not it can and will happen again for other US cities. One of the main reasons Atlanta was successful is it had the advantage of being an American city, and American Olympics have been the most profitable, and it will be no different for Houston.

I highly doubt Houston will be the next US Olympic city, but I would wager they will host at some point this century. Given the global economic trends the only place Houston and LA have to go is up. Chicago on the other hand is staring down a barrel of economic stagnation and hell.

I love how the nature of this forum is that whenever someone suggests a city might not host the Olympics, it's considered an attack. As if that's some sort of great insult. The Olympics are held once every 4 years. That means over the course of a century, at most 25 cities will host an Olympics. Even in a country like the United States, maybe that means 3 or 4 cities will get that honor. bernham.. you think 1 of those will be Houston? I'd take that wager. And since I largely agree with FYI on this, let me back him up a little on this one.

Houston is not unfit to host an Olympics. They are not incapable. But I do question their ability to be elected. Because you can't host an Olympics unless the IOC selects your city in a winning vote. Good for Houston that they are growing and eventually might be 1 of the largest cities in the country. Doesn't mean the IOC is likely to pick them. Impossible? Of course not, but highly unlikely.

The problem with the "well Atlanta did it, so how can you discount a city like Houston" tends to forget the circumstances that won it for them. Forget for a sec the fluke that there was no decent competition out there and how the United States landed another Summer Olympics 12 years after their last one. Look at who Atlanta was up against on the domestic front. Cleveland and Minneapolis were their main challengers. No LA since they had just hosted. No New York. No Chicago. Among the other big name and slightly less than big name cities we've heard from in recent years. If Houston wants the USOC to back them, they're likely going to have to beat out those big name cities where Atlanta didn't have to. That circumstance came from coming so soon after a recent hosting. That's not going happen again anytime soon. And if you're going to what advantages Atlanta had.. 2 words: Coca Cola.

If you look at the list of cities that have hosted the Olympics since Atlanta, they're mostly, if not all heavy hitters. 2024 could continue that trend if Paris wins it. So is the USOC really going to put anything less than their most prominent cities forward? I doubt it. FYI had mentioned Dallas earlier. I thought they could have put together a decent plan and the USOC wasn't interested. Instead, they picked 4 cities with what IMO is more international cache. Again, it's not an insult to the city of Houston to say they are not electable as hosts of the Olympics, barring a fluke of circumstances. Don't see that happening anytime in the foreseeable future.

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p.s. im not advocating an Olympics in Houston but I'm a huge fan and always impressed when I arrive in Houston, there's always something happening and cool places to go. They do it big, modern and with style in houston......it's a powerful and fun city. I always feel a little rebelious and free there like anything is possible. ;)

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p.s. im not advocating an Olympics in Houston but I'm a huge fan and always impressed when I arrive in Houston, there's always something happening and cool places to go. They do it big, modern and with style in houston......it's a powerful and fun city. I always feel a little rebelious and free there like anything is possible. ;)

Thank you for illustrating a point here and why discussions on this website tend to get a little ridiculous. There are a lot of great things about Houston that you or anyone else could make a case for them on. But are those things enough to win them a vote to choose the location of a quadrennial event that is held in big cities all over the world? Doubtful. Doesn't mean those who would put that in perspective are attacking Houston or think any less of the city simply because it's not New York or London or Paris. And I say that as someone who has lived in New York since the day I was born.

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.....the retail in Houston in not just big it is premier and it is luxury, you have to go to NYC to get more volume out of retail stores, its a very style conscious and sophisticated client who travels everywhere and wants the best of the best and understands quality.

Well then, it's settled. So move over New York, London, Paris, Chicago, San Fran, L.A. Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, Istanbul, Moscow!! Houston has 'premier' shopping where its "sophisticated clientele travels miles to understand the best of the best type of quality"! Oh the irony!! I start sending the IOC gift cards now then to all that "luxourious, premier" shopping! :-P

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p.s. im not advocating an Olympics in Houston but I'm a huge fan and always impressed when I arrive in Houston, there's always something happening and cool places to go. They do it big, modern and with style in houston......it's a powerful and fun city. I always feel a little rebelious and free there like anything is possible. ;)

Yet it seems that's exactly what you're doing. You always seem to have the habit of throwing in little tidbits like that when some people are making the argument against; ie Houston & San Diego (remember that one?) I've also been to Houston. But out of all the U.S. cities I've been to, Houston doesn't rank at the top of my book. So forgive us if some of us don't share your enthusiasm.

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Well then, it's settled. So move over New York, London, Paris, Chicago, San Fran, L.A. Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, Istanbul, Moscow!! Houston has 'premier' shopping where its "sophisticated clientele travels miles to understand the best of the best type of quality"! Oh the irony!! I start sending the IOC gift cards now then to all that "luxourious, premier" shopping! :-P

...no no no I was just trying to clarify it because you seemed to compare it to Minneapolis mall of America thingy....far far different.

Yet it seems that's exactly what you're doing. You always seem to have the habit of throwing in little tidbits like that when some people are making the argument against; ie Houston & San Diego (remember that one?) I've also been to Houston. But out of all the U.S. cities I've been to, Houston doesn't rank at the top of my book. So forgive us if some of us don't share your enthusiasm.

...well then your perception is wrong.....I do not think the US should be in the Olympic bid buisness at all.......I do not think taxpayers should fund any of it...............and I am happy to rotate London/Paris/Dictatorship/London/Paris/Dictatorship for the forseable future ........i just chose a few cities I liked on this poll that are not the BIG 3 cuz I'm a little rebellious like that! :lol:

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...no no no I was just trying to clarify it because you seemed to compare it to Minneapolis mall of America thingy....far far different.

At the time time though, don't try to swing the pendulum so far in the other direction where you're talking about "a very style conscious and sophisticated client who travels everywhere and wants the best of the best and understands quality." and want us to associate that statement with Houston. Especially in the context of an Olympics and an international audience. It's one thing to put Houston into context and say they offer more than they might get credit for. But I'm pretty sure sophisticated international shoppers are not flocking to Houston, Texas. Even if the argument is that they should and just don't know about it.

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Houston has redone their transit system to make it run more efficient and it will be implemented in a little over a week.

When I say efficient mass transit system I mean a subway/metro system, not a few light rail/tram lines and buses.

Besides the NFL stadium and an abandoned Astrodome that still can be converted to an indoor track and field stadium, Reliant/NRG park also has a large convention center that can serve as the media center and NRG arena with a capacity of 8k.

Cleveland also has a NFL stadium, MLB stadium, convention center and an arena (along with light rail lines.) Yet I hope no one in Ohio has delusions of hosting the Olympics.

When I say substantial existing Olympic infrastructure, I mean the stuff that not every major American city already has. An athletics stadium, aquatics center, velodrome, a second and third 10k capacity arena, etc.

I won't claim that Houston is the Paris of the US, but I certainly don't believe that we have no international prestige. We may not have an entertainment value as high as Los Angeles and NYC, but we're far from lacking in anything to do. We have the 2nd largest theater district behind NYC and we have a great museum district that regularly showcases exhibits of art from museums around the world. We have surpassed NYC as the most diverse city in the US, and with that we have a number of diverse neighborhoods, shops and restaurants around Houston.

I am not talking about "things to do" for tourists, I am talking about international appeal for the IOC voters. Houston is associated with a lot of the things the rest of the world hates about the USA, and it does not have the cultural achievements of European cities to balance that negative impression. If it is in a contest against a city like St Petersburg, Milan or Durban then Houston is going to have a mountain to climb to win votes.

Again, I am not saying it is impossible for Houston to host. I just don't see what Houston has to offer that other cities don't. Philadelphia also has a similar group of venues, but has more history and a much better geographical position. Why Houston instead of Philadelphia?

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No…you guys twist everything up…you are still not getting the point I was trying to make….I’ll just say I’m sure it’s my fault as I’m not a great writer and my grammar sucks; however, I probably spend more time in NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, DC, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and many other large cities in North America than any of you unless you live there. I have projects in many of these cities and I feel like I get a good feel for these places through research and planning related to my field and just because I end up spending so much time there.

I'm pretty sure sophisticated international shoppers are not flocking to Houston, Texas.

..you would be surprised, but that is not the point I was trying to make.

…..the point was that many Houston shoppers ARE international (some even couture) clients, they travel frequently but reside in Houston and insist on the highest level of luxury and choice in their home town….and they have the money to support the lifestyle and businesses that cater to them, that is one reason every luxury brand has a thriving flagship in the city. It is a fabulously stylish and wealthy city that has everything any large world city has…..or they can afford to buy or build it.

Houston is a brilliant, cultured, important, international city in every way....but you are likely right that some basic people don't know much more than....it's in Texas like Dallas which has a TV show! I do think you underestimate Houstons value and reputation in international circles.

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