26 June 2012

Same, same, same

I grew up in the suburbs.  I have since lived in more urban areas.  I love visiting urban areas.  I hope to live in an even more urban area where shops are close, you can easily get public transportation and all of the homes don't look alike.

On my last day in Houston for this visit I am still amazed by all of the different neighborhoods.

They look so much a like that when I went for some walk/runs in the mornings, I had to check my route on my phone to make sure I wasn't turning down the wrong street.  (This is even more shocking to me because I am a really good navigator and am usually really good at finding my way around even when I don't know the area.)

Every street looks the same.  Every house looks very similar.

The houses are cute, I suppose.  The interiors are suitable for living despite the great rooms with the high ceilings that I feel are a waste of second floor space.  My sister's place is done well and has space for the adults and spaces for the children.

Big Bro, his girlfriend, and I were driving to the grocery store this weekend and noticed that the homes are even landscaped the same.  Each one has three trees in the front yard - two on the side where the driveway is and one on the other side.  Each also has a tree close to the sidewalk.

How strange.

Easy to build, I admit that.  But, still kind of eerie.

Reminds me of the Malvina Reynolds song from Weeds.

They're all made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

6 comments:

  1. It is funny, here on Long Island,they build developments where the houses are all identical. All "new" contruction, but all without personality. I am from the the city and in NY there arer a lot of similar houses, but people love to be "unique" and so they change up things. I have an older home here on the island and it may not be "new" but it is definately "Me!".

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    1. I don't know why, but I find the old-style row houses more tolerable than the newer suburban houses. Glad you have put your own touch on your place.!

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  2. Eek, that makes me think of Stepford! :-)
    Some Dark Romantic

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    1. I know, right?!? I was waiting for the little women to come out of the doors.

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  3. I mean, I know I'm from STL and all. But look, I LOVE Houston...even with it's cookie cutter houses, sweltering humidity that makes the Lou feel like Arizona, and oversized hairdos. If nothing else, the BBQ makes up for it all!

    All that being said, when I lived there, I lived in the city. And admittedly my place looked just like every other around me...but that's because I lived in apts. So I had an excuse. The homes that were in the neighborhood, though, different vastly from one to the next.

    Kinda jealous that our trips to the Lone Star State didn't overlap at all. Missed each other by less than 24 hrs.
    Methinks I should make a trip back to St. Louis...and soooooon. Or you should come up to my neck of the woods, because winter starts in two weeks. Maybe we can trick others into thinking I was married at 5.

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    1. I liked it there, it's just the suburbs where Kid Sis #2 lives that irk me. Not even the area, really, because I like that we could walk to nephew's school and there were some great little shops in the area. I just don't like that all the homes look a like, that she is required to keep her grass green, and that they all have the same tree formations in the front yards.

      In all the times that I have been there, I have not really gotten to explore the city much.

      We'll have to meet again IRL. If I don't make it to the Chi in a few weeks, I'm afraid it will be snowing enormous amounts by the end of what is known as summer. I'm all about trying out the arranged marriage bit again.

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