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We Ranked Typical Houston Things We Love or Hate

Welcome to our dangerous game of approval and disapproval: Yes Ma’am, No Ma’am. Every issue, we’ll be ranking stuff we love or hate about any topic, and for our inaugural feature, we’re talking (bitching? bragging?) about all things Houston.

Yes Ma’am
Free art.
In museums and galleries, on city walls, everywhere around us.

No Ma’am
610. Our endless loop of doom.

Yes Ma’am
The rodeo. Where all—all—of Houston meets.

No Ma’am
Swamp ass. Just lean into it. We’re all sticky.

Yes Ma’am
Contagious city pride. It’s Houston vs. all y’all.

No Ma’am
Strip malls. Can’t live with ’em…

Yes Ma’am
Strip malls. …can’t live without ’em.

No Ma’am
Disappearing sidewalks. We’re (not) walking here.

Yes Ma’am
José Altuve’s batting arm. We! Want! Hous-ton!

No Ma’am
Lifted homes. Flood control: just build it higher.

Yes Ma’am
T-shirt winter. Sure, it gets hot. But 70-degree Decembers rule.

No Ma’am
Flying roaches. In your face.

Yes Ma’am
Our parks. Whoever said Houston is ugly ain’t lookin’.

No Ma’am
Stopped trains in the East End. Blame it on the feds.

Yes Ma’am
Good eatin’. Tacos and bánh mí and queso and brisket and kolaches and phở and, and…!

No Ma’am
Missing turn signals. Why would one need to know where you’re going at 90 mph?

Published in the Made in Houston issue of Houstonia Mag.











Emma Balter
Emma Balter
Emma Balter became Houstonia’s editor in chief in May 2023. She was previously the food editor of Chron, a features reporter for the Houston Chronicle, and an associate editor at Wine Spectator. She has also contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Eater, PureWow, Chowhound, and VinePair, among others. She graduated from Poynter’s prestigious Leadership Academy for Women in Media in March 2024 and has served on the James Beard Restaurant & Chef committee since 2022. Emma has been a proud Houstonian since 2020 and loves to drive around to discover new pockets of the city—excursions that are mostly food-motivated. She currently lives in southwest Houston with too many cats and will one day learn how to take care of her raised beds properly.