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Post by funkyodar on Apr 25, 2016 12:33:24 GMT -5
I have family in McAllen, TX, just next door to Harlingen, and I've flown in and out of HRL a few times. Overall a nice, dusty, hot, dry, and flat place; HRL airport usually requires a connection from IAD (Houston Intercontinental) or other hubs, but, assuming you get one of the few flights there, it's very easy to get in and out. Being bilingual (in Spanish obviously) is key, and the area has one of the most highly developed health care communities in America. Indeed. they have a phenomenal drug plan.
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Post by owl on Apr 25, 2016 13:07:19 GMT -5
Now Houston, I have lived in. How people lived there prior to air conditioning I will never understand but luckily you won't have to. The seasons in Houston are as follows: Spring is marked by increasing warmth, humidity, and rain in March and April...and the rain can occasionally be torrential and lead to flooding as has been seen recently. Summer is relentlessly hot and humid - we're talking temps in the 90s and dewpoints in the high 70s from April to October, and includes as a bonus the threat of hurricanes in Sept. & Oct. although Houston has had two major hits in the last 10 years so hopefully they will go a good long while before their next one. The third season runs from November to February and is a truly random grab-bag of pleasant, low-humidity days, brief recurrences of summer, and cloudy/rainy days in the 40s.
Houston is a sprawling, car-oriented megalopolis with people commuting in all directions - there are multiple "downtowns" and business districts owing to Houston's famous lack of zoning - so traffic is among the worst in the country, and the public transit system is mostly buses so it's not much of an alternative (there is a light rail but neither of Houston's 2 ODAR offices is anywhere near it).
Houston has 2 ODARs. Houston North is 35-45 minutes north of downtown but just 5 minutes from Intercontinental Airport, which is a major hub for United. Houston Bissonnet is on the outlying SW side of the metro area and is 35-45 minutes from Hobby Airport, which is a major hub for Southwest - and also thanks to a toll beltway the same 45 minutes from Intercontinental despite it being much farther away in distance. Two big airports and lots of competition mean generally low fares to and from Houston.
In terms of OPM's locality pay versus actual cost of living, there is probably not a better deal than Houston. Its locality pay is among the highest in the country - basically the same as NYC - yet cost of living is substantially lower.
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Post by hapi2balj on Apr 25, 2016 19:29:20 GMT -5
I've visited San Antonio a couple of times and it is a lovely city. The downtown Riverwalk is just a pleasure to visit, and as a former World's Fair city it has one of the signature WF towers with a revolving restaurant/bar at the top. The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger and not right in the middle of town. I'll try to keep watch here and when we're through with Texas I can add some insights about Knoxville - my oldest son left for architecture school there in 1998 and never left, so I've been there "a time or two." He & his wife recruited my daughter and son-in-law to live there too so who knows? It may be calling my name one of these days too!
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elvis
Full Member
Viva Falls Church!
Posts: 69
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Post by elvis on Apr 25, 2016 21:03:46 GMT -5
The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger .... Perhaps you should have asked to see the basement.
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Post by gary on Apr 26, 2016 11:28:39 GMT -5
A highly reliable anonymous source asked me to post the following: I will try to impart some of the essence of Tennessee’s three certed cities as well as a sense of the state itself. First and foremost although Nashville claims the crown as Music City the whole state revels in its musical traditions. It wouldn’t be a good discussion of the state without some of the Official State Songs. The most beautiful is Tennessee Waltz sung here by the immortal Patsy Cline. A different Tennessee Waltz en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tennessee_WaltzTennessee is long and flat. You can drive north to south on I-65 in less than 2.5 hours but it takes about 9 hours to drive east to west on I-40. If you are in the Kingsport area (which didn’t make this set of certs) you are closer to Canada than Memphis. It is mountainous in the east and generally slopes down to the Mississippi river in the west. There is no state income tax. Chattanooga Dorothy Dandridge Chattanooga is probably the best generally unknown location on the GAL. It is a small city but has lots of amenities for being so small. You are only a few hours from Atlanta and Nashville. You can go boating, white water rafting, hunting, hiking, fishing, and fly fishing all within an hour’s drive if not closer. The downtown is actually pretty great although small. Property values are generally low especially on a national level. You can live on top of a mountain and still only be a short commute from the ODAR office. Nashville A fun little exploration of the neighborhoods in Nashville: Nashville was named “It” city by the NYT in 2013 and it has since exploded. This is very much a city in transition and property values inside the city are spiking because of it. However, that also means that it has big time shopping, lots of nice restaurants, and job opportunities for spouses. The ring counties offer generally better property prices and a couple offer better schools. It is home a pretty good hockey team and chronically bad football team. If you like college sports Vanderbilt brings lots of big time college action to town. Memphis Memphis has some bright spots Beale Street, the Grizzlies, and good BBQ. However, it is also a city with lots of problems. Most of the wealthy and middle class folks moved way out in the suburbs after integration and it left the city financially crippled. It has mediocre at best schools and more crime than many similarly sized cities. Some of the suburbs like Germantown have all the shopping and other amenities you could want. It is far from the worst place on these certs but if you think it’s going to be Memphis in May all year long you are going to be sadly disappointed. Another one of Tennessee’s Official State Songs. I cannot stress this enough, if you live here you will hear this stupid song all the d@^n time.
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Post by christina on Apr 26, 2016 12:40:04 GMT -5
I've visited San Antonio a couple of times and it is a lovely city. The downtown Riverwalk is just a pleasure to visit, and as a former World's Fair city it has one of the signature WF towers with a revolving restaurant/bar at the top. The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger and not right in the middle of town. I'll try to keep watch here and when we're through with Texas I can add some insights about Knoxville - my oldest son left for architecture school there in 1998 and never left, so I've been there "a time or two." He & his wife recruited my daughter and son-in-law to live there too so who knows? It may be calling my name one of these days too! The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger..... You are not the first person to have noticed that!!!
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Post by gary on Apr 26, 2016 12:52:00 GMT -5
I've visited San Antonio a couple of times and it is a lovely city. The downtown Riverwalk is just a pleasure to visit, and as a former World's Fair city it has one of the signature WF towers with a revolving restaurant/bar at the top. The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger and not right in the middle of town. I'll try to keep watch here and when we're through with Texas I can add some insights about Knoxville - my oldest son left for architecture school there in 1998 and never left, so I've been there "a time or two." He & his wife recruited my daughter and son-in-law to live there too so who knows? It may be calling my name one of these days too! The Alamo was a bit of a disappointment to me - it's cool but I expected it to be just a little (ok, a lot) bigger..... You are not the first person to have noticed that!!! It was a disappointment to Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett too.
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Post by anotherfed on Apr 26, 2016 15:23:49 GMT -5
I have family in McAllen, TX, just next door to Harlingen, and I've flown in and out of HRL a few times. Overall a nice, dusty, hot, dry, and flat place; HRL airport usually requires a connection from IAD (Houston Intercontinental) or other hubs, but, assuming you get one of the few flights there, it's very easy to get in and out. Being bilingual (in Spanish obviously) is key, and the area has one of the most highly developed health care communities in America. Indeed. they have a phenomenal drug plan. I giggle every time I read this... well done, Funkmaster.
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Post by sealaw90 on Apr 27, 2016 11:21:53 GMT -5
Todays most excellent pick is Charleston, SC. The low country. Shrimp & grits. Hottest new restaurants. Cruise ship terminal (Carnival & Norwegian) Wonderful suburbs to choose from north and south of town. The Citadel, Ft. Sumter, and all the civil war history you can lose yourself in.
I drilled there for 3 years, loved every second of it.(the city not so much the drills!)
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Post by greendog on Apr 27, 2016 12:01:51 GMT -5
Charleston. It's hot. Nice old buildings. Hot. Great Food. Hot. Nice beaches in the area. Highly recommended Edisto Beach south of Charleston. Hot. People are really friendly. The Gullah people live close by and make beautiful crafts. It's hot. Big Daddy's Pork Skins are awesome. Man, it's hot.
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ducky
Full Member
Blowing in the wind
Posts: 107
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Post by ducky on Apr 27, 2016 12:21:59 GMT -5
When I was in Charleston in my 20s, I also remember the beer prices at the bars being most excellent. You could sit outside and have a beer and soak in some history. It also has perhaps the scariest bridge I have ever driven across (or so it seemed at the time).
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 27, 2016 12:23:06 GMT -5
I just hope its not as depressing as Pat Conroy has led me to believe.
I do love shrimp and grits.
For those uncertain what grits are:
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Post by jagvet on Apr 27, 2016 14:07:40 GMT -5
For you litigators out there, here's the other shoe: Vinny's courtroom grits moment:
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Post by jagvet on Apr 27, 2016 14:11:08 GMT -5
Charleston weather may be hot and humid in the summer, but no worse than Savannah, Florida cities, New Orleans, and a lot more charming!
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Post by minny on Apr 27, 2016 14:17:38 GMT -5
Charleston. It's hot. Nice old buildings. Hot. Great Food. Hot. Nice beaches in the area. Highly recommended Edisto Beach south of Charleston. Hot. People are really friendly. The Gullah people live close by and make beautiful crafts. It's hot. Big Daddy's Pork Skins are awesome. Man, it's hot. lol. In July 1976 my family returned from my dad's tour in Germany and deplaned on the tarmac in Charleston at about 2:00 a.m. and it was HOT. Not only that, but the humidity made the air nearly unbreathable. It was like getting hit with a Mack truck right at the door of the plane.
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 27, 2016 15:12:39 GMT -5
Charleston weather may be hot and humid in the summer, but no worse than Savannah, Florida cities, New Orleans, and a lot more charming! I can't concede that Charleston is more charming than Savannah or New Orleans. Anyone who thinks Charleston's heat and humidity is unbearable should take a serious look at removing the Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Houston, and North Florida locations from their GAL. I am sure there are others as bad. I just know that the heat and humidity in Charleston is much better than it is in Metairie or Jacksonville.
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Post by sealaw90 on Apr 27, 2016 19:57:27 GMT -5
Charleston weather may be hot and humid in the summer, but no worse than Savannah, Florida cities, New Orleans, and a lot more charming! I can't concede that Charleston is more charming than Savannah or New Orleans. Anyone who thinks Charleston's heat and humidity is unbearable should take a serious look at removing the Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Houston, and North Florida locations from their GAL. I am sure there are others as bad. I just know that the heat and humidity in Charleston is much better than it is in Metairie or Jacksonville. Exactly what I was thinking! Charleston has a breeze run thru it compared to Savannah, Jax and the like.
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Post by greendog on Apr 27, 2016 20:53:51 GMT -5
Although not on this register, nothing compares to the hot in Columbia, SC. I like SC but it is hot, except for the highlands around Greenville. Next time you are in Columbia get you a whataburger. It's different than the Texas whataburger chain.
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Post by cafeta on Apr 27, 2016 23:49:26 GMT -5
A highly reliable anonymous source asked me to post the following: I will try to impart some of the essence of Tennessee’s three certed cities as well as a sense of the state itself. First and foremost although Nashville claims the crown as Music City the whole state revels in its musical traditions. It wouldn’t be a good discussion of the state without some of the Official State Songs. The most beautiful is Tennessee Waltz sung here by the immortal Patsy Cline. So I had a friend from Tennessee who was getting married, and he wanted this beautiful song played at his wedding! I said "Dude, listen to the lyrics man, I'm pretty sure you don't want to play this at your wedding!" He listened to the lyrics, even though he's been "listening" to this song his entire life. They did not play it at the wedding! But, otherwise, a beautiful song!
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 28, 2016 6:24:27 GMT -5
A highly reliable anonymous source asked me to post the following: I will try to impart some of the essence of Tennessee’s three certed cities as well as a sense of the state itself. First and foremost although Nashville claims the crown as Music City the whole state revels in its musical traditions. It wouldn’t be a good discussion of the state without some of the Official State Songs. The most beautiful is Tennessee Waltz sung here by the immortal Patsy Cline. So I had a friend from Tennessee who was getting married, and he wanted this beautiful song played at his wedding! I said "Dude, listen to the lyrics man, I'm pretty sure you don't want to play this at your wedding!" He listened to the lyrics, even though he's been "listening" to this song his entire life. They did not play it at the wedding! But, otherwise, a beautiful song! Patsy Cline's voice was otherworldy. I'm not a huge fan of the song and she certainly had far better ones but I will take any chance to listen to her sing.
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