re: I'm starting to sour on NOLA...

Here's the thing about Houston... years ago it was known strictly as a place with a good economy. It wasn't known for it's culture and it was thought of as ugly.

Now that the city has been established as an economic power, the culture has been building up over the years and they have been working on "beautifying" the city. Adding more greenery, more art, more parks, etc.

They're working to improve the city by making downtown more of a place to be rather than just work.

The city has been rapidly improving in areas that make a city a place you want to be.

That's a major difference between Houston and New Orleans. New Orleans has been on the decline for years. New Orleans is an old city that's content with just skating by on "charm". Houston is a city that is on the rise and is building itself into a world-class, forward-thinking city.