On Saturday night, I was having dinner with my friend George, and he made an observation that I had developed a habit of “dogging” on the north side of town.
I have to admit that he’s kind of right. Since moving from Spring (in the far north side of the Houston area) to Pearland (located on the south side of the Houston area) four and a half years ago, I’ve been coming to Spring far less and been more critical of the area. However, it’s kind of justified.
Since I’ve left (and probably even before I moved), the area has gone seriously downhill. For example, I can remember seeing at least three news reports of serious crimes (including armed robberies) happening at the intersection by my parents’ house. There’s a Denny’s that we used to go to after late night World of Darkness sessions that has been robbed at least three times in the past year. There was a mass murder that made global headlines in a neighborhood near where I grew up, that I would pass through every so often to go to the movies. I’ve been hearing about security issues in my parents’ neighborhood, as well, including burglaries in broad daylight. It’s just not going so well.
The area has moved on, as well. The aforementioned intersection has turned into something of a ghost town, with two of the three strip centers having become more or less empty. Old familiar faces like Strack Farms have since gone out of business. It’s not the area I grew up with anymore.
However, the most telling (if a tad petty) sign for me is what I noticed Sunday morning. I was preparing to leave my parents’ house to make my way back to Pearland, when I noticed someone had stolen the two Doctor Who magnets from the back of my car. These magnets had stayed on the car when I’ve been all over Houston, yet it wasn’t until I spent the night in Spring that they disappeared off of my car.
So, yeah, I am critical of the Spring area of town now, especially after moving down to Pearland. Then again, it’s not the area I grew up in. It’s become much more urban than rural as the Houston area has expanded, and as a result the area has gone really downhill. I worry for my parents and friends that are still there, but aside from them… I don’t miss living there.