I am off on other travels and experiences, but before doing so I had realized that in my time living back in Texas as an adult, rather than when I did as a child, and my six years on Galveston Island, I had not taken advantage fully of all the the big city of Houston had to offer.
When I first moved here I had been newly from many other travels after having left California. I had spent many days jumping on the metro bus system and letting it take me where it took me. I wandered all over Houston, exploring by myself. And yet I still never saw nearly at all what it had to offer. My favorite place was actually on the bus, people watching. People on the way to work, or tired after their day from it. I also explored the Down Town Houston Library. Bliss. And so very a place to visit. Museum like in its-self. Funny how public libraries are far from only stuffy shelves of books but often places in themselves a tourist attraction (Another reason to keep them open.) And always a place of learning and exploration.
I’d worked in Houston but my experience then was much of driving in traffic to and from work. Never something that makes a person fond of a busy city full of millions of people…doing the same thing, at about the same time. I had the chance to see inside a lot of beautiful homes, however, and the bliss of some of the architecture and design had me swooning. I then have spent years wrapped up in Galveston and recently decided to begin exploring Houston again before I left Galveston and Houston. I took my camera with me and foot to pavement or ride around usually as passenger with J as we let ourselves get lost and my camera often to my eye.
Enjoying many foods in Houston has been a fun thing, Galveston is pretty limited and there is much to explore in just the foods of Houston. Anthony Bourdain recently had much to say about Houston and what food cuture here teaches us, in Houstonia Magazine
My favorite go to for crunchy taco’s is still Taco’s A Go-Go, discovered years ago when up here for live music.
Which takes me to discuss the live music available in Houston. Aside from the amazing theaters they offer for music concerts, plays, dances, opera and more, the local live music scene here is hard to beat and not one to pass over.
And so many more. You can catch some great ones here.
But I also love the Museum Days and the days exploring the greenways, parks, gardens, and outdoors that this huge wide spread city has to offer. I’ve gone to many, spent hours tiring my feet out walking through them, and have yet to even begin touching on all that is available here.
The history of Houston, economics, and politics have always fascinated me. It is the home-base where my grandparents taught me of such things growing up. The first woman in office for me to ever know and learn about almost intimately was here, and also Houstons first female mayor, Kathryn Witmire. Not only did the decade of my birth bring Houstons first female Mayor, but also the first woman elected into any office in the city of Houston. A city built on oil….a good ol’ boys game. And women have played the game well ever since in creating the city of Houston into what it is today. One that goes far beyond the oil.
It is, a city of opportunity.
The city built on industry has turned into one now in the economy of some of the largest in multiple industries. The arts are hard to rival and between the arts, museums, music from rock to classic, big stage to local, foods, colleges, innovation, and melting pot of it all, this city has a lot to show you. Economy and industry are strong in too many fields to list. The Arts, Medical, Communications, Law, and so many that have nothing at all to do with oil, still a strong economy for us. Houston is a city that will never fold, never fail, never die.
So how could I leave before I had a chance to explore? To become reacquainted? to see the city that my grandparents had moved to? And the largest city near where I was raised during childhood with parents who had a love of museums?
I spent afternoons walking walking the streets, would turn each corner, stare up at the skyscrapers and revel at the architecture of such a new city, such a new place, one that sets perfect example of what can be started from very little or even nothing and beat all odds. And I am in awe.
A Kind Of Single Lady 