Excellent Reasons for Visiting Houston, Texas

Welcome to Houston! Most would-be visitors frown at the thought of visiting Houston, having heard tales of terrible traffic jams, stifling heat and humidity, and other annoyances. While most of these comments are true, my goal here to tell you why Houston deserves a visit.

Having been assigned to Houston twice, in the last seven years, I have learned to love this city, see it with eager eyes and discover it. I am not a Houstonian nor a Texan, that's why my opinion is unbiased.

Top reasons for visiting Houston:

1) Cultural Diversity

Houston is one of the country's most diverse cities, behind Los Angeles, New York and Miami, and the visitor can sample the culture and heritage of the many nationalities. Southwest Houston has become a veritable international marketplace with intriguing shops and restaurants, the most popular representation being Middle Eastern, Indian, Pakistani, some African nations and Latin America.

Houston has one of the largest Asian neighborhoods, including Vietnamese, Chinese and S.E Asians. Here you'll find many shops and restaurants at prices that can't be beat!

2) Architecture and Public Art

In downtown Houston, you'll find lovingly restored Art Deco buildings to eye-pleasing modern architecture, several of which were conceived by well-known architects, such as Phillip Johnson (think Paris's La Defense). One of the city's iconic buildings is the Bank of America's Center; it is beautiful and dramatic!

Thanks to the "Public Art Network" and "City of Houston Civic Art Program," you can see beautiful works of arts, as well as some decidedly mystifying works in public spaces throughout the city.

When meandering the streets of downtown Houston, take a look at the "Monument au Fantome" by Jean Dubuffet at 1100 Louisiana Street, and Tony Cragg's monumental, free-form sculpture called "In Minds" and found at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Check out the "Heritage Lanterns" which can be found in the little park across from the Toyota Center; this attractive and permanent exhibit is a tribute to the city's many Victorian mansions found in this area. Not to be missed are the fountains, as well as the special lighting under bridge structures found at the Buffalo Bayou, near Allen's Landing.

Throughout the year, many temporary art displays are featured, as well as permanent exhibits which are continuously added to public spaces.

3) Green Spaces in the City

Beautiful green belts and lush parks can be found in the heart of the city. Memorial Park is a park close to my heart, as a runner, and I've used this urban oasis at dusk or dawn. Here you'll see many Houstonians pound the trails or just stroll or ride a bike. Take to the inner trails of Memorial Park and challenge yourself while riding a mountain bike.

The Buffalo Bayou, is a scenic, 52-mile, slow-moving waterway that has become an extremely popular destination for the outdoors person. Considered an "urban oasis", the Buffalo Bayou is a diverse ecosystem supporting dozens of native species of flora and fauna, to include a huge colony (250,000 /-) Mexican Free-tailed bats. The bayou is also ideal for canoeing and kayaking; there are two canoe and kayak launches, located at Sesquicentennial Park or Allen's Landing, giving you easy access and exit. The bayou's well-maintained paths are also used by runners and cyclists.

Hermann Parkin the Museum district offers a public 18-hole golf course, horseback riding, picnic areas, children's area, jogging trails, and it happens to be next door to the Houston Zoo, another favorite place of mine.

4) Visual Arts

Houston enjoys a wonderful array of museums conveniently located in the Museum District, next door to Rice University. There are 18 superb venues for art, culture, science and nature. All museums are walking distance from each other, and you can spend the entire day browsing the many museums.

The Museum District is the city's pride and joy, and you'll find quite an extensive array of world class exhibits. I take great pride in taking our out-of town guests to our venues.

Houston's noteworthy museums are:

~ Museum of Fine Arts,

~ Contemporary Arts Museum,

~ Museum of Natural Science,

~ The Children's Museum (rated the #2 children's museum in the nation!),

~ Bayou Bend (one the most visited historic homes in the U.S.),

~ the Holocaust Museum,

~ the Menil Collection, featuring the largest, most valuable private collection of 20th century art, and

~ the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, featuring the only intact Byzantine frescoes of this size and importance in the Western Hemisphere.

5) World-class Performing Arts - Houston has it all!

Built during Houston's oil crisis and completely with donations from corporations and citizens alike, the Houston Grand Opera is the only opera company in the world that has received a Grammy, Tony and Emmy awards. Over the years, HGO's has risen to world-class status, featuring many world premieres, special recordings, television appearances and world travel.

The HGA belongs to all Houstonians and what I love about the HGA is the fact that not only do they present world-class performances, but all performances, in their pricing schemes, are accessible to every member of the community.

The Houston Ballet was launched in 1969, and is the city's youngest resident, professional company, and has risen to the top with an international reputation and top notch performances.

The Theater District comprises 17 blocks and is home to nine world-class performing arts organizations and five diverse venues.

6) Shopping

Houston has its fair share of malls, too numerous to mention; suffice it to say that they tend to be gargantuan, and cater to every budget and taste. When Money is no Object, those who like to indulge go to The Galleria, ranked the 4th largest upscale mall in the United States, boasting 375 stores (Gucci, Versace, Fendi, and other super-upscale boutiques to name a few).

The Galleria is anchored by Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom and TWO Macy's stores. There is a new wing featuring a huge Borders bookstore, and three awesome restaurants!

9) Dining

Without a doubt, there is no a shortage of great restaurants in Houston, and some are consistently ranked among the top in the country! One thing is for sure, from modest restaurants, to the super elegant venues, you'll never go hungry in the city of Houston!

10) A True Sports Destination

With the exposure attained by hosting Super Bowl 38 in 2004, and other major sports events such at the Tennis Masters Cup, and the NBA All-Star Game, Houston has become a city with abundant sports events; it's your choice!

Professional sports team that call Houston home:

~ Major League Baseball: Astros. Home Stadium: Minute Maid Park

~ National Football League: Houston Texans - Home Stadium: Reliant Park

~ National Basketball Association: Houston Rockets - Toyota Center

~ Major League Soccer: Houston Dynamo - Robertson Stadium

~ American Hockey League: Houston Aeros - Toyota Center

~ Women's National Basketball Association. Houston Comets - Toyota Center . The Houston Comets is the only team in the WNBA that has won the most championships, ever.

11 ) Healthcare

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) with 46 member institutions is the largest medical complex in the world. The complex includes 13 renowned hospitals, two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy and virtually all health-related careers.

Conclusion

Do I love Houston? You bet! Houston is a city that radiates vitality, cultural diversity, and has a beat all its own. Yes, the traffic is heavy due to its large population, but is there a major US city without horrible traffic? No!

Sure the summers are hot and humid, but humidity is great for keeping wrinkles at bay! The winters are gloriously beautiful, with temperatures averaging in the low 70's...can't beat that when the rest of the country is buried under snow!

Let's face it, Houston remains one of the few cities in the nation that offers affordable housing, has a robust economy, great places to eat, awesome arts, entertainment, sports venues, and beautiful green spaces. Houston has something for everyone.

The next time you're poised to visit Houston for business or pleasure, take your time and discover what this city has to offer.