Houston! My Houston!

I love Houston, Texas. I mean, really truly love it (just don't mention the weather from May through September).I was born here, moved away as a child, and now I've been back for the past six years. I used to imagine moving somewhere colder with snow or four actual seasons (and I still do sometimes). But Houston is my home.

And, let's be honest, Houston does not have a reputation for being a city of charm and culture. We are known for oil companies, NASA, and suburban sprawl. We are one of the more obese cities in America, we do not have the best schools, and some areas of town are downright seedy despite the decrease in violent crime over recent years. If people fly in for a business conference, and only eat at the franchise restaurants near the airport hotels, or only drive on the freeways in rush hour, it is understandable that they would not be itching to spend vacation time here. Which, in all honesty, is exactly the way we like it.

I'm going to let you in on some confidential information: there is a secret Houston that only locals know about. It's true! Why else would so many people live here, if all we had was the typical business trip fare? Why would we have top research universities, a population as diverse as New York City, and even more theatre seats? The cost of living is not very high, relative to other large cities, and the best in restaurants, museums, art, and music can be had here. And, when looking at the map of Texas in recent elections, Houston is a bright blue spot in a very red state. Our mayor is the first openly gay mayor in America, and she's a lady! How cool is that? We've got gay bars, and hipsters, and food from every place on earth. We've got high fashion shopping and thrifty nooks. We've got community gardens, independent bookstores, bars that have been around since my parents were in college, and something new to experience every day. We've got Chinatown, which also happens to be full of lovely Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Japanese restaurants (all of these kinds of cuisine can be found all over town, but are concentrated near Bellaire and Beltway 8). Houston also has the largest population of Nigerians outside of Nigeria. We are cosmopolitan and still know good Southern BBQ served with sweet iced tea.

Dallas has the money, but their boots aren't authentic, and it isn't a global city (also, Dallas is the WORST). San Antonio is a haven for Mexican culture and cuisine, but it doesn't have Houston's thriving art scene. Austin is swarming with young hip professionals and is very popular with tourists, but the whole feel of Austin becomes tiresome. All of these places are nice to visit (except Dallas, which is a little bit of hell on Earth), but I wouldn't want to live there. Houston has all of the benefits of the other Texan cities, without the drawbacks. The only difference is that Houston plays its cards close to the chest. You have to dig a little deeper, and not stay on the suburban outskirts.

So, when I heard about a video contest aimed at sharing what you love about Houston, sponsored through our local public radio station, I decided this would be the perfect project. I recently had a friend move back to Houston from New York City, and she's an expert at film production. So, without waiting around, we quickly got to work at capturing some of our favorite places on camera. We've still got a lot of work ahead of us (and I've had some set backs I will save for a later post) but so far it's been loads of fun. And, through the act of filming, I've fallen even more in love with my city.