Houston. It's Worth It.

I really love Houston. I have said this before, and I will say it again. I moved here three times, and each time I could have gone somewhere else. I have considered moving more than once in my life. Now that I am in my Year of Turning 50, I really know that this is the place that I should be.

Houston has a lot of detractors, and I am not saying that Houston is not without its faults. In a show of why bureaucracy doesn’t work, but grass roots does is the fact that the “official” Houston has had many slogans. (My favorite was I [heart] Hou) We have been through “Houston’s Hot!” to “Space City, a City of Infinite Possibilities” and all the strange computations in between. But a local group called Houston, It’s Worth It (HIWI) has come up with a great campagne where they ask Houstoninans why we love the city (See the link above)

Well, tonight we happened upon a photography exhibit of 650 photos that folks sent in to “Show Us Why” Houston is worth it. It was held at the Houston Center for Photography, and it was a wonderful show.

They had taken all the photos (and they accepted all that were submitted) and put them up on the walls with no rhyme or reason (other than photos from the same artist could not be adjacent). The effect was much like the effect of being in our No-Zoned city. A little bit scattered, but wonderful all the same.

And the people! They allowed a maximum of 5 photos per photographer, so there were at least 130 people involved. I think that there were more. The joint was jumpin’! There was a dj – international artist James Eck Rippie spinnin’ the tunes and free beer and wine.

We saw one of Doreen’s board members and his wife, along with some neighbors and one of The Art Guys (with whom D now has a kissing relationship. Don’t ask) And the place was just PACKED! It was fun.

Yet another reason that makes Houston Worth It.