Houston

“Houston” was the first word heard from the moon, followed by “tranquility base here”, directed to Mission Control in Texas, during the Apollo 11 space program, 20th July 1969. Those words were followed by the more iconic phrase, “The Eagle has landed”.

On a recent visit to Houston for New Years [second time in a row] drawn back by the “Texan Love” from family, their friends, great sports events & some ginormous gyms! “H-Town”, known mainly for its connection to space exploration & the energy industry, has ALOT more to offer than the perception that proceeds it. Namely, a very diverse food scene, sports teams, museums & cultural institutions. I found that Houstonians eat out more than almost anyone else given a very “tasteful” culinary scene that sits under its Texas-sized belt. According to Zagat’s research, the “Space City’s” citizens have been taking its meals at restaurants more than any other US city for the better part of the last decade & it shows in the quality & variety of options that there are to choose from.

Additionally, it’s a burgeoning economy: the State of Texas has the second largest by GDP in the USA after California, with a gross state product of US$2.3TRILLION [!!!] as of 2022. Its economy again growing faster than the USA as a whole, for the fifth quarter in a row, at a rate of 7.7% during Q3 2023 [Bureau of Economic Analysis].

Impressively, highlights about Houston also include that it’s home to the world-famous basketball team @houstonrockets , @houstontexans for American Football, of course @nasa , lush reserve parks, rapper/DJ @paulwallbaby & Queen Bey herself @beyonce to name-but-a-few. As such, these truths put H-Town on the map as a vibrant & dynamic city that has something to offer any international audience. Moreover, it has more affordable housing vs. other parts of the USA, low[er] cost of living, no state income tax & a diverse culture — the list of good things goes on! So, as long as you don’t mind some hot weather [most of the time] & honky-tonk, “H-Town” is “Hot as Balls”!

Third visit-in-a-row pending, given a “successful mission” with “no problems”….