Who could imagine I'd enjoy Houston so much?
As if switching from a career in politics to a career in medicine wasn’t scary enough, the thought of moving from Washington, DC to Houston, TX didn’t help to ease my anxiety. Being a native Texan--having grown up in Austin--I knew what the great state of Texas had to offer, but I wasn’t sure what Houston had to offer besides, Big Oil, BBQ and Rodeo. So reluctantly I accepted my offer from Baylor College of Medicine hoping that Houston would be more than just a city I called home for the next few years. Looking back now a year later, I can’t tell you how many great activities are going on in this city and how proud I am to call Houston home!
As soon as I arrived here, I got a student membership to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the premiere fine arts museum in the South. Much of my social scene revolves around the museum, with member happy hours at least once a month and young professionals events throughout the year—not to mention the amazing exhibits that come to Houston (Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul). Houston has so many other amazing museums and a blossoming underground art scene. The Contemporary arts museum, and The Menil Collection, as well as dozens of other smaller galleries have a constant flow of new art and artists, that exhibit throughout the year. At least once a week you can find a gallery with an art opening that attracts a hip, young crowd. Theatre is also booming in Houston, with multiple fringe productions a week, not to mention the amazing Hobby Center which offers national touring musicals from Broadway throughout the year.
Having the schedule of a med student doesn’t leave me with a lot of time for fun, but I always leave time to blow off some steam and hang out with my friends. There are so many places to go out in Houston with a variety of scenes. Mid-town offers a great bar and dance scene for the 20 somethings, while the Heights has more lounges and clubs for the late 20s-30 somethings. Montrose/Westheimer area has a more hipster vibe with coffee shops and hole in the wall bars, or if you’re looking to just grab a beer with some friends, Rice Village has tons of really laid back bars.
We all know that Texans love to eat, and now I can see why—every restaurant I’ve tried here is really good, and it’s not just TexMex and BBQ. From big city style sushi happy hours to hippie healthy, Houston is a metropolitan city with a diversity of cultures and tastes where you’ll never go hungry! The weather is good too—where else can you work on your tan 10 months out of the year!
The greatest thing about Houston is that I am always finding something new to do, or a new scene to check out. Just last week I found out that there’s free salsa dancing at the Downtown Aquarium on Friday nights. Houston is a big city with a lot to offer. The people here are nice, the food is good and there’s always something fun to do. Whether culture is your thing or partying is what you need, Houston has it all.
