The New Houston: It's not what you think

By Tracy Barnett
September 2009

It was the perfect New Houston moment: A Pavarotti-like voice pulsed over the green lawns and the sparkling lake of Discovery Green. A sumptuously dressed cast beamed Macbeth from an inflatable screen, towering over a thousand people of all ages, colors and sizes. Some lounged in lawn chairs or on blankets spread on the green grass; some watched from the patios of nearby restaurants. Some munched hamburgers; others drank beer.

This was the Grand Opera's first Citycast, performed at Wortham Center and broadcast live on public radio and at public places including Discovery Green, the new showpiece of art, culture and green technology that Houston wrested from a jumble of parking lots in 2008.

This was not the Houston of the cattle drives or the oil tycoons or the petrochemical industry, which is what most people think about when they think of this city, if they think of it at all. Which is a shame, because they are missing out on one of the country's truly great international metropolises.

Sometimes it's good to travel; sometimes it's good to stick around and see what's great about where you live. I've been doing that lately, with a piece this week for Continental Magazine. Meanwhile, if you're flying Southwest Airlines this month, take a moment to read the great package of articles on Houston inside. I'm in good company with a group of excellent Houston writers with "Meet Houston."

Read about it here: http://bit.ly/174Jdm and come see me sometime in the Bayou City. You won't be disappointed!