Coeur D’Alene
Explore the beautiful lakes around Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.
Your Outie Wants a Cocktail
Explore the Apple TV series “Severance.”
Podcast – “The Empty Boat”
I listen to many podcasts and sometimes stumble across one that really resonates with me. The following is one such podcast, from the “Secular Buddhism” podcast. It is based on the poem, “The Empty Boat”...
The Power of Journaling in Travel
Journaling your travels can profoundly impact a travel experience in a positive way.
Summer Travel Series – Slow Travel, Establishing Traditions
BackgroundWhen I took my extended train trip, I went with the intention of the trip being “slow travel”. I don’t know the official definition of slow travel, if there is one. I am going to...
Early Learnings From Retirement
After a little over a year into this experiment, I have accumulated the following early lessons from retirement at this point in the process. With an emphasis on process because that is what it is.
Azalea Season in Houston, Spring 2025
The following pictures were taken at Hermann Park in Houston, March 2025.
“Be Where Your Feet Are”
I was inspired to write this post while recently celebrating my birthday. I happened to receive a kite for my birthday and I celebrated the day by flying that kite (pictured above). Something I had...
Recommended Reading List
(Above picture, “Travels with Charley” by John Steinbeck, published by Penguin Books.)Loading…Heading into the summertime, I thought it would be helpful to compile a reading list of some of my favorite books that I have...
Why Building Community is a Pillar of this Blog
One of the pillars of my blog is building community. If this is going to be a pillar of this blog, I want to explain why I feel so strongly about it. I am approaching...
Lessons I Learned from Writing My First Book
How it StartedAs an avid reader, I realized in recent years that I wanted to author a book myself. I am fascinated by the multitude of subjects and writing styles I experience when I read....
The Building Blocks of Community – Rituals
(Above picture is an art display at Discover Green in Downtown Houston.)Loading…A Roundtable Discussion on CommunityI recently attended a round table discussion on community building at Christ Church Cathedral here in downtown Houston. Members of...
Summer Travel Series Part 2 – Amtrak’s California Zephyr – You Will Want to Write a Book About It
(In the above photo, you can see the terrain change heading east into Colorado. This happens near Glenwood Springs. It shortly becomes green all around.)The scenic Amtrak California Zephyr is considered one of the most...
Summer Travel Series Part 1 – Lessons Learned From Extended Travel – Stop Over Optimizing
Loading…(Above, mural in downtown Milwaukee.)With summer travel season approaching, you may be in the midst of planning that long anticipated vacation. I wanted to share an excerpt from my book. If you are anything like...
Review – Two Movies and a Book
Loading…Today I am reviewing two movies and a book. The movies are “Paterson” (Amazon Prime) and “Mr Harrigan’s Phone” (Netflix). The book is “My Name is Asher Lev”.I picked these three independently to write about...
Why You Should Listen to Podcasts
Loading…Friends and acquaintances, with whom I have conversations with on a regular basis, know that I frequently listen to podcasts. This is because many of these conversations include “I just listened to this great podcast...
A Downtown Houston Place to Visit, a Hidden Gem, Allen’s Landing
(Pictured above, January 2025, an unlikely view of Allen’s Landing.)Allen’s Landing saved my sanity during the pandemic.During the dark days of the pandemic, when the other places I normally went to were closed, while our...
PRACTICAL INFORMATION – TRAVELING THE US BY AMTRAK TRAIN
The following is an excerpt from my book “Can Travel Restore My Faith in My Country.” (link)I have organized this section into four parts to make this information as useful as possible, including my early...
My Book
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Take a Tour of the Astros Ballpark
Loading…My History with Astro StadiumsAs I was taking a tour of Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) a few months back during the baseball season, I found myself wondering, “Why haven’t I done this before?”...
Living in Downtown Houston – Four Reasons Why
Loading…How It All StartedThe inspiration for this website was my move from the “suburbs” of Houston to living in downtown Houston. I say suburbs in quotes because it was the Houston Heights, technically Shady Acres,...
Podcast – “The Art & Science of Loving the Place You Live”
Good podcast – check it out.
Mount Rushmore of Houston Part One – Memorial Park
This post is part one of a four part Series on the Mount Rushmore of Houston. If Houston had its own “Mount Rushmore”, what would it be? We start with Memorial Park and the many...
Community and the Harvard Study on Aging
The Harvard Gazette, April 2019, included an article titled “Harvard study almost 80 years old, has provided that embracing community helps us live longer and be happier”.If you are not familiar with the Harvard Study...
The “Native” in Htownnative
(Buffalo Bayou along Allen Parkway)A friend recently asked me what does “native” in Htownnative.com mean? To paraphrase Webster, native is “…belonging to a particular place by birth”. So, the strict and literal definition would require...
Traveling Across the Country by Train and Htownnative
As I have been blogging under the “Travel” tab, I recently completed a 55 day, 12,000 mile train journey around this country. The following is an excerpt from that blog which I believe to be...
I’m Here for the Weekend, Where Do I Go? Part One – Favorable Weather Scenario
I often meet people from out of town when I’m out and about downtown. They are here for the weekend, and they are typically staying downtown. They want to know what they should do for...
I’m Here for the Weekend, Where Do I Go? Part 2 Less than Favorable Weather Scenario
I often meet people from out of town, here for the weekend, and they are typically staying downtown. They want to know what they should do for the weekend and I generally give them suggestions...
In From Out of Town and Will Be at the Medical Center Area – Suggestions
I get this question a lot. Often, people from out of town visit the Medical Center while a family member or friend is receiving medical treatment. Although they often spend the majority of their time...
Best Deals in Town – MFAH Membership
As a native Houstonian, one of my favorite destinations in Houston is the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). It also happens to be one of the best deals in town and the MFAH membership...
Running List of Podcasts
Loading…A beginner’s guide on listening to podcasts.On a different post, I go into the details of “Why You Should Listen to Podcasts.” I will not repeat that detail, but here’s a brief summary.Need a Reason...
Ready, Set, Let’s Run 26.2 Miles
This past Sunday was the annual Chevron Houston Marathon Aramco Half-Marathon, one of my favorite annual events in Houston.After running a few of these over the years from Houston to NYC, Chicago and Washington, D.C.,...
Reflections After 7 Years
After nearly 7 years of our move to downtown, I would like to reflect on the experience. It has clearly been a rollercoaster of highlights and challenges. I can best break this down into...
Navigating the Public Transportation System – Part 1 Introduction
One of the objectives of moving downtown was a more walkable lifestyle supplemented with public transportation and a bicycle. In this blog I will focus on navigating the public transportation system in and around the...
Is Houston Different?
Is Houston Different?As the website name implies, I am a native Houstonian. Born here and have lived the majority of my life here. So I’m always interested in how others who have moved here feel...
Journey To One Car
If you have an object in your life that has a lot of dust on it, what is that typically a sign of? I am not talking about the light dust that naturally forms on...
Galveston – An Acquired Taste
Galveston, an Acquired TasteFor those recently moving to Houston, and in some cases, those who have been here a while, you will get mixed reactions when you ask people about Galveston. If you compare Galveston...
Market Square Park
Recently, while out having brunch at one of my go to downtown restaurants, I met someone who had just moved to downtown Houston from out of state. We had a fun conversation which eventually evolved...
Houston Weather
There’s a lot of angst about the weather right now, but let’s put things into perspective.Complaining about the weather is a favorite past time in Houston, but in all fairness, that goes for most cities.Let...
Living in Small Spaces
When you have an abundance of square footage and closets and garages to store stuff, you buy stuff to fill it up. You spend weekends at box stores buying stuff. I am not casting stones. ...