Yesterday morning I departed New Orleans and headed for Texas. 425 miles later I arrived in Sealy, Texas. Spending the night in Houston sounded like a possibly at the beginning of the day but things change and so I continued driving down the road ending up in Sealy TX. Population 6490.
On the way my thoughts kept creeping back to Washington D.C. Why that kept happening was because of the Freeway system and how well it sometimes works. It is truly a marvel of genius. The way a government can create such a interwoven maze of highways and byways to connect this incredible country. The internet has done much of the same. Both working together so that I can travel to places and see things in such a way that have made this journey more enjoyable or even possible. When things work in this fashion it opens up avenues and routes that ten years ago would not have been possible. My timing was certainly right. This is what kept bringing me back to Washington D.C. How incredible it would be if the rest of our government could function as does the highway system here in the U.S. Don’t get me wrong, the Interstate system has its problems no doubt. That being said, it still has made it for me an overwhelmingly positive experience. There’s still something about being ten miles away from a major city and seeing it for the first time as your driving towards it. Much of the time you’ll see the big stadiums or ballparks from far away. I almost always know exactly what they are when I see them. All are impressive in there own way. Old or new it doesn’t mater. They are one those things I like to call “Statement Makers”. They say Welcome to Our City!! and It works. The Superdome in New Orleans does just that. It really is a SUPERDOME! The Skyline of any city is good. The major city skylines are over the top. Add a major sports arena and you can imagine the appeal. Even if you don’t care about Professional Sports Venues, you have to admit that they are impressive to see. Everybody looks at them. The world of professional sports is a good thing. Maybe not always for the actual games themselves but more for the spectacle they bring to the area and its fans. Major cities may (in the case of NFL Football) only get 8 or 9 home games a year. This year New Orleans has 9 regular season home games. The hotels will be sold out. The bars and restaurants will be packed and of course there is The French Quarter and Bourbon St. Major city’s can, and in most cases are progressive. If they are not, they have a hard time keeping there downtown areas vibrant. Need I say more. That being said Austin, Texas is the 9th largest city in the U.S.(population 950,000). Four of the top ten most populated city’s in the U.S. are in Texas. No major sports teams in Austin but life is good. That city has something else I like as much, MUSIC!
Now its off to San Antonio for a few days and then Maybe Dallas TX. for a Rangers Game for the weekend.
Thanks for reading.
-John Kelly