The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When the time is right, I hope you’ll visit Houston
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo immediately seemed like a good guy when we met a few days prior to Super Bowl 51, and not just because he said privately that he was cheering for the Falcons. (What? Tom Brady needed another ring?) The chief with a national reputation for community policing was an energetic and ubiquitous presence as tens of thousands of sports fans poured into his town, yet he was happy to take a minute to film a short video clip to complement AJC sports coverage.
“Enjoy your stay and if we can be of service, just remember, the Houston Police Department is here to take care of you and to welcome you to our great city,” he said during our interview, filmed outside the George Brown Convention Center. In recent days, the cavernous convention center became an emergency shelter for residents seeking refuge from Hurricane Harvey’s devastating aftermath. Acevedo once again kept long hours as his department and other first responders completed thousands of rescue missions.
“It’s far from over,” he told his social media followers in a video clip he filmed as buses loaded with storm refugees pulled up to the center. “God bless you.”
To state the obvious, Houston isn’t ready to accommodate tons of tourists at the moment. Full recovery from historic flooding could take years. But when things get somewhat back to normal, I hope you’ll spend some time — and money — there. (In the nearer term, I hope you’ll consider a charitable contribution to relief efforts.)
America’s fourthlargest city prides itself as the nation’s most diverse, and exploring its incredible cultural richness affords unique opportunities to embrace old and new experiences.
First, visit Phoenicia Specialty Foods, either downtown or in West Houston. That’s right, your first stop needs to be a grocery store. But this is no regular grocery store. It’s more like a food museum. The family-run empire grew from the location Bob and Arpi Tcholakian, an Armenian couple formerly of Lebanon, opened in 1983. A colleague and I visited the downtown location, and we were so gobsmacked we just walked around for a while before actually buying anything. Phoenicia stocks 15,000 products from more than 50 countries, but it’s an affordable trip around the world. No wholepaycheck nonsense here.
If you’re traveling with kids, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a must. Mummies, dinosaurs, a butterfly center, not to mention a gleaming hall of precious gems. It will interest some families to know that museum staff members have worked to eliminate sensory triggers to make things friendly to guests with autism.
During Super Bowl duty, reporters stayed at the brand-new Marriott Marquis Houston Downtown, a gleaming modern tower that opened in November 2016. It’s perfect for the traveler seeking spacious rooms, modern amenities, a sumptuous spa and high-end club level along with a range of dining options. And — this is pretty clutch — it boasts a “lazy river” pool in the shape of Texas. I recommend the Hotel Icon, where I stayed during a previous visit, for historyminded travelers. The neoclassical gem was built in 1911 and was quite the Texas skyscraper for its time, all 12 stories of it. It housed banking, architectural and construction firms for decades, and following extensive renovation opened as a hotel in 2004. The tiled bathrooms are particularly swank.
Of course, it feels insensitive to talk about which delicacy to nibble, which exhibit to explore or whether to choose a modern spa or historic decor amid harrowing headlines. But tourism dollars can be a part of Houston’s long-term recovery. If you have an opportunity to show your appreciation to one of the brave first responders who have rescued thousands of residents trapped by flooding, even better.
“The collective heart of our Houston Police and American first responder community is second to none,” Acevedo posted. “We are proud to serve.”