Talking about Houston

Spoke with Arlene Bynon on AM640 today about my trip to Houston, working on a piece for the Toronto Star Travel section. The rodeo and livestock show is coming up in March there-would love to go back for that.

Hot on Houston

I am working on a story for the Toronto Star on Houston. I was there for three days and some some splendid art, gardens, some weird food an offbeat museums.

LRT in Houston-taking a chance with design.

A section of the light rail system in downtown Houston. A reflecting pond, places to sit, flowers. Would we do this in Hamilton?

Light rail in Houston Texas. It looks good but has not worked miracles.

I was in Houston on the weekend and took a spin on the light rail system. People on board thought it was good but too limited. There is only one link, running from a museum district to the downtown. There have been plans for years to add more routes, but it has never happened. The train was modern and clean, and the stops designed well,  and free of litter and graffiti. This shot was taken on a Saturday and as you can see the downtown was sparsely populated. Monday to Friday the scene would be different. Several people I talked to were riding the light rail for the first time, though they had lived in the city for years. They were only riding it because the Houston Marathon was making it difficult to drive in the downtown core. And driving is where it's at in Houston, which is a sprawling city where the car is king. As glam as LRT might be, the people I talked to thought a comprehensive bus system would serve the city better.