[GreaterPhilly] An article from the Braille Monitor about Houston Texas

Tue Apr 4 23:53:04 UTC 2023

THANK YOU SO MUCH, I’m excited

On Tue, Apr 4, 2023 at 7:44 PM DENICE BROWN via GreaterPhilly <
greaterphilly at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Houston, We Don’t Have a Problem
>
> *by Norma Crosby*
>
> *[image: norma-crosby-1.jpg]From the Editor: Norma Crosby requires little
> introduction given she is the treasurer of the National Federation of the
> Blind and the president of our Texas Affiliate. If you had any doubts about
> whether there are things to see and do in Houston in addition to our annual
> convention, read on:*
>
> H-Town and Space City are just two of the names you’ll hear used for
> Houston. This dynamic city may be a little different from what you imagine.
> Do people wear hats and boots? Well, some do. Do we all ride horses? Mostly
> during the trail rides associated with the world’s biggest rodeo. Oh, and
> some of our police officers in the downtown area ride them as well, but
> most people drive cars or take the bus or train. Do we all speak with a
> Texas drawl? Not really. Lots of folks from other parts of the country and
> around the world move to Houston every day, and about 145 languages are
> spoken here. So, some of us sound like we were born here, but what Houston
> sounds like is changing.
>
> Houston is a city with a world-class symphony, ballet, opera, and theater
> scene. It is the epitome of southern cool, with a food scene that is the
> envy of most American cities. It is a mix of old and new, oil barons and
> tech geniuses. It boasts the world’s largest medical center, and best of
> all, it is host to the 2023 convention of the National Federation of the
> Blind.
>
> As every *Braille Monitor* reader knows, the Hilton Americas is the
> headquarters hotel for the convention, and it sits just across the street
> from the twelve-acre Discovery Green Park. Discovery Green is a mix of
> beautiful gardens, art installations, and family-friendly fun. It plays
> host to free musical events, yoga classes, and a playground for the kids.
> There is a scent garden, the listening vessels, weekly jazz concerts, and
> more. There are two restaurants in the park. They are The Grove and The
> Lake House. This oasis in the middle of downtown is not to be missed, and
> you can walk to everything it has to offer from either the Hilton or the
> Marriott Marquis, our overflow hotel. For more information, go to
> discoverygreen.com <http://www.discoverygreen.com/>.
>
> Of course, Houston’s 665 square miles offers much more than Discovery
> Green, and I’ll tell you a little more about some attractions you might
> want to visit while in town. Some of what I’ll describe will be nearby,
> and, fair warning, some won’t. We have a saying here, and hearing it might
> help you understand what traveling around Houston is like. We say, “It
> takes an hour to get to Houston from Houston.” That means it is a
> spread-out city, y’all. With that in mind, here are some things to know
> about visiting Houston.
>
> Space Center Houston is a main attraction in Space City. It sits
> approximately twenty-five miles south of downtown and has daily tours. Our
> affiliate is working to develop a scheduled tour with transportation to and
> from the Center. For more information, check our website at nfbtx.org,
> after May 1.
>
> Galveston isn’t inside the vast area that is Houston. In fact, it is about
> fifty miles South, but I am mentioning it here because we know some of our
> members use convention time as vacation time. Galveston is Houston’s
> playground, and it is a great place to visit if you love the beach,
> waterparks, shopping, rides, and more. We aren’t likely to be able to
> arrange a tour because, even though it’s close, you’ll probably want to
> spend more than one day there. We recommend that you look at Galveston.com
> to decide what you want to do while you are there. You can also call our
> office at  281-968-7733 for suggestions about Galveston. We go every
> chance we get.
>
> The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) is working with our affiliate
> to make sure visitors have a great time when they visit. We are planning to
> provide a tour on Saturday, July 1, and other activities associated with
> the museum may happen throughout the week. The museum’s King Tut exhibit
> includes an accessible 3-D piece built by John Olson and his team at 3-D
> Photo Works, and that exhibit will be available during our tour. The staff
> at HMNS wants to make our members feel welcome just as our affiliate does.
> So we hope you’ll join us for the tour we have planned. You’ll be able to
> learn more about registering and paying for your tour on our website,
> nfbtx.org <http://www.nfbtx.org/>, after May 1.
>
> The Children’s Museum of Houston has been rated the number one children’s
> museum in the nation by* Parents *magazine. With over 90,000 feet of
> interactive exhibit space, kids twelve and under are welcome to explore all
> the museum has to offer, and their parents are welcome too.
>
> The world champion Houston Astros play baseball less than a half mile from
> our hotel, and while I’m not encouraging you to miss the great evening
> activities and meetings, I will say that the Astros will be home on the
> weekend following our convention. We are currently exploring the
> possibility of getting a group together for the game versus the Seattle
> Mariners scheduled for July 7. If you’re interested, let me hear from you.
> Just send a quick email to astros at nfbtx.org, with the subject line “I
> want to see a great baseball game.” You can write beautiful prose about
> your love for the Astros in the body of the email, and I’ll touch base with
> you if there is enough interest to get a group together. A decision will be
> made by May 15, so respond soon.
>
> I’ve told you some about what you can do while you are here, but let me
> give a short bit of advice for getting here. Houston has two airports.
> George Bush Intercontinental Airport is north of the city. It is
> approximately twenty-two miles from our hotel. William P. Hobby Airport,
> commonly called Hobby, is less than ten miles from the hotel. If you are
> flying, you’ll save cab or rideshare fares by flying into Hobby if you can.
> If you live close enough to ride a bus or a train, both the Greyhound
> station and the train station are located downtown. In fact, the Greyhound
> station is so close that your driver may not be super happy about the
> one-mile trip.
>
> President Riccobono and our team at the national office, the Texas
> affiliate, and everyone who is planning a meeting or seminar are all
> working hard to make certain you leave the convention with a renewed spirit
> and a desire to go and build the Federation. The City of Houston is
> determined to welcome our members with open arms, and we promise you’ll
> leave town reinvigorated for the coming year.
> Come back next month for more information about what to expect at NFB
> 2023, and go to nfbtx.org <http://www.nfbtx.org/> after May 1 for tour
> information. Feel free to call our office with questions before the
> convention. We can’t wait to see all of you in Houston, and we will enjoy
> hearing from you before you get here.
>
> (contents
> <https://nfb.org//images/nfb/publications/bm/bm23/bm2304/bm2304tc.htm>) (
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-- 
Thanks,
LyVette
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