Houston

I reviewed my previous posts to see what I had covered and what I hadn't-- which represents a hell of a lot more-- and discovered that I'd talked about arriving in Houston but had not completed the story. As you could tell I was underwhelmed by the initial impression made by this megalopolis, even though, admittedly,  the sample was very limited. Deciding that I didn't want my prejudices disturbed by actual observation of real facts (ed. note: for new readers, in case you don't recognize it, this is an example of Byron's sardonic and/or self-deprecating humor), I elected  to get out of town before sunrise. Even though I started in the exurbs, it seemed like more than 50 miles of driving on traffic clogged, strip mall lined roads before encountering anything resembling open country.

What I saw of Houston brought to mind the great SciFi novel by William Gibson, Neuromancer. Gibson describes what he calls "The Sprawl", the name he gives to the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, an endless urban strip along the Eastern Seaboard. Incidental, the book is more remembered for his creation of the word cyberspace, and, more important, the concept.

Houston has lots of devotees but I am not among them.
Byron