In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy had to leave Kansas before she could fully appreciate it. After visiting the beautiful land of Oz, she realized all the things she loved most in the world were back in Kansas. Like Dorothy, I left Houston in search of a new place to call home.

The slogan, “Keep Austin Weird” intrigued me the moment I saw it on a t-shirt in a resale shop. I’ve seen weird often on the streets of Houston. Austin somehow found a way to encourage being weird, and I wanted to do more than read it on someone else’s old t-shirt. I wanted to see it.

Moving to Forth Worth a year-and-a half ago was like the City Mouse exchanging places with the Country Mouse. I lived in Houston for all but the last three years, and I was accustomed to a different kind of Texas than that of someone who has lived in Fort Worth for most of their life. Houston is metropolitan and culturally diverse. There are shopping centers on every free stretch of land, numerous grocery stores, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants. Houstonians speak in many different accen

The first time I saw Las Colinas was through the window of a DART train. I was a contract worker in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas and took three buses and two trains to work each day to arrive on time. Unfortunately, I hated the position and dreaded waking up at 4a.m. but the moment the train pulled into the Las Colinas station nothing else mattered. The upscale waterfront apartments, glass buildings and tram that took me over Lake Carolyn to my office made me imagine what it would be like