Downtown Houston, TX
July 2010-Approaching Downtown Houston in a royal blue Toyota Camry with the sunroof open, I am on a lovely night out riding, to ease my mind from work and school. I pop the top to drink a sizzling, cold, strawberry Fanta , while I ride. The night’s breeze whistles through my long, honey smelling hair. On the radio is one of my favorite classic songs of all times-New Edition’s “I’m Still In Love With You.” The music is mellow, something to sing along to while enjoying the way lights from the huge buildings glare onto the tinted windows of my car, making all kind of extravagant colors: reds, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and purples. The strange part is that the lights on the buildings are really a yellow-orange color, but the reflection of the tinted windows mixes with the color of the lights to make beautiful colors that really are not there.
I come to downtown Houston just to view the lights. Each night I visit downtown, it feels like a new place. It has less traffic, less noise, and less people running around after dark than in the day time. The city scape is extravagant; anyone who visits Houston, should make a trip downtown. Coming downtown eases one’s mind. Whenever I need to sit and think about decisions I have to make or if I just crave, downtown for a night out with no noise, I jump in the blue lady bug; my car’s name, for a nice ride on down there with the music playing mellow, depending on the mood.
Sometimes at night there are bars open, or even a nice formal club. Shadow Bar is up the street from the University of Houston-Downtown. It hosts a lot of different poets, singers, and jazz players. Shadow Bar is designed to look as if it is of exquisite taste. It is just one of the bars I have been to. Downtown Houston is also is known for having a lot of clubs. Club Grooves is one of my favorite, because I take interest in the formal wear that is required in order to attend this club. Grooves has different mixtures of music, not just hip hop and r & b. That is one thing that draws my attention to the Club Grooves. I advise everyone who has not visited Downtown Houston, Texas to go and visit, but only at night will you get the best feeling of being free and at ease.
Fall, is one of the best times to drive downtown. It is not too cold and not too hot. Sometimes, I take long walks on Main Street, with family and friends. Some buildings Downtown have Christmas lights designed on them and around the trees in front of the building. They are not just any old Christmas lights, but the crystal, white, beautiful lights. They are so beautiful sometimes. They almost look like fire flies floating on the building and trees. When you approach Downtown, it seems as if the buildings will be close together, but they really are not.
Tonight I see a girl, around the age of twenty-six, with long, gold and black streaked hair. She has on some beautiful formal wear: a red silky shirt, black slacks with red lines going through them, some red and black four inch stiletto heels, a thin gold belt, with black, red, and gold accessories to go along with her formal wear. She is standing next to her white BMW, listening to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”.
“What do you love and hate about Downtown Houston, Texas?” I ask.
“I love the look and feel of the city view at night and I hate being down here during the day time, too much traffic and noise.” She replied.
“She feels the same way I feel about downtown.” That’s what I am thinking to myself.
My older sister and I hop in my blue lady bug and stroll back to Downtown Houston. I park on Main Street and my sister and I begin to walk. We see a lovely older couple, sitting on a black steel bench. The couple sings as we pass them, holding each other singing, The Isley Brothers “For The Love Of You”. I just love when the old man turns to his wife, singing pieces of the song, “Drifting on a memory, there is no place I rather be than with you, yeah.” Then, all of a sudden, the man stops singing.
“The city lights are so beautiful at night down here.” “I love it down here.” “I often see a lot of friends, families, and visitors down here.” “This is the best place to come to at night, relieves a lot of people minds.” Say the old man.
I look at the old man and woman and I want to respond to them in the most courteous way, they are very nice and not harmful. “I love coming to downtown myself and hopefully in the future, my husband and I will be singing the same tunes on the same bench.” “Have a lovely and bless night.” I respond.
The smell of downtown is like a fresh apple pie, straight out the oven and the large buildings looking like huge mountains are a couple of things that excite me when I come downtown. Driving down this yellow brick road really makes me 
feel so hopeful. As I listen to the trees whistle, dogs bark, and the movement sound of the passing vehicles is like music to my ears. The essence of nights like this are breathe taking. I like to ride and let my imagination go free.
As my sister and I continue walking, I see a group of women on the right side of the street listening to hip hop dance music and on the left I see a group of men drinking on some beer, listening to a classic UGK album. So, I continue to walk down Main Street, I was stopped by a homeless man. The homeless man ask me for a few cents, he was hungry, so I give him enough cash to buy something to eat. Before the man walks away, he says to my sister and I, “God bless and this is the right place to be, this is home for a lot of homeless.” I can see that he loves Downtown, but it also affects him not to have a home.
“It is a lot of people out tonight, want to go in a bar?” I ask. We make another visit downtown on a Saturday night. My sister, best friend, and I are together. So now we are in the bar. Male bartenders serving us drinks: in champagne glasses, with gold trimmings around the drinking part of the glasses and carved designs. The male bartenders are dressed in a white a formal top, with a bow tie, and black slacks. The lights are dim; candles lit on all the tables, a comedian is onstage performing, cigarette smoke is floating in the air, people are talking among themselves, and the room is filled with a mix crowd. The music is playing mellow while the comedian is telling his jokes. Some people is listening to the comedian, some is just there for the drinks, and some is there to mingle.
The beautiful view and night out is the reason I really enjoy going to Downtown Houston. The one who capture the views that I have captured, will appreciate and enjoy the large mountain buildings and smell of apple pie roaming in the night air, the way I capture these moments. Going to different bars and clubs will give a little insight on the experience I have had streaming Downtown on those lonely, stressful, and peaceful nights. I could only give so much of what I think, feel, or know of the experience I have had Downtown. Experiencing for oneself is a pleasure that will have to be taken at hand. I would advise anyone who visits Houston, Texas to take the time out to enjoy the beautiful essence of downtown.
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My name is Doretha Evans from Natchitoches, Louisiana born May 10, 1988. I was raised in a rough neighborhood that tought me to appreciate life, friends and family for what and who they are. I have a huge family, a beautiful home that God has stabiliy blessed my family. I am a christian lady who loves and fears God whole-heartly. Blessed to say I have a small circle of friends who I consider more like my family. I enjoy living life with no regrets or stress and I carry a smile everywhere I go. I am a sweet, kind, and loving person, who has an open hand to anyone who needs my help.
A People's Guide to Houston 
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