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    Cliff Notes

    Memo to Houston leaders: Let's embrace our cowboy heritage

    Clifford Pugh
    Mar 1, 2010 | 5:51 pm

     As long as I have lived in Houston, the city has constantly searched for a theme to showcase itself to the outside world — without much success.

     

     In 1990, when then-President George H.W. Bush brought the Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations to Houston in the middle of the summer, city officials came up with the slogan, "Houston's Hot." It was meant to acknowledge that Houston was a hot place for business relocation. But it only seemed to emphasize the brutal weather; the international press had a field day making fun of it.
     

     

     When Bob Lanier was mayor in the late '90s, his wife, Elyse, was determined to change the city's image once again, with a campaign called, "Expect the Unexpected." But after a promotional game in Time magazine incorporating the theme drew few participants, the campaign faded away.

     

     An unofficial campaign, "Houston, It's Worth It," launched by ad execs David Thompson and Randy Twattle in 2004, has come closest to capturing that quirky spirit that makes Houston special. It confronts the city's negatives — heat, humidity, hurricanes mosquitos, urban sprawl —head on with the idea, that despite such negatives, it's certainly worth it to live here. But the powers-that-be never embraced it.

     

     I don't even know what the official marketing theme is now — I think it has something to do with famous celebrities from Houston talking about their favorite spots — but I know what it should be.

     

     We need to embrace our cowboy image.

     

     I don't own a Stetson or drive a pickup. And my one pair of boots is gathering dust in the closet. But friends and visitors expect me to play cowboy. That's their image of Houston.

     

     When they come to town, in addition to visiting the Menil, shopping at the Galleria, and attending a performance at the Wortham, they want to eat a big steak and learn to line dance — or at least watch experts two-step on the dance floor to the latest Brooks & Dunn song.

     

     Since most outsiders feel the same way about Houston, why not play off of our western image? Sure, we're sophisticated and urban, but we're also secure enough to pay homage to our heritage.

     

     So let's do it.

     

    With the rodeo in town, it's the perfect time to embrace the cowboy spirit with a vengeance. All month long, we'll look at what it means to embrace your inner cowboy and offer ways to do it with flair. We'll explain how to dress the part — comparing working cowboys with their urban counterparts — and where to eat like you're home on the range. We'll rate the best honky tonks, talk about our favorite cowboy movies and pay homage to Gilley's, the now-defunct Pasadena dance emporium that kicked off the "Urban Cowboy" craze. (If you have other ideas, send them our way.)

     

     And we'll also focus on the essential qualities that every honest-to-goodness cowboy possesses. You don't have to wear Wrangler jeans and boots or own a spread to live by the qualities of self-reliance, independence and good manners. That's the spirit that made Houston great. That's what we need to be telling the rest of the world. Everyone links us to this heritage; it's about time we proudly own it ourselves.

     

    Now, all I need is a Stetson and a new column mug, and I'm ready to ride the range — or the Range Rover.

     

     

    unspecified
    news/city-life

    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Houston restaurant serves Beyoncé a Southern feast and more top stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Jul 5, 2025 | 10:32 am
    Taste Bar Kitchen Jay Z Don Bowie
    Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar
    Legendary rapper Jay-Z with Taste Kitchen + Bar chef-owner Don Bowie.

    Editor's note: t's time to look back at the hottest Houston news of the week, starting with a Southern feast fit for Queen Bey. Plus, new bar openings from some big names. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then head to this guide for 4th of July weekend fun.

    1. Houston restaurant served Beyoncé a Southern feast for her first meal in H-Town. One of Houston’s most prominent Black-owned restaurants gave Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her family their first taste of the Bayou City. On June 27, the party ordered an extensive spread from Taste Kitchen + Bar, the restaurant in downtown known for its chicken and waffles and other Southern-inspired fare.

    2. Exclusive: New cocktail bar from Houston hospitality stars coming to the Heights. The Heights’ growing bar scene will soon welcome a new addition with serious cocktail cred. Anvil owner Bobby Heugel has partnered with bartender Jacki Schromm to open a new cocktail bar in the former Ready Room space.

    3. Country star Koe Wetzel opens new location of his lively bar in Houston. One of Texas country’s rising stars has brought his lively bar to Houston. Koe Wetzel's Riot Room opened in Midtown in June.

     Koe Wetzel Riot Room Houston The pickup truck on the front of the building makes it easy to spot.  Photo by Motion Theory Media  

    4. Houston will have vivid sunsets and air quality issues from Saharan dust. An annual meteorological phenomenon has blown in to make Houston's sunsets a little more spectacular. A huge Sahara Desert dust cloud made its way to the Houston area on June 29, bringing hazy skies. The bad news is that air quality might worsen; the good news is that locals can expect a week of Technicolor twilights.

    5. Houston CEO's art-filled River Oaks mansion listed at $6.2 million. Art lovers seeking a home that’s a perfect showcase for their collection will be very interested in 1069 Kirby Drive, currently on the market for $6.2 million. The home is owned by Pete Bell, the CEO of Cotton Holdings.

    most popular storiesbeyoncethe heightsanvilkoe wetzelopeningshome-for-salecelebritieshot-headlines
    news/city-life
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