Jen and I arrived in Houston last night. The flight  was uneventful, and Jen finally learned that limousine is just a fancy word for a nice cab where the driver wears a suit. The Hospital she is interviewing with had a driver waiting for her who took us to our hotel (which they are paying for as well). On the way in, we realized how different Houston is from Chicago. That seems to be a theme for our trip.

We checked in to the Marriott. It's a nice enough place, but nothing special. After we got settled, I went to talk to the front desk clerks about dinner. They suggested that we try University Village, and offered to have the hotel shuttle drop us off. I asked if it was in walking distance, and the clerk told me "Oh, no way. It's almost a mile away!" A brief walk later, Jen and I were looking at a new Express, Banana Republic and other college like stores. We had a relatively bland dinner at place called "El Meson" and then went to Starbucks for some caffeine for the long walk back.

The area we walked through is quite pretty. It is what we are looking for as far as neighborhoods go. The houses were nice, but not ostentatious. They appear to be well maintained, and they are close to the Hospital as well as a University. We said hello to the people we saw on the street, and one couple even responded in kind. We were able to find the light rail that was outside the hotel, and I figured out how to get to my office. We turned on the TV to see a show that told us all about the wonders of Houston. After about 20 minutes, we realized that we had seen a list of pseudo superlatives. The city is the 4th largest, with the 3rd most museums, and the 2nd best baseball team. They seem to like to compare themselves, but always come up just short.

The morning itself was uneventful. I took the light rail to the office, and made it 3 miles in about 30 minutes. The light rail system here is essentially a bus that runs on tracks. It was a pleasant trip, but nothing that a bus service couldn't provide. It runs down the streets for the most part, and even stops at the occasional red light.

The office here is nice. I know quite a few of the people. Most are coming from Columbus or New York, and I have spent time at both locations. I was able to steal a desk and a network connection.

Lunch was enjoyable. I met our very own Stack McRacky at a place called TreeBeards. I had Jambalaya (which I incorrectly called Gumbo) and a plate of french bread that almost touched the ceiling. We talked for about an hour and a half. It was a very enjoyable meal. It made me feel very welcome. She gave me tips about the city and told me about herself. Stacky, we need more people like you around. You are good people.

Afterwords, I returned to the office to realize that the rental car I booked for sightseeing was scheduled for Tomorrow. At 5:00pm. After my 3:00pm flight. It seems I put in the wrong date. I canceled that reservation. I found a place for dinner which is 2 miles away (I'll probably walk). I guess we'll need to take another fancy cab to the airport tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I go look at houses in the morning. After that, we go home.

I think Jen and I both realized something on this trip. Home isn't Columbus, but Chicago now.