As a newcomer to the Galveston County mainland, I am enjoying meeting all of the people who make this community run. I moved to the area about three months ago to work for the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce, and in the role of Incoming President I’ve had the opportunity to meet many key business and civic leaders, elected officials along with small business owners and managers. The community pride they have shown and welcome they have extended to me has been remarkable.
I’ve also been interacting with “front line” workers around town. I’m happy to say that even in the midst of the pandemic with the added stress that everyone has in their own personal lives, the people who are out there every day taking care of us when we go out for groceries, meals, haircuts, car repair and other stuff; they have been in good moods, providing good service with good manners. I travel a lot and that’s not something you find in all other towns.
The Post Newspaper has invited me to share with you about my experiences as a newcomer to Texas City-La Marque, and this is my first column. Hopefully, as I learn about the area and share my findings with you, it may inspire you to visit places you haven’t seen yourself or haven’t seen in some stretch of time!
Today I will tell you about three interesting and fun places I visited right away to get to know this unique community quickly.
The first place I explored was the Texas City Dike, of course. I had long heard about it being the largest man-made fishing pier in the world. My husband is a native Houstonian and avid fisherman, and he had been to the Dike many times in the past but not in recent years, so we explored it together.
As he pointed out, the coolest thing about the Texas City Dike is that it’s unequaled in its recreational fishing opportunities for people who don’t have a boat. There is not a lot of public access to fishable water elsewhere. And on the dike you’re not just catching hardheads. You can have luck catching the grand slam of sport fish: speckled trout, redfish, drum and flounder.
The dike allows 24-hour access and it’s family-friendly and vehicle-friendly. We like to drive all the way to the end to see what everyone’s up to and then find a good spot to park and set up. I like to people-watch on the dike. I love to see kids out with their parents and grandparents. And I love to see kayakers and kite surfers. On a recent visit, I saw a paramotor-paraglider for the first time. What a cool sight!
The second place I went to check out right away was a local dog park. We have a terrier-shepherd mix who loves all other dogs. Going to a dog park is like heaven to him! So I sought out the Amoco Park on 29th Street North and let Theo run off-leash for the first time since we moved. The humans at Amoco Park get to enjoy several nice shady benches and there’s a handy water fountain for the pups. There’s plenty of parking and good space for everyone to move around. I found the dog owners easy to talk to and good sources of info about other community highlights.
The third place I wanted to explore was a good local coffee shop. The Art of Coffee on Laurel Street in the heart of La Marque hit the spot! I learned from the barista about the shop’s short history in that location, but also its big plans for the future. The coffee shop owners display local artists and host family-friendly activities. They have plans for more events to draw arts and culture lovers to La Marque, like they do at their Kemah location. But the pandemic has scuttled plans for the time being.
Grab a cup of coffee from the Art of Coffee next time you’re out. I met a local there who’s writing a novel and two interesting businesspeople. You never know who you may bump into. And whether you prefer coffee or tea — I tried both — they serve the best I’ve had in a long time!
