McAllen's Walking Infomercial Needed Less and Less...

Like many people, it's not always easy for me to shutoff work mode when I'm trying to take advantage of my precious, few social moments. As a returning resident of McAllen, and employed to promote McAllen's new growth and highlights, I find myself armed with statistics, anecdotal examples, and "proof" of McAllen's fabulous-ness. At any moment, I am ready to overwhelm my next unsuspecting victim….be warned approaching admirer, I may look like a fun, casual conversation waiting to happen, but flirtations are for amateurs with time on their hands- I'm a walking infomercial looking for my next recruit!

Point-in-case
A visiting childhood friend "twisted my arm" to join her for a drink last night and obligingly I used the invite to showoff McAllen's newest venues. As the night winded down I sat on the patio at Roosevelt's (a trendy beer-garden type venue that recently opened on main street) enjoying the breeze and sundress weather (yes, it's that nice outside!). My girlfriend's humor and energy quickly attracted a group of friendly strangers; gathering at our picnic table to swap stories and backgrounds. From an executive chef and bio-chemist to a tattoo artist and vacationers, the group of twenty-something year olds was certainly eclectic and from all over the place, but as I sat talking to the plumber/bar-tender, it dawned on me that we all shared one thing in common. We all genuinely love living and being in McAllen. No need for my conviction and passionate speeches tonight… the plumber/bartender sitting beside me, might have been born and raised in California, but when I asked him where home was, his response captured it all: "weeelll,I moved to McAllen 7 years ago and I LOVE McAllen…It's my home."
And I finally got it…I didn't need to create proof or prove anything about McAllen's diverse appeal…all I had to do was ask the hundreds of visitors and temporary-residents who came into McAllen months and years ago and haven't left yet. What can we say? Somewhere during all the music, art, shopping, bird-watching, beach trips, dining and more, it's become our home too.

(Afterthought: Uh oh! If McAllen keeps this up, I'm going to have to learn how to flirt again! Eek!)