LOCAL Houston | The City Guide December 2017 | Page 4

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR THE OPENING SHOT THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY Welcome to the LOCAL Houston Magazine Year in Review. Traditionally, the December book has been the Holiday Issue, but so much happened this year, good and bad, joyous and heartbreaking, that it really didn’t make sense to focus on the best Christmas lights and ultimate holiday gifts (although we’ve included those, too, in lesser measures). What a year! Just some top-line events: We started with all the excitement and civic pride that accompanied the Super Bowl and showcased our city on the world stage with a hell of a game. Then, at the end of August, we had the unprecedented destruction of Hurricane Harvey and its toxic aftermath. On November 1, the Astros won the seventh game of the World Series and demonstrated the character of true champions. And the city keeps going. Through it all, the common thread was Houstonians rising to the occasion – selflessly working together, going outside boundaries and comfort zones, helping and heal- ing each other come hell or (literally) high water. The year 2017 proved that both tragedy and triumph bring our city together in a way that is uniquely Houston. We showed the best of humanity to the world, time and time again, showcasing the Houston – and American – spirit, when the world needed to see it and be inspired and reassured by it. We’re going to be OK. Thank you all for your support of the magazine this year. Every month, we endeavor to tell the stories that you don’t find anywhere else. This issue is no different. Enjoy it. Happy Holidays to you and yours and we’ll see you in 2018. Thanks, Tim Moloney editor-in-chief BEHIND THE COVER 5 It wasn’t always smooth sailing in Houston in 2017, with powerful ups and downs that brought the city — both its leadership and average citizens — together in unexpected and powerful ways. Artist JC Woods depicts some of our city’s more colorful subjects banding together to handle the waves of change we all experienced this year. You can check out his work at www.anvilcards.com. 1. Jose Altuve | 2. George Springer | 3. Deshaun Watson 4. Beyonce | 5. Lady Gaga | 6. Ed Emmett | 7. Sylvester Turner 4 L O C A L | 12 . 2017 2 1 4 3 6 7 OH, TANNENBAUM. The holiday harvest arrives at Houston Flowery. Photography by Jenn Duncan | 10:15am, November 16, 2017 12 . 2017 | L O C A L 5