"It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey." Sweet quote but in this case scenario, I am going to have to disagree. 

Four-and-a-half hours might seem like a long drive down I-10 with all the 18-wheelers riding you and taking up both lanes but once you cross the Texas border, you'll realize it was all worth it. Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and has a population of 2.196 million as of 2013. Not to mention it's the hometown of Paul Wall, Beyonce, Dennis Quaid, Patrick Swayze and many more stars. 

Coming from a completely unbiased point of view because I was born and raised in Houston (woops), it truly is a genuinely amazing city. Usually headlines are “TOP 10” or “Top 5!! Reasons Why…” but I am confident listing the top four is enough to persuade you to try the drive. Now, let’s drop the statistics and go into the awesome top 4 reasons to visit Houston:

1. TEX-MEX - Texans have perfected the art of tex-mex, whether its Pappasitos Cantina or Escalantes. Superior Grill and Calientes come close to the tex-mex perfection but nothing compares to Houston. From the queso to the fajitas, Houston keeps it real with the tex-mex.

2. CULTURE - Being so huge, Houston is extremely diverse. From the people to the neighborhoods there is something for everyone. If you want banh mi in Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard or if you want real hummus from the Phoenicia on Westheimer Street, anything and everything is in Houston. People from all over the world move to Houston due to the amazing economy and steady work place.

3. THE GALLERIA - Four parts, over 357 stores, and three million square feet of space, the Galleria is the Mecca of shopping in the south. A casual food court on the first floor containing a variety of restaurants from La Madeline to Taco Bell, but the food court is not the only place to find food; there are more high-end restaurants such as Nordstrom Bistro and Neiman Marcus’ Mariposa. Trying to find a gala dress and shattered your iPhone but need both for that night? The Galleria is the place for you; from Chanel to Apple, it has stores to accommodate your every need and desire.

4. NIGHTLIFE - Houston is a pretty hip city when it comes to nightlife. Rooftop restaurants and bars, from hookah bars to discotheques, are all over the city. Midtown, Uptown, and Downtown are known for the nightlife but each attract various ages. Gaslamp, in Midtown, is a very renown three-story bar attracting the younger crowd of Houston. Surrounded by a pub, and many other different styled bars, Midtown is the easy strip of bars that rocks on the weekends; along with Midtown, Montrose on Westheimer Street is another hip area for the younger more artsy crowd. Montrose is a mix of bars, and restaurants, tattoo parlors, thrift shops, hookah bars and theatres. Uptown has the really nice evening restaurants if you are looking for a relaxing night in a chic mood, while Downtown can go either way with under ground dance club Kryptonite, other clubs and high end restaurants. Whatever mood you are in for the night can be satisfied by one of the many options.

I’m hoping 271.4 miles does not seem like much when on the track to one of the coolest cities in the United States. Enter onto I-10 in Baton Rouge going west, cruise for about four to four-and-a-half hours and the destination will be right in front of you, welcoming you with a great view of Downtown.