the obamas are coming

Famed Barack and Michelle Obama portraits head to Texas museum

Get ready, Texas: The Obamas are on the move and will be making a temporary home in 2022 at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Okay, technically the real 44th U.S. president and first lady aren’t making an in-person appearance; instead the acclaimed “President Barack Obama”portrait by Kehinde Wiley and the “Michelle Obama” portrait by Amy Sherald will take up residence at the Houston museum March 25-May 30, 2022.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery just announced a five-city tour of the famed portraits and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will be the last stop on the tour and the only museum in Texas and the Southwest. The tour begins in the Obamas' hometown of Chicago and makes stops at the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the High Art Museum in Atlanta before coming to Texas.

The first African-American artists selected for a National Portrait Gallery’s official portraits of a president or first lady commission, Wiley and Sherald’s pieces became instant sensations when first revealed in early 2018.

“We view the country as our community,” said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery in a statement made upon the announcement of the tour. “Since the unveiling of these two portraits of the Obamas, the Portrait Gallery has experienced a record number of visitors, not only to view these works in person, but to be part of the communal experience of a particular moment in time. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people in the beauty of dialogue and shared experience.”

In addition to the paintings, the tour will include an audio-visual element, Portrait Gallery-led teacher workshops, and curatorial presentations in each location. In anticipation of the tour, the Portrait Gallery is also publishing a book in partnership with Princeton University Press. The Obama Portraits will be released February 11.

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Image courtesy of Kehinde Wiley

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

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santa loves sunshine

Austin heats up as 4th best warm destination for U.S. winter travel

Trail of Lights Austin

Austinites love visiting the Trail of Lights every year during the winter holidays.

Mariah Carey isn't the only one defrosting in preparation for the winter season: Austin has warmed up as one of WalletHub's top five best warm weather travel destinations for 2024.

Every year, WalletHub's analysts divide nearly 70 of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas into two categories: the top "warm" and "cold" weather destinations. The study evaluated every metro based on 37 factors, including travel costs, local costs, weather predictions, and safety.

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown earned a score of 67.84 out of 100 possible points to claim the sunny No. 4 spot nationally in 2024. The metro slipped one spot from its previous 2023 ranking, allowing Dallas-Fort Worth to move into the No. 3 spot this year. Austin previously ranked No. 1 in 2021 and No. 2 in 2022.

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 1), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California (No. 2), and Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona rounded out the top five best warm-weather winter destinations.

The Central Texas metro ranked No. 3 in the national "travel costs and hassles" categories, showing major favorability towards the busy yet efficient Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin's near year-round sunshine earned it No. 6 in the "weather" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.

Here's how Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown performed in the remaining four categories:

No. 10 – Attractions rank
No. 12 – Warm weather activities rank
No. 19 – Local costs rank
No. 25 – Safety rank

As in previous years, the highest concentration of top warm weather destinations was in Florida (10 metros), followed by Texas (nine metros), then California (eight metros).

Besides DFW and Austin, the only other Texas metro to earn a spot in the top 10 in 2024 was Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (No. 6). San Antonio-New Braunfels slipped from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 11 this year.

Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 once again on the list of best cold weather destinations for winter vacations, outdoing New York City, New York (No. 2), Washington, D.C. (No. 3), and Chicago, Illinois (No. 4).

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

The top 10 best warm weather destinations for winter vacations are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
No. 10 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

For the purpose of the study, "cold" weather was determined to be less than or equal to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, while "warm" weather was greater than or equal to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Both guidelines were analyzed based on the 50-year average December temperatures.

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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