In my opinion here are the reasons for you to give serious consideration to attending Houston:
1. A free place to stay
2. Someone else who could drive you to the George Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston so there'd be no parking or valet fees.
3. A home base so you could pack and take a lunch with you...the cafes can be expensive as they are operated by the Center, not the show promoters.
4. You could go for more than one day. One day, even two days, is not really enough time to actually see everything.
5. Houston is the original, grandmama of all the shows that came after and is still attended by up to 60,000 people each year.
6. When again will you have another opportunity to see a show with *hundreds* of amazing quilts and literally HUNDREDS of vendors?!
7. Every year many new tools, machines, books, patterns, and fabric lines/manufacturers are premiered at this show. You'll see many things here for the first time.
8. Most of the vendors now take credit cards so that you do not have to carry cash thru the throngs of show goers.
9. You can arrange to meet other QBees who will be attending the show by checking on the communication boards on the upper floors of the Center.
10. The weather is *usually* pleasant enough in Houston at this time of year to avoid dealing with a heavy coat at the show, but there are places to check your possessions on the upper floors.
11. When you are old you only regret the things you didn't do or missed! Go!
Jan in VA