I personally had no plans to attend the parade. I had to work and crowds that big aren’t my thing, but when Emily Roggenburk reached out to me on Instagram and introduced the idea of flying over the parade in order to capture it, it was impossible for me to say no. Emily is an aerial photographer from Cleveland who was flying to Houston specifically to capture the parade. Nate and I met Emily at the Pearland Regional Airport where we’d be flying out of. I was hoping for sunshine but the weather was a little cloudy. I’d never flown in a helicopter before, but ironically I wasn’t nervous. The pilot warned us that no doors would no on the helicopter and that anything we put outside of the doors would definitely fly out of our hands.
I’m not big on sports, but the World Series was something I wanted the Astros to win so badly. Houston has had one hell of a year with Harvey dismantling so much of the city’s normalcy. As much as we had devastation, we had twice as much help, compassion and support. Houston has shown admirable resiliency, so even if the Astros aren’t your team, it’d be hard to say that the city didn’t deserve this. The World Series parade was something the entire city was going to show up for. It was so serious that school districts were cancelling school on Friday. We’d never won one before and the timing couldn’t have been more impeccable.
Taking off was completely different than a plane and the wind was something serious. If you do take a helicopter ride, I suggest having your hair secured. Flying over my city itself was such a memorable experience. Seeing staples like Minute Maid park, the Astrodome and Toyota Center from that angle was surreal. The streets downtown were covered in tiny orange dots for dozens of blocks. People literally looked like gumballs filling the streets.
Here are some aerial photos from my time in the sky –
Emily was seriously SO sweet! We instantly felt like friends. I’m amazed at the opportunities to meet amazing people there are on the internet. To learn more about Emily or to purchase one of her prints, visit her website here: EmilyRoggenberk.com
