Hermann Park. I lived a couple of blocks from it in a garage apartment for almost 4 years at the beginning of the '70's. $65 a month, bills paid. I had a great time. One New Year's some friends and I walked over to where they were going to shoot off the fireworks and were amazed that we could walk to within 20-30 feet of it. I laid down on the grass with a girl next to me. It was a mild winter Houston night like we have sometimes and we were spaced. Then they started shooting off the rockets. They went straight up and exploded right above us for what seemed like an hour. It was beautiful. Then we all stumbled back to my place. During a different winter while living at the same place, it snowed. The Miller Theatre wasn't far and the back of the artificial hill was perfect for "sledding." We slid down that hill on anything we could find. Then someone showed up from the Northeast who'd brought a little sled with him. Couldn't part with it, I guess. After going down the hill a few times, he started letting others use it and i got my turn. What a trip! The San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas. My late cousin and I used to find ways into the innards of the Texas and go where you were forbidden to go. This was when it was still in good shape during the '60's. We had a great time doing it. As for the monument, one of my ancestors' name is on it. There's a great view from the top. well worth the trip. @dmoneybangbang mentioned the Transco Tower. I had business in it once. The finest skyscraper in Houston, in my opinion. Don't know what they call it now, but it'll always be the Transco Tower to me. I grew up in a Southeast Houston neighborhood. Around Reveille and Park Place. A neighborhood of mostly small homes built for vets of WW2 to purchase using the GI Bill, a great government program. Everyone's father on my block fit that description, including my own. Our local city park, Reveille Park, had a swimming pool and bathrooms, as well as a water fountain. A sign said "White's Only" on the gate to enter the pool. I once asked my Dad about it, who never went to the pool. He was busy working 3 jobs, one of them as an instructor at a major Houston university (where he later became a department chair while still in his early 40's). Anyway, he said, "Deck, that sign is wrong. It's an injustice. I'll explain what an injustice is some other time." It was an interesting neighborhood.
I used to live in the Sixth Ward, and my first year there, we walked down to Eleanor Tinsley to watch the fireworks on July 4th. I never understood the appeal of fireworks until I was standing directly under them--it was way more impressive than I expected. Gotta get close enough to have ash fall on you to really appreciate the show.
Deckard I was thinking about you when I was telling people about my thoughts on George Floyd and how our lives paralleled each other. I was thinking that if we had been born a few years earlier we would've lived under a segregrated Houston. That even though it seems like ancient history there are a lot of people who are alive who lived under Segregation.
My parents went to school with nothing but white kids. It took a judge’s order 5 years after my dad graduated from Lamar HS to force HISD to integrate…and took years after to effectuate that. None of that stuff is that long ago.
Worked there the summer of '87...and the stuff that went on at that place... Moby just passed away recently. https://radioinsight.com/headlines/259045/james-moby-carney-dies-at-69/
I was just reminded of Antone's Famous Po' Boys. Worked at Texas Discount Liquor at 1960 and Kuykendahl one summer and lunch everyday was a Piggy, chips and a coke from the location next door. I still get one once a month or so, from the grocery store.
Grocery store Antones are a pale imitation of the real deal. Its all about the flaky crust on the bread, and they get soggy sitting in the refrigerator cabinets. Still love the chow chow, even if im still not sure what it actually is.
I remember going to Oilers games with my dad and going to the Antone’s near the Dome…and eating our sandwiches over barrels that doubled as tables at that location.
I had a birthday party there…probably 1984 or so. I remember a friend gave me The Cars “Heartbeat City” album and by album I mean a literal record album lol
Dream made it pretty clear he couldn’t be ok with a statue of himself…it’s my understanding Dream and Kareem do not come from the same branches of Islam https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3246789
I forgot about Antone's My dad and I used to go to the one on Stella Link. My dad is actually kind of a picky eater in that he mostly like Chinese food and Cantonese food in particular (that might sound odd to Americans). Antone's Po-Boys though were one of his favorite foods.
One of the things that struck me was thinking that Lamar was named a Pro-Slavery Secessionist while Yates was named after a former slave.
I know why that's why I mention Muslim, but it still sucks. Why does Kareem still get a statue? Same religion. Still LOOKS CHEAP like Florida Les