Okay, I know H-Town is not considered a "pretty" city by pretty much anyone you talk to BUT there must be "beautiful" spots all around the city! We don't have the mountains of L.A., or the hills of S.F., or the trees and forests of Seattle, or the beaches of Miami, or the lakes of Chicago, etc. but we must have something right?! We must have some "hidden jewels" that we can point to w/ pride right?! What do you consider them to be and where are they? The next time I have visitors come in town, I wanna be able to take them to these places..... btw/ Although H-Town is NOT "pretty" by national standards, I'd still rather live here than anywhere else! Although I love to visit touristsy spots like L.A., NYC, etc., in the end, I still want to just go home to H-Town! Like someone once said on this board, "Houston is not a place to visit, it's a place to live."
I personally like these places, very beautiful to me. The Houston Skyline The Houston Zoo The Waterwall at Transco Towers Moody Gardens in Galveston Mercer Arboretum The Reflection Pool in front of City Hall downtown The San Jacinto Monument Johnson Space Center - Nasa
There's a little pedestrian bridge that crosses over Memorial Drive at Jackson Hill (right near Shepherd.) You get a great view of the skyline and the cars zoom right underneath you. Last year Mr. JB and I stood up there and watched the big orange harvest moon rise over downtown. It was really beautiful.
Take 'em to Brazos Bend State Park for an afternoon picnic, then walk the trails until sunset and you'll see lots of pretty scenery and wildlife. Then, with the sun down, walk to the George observatory and look at the stars. http://www.bbspvo.org/indexmenu.htm Or for some nature that's a little closer, take 'em to Armand Bayou http://www.abnc.org/
Allen Parkway & Eleanor Tinsley Park has some great views of downtown and nice trails to walk, run or ride on. That's always been one of my favorite spots.
You could always take them to a game at Reliant Stadium. But since thats not really a tourists site.....I always found The Woodlands to be a very nice area, and there is alot to look at/do there.
As a native Houstonian, I sometimes have to defend the city against those who have usually just passed through. Their impression, of course, is that Houston is nothing but one long corridor of Bed Bath and Beyond and so forth. Houston does have some nice spots, but, of course, so do many other places. Know what makes Houston beautiful? The people. 'Nuff said.
I always like the exit from 290 east, onto the Sam Houston Tollway. It's a big ramp that climbs to where you can see the skyline, and the sprawl and the haze and pollution. I always know I'm home when I get there.
I might be coming to Houston this winter, in which case I expect to see many of you at a Rockets game or two, followed by a beer at a local pub. Then you can tell me all about the hidden beauty of Houston...
Like every big city, it has its ugly areas but generally speaking I think Houston is quite attractive. By far the worst aspect is the freeways - they are expansive, surrounded by over developed commerical zones, and covered with billboards. On a micro scale, a lot of the suburban areas, particularly the west side are lush and beautiful. The streets are tree lined and the houses are nice looking. The biggest misconception I find people have about Houston is the "concrete jungle" - if you view the city from high up, like in my office, or an airplane - literally all you can see are green trees. Anyone who has any doubt, go to the top of Transco Tower or one the big buildings downtown and see what I mean. Except for the taller buildings, all you can see is green. I agree with the ESource - it is a better place to live than visit.
' Austin, while it has it's nice areas, is the most overrated city in Texas. I've found the people that really, really tout it as the best are the ones who spent time getting wasted downtown there or went to UT. Of course they love it. I'm not originally from Texas and don't have any ties to any college teams in the state so that is my unbiased opinion. os
Azalea Trail through River Oaks and the Buffalo Bayou park/trail from Memorial Park to downtown. (That's going to be a nice bike trail when everything is finished.) Some golf courses are nice as well.
I know exactly what your talking about. That exit off of 290 lets you see everything....Galleria Area, Medical Center, and Downtown. What a great view. I just dont understand why people think that Houston is dirty or unattractive. I think for the most part our city is pretty clean and there are many nice areas.
I don't know. Ever been to a Rockets game? I don't think the entire front row of the Compaq Center makes up a full set of teeth. OH, you mean the other kind of beautiful, don't you?
