Where have I been?? Aquarium makes a Downtown splash By LOUIS B. PARKS Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Set against a monochrome cityscape, Landry's new Downtown Aquarium glows like the first color TV in a 1960s department store. Big, bold and blue, the Aquarium is an impossible-to-miss statement of faith in marketing chutzpah and the future of Houston's downtown. Its six acres of prime real estate bulge with two restaurants, a bar, a mini-amusement park, a train ride tunneled through a shark tank, a 50-tank aquarium walking tour and something like 200,000 fish. The $38 million complex has sparked controversy, from its freeway-nudging Ferris wheel to its proposed rooftop helicopter pad and 20-story observation tower to its gaudy tainting of the refined Theater District. Starting Monday, when the complex opens for full-time business, most of that controversy may be as forgotten as yesterday's lunch special. Houstonians get their first official glimpse -- strictly from the outside looking in -- at 10 p.m. Saturday. A 10-minute "Wave of Fire" will erupt on the Aquarium roof. The eccentric pyrotechnic display, set to aquatic-themed music, is designed by Fireworks by Grucci, the Long Island group that designed fire displays for six presidential inaugurations and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. This is their first Houston show. Sesquicentennial Park and Jones Plaza are key viewing areas for the post-sunset display. (Get close -- these are low-flying fireworks.) The Aquarium will offer three ways to dine: on the patio for lunch; in the boat-a-float booths of the Marina Matinee Cafe watching old sea movies; or in the full-service, second-floor Aquarium Restaurant, surrounded by exotic sea life. For drinking, there's the satirically named Dive Lounge. For formal occasions, the third floor has a 600-person ballroom. Amusements? Look around. A separate Aquarium tour visits numerous themed areas. There's a train that runs through the whole facility and stops underneath a tank of sharks for a unique view of them. There's a carousel. Dancing fountains. A gift shop, of course. With the addition of two sports parks, an expanded Theater District and many trendy clubs, restaurants and galleries, downtown Houston has become a nighttime entertainment destination. The seven-day-a-week Aquarium, with its water-themed amusements and unusual restaurants, adds wild new options to the mix. You'll have to wait until Monday to dive in, but here's a quick peek beneath the waves to see what's in store. For information, check www.downtownaquarium.com, or (starting Monday) call 713-223-3474.
the first true Houston eyesore for the 21st Century... the dang thing is an aquarium AND a seafood restaurant? what a joke... i wish it a quick and painless death... like the steamed lobsters!
Ahhhh I like the Aquarium. I've never been...but it's a hell of a lot better than something colorless. I drive by it on the way to school sometimes. It's funky fresh!
Except for it being by the theater district, I like it. Anything that adds some fun to this city is a good thing. I remember reading an article once where they asked Rebecca Romijn Stamos what city was her least favorite. She said Houston because it was nothing but "plain concrete." She may have been right, but projects like the Aquarium give this city some much needed color.
How anyone can see this as an eyesore is misnomered. Look... I, and I repeat, I have lived in Houston my entire life. What do you guys f'ng expect? A needle, or an arch? Houston's Downtown has needed an uplift. This IS NOT the piece de la resistance, but it will bring families downtown. Once that becomes familiar, anything is possible. Enjoy what we all talked about when SOR was going on. We all wanted a revitalized downtown. THIS is the beginning. Imagine what is yet to come!
Does anybody else get this "grey" feeling when driving downtown? It's very depressing...but hey it's home. When is all this street fixing gonna get finished anyway?
Hey, after you're done looking at all the pretty, exotic fish, you can pick one out and find out what it tastes like grilled, blackened, or fried...
There are some things that are better in Dallas; mass transit for one. There are some things that are better in Houston; like restaurants and diversity. There are some things that are about equal....like number of breast implants. I just hope Houston never becomes as pretentious as Dallas, though. I'd have to move.
There is an Aquarium restaurant in Kemah as well that this one is a larger replica of. As much as I appreciate the ambiance and the aquarium's and display of tanks, paying three times as much for almost the same food from Landry's and Joe's Crab Shack isn't too appealing. Of course, I probably will be there soon enough!
you know it probably wouldn't be so bad if they hadn't built a permanent carnival on site... there is a permanent freakin' ferris wheel right in front of downtown?!?!? a ferris wheel? please. you cannot tell me that driving by our beautiful downtown and seeing a freakin' ferris wheel won't strike you as odd or bizarre? 19th century stuff contrasting with our 21st century skyline?? I can't believe the city allowed that structure to be constructed... it's so distracting to our skyline. maybe the aquarium itself is not too trashy... but that eyesore of a fiesta parking lot carnival has got to go... and not to mention that they razed one of the only downtown fire and ems stations to build this trashy carnival aquarium restaurant thing.... horrendous...
It may be a bit tacky, but in this case, that's a good thing! Downtown could use a little quirkiness, a little "color." And actually, given its proximity to the Montrose area and the Medical Center, its in a great spot. I can't wait for it to open, I think it's going to be great, especially for the little ones.
