Last weekend, I used a Groupon and we took a Segway Tour of Houston. I’ve never rode a Segway before & was dying to try it- even if they look totally dorky. We met in front of the beautiful Wortham Center- home to the Houston ballet.
There are some beautiful waterfalls and fountains downtown, including this one adjacent to the Wortham Center. I took some of my favorite photos with Stephanie here, but I realized I never posted them on my blog.
I love wandering downtown & exploring Houston- seeing all the beautiful buildings and getting familiar with the history of my hometown.
Jones Plaza is a lovely little pocket park. I love that it’s a free space & mini-theater above all the parking, but the blue tiles are gorgeous!
We spent a few minutes getting acquainted with the Segway & learning how to trust it to balance. I was a laughing, hysterical mess to begin with, but we were quickly on our way to our first stop- the was this violist sculpture by David Adickes. He’s a fairly famous Houston artist with many larger-than-life sculptures around town.
Our next stop was the newly remodeled Market Square Park. It has a little bitty dog park, tons of mosaic benches, an outdoor restaurant Niko Niko’s.
There is a beautiful memorial fountain that is a tribute to the 9/11 victims with all the different elements symbolizing details.
Totally dorky- but we had a blast! It was so fun zipping around town, wind in your hair, covering so much ground quickly.
Down along the bayou, near Allen’s Landing, we learned that this new city prison actually has very few windows and most of those are just faked to make the building fit in the with the city.
This was my first time to actually go all the way down to Allen’s Landing- where all the ships and boats came into port & where the city of Houston was founded.
The Spaghetti Warehouse is a Houston landmark, but not one that I’ve ever had the opportunity to try. One of the neat things all over downtown are some great water fountains and features that add personality and tranquility to the busy streets.
Continuing down the bayou, we passed by the University of Houston-Downtown, where hubby took a few classes many years ago.
Next stop was Sesquicentennial Park & the newly opened James Baker monument and park. I learned a few new facts about the native Houstonian statesman.
Crossing over Buffalo Bayou- I can’t imagine when it was flooded and the water rose over the roadways.
Between the Wortham Center & the Bayou are a series of 7 towering sculptures- each one dedicated to a various theme & composed of artwork panels by children.
Across the bayou, there is a great view of the city skyline across the Bayou.
That black building is a newer one downtown & is all for the Houston Ballet.
Then we finished off our tour by zipping west out of downtown along the Bayou where we had taken a leisurely stroll before.
There are some beautiful views of the city & it was fun get the Segways up to speed and go up & down the hills.
This is the view I have every year about mile 25.5 of the Houston marathon as we enter downtown, I know i’m getting close to the finish line.
The Aquarium is a fabulous restaurant, with a few too many kids for my personal tastes, but the fish are really cool and the rides can be fun when they aren’t too crowded. This is one of the few areas of the bayou downtown where the edge isn’t reinforced.
Last stop as we headed back was Tranquility Park, but all the waterfalls were turned off. I never knew that this park was a tribute to the NASA space program, specifically the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon.
GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Just realized I’ve got no more full 5-day work weeks left this year!
This is awesome! What a neat way to see the city. I haven’t seen the majority of these places, which is sad.
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How fun! I never even knew about a few of these places.
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