Wonderful piece of artwork. I didn't know what this was until I did some research about it…read moreafterwards but now I can appreciate the beauty of the piece and its representation in different shapes and sculpture in red, white, and blue. It sits in a perfect location near the convention center and park, where it can be appreciated by many visitors.

I love that we have random pieces of art around the city. It adds so much to the personality of a…read morecity when it isn't just buildings. There are some truly great pieces of art around town as well as some "where were they thinking?" ones... I'd say this is somewhere in the middle. I like that this piece is so large. I remember it distinctly from my childhood when it was positioned downtown on Louisiana. I always wondered what the heck the thing was about then and I don't think I have a clearer picture now. Now, it's right in front of Discovery Green across from the George R Brown convention center. More than anything, it's there to break up the landscape and provide something to look at/talk about, but as far as art, it doesn't hold much interest for me. If you are at GRB or Discovery Green, check it out. It's large and can make an interesting photo op.

Sam Houston Monument stands in the middle of the roundabout at the entrance to Hermann Park. It's a…read morebeautiful statue. Getting into the park was a bit of a hassle. Tons of traffic and hard to find a decent place to park. Probably best not to go when there is a Pokémon Go event happening. Also tons of wedding photos and quinceañera photos and people just in general taking photos. So keep that in mind if you plan on going to take photos that there will be tons of other people taking photos as well.

Perfect place to take a vacation pic. Or celebration pic…read more Also had a little bit of history writings. Be sure to stop by if your ever in Houston.

Houston has some truly hidden gems and the Gragg Building is one of them. A unique and historic…read morebuilding in Houston, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the building led by the Houston Parks and Recreation director, Joe Turner. This 1950's, Frank Lloyd Wright inspired building was the original Houston headquarters for NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) prior to the building of NASA Clear Lake. In 1976, the building (originally the Farnsworth & Chambers building) was purchased by the city of Houston and the surrounding land was purchased by Gragg family to create a city park. The building has served as the Houston Parks and Recreation Department's main headquarters since 1977. In 2007, the building underwent a $16 million dollar renovation designed to preserve the historic aspect of the building while modernizing it for future use. The building is now a LEED Gold certified building. The building is also recognized on local, state, and national historic registry sites. All of that history can convey how beautiful this building is. As I drove up to the building (knowing nothing about it), I noticed the low flat roof and Wright inspired design. Walking in, the beautiful original green stone is visible everywhere. Inside the building there are three very prominent features. First, the green floor. Wow! The floor is incredibly shiny and incredibly green. I love it! Second, the original wood paneling is everywhere. The wood paneling was taken down, refurbished, and put back but in better placement throughout the building. And third, the natural lighting and windows. Everywhere you look is natural light and you can see through windows into the interior courtyard as well as outside. The building did not originally have so much natural light, but when the building was being renovated and large amount of asbestos were found, the building was completely gutted and the architects made the decision to add natural light to the plan. I love this building and I'm not an architecture nerd at all. The designers thought of so many beautiful small touches. There are no lights in the ceilings, as everything is lit either by natural light or by upward facing recessed lights to conceal the actual light fixtures. The furniture matches the building, with many modern interpretations and recreations of mid century modern furnishings. The halls are long and bare allowing the structure to speak for itself. The grounds and interior spaces have large beautiful pieces of art. The director told us that the art was mostly taken from the storerooms of the Houston Public Library. The pieces have one thing in common, their names have to do with nature. There is one large commissioned piece outside the cafeteria by James Surls. The piece is reminiscent of "Point of View" which can be found in Market Square Park in downtown Houston. The offices are open and light. The conference rooms are each named after a signature park in Houston. The largest conference table in the main meeting room is the original NASA era conference table. The day we toured, there was a Hurricane preparedness meeting going on where several people were sitting around the same table that John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Gus Grissom sat. Even John F Kennedy Jr spent time in the building before heading to Rice University to give his famous speech. The building doesn't forget its history. There is a large NASA sign in the front lobby along with photos from the era. The original building sign is still there, just covered with the Houston Parks and Rec sign now. There is a poster in the lobby that is signed by the final four crew members from the shuttle program, and the poster actually went into space with them. The building just screams "mid century modern". I want to call the producers of Mad Men and tell them they need to shoot some scenes here. It was an immense treat to have Joe Turner be our tour guide. His love for the building was apparent and he had a story about every hallway, design aspect, and conference room. What a treat it must be to work in such a beautiful building filled with art. The building is located in Gragg Park, at South Wayside and Wheeler. This area was once the center of Houston's growth. The building is not open to the public, so if you are lucky enough to get a tour, go! Information about the exquisitely done design and renovation can be found here: http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/graggpark.html

What an amazing building. There is nothing I can say about this place that Melissa M. didn't…read morealready. Why a 4 not a 5... there are more impressive buildings out there!

This large scale sculpture is near the Wortham Theater. A giant cello is played by a virtuoso who…read morejust reveals his face. So interesting and captivating.

I never thought of myself as a sculpture history buff, but hey, here we go. In honor of the recent…read morepassing of late David Adickes, I've been on a mission to visit his prodigious sculptures across the city and Virtuoso is one of his originals. It's located directly in front of Lyric Market in the downtown theater district and towers 36 feet in the air, seemingly defying gravity with a gigantic cello tilted at an angle, being played by a body-less figure. At the top of the sculpture, a mustached male head peers down on the strings of the cello as the hands grip the bow and fingerboard. I did a little reading on this piece and learned that in 2005 the Lyric property management group decided to paint the mustache on the figure black without consulting artist David Adickes beforehand. It was decided that this was an infringement on the artistic expression of the piece and they ended up having to pay for a lift to paint the mustache back to its original color. Interesting! There's no placard around the sculpture but it's fun to check out if you're in the area. Which sculpture should I visit next?

This building is an office called Ghostwriting Assistance. They charged me a lot of money to…read moreGhostwrite and publish a manuscript. When I called after not receiving 1, not 2, but 3 promised calls. They sat back and did nothing until I requested a refund. Where is my refund???? Then they want to text me. America Tower, 2929 Allen Parkway, Suite 200, Houston, TX, 77019 (346) 444-992

America Tower. F*ck yeah! Coming again to tower over the m***er***kin Montrose neighbourhood!…read more I went up here a few times, most recently last week, now that it's all opened up again. I had the same experience as the other reviewer, with security being far too tight, which is also the case with many other tall buildings these days. But in general, the American Tower is a pretty amazing experience and is in a part of town that didn't for a long time have a lot of other skyscrapers, so it just makes this building seem more unique and dominant and important in the Houston skyline than it already would. My original review said: I prefer the Mexico Tower, but I can't access it anymore because some weird New Yorker with bad hair built some wall. One of the most spectacular buildings on the Houston skyline, partially because it's completely separate from the other skyscraper neighborhoods such as Greenway and Galleria and Sugarland and of course the ever-impressive downtown Houston. It's in the north Montrose area close to Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway and towers above the area (hence the name) for miles around. Indeed you can see it from so many different neighbourhoods as your main point of reference, and I absolutely love it. Even though it has the former Manchester United sponsor written on the side of the building, you can't have everything. One of the most instantly recognizable and unforgettable buildings in all of Houston, partly because it's an area of town which doesn't have a massive amount of massive buildings and because of this it really stands out - but nevertheless it is still very tall by any stretch of the imagination. It says AIG on the side which is American Investment Group I think but the name is The America Tower - it's right in the middle of a very posh neighbourhood between the Heights and Rice Military on the North end of Montrose and Upper Kirby, and south of the Heights, close to the Fourth Ward and Downtown.

This historic landmark marker is in excellent condition and denotes this amazing part of the…read moreHouston skyline. Though it's no longer the tallest building around, it's still here and lovely. The marker reads: "Prominent real estate developer, publisher, statesman and banker Jesse H. Jones opened the Gulf Building in 1929 with Gulf Oil, National Bank of Commerce, and Sakowitz Brothers as primary tenants. Alfred C. Finn designed the 430-foot high art deco edifice with a six-story base topped by a tall tower that diminishes in size as it rises. The 37-floor, steel-frame structure remained Houston's tallest skyscraper for 24 years. In 1986, the building, then owned by a successor bank, underwent a $50 million restoration. It was renamed JPMorgan Chase Bank Building in 2000 and continues to be a monument to the city's growth, modernity and financial prosperity." - Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2007.

Presidential? More like pres-head-ential! These guys are enormous! If you've been following me, you…read moreknow that I've been on a journey to visit the works of late David Adickes located all around Houston and this was another stop on the list. This spot is really more of a storage ground for many of his larger-than-life busts and figures than a public installation but intriguing nonetheless. Unfortunately the gate remains locked but visitors can peer through the wire fence that surrounds the property onto numerous gigantic heads and statues located inside. There's no dedicated parking spots but Nance Street is fairly wide and with low traffic so it's easy to pull over on the side of the road and jump out. While this is definitely a cool spot to check out, I will warn visitors that there is a pretty large homeless encampment just two blocks away under the highway overpass so just be aware of your surroundings. Cool spot!

Collection of Giant President Head busts; used to be at a different location but were moved here;…read morealso used to be accessible to walk through (43 busts in total) but ate now just visible through chainlink. Still worth a visit and walk around for the sheer novelty & oddity of this obscure unknown HTX attraction.

If you are UberEats and DoorDash bicycle beware. The security was extremely rude in front of my…read morecustomer just because I was waiting my customer to deliver the food. The security is very hostile and extremely disrespectful.

I always get a kick out of the places that yelp lets you review. I like this plaza because I can…read moreusually find parking on the street what I am going to Sam Houston Park for other events. you also get a nice view of one of Houston's landmark skyscrapers. really, not much else to say. I've never been inside so I'm guessing there is probably a lobby of some sort in there or a gift shop or an overpriced deli. Maybe a guy who will shine your shoes.