Only Four More...

Shopping days till Christmas.

So... let's combine three levels of Galleria shopping, a 3-story Christmas tree AND an ice rink.

I think that about covers it all.

Return Visit

I discussed the Williams Waterwall a few days ago. Did I mention it was a poplar place for portrait opportunities? I thought so.

A Touch of Winter

With the temperatures predicted to reach the mid-seventies today, the closet thing I can bring to the proper season is today's image.

Located on the edge of River Oaks Park, this small statue entitled "Winter" unfortunately does nothing towards sending us more seasonal weather.

Wall of Water

The Williams Waterwall, part of the Williams Tower (featured HERE) complex has become one of Houston’s must see tourist destinations, as well as a popular photo opportunity for locals. 64 feet tall to represent the 64 floors of Williams Tower the Waterwall and its adjacent park, lined with 118 Live Oak trees is open to the public between 10 AM and 10 PM.

Give Peace A Chance...

Maybe not as eloquently put as John Lennon, but this tile captures the same sentiment. Student created tiles like this one adorn the columns that lead into the School at Saint George, featured in yesterday’s post.

From the mouth of babes…

Jett's Garden

A somewhat somber post for today.

In October of 2008, 4-year old Jett Ogansoy was struck by a car while he and his mother crossed the street walking towards his school. Unfortunately, he did not survive.

This statue of him holding an airplane, fitting because his father was a pilot, is the centerpiece of a rose garden built in his memory at the School at Saint George.

All Wrapped Up In...

Branches.

The low hanging limbs of this live oak tree provide a unique shading for this bench in River Oaks Park.

D-d-d-deja Vu

If this looks familiar, it might be because I was so intrigued by THIS, that I went back to the Highland Park Shopping Center at night. I was not disappointed.

Christmas on Ice

The Galleria, shown here in a rare almost empty holiday state, has decked out their ice rink with an almost three story decorated Christmas Tree.

Pretty Paper... Pretty Ribbons of Red...

I k now, I know... the lyrics are "ribbons of blue". Sue me.

Not only does uptown's Highland Park Shopping Center provide the means for our holiday gift buying needs, they also wrap their stores.

How convenient.

All Lit Up...

These holiday lights adorn both sides of Post Oak Boulevard and provide seasonal spirit to the high volume of shoppers in the area. Providing additional lighting is the Williams Tower beacon, which might come in quite handy for guiding Santa into the area in a few short days.

Tis the Season...

The Galleria is not only the largest shopping mall in Houston, but also the biggest in Texas.

Over 375 stores give holiday shoppers every opportunity to find just the right gift.

I apologize for not having a photo of the inside... but I couldn't find a parking spot.

Not... a U.F.O

Adorning the major intersections throughout the Uptown area on the west side of town are these ultra-modern street signs.

Hovering over the intersection, they are quite an interesting twist on the usual way of marking streets.

Williams Tower

File this in the “Everything Is Big in Texas ” file.

The Williams Tower is one of Houston ’s most visible buildings. Odd thing is… it’s not located downtown, rather in the uptown area across the street from the posh Galleria shopping center. While only the 80th tallest building in the world, it IS the tallest building outside of a central business district with its 64 stories measuring 277m (909 ft).

It’s not enough that it is the tallest structure for miles, at night its 7000 watt rotating beacon can be seen for up to 40 miles.

Weather permitting, of course… your mileage may vary.