Tag Archives: Houston Buffalo Bayou Park

Houston, Texas

Houston Opens Buffalo Bayou Park to Rave Reviews

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Texas, meet your New “Riverwalk”.  

Last weekend against a backdrop of near perfect weather, the city of Houston cut the ribbon on a years-long project, and a dream come true for Mayor Annise Parker and many others in the city.  The newly-renovated Buffalo Bayou Park made its official debut to the world.  And if initial impressions hold up, it may be on its to becoming a world-class destination.

Here’s more on the big reveal from Leo Flores of the Memorial Examiner…

Buffalo Bayou Park is officially opened. After a $58 million renovation, the 160-acre and 2.3 mile green space that stretches along Buffalo Bayou features two pedestrian bridges, a picnic pavilion, one of the city’s largest dog parks, a skate park, and children’s play area.

The park was made possible through a public and private partnership led by Buffalo Bayou Partnership, The City of Houston Parks Department, Harris County Flood Control District and the Kinder Foundation.

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“As Houston’s population grows, so will the desire for the quality of life amenities like parks and green spaces,” said Nancy Kinder, president of the Kinder Foundation.

“As a foundation, we saw an opportunity to work collaboratively to develop the urban jewel that is Buffalo Bayou Park, which will be enjoyed by individuals from all parts of the world.”

The park’s renovation project took just four years to complete, and was open throughout the construction. The vast improvements have taken the park from an empty grassy field to a vibrant green space where families can picnic, exercise, pontoon boat tours and even enjoy live entertainment.

The October 3rd grand opening was actually rescheduled from June 20th, due to the recent Memorial Day flood which heavily affected the park as it neared completion.  But even in that situation, designers were mostly impressed with how well the design coped with the event, and recovered in the weeks that followed.

Not only is the transfiguration gaining attention and envy from our in-state sibling cities, but it’s also garnering some national news coverage, especially from the architecture and design community.  

The 2.3 mile stretch represents the first phase in a series of projects, the next of which will focus on the downtown section of the bayou. If you haven’t been out to see the new Buffalo Bayou yet, be sure to do so in the coming days.  As of October 3rd’s grand opening, users can now rent bicycles, canoes and kayaks at various stations within the park.  Visit the Buffalo Bayou Partnership to learn about all the cool new amenities before you go.

 

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(photo credit:  Jazztour.ru)

 

 

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(photos credit:  Buffalo Bayou Partnership facebook)

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The new Buffalo Bayou Park visitors center is nearing completion, but now open for equipment rentals at Sabine St. and Allen Parkway.

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It’s also a great place to catch some stunning skyline views before or after a park visit.  

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Texas Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of May 25th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the unofficial beginning of summer as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look behind the scenes at the deal struck between Houston’s Metro and US Rep. John Culberson.

Lightseeker at Texas Kaos injects a little Colbert humor into his piece about craven Texas politicians that run away from crucial issues that will impact our future whether we like it or not. Knowing how the Titanic Passengers felt…

Socratic Gadfly discusses how Pew Research’s latest religious survey is another reason Democrats shouldn’t make demographic assumptions about voters, in this case, Hispanic/Latino ones.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders how republicans can ignore real needs, promote xenophobia and violate labor standards for the DPS with one act.

Neil at All People Have Value took a walk in Houston Freedman’s Town and in Galveston. He took good pictures. Everyday life is fun and interesting if you make some effort and look around. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. Damn near everyone knows that our political systems are rigged. Those on the left those on the right and everyone in between. That frustration is being shown in many different ways all over the political spectrum. Where Left And Right Come Together – Our Political System Is Rigged.

‘Mr. Tesla’, according to Rep. Senfronia Thompson, was one of the biggest losers so far in the Texas Lege’s 84th session. But so has been Rep. Senfronia Thompson, according to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

From Drake’s star-studded Houston Appreciation Weekend to the historic opening of two new light rail lines, Texas Leftist can say in earnest that it was a great week to be in the Bayou City.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Austin Bakes is fundraising for Nepal.

Juanita wonders what it would take to stem the open carry tide.

Paradise in Hell points out that the “Texas Miracle” has a lot in common with the “North Dakota Miracle”.

RG Ratcliffe interviews conservative video hucksters Hannah Giles and Joseph Basel.

Texas Clean Air Matters wants to know why our state’s leadership is more concerned about the success other states than they are about Texas.

Mark Bennett examines the criminal defense situation in Waco following the Twin Peaks shootings.

The Texas Election Law Blog highlights an actual case of alleged vote fraud in Weslaco, which like every other case of vote fraud we’ve seen would not have been prevented by voter ID.

Mike Collier notes that taxes are going up while schools and roads are going down.

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Today’s feature photo is of Downtown Houston taken from the recently transfigured Buffalo Bayou Park.  Let’s hope our city and new park recover quickly from this week’s historic flooding!