Something Old, Something New

The view from Sam Houston Park -- old meets new

I was determined that this Saturday would not be spent running errands. Sure, we had a few things that had to be done (Fingerprints 2.0, a stop by the UPS store, ballet lessons). But, by mid-morning, we were ready for an adventure in the Bayou City. Armed with two guidebooks (one for food and one for sightseeing), we headed out for a somewhat spontaneous (by my standards) adventure.

Breakfast at the Fountain View Cafe

Knowing we needed to be fully fortified before any sightseeing occurred, we first stopped at the Fountain View Cafe. With many accolades (including Houston Press' "Best Pancakes" 2011 and Southern Living's "5 Best Breakfast Places in Texas"), this family-friendly casual cafe has been serving Houstonians good home cooking since 1983. The Fountain View Cafe was bustling on a late Saturday morning, but that didn't stop the staff from being incredibly friendly. We had our choice of breakfast or lunch items. Hubby and I opted for breakfast and the kid's had lunch (grilled cheese). The prices were very reasonable. Each of the kid's sandwiches were less than $3. Hubby had the cafe's signature pancakes with bacon and eggs. I opted for two eggs and a meat (bacon) which also came with a side of toast and grits. The grits were delicious. Sadly, I couldn't convince the kiddos to try them. Maybe next time (we will definitely come back to this place again). 

Dog statues were very popular with the kids.

After breakfast, we decided to drive downtown to Sam Houston Park, which is Houston's oldest park. Established in 1899, Sam Houston Park is right on the edge of downtown. What makes this park truly unique are the old homes that occupy the parkland. When Mayor Sam Brashear initially established the park, he included an old house within the park's boundaries.In the 1950s, a group of Houstonians banded together to save the old house in Sam Houston Park and also worked to relocate other old Houstonian homes into the park. The result is an open park space in the shadows of Houston's impressive skyline, peppered with historic buildings. You can take a self guided tour of the exterior of the houses using your cellphone. Tours of the interiors of the homes can also be arranged through the Heritage Society.

In addition to the historic houses, there are also gardens, a large pond with turtles and waterbirds, some great live oaks to climb, swings, and a little fountain area, all of which make great locations for the kid's to play. Our kids loved running around the big open field and playing on the porches. One house featured huge dog statues in the yard (replicas of the dog statues that originally stood in front of the home in its former location). The kids enjoyed climbing on the dogs. This was the perfect place for the kids to play. I appreciated that they could play outdoors without being on conventional play structures. I also think this will be a great spot for future holiday card photo ops.

Fountain area with coyote statues
and bubbling water feature

After exploring Sam Houston Park, we drove to Cavender's Boot City. Cavender's is a major western wear store with locations throughout the Gulf States and the West. Today, we were on a mission. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo begins at the end of February. This is a multi-week event consisting of a carnival, rodeo events, barbecue cook-off, and concerts. It's kind of a big deal. As such, my daughter's school has a rodeo event for which she needed new boots and I have a work event that required the purchase of dressy western wear. Don't ask me what that means. 

Cavender's is a great place for all things western. Of course, with a name like "Boot City," they offer a wide selection of boots. But, they also have shirts, jeans with rhinestones, glittery belts, turquoise jewelry, stick horses, and cowboy hats. The staff members are always super friendly and willing to assist. We left with a new pair of boots for my daughter and some pretty awesome jeans and a furry jacket/cape for me. 

You just can't get more Texan than this --
Cavender's with Whataburger in the background.

All and all, it was a perfect Saturday afternoon spent further exploring our new home. Of course, we are still learning all that the city has to offer. There are times when we are reminded that this is a very different place (like when I find myself trying on rhinestone jeans for a work event). But, we are embracing the differences here and as each day passes, we start to feel more and more like this is our home.

Texas forever.