“Neighborhoods in Houston?”  Yes, North America’s fourth largest city is famous for its sprawl.  For many folks, however, the “real” Houston lies "inside the Loop," the city's orbital highway.  Inside the Loop, distinctive neighborhoods abound: Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, Midtown, Galleria, the Museum District, the Third & Fourth Wards, and Downtown, among others.  Downtown, and a short walk of our hotel, you can expect to find an array of new and renovated residential buildings, parks both natural and historic, a range of bars, clubs and restaurants (more in a forthcoming post), signature buildings by many of America’s greatest modern architects, top notch professional sports facilities, and the largest number of seats for the performing arts outside New York.  Many of the facilities have gone up in just the last several years.  As an appetizer, here is a sampling of things to see, hear and do, within a half mile of the hotel:

Houston Public Library www.hpl.lib.tx.us/hpl/index.html

Sam Houston Park and Heritage Society www.heritagesociety.org/park.htm

Bayou Place, with the Angelika Film Center www.angelikafilmcenter.com/houston/  

Jones Hall www.ci.houston.tx.us/cef/jones/general.htm, home of the Houston Symphony www.houstonsymphony.org

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts  www.thehobbycenter.org

Houston Ballet www.houstonballet.org/

Houston Grand Opera www.houstongrandopera.com/

Verizon Wireless Theater www.verizonwirelesstheater.com/home.html

The Alley Theater www.alleytheater.org

Wortham Center www.ci.houston.tx.us/cef/wortham/

Houston Rockets basketball, at the Toyota Center www.nba.com/rockets/ 

Houston Astros baseball, at Minute Maid Park http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=hou

For performing arts, a little further afield are Rice University www.ruf.rice.edu/~musi/calendar/ and the University of Houston www.uh.edu/music/ -- both renowned for their programs in music.  In the spring, each department offers performances almost every night of the week.

A comprehensive calendar of events, to include lectures, exhibitions, performances and concerts—and additional information about events at the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Bach Society, and Brazos Books—will appear early next year, on the listserv, and on the Conference web site.  Watch for specific dates & times there.

( Second in a series of occasional postings about Houston, from the Arlis/NA Conference Committee. )