I wonder what kind of leaf this is. To me, it looks like a philodendron, left in the corner office of a skyscraper after everyoneʼs switched to work-from-home.
Leaf me alone
Friday, August 19th, 2022 Alive 18,742 days
More like an onion
Wednesday, August 17th, 2022 Alive 18,740 days
Alley art
Wednesday, August 10th, 2022 Alive 18,733 days
Blackity Black Black
Friday, May 27th, 2022 Alive 18,658 days
Rebel without a clue
Tuesday, May 24th, 2022 Alive 18,655 days
Nice gams
Monday, May 23rd, 2022 Alive 18,654 days
Head cases
Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 Alive 18,653 days
If you drive into downtown Houston via I-45 from the north or I-10 from the west, you will be greeted by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen F. Austin, and Sam Houston.
Each of them weigh two tons, and are the work of exurban sculptor David Adickes. He made them, and 39 others, in 2004 for a theme park in Virginia that never opened, so the entire bustle of busts never left Houston.
These four were relocated to a cut-off corner overlooking the freeways at 1400 Elder Street. Officially, itʼs called American Statesman Park. But most commuters know it as Mount Rush Hour.
Ride ʼem allegorical cowboy
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 Alive 18,582 days
Buildings do a great job of preserving history, if you know how to read them. A building may change owners, colors, and names, but its height, setbacks, floor spacing, materials, and other fundamentals can tell you a lot about it.
In some cases, buildings wear their history on their sleeves. 3100 Travis in Midtown Houston is one of those. Above what used to be the main entrance is a nice Texas-flavored bas relief featuring an oil well, and what may either be a pipeline or a railroad connecting McAllen with New York.
A lot of early- and mid-20th-century architectural decoration featured allegories, often of “Progress” or “Commerce” or “Engineering.” I donʼt know which allegorical figure this is supposed to be, but this is Texas, so heʼs riding a horse.
Pane point
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 Alive 18,582 days
On my evening promenade, I came across this stained glass window above one of the entrances to one of the Chase buildings in downtown Houston.
It looks like a battle scene, and this being Houston, that means itʼs probably San Jacinto, or the Alamo, Goliad. Or maybe one of the other Texas battles that are less famous and didnʼt get their own state park, tourist attraction, or flag.
There were so many battles in Texas, that thereʼs an entire Wikipedia article just for the ones fought during the Texas Revolution.
I know there are lots of plaques inside this building, so one of them could probably clue me in. But itʼs Saturday night, and Chase is closed.