Hermann Park - Art in the Park - Part 1

Last week we had some unexpected beautiful weather in Houston. I hate being cooped up in an office when it is so nice outside so I took my lunch break and went for a walk in Hermann Park. I have lived in Houston for 6 years and this was my first real visit to the park, with the exception of going to the Houston Zoo. Witin 5 minutes of getting to the park I knew I was on to something good.

My visit was inspired by an article I saw on Culture Map about a "Colossal spider spotted in Hermann Park - and it's a sight to see". The picture of the spider looked very similar to one I had just seen weeks before in The National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Turns out, they are both from the same series by Louise Bourgeois. Before I went to Hermann Park I did a little research and realized that this is the 100th year of Hermann Park being open to the public. As part of the Centennial celebration they are hosting Art in the Park which includes the above mentioned Spider by Louise Bourgeois along with several other pieces of Art that will remain in the park for varying lengths of time.

Spider - Louise Bourgeois

Wind Waves - Yvonne Domenge

Boogie Woogie - Patrick Dougherty

Dillidiidae - Sharon Engelstein

There are 4 additional art installations that I wasn't able to see on my walk but I plan to get back over to the park on a weekend and check them out... Stay tuned for part 2!

Here we go again!

While on a recent trip to Washington D.C., Wes and I were chatting with one of the local bartenders who asked us what our favorite things in the city had been. He then went on to tell us that he himself had not done a lot of the touristy things in the city where he lived. This got me thinking about all of the things that I take for granted in Houston and had never been to see.

Over lunch the next day I started browsing Amazon for books on Houston but came up short. So instead I purchased a Texas travel book and just like that, The Native Texan Tourist was born.