City Walks Houston

Home is where the heart is! And sometimes it is where the art is, or at least the creative expression. The Greater Montrose neighborhood cannot escape gentrification but there is still no better place in Houston to view homes with personalities. During our walk we will see the strangest things - origami and gargoyles, a cabinet of curiosities, a mixture of kitsch and art, the love and pride that the people of Montrose take in their homes.

For the A student:
(the list of "attractions" we will visit in order)
* 312 Bell - Miniature village in a tree and amazing fence and door
* 2002 Mason - "Rainbow building" and statue
* 306 Willard - "Cabinet of curiosity" (hidden by bushes, look or you’ll miss it!)
* 417 Willard - Painted gable
* 515 W Drew - Candy house
* 904 Welch - Origami house
* Cross Montrose 1206 Willard - Butterfly tree statue
* 1531 Welch - Snake in the garden
McDonald's on Commonwealth, break
* Bering church Hawthorn side - Rainbow railings
* Bering church Harold side - Rainbow steps entrance
* 3414 Yupon - Metallic bricks rainbow house
* 1507 Indiana - Old stone lions, 1703 - painted door (pictured in cover photo. Hidden behind gate, look for it or you’ll miss it!)
* Cross Dunlavy - raise your eyes to see the gargoyle
* 2028 Woodhead - "Everything but the kitchen sink" house
* 1905 Vermont - Crazy yard and statues
Back to 1422 West Gray - Cafe Express

Wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. If you are having a hard time let someone know and you'll be helped. For more information about hiking check out this very useful hiking website: https://www.hatsandmore.org/

Our organizers are not guides nor do we have any special training. We are here to come up with hiking ideas and get the hike started. Take the same precautions you would if hiking alone, including the fitness needed to make long hikes. Then enjoy the hike among friends.

COVID PRECAUTIONS:
Bring and wear a mask when not hiking and follow the best practices to prevent the transmission of COVID.

Gathering Place:
Cafe Express River Oaks
1422 West Gray
Please do not park in front of the business.

Call or text Nomi 281-250 0305 if you need help.

Safety:
We will be walking on narrow sidewalks and cross several busy roads. While you are responsible for your own safety it is important to remember the obvious: DO NOT WALK ON THE ROAD. DO NOT CROSS IN FRONT OF CARS. Be courteous to drivers and other pedestrians.

The Hike:
We will first meander the streets to the east of Montrose blvd, then cross on Willard and walk to Bering Memorial United church, and back to our cars. For more details see the "for the A student" list.
Bathrooms at the start point and at the Commonwealth/Westheimer McDonald's, ~4.5 miles into the hike.

Weather Forecast:
Weather in the Montrose

No hike map - I will follow the "list for the A students" but because of the grid system of the streets I may improvise. If you are late follow the list and catch us.

After Hike Event: Cafe Express

The Houston Texas Medical Center (TMC) is the largest medical complex in the world, but on today's walk, we will try to discover small nested parks within it.

We will start our walk by going down Main street toward Texas A&M University Park. Then we'll stop by MD Anderson Prairie and Grant Fay Park. Next we'll stroll around the UT Health Jogging Trail, before finally reaching Texas Medical Center Helix Park. This is a new Houston 37-acre public park, that integrates a diversity of programmed events and passive recreation and contemplation. This diverse park integrates a biodiverse experience with over 650 trees and is cooled by heat-reflecting pathways. Helix Park sits on a floodplain along Brays Bayou and is designed to manage a 200 year storm event (The Med Center has not forgotten the floods of years past) by elevating the site by 5 feet above the floodplain with a sitewide sponge that manages flash flooding across the district. The park celebrates water from waterfall benches and a series of streams that shape this public park. We will walk the DNA Helix shaped path and afterward follow Bray Bayou back to our starting point.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. The heat in Texas is always a concern so let someone know if you are having a hard time. For more information about hiking check out this very useful hiking website: https://www.hatsandmore.org/

Our organizers are not guides nor do we have any special training. We are here to come up with hiking ideas and get the hike started. Take the same precautions you would if hiking alone, including the fitness needed to make long hikes. Then enjoy the hike among friends.

COVID PRECAUTIONS:
Bring and wear a mask when not hiking and follow the best practices to prevent the transmission of COVID

Gathering Place:
McGovern Centennial Gardens
1500 Hermann Drive
Call or text Alan at 713 863 8038 if you need help.

The Hike:
The walk is mostly on concrete sidewalk with multiple street crossings. Trail is partially shaded and mostly sunny.

Weather Forecast:
Forecast in the Med Center area

Hike map is in the photos.

Optional After Hike Event:
Bodega's Tacos
1200 Binz St #160, Houston, TX 77004
Caroline @Binz
Directions to Bodega's

This time it isn't actually Groundhog Day!! Or isn't it? As Bill Murray discovered there are a lot of things we could do: we could walk around the golf course six times, or around the Reflecting Pool ten times, or 30 times around the McGovern Gardens, 16 laps around Miller Theater, or some combination of the above. This will be a great chance to get out of the mid-winter rut and enjoy the weather depending on what the groundhog predicts for us.

How well does the groundhog predict Texas weather? Texas Weather

After the walk we will have a cool down at Bodega's which is relatively nearby. Come on out and enjoy the weather with new friends and old.

Wear light colored, loose fitting clothing, comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. The heat in Texas is always a concern so let someone know if you are having a hard time. For more information about hiking check out this very useful hiking website: https://www.hatsandmore.org/

Our organizers are not guides nor do we have any special training. We are here to come up with hiking ideas and get the hike started. Take the same precautions you would if hiking alone, including the fitness needed to make long hikes. Then enjoy the hike among friends.

COVID PRECAUTIONS:
Bring and wear a mask when not hiking and follow the best practices to prevent the transmission of COVID.

Parking:
Free Parking in the surrounding neighborhood or paid parking in the art museum garages.

Gathering Place:
Contemporary Art Museum
5216 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Directions to the Contemporary Art Musem
Call or text Alan at 713 863 8038 if you need help.

The Hike:
The walk is mostly paved and is a mix of sun and shade.

Weather Forecast:
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=29.7161&lon=-95.3902

Hike map is in the photos.

Optional After Hike Event:
TBA