TOURIST IN MY TOWN - HOUSTON'S MURALS

9 City Murals + 2 Amazing Restaurants = 1 Stellar 7 year anniversary!

Last month, Cody & I started planning a "stay-cation" to Houston and since March is one the best times to visit, our "first trip" was this past Friday.

What started as a simple idea, "take a photo in front the LOVE mural," quickly turned into a fun {and free} way to celebrate our 7 years of marriage.  We spent the day driving around Houston snapping photos with 7 murals & 2 art structures, laughing as we burped the Bayou, finding treasures while thrift store shopping, stuffing our faces at 2 delicious restaurants, & enjoying each other's company.
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​Here is a breakdown of the day:

MURALS & ATTRACTIONS

Lawndale Art Center's Rock Wall

Biscuit's Paint Wall

Houston Inspired {Treebeards}

Burp the Bayou

A Tribute to American Statesman

Love {St. Mark's United Methodist Church}

Greetings from Houston {Gelazzi}

We Love Houston

You are my sunshine {Threads}

Dance Floor {Cottonwood}

• LAWNDALE ART CENTER'S ROCK WALL: Every year, an artist paints the North exterior wall of the Lawndale Art Center.  We went expecting to see "GHOST GRID" so it was a surprise to see the new exhibit, "About_____Rocks" by Russell Etchen.

• BISCUIT PAINT WALL: This wall gets the award for "MOST PHOTOGRAPHED BY US,"  It's different colors of paint dripped down the side.  I wish I realized that my lens wasn't in focus so I could've taken better photos, but they're still my favorites non the less.

*Note: These photos were the most difficult to take b/c there were "Nap Pods" stationed in front of it!  Luckily we were able to position ourselves and the tripod in a way that didn't capture the ciaos around us.

• HOUSTON IS INSPIRED: This mural is painted on the side of Treebeards in downtown {so it's metered parking}.  There were a few "real" tourist posing so we had to wait a little bit, but it was worth it {I really wish those 2 random cars weren't parked there!}

• BURP THE BAYOU: The bayou is a short stroll from the Houston Inspired Mural {see above} and we weren't going to pass up a chance to "burp" it.  There's a big red button on the street level bridge that's begging to be pushed, and once you do a big bubble rises to the surface.  It was created as a prank to scare those that walked by.

• A TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN STATESMANSHIP: These giant concrete heads are located in the back of a neighborhood, in front of some new construction, on a narrow road, so be mindful of cars. 

• LOVE: We really had fun at this mural which is located in the front yard of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

• Greetings from Houston: Daniel Anguilu was commissioned to paint this awesome mural by the owner of Gelazzi's, Louie, who happened to be outside when we arrived.  He chatted with us for a good 10 minutes and shared some "top secret" plans for the blank wall next to it.  It's going to be unveiled Superbowl 51 {guys, it's going to be fun}.  Make sure you pop in for a yummy slice of pizza, gelato, and ice cream before heading to your next stop!​

• WE LOVE HOUSTON: When visiting here, you need to be careful for two reasons: 1. Recently a person was robbed taking photos &  2. It's extremely close to a very busy feeder road {Cody got on to me for leaning over b/c my booty would be partially in the street- but I had to get the shot!}   

• LOVE EACH OTHER FENCE: Cody & I drove around for 15 minutes trying to locate this fence, but thanks to Cody's detective work, sadly we realized that this fence is no longer there.  We really hope that whoever purchased the property did something fun with it, because if not, that's truly a shame.

• You Are My Sunshine: This adorable mural is on the side of the children's clothing store, Thread, and it gets the award for "Quickest Photos Taken."   We were there for maybe 15 minutes, and even though it's simple, it's one of my favorites because it reminds me of our wedding day & how we danced out of the church to, "I'm Walking on Sunshine."   

• This World is a Dance Floor: This is located at Cottonwood, on the back left side of the parking lot, and as fate would have it, there was an open parking spot directly in front of it, and Cody had the cutest idea:

*Side Note: Here are some photos of us dancing out of the church:

RESTAURANTS

• The Breakfast Klub:  Like Best Buy on Black Friday, a line forms before this restaurant even opens, but we were pleasantly surprised to be 6th in line, especially since we got there an hour and a half later than we wanted because I woke up late {no surprise}.  They recently opened a cafe in the back of the main restaurant to help alleviate the crowd; The cafe serves alcohol & their top 3 breakfast items {Wings & waffles, the breakfast special, and catfish with grits}.  Since this was our first time, we opted to wait in line, which moved very quickly.  We arrived at 10:15 am and were fed & out the door by 11:08.  The owner took our order while we waited in line {there's no inside waiting area} and later came up to talk to us.  He was extremely nice {everyone there was} and the food is amazing!  Cody ordered the Wings & Waffles and I stuffed my face with the Breakfast Special {scrambled eggs w/cheese, potatoes, 3 strips of bacon, & a biscuit!}. 

*While waiting in line, we witnessed a delivery truck back into a girl's car and then tried to deny it, but sadly for him, they had about 50 witnesses all watching it unfold.

• Brasil Cafe Houston: After visiting two murals and scouring for "treasure" at the thrift stores in the area, we popped in to a familiar cafe for a beer & bathroom break {Cody had the lights shut off on him- hehe}.  In 2002, I would do my homework in between college classes.  They have a decent beer selection, yummy food, a great outdoor patio, & cool artwork.

*Aren't my new sandals from Pavement awesome?  I'm obsessed with the ikat print!  ​{Note: Pavement used to be Taxi Taxi}

• Southern Goods: What a great way to wrap up the day!  The vibe is chill, but upscale, and the food... *salivating*  We sat at a picnic table outside under the bistro strung lights, sipped our beer and waited for our 3 entres to arrive {yep, 3- their menu constantly changes & we couldn't decide on only 2 things}.  Megan, our waitress, brought us complementary Fried green tomatoes, and even though we loath tomatoes, these were little circles of Heaven that tasted like pears; A thin slice of homemade mozerella sat in between each lighted breaded tomato, and it all sat ontop a Balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Delcious.  Next, cornbread Stuffed Quail with honey glazed sweet potatoes & onions {perfection}.  Then, a juicey, medium cooked Burger with a side of potato salad {worth $14}, and lastly- the Pièce De Résistance, The magestic Pork Belly.  If you've never had pork belly, it's like eating a massive slab of bacon with a thick layer of fat ontop that melts in your mouth like butter.  It's served on top of slaw & apple sauce... Orgasmic.

TRAVEL TOOLS:

If you'd like to recreate this day for yourself, here are the tools I created to help make it awesome

Mural Day's Attractions & Itinerary.xls
File Size:	3123 kb
File Type:	xls

Download File

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Mural Info:

None of these photos could've been possible without the help from the kick ass tripod Cody bought me & my remote sensor for my Canon!