Ron's View - Houston, Texas
The 1992 trip left me with an impression of Houston being an incredibly boring metropolitan area. There seemed to be no “there” there. But, we had spent only 24 hours in Houston in 1992. I was willing to give it another try.
Enron Field afforded that try.
Opening in 2000, Enron Field looked quite unique in pictures and on television. Scott and I wanted to see a game there AND see if there is anything fun to do in Houston.
Anyone from Texas knows and remembers the heat wave that took place in the summer of 2000.
I believe that almost two consecutive months saw the mercury top 90 degrees. Most of the time it topped 100 degrees! Traveling through Texas in late August found us in the core of that heat.
We knew it would be hot, but I was not prepared for the insane combination of heat, humidity, and smog that Houston slapped in my face.
I drove the hot, lonely miles from San Antonio to Houston on that bright, sunny day. The car had the air conditioning cranked up, which made most of my body comfortable. Except for the top of my head, that is!
The relentless rays of sun blasted heat through the roof of the car to the point where I thought my head would explode into flames! My arms were freezing from the blast of a/c, but my head was in flames!
I was ready for the Houston skyline to appear, and at long last it did.
Trying to forget my previous assessment of Houston, I approached intrepidly. Much like San Antonio and Austin before it, Houston also suffers from the same nonsensical Interstate Highway entrance/exit ramp system that always prevented us from actually entering or exiting the Interstate when we wanted to do so.
But, we finally made it to Enron Field.
Enron Field is an impressive brick and concrete structure with a retractable dome. Given the climate in Houston, a retractable dome makes perfect sense. For once, I did not complain about watching a game in a closed dome, for the air conditioning was a welcome respite from the unrelenting heat. The field was quite beautiful, with its real grass field and quirky dimensions.
I found the replica steam train that hovers over the left field wall to be attention getting when it blew steam and moved several hundred feet down the track.
After the 6th or 7th time, it got downright annoying.
The series of scoreboards and the Jumbotron fill in a monstrous space in left center field. I initially found these entertaining, but found them slightly irritating later in the game.
My overall analysis is that all the bells and whistles in Enron Field detract from the action between the white lines. Perhaps it is yet another sad statement that sports fans need to be entertained in order to enjoy a game. For me, the action on the field is always plentiful enough to not need any extraneous stimulation.
After the game, we fought through the confusing signage back to the highway in search of some downtown nightlife. Finding an incredibly boring and darkened downtown, we settled for a bar near the motel for a nightcap.
Once again, my experiences in Houston were underwhelming.
The 1992 trip left me with an impression of Houston being an incredibly boring metropolitan area. There seemed to be no “there” there. But, we had spent only 24 hours in Houston in 1992. I was willing to give it another try.
Enron Field afforded that try.
Opening in 2000, Enron Field looked quite unique in pictures and on television. Scott and I wanted to see a game there AND see if there is anything fun to do in Houston.
Anyone from Texas knows and remembers the heat wave that took place in the summer of 2000.
I believe that almost two consecutive months saw the mercury top 90 degrees. Most of the time it topped 100 degrees! Traveling through Texas in late August found us in the core of that heat.
We knew it would be hot, but I was not prepared for the insane combination of heat, humidity, and smog that Houston slapped in my face.
I drove the hot, lonely miles from San Antonio to Houston on that bright, sunny day. The car had the air conditioning cranked up, which made most of my body comfortable. Except for the top of my head, that is!
The relentless rays of sun blasted heat through the roof of the car to the point where I thought my head would explode into flames! My arms were freezing from the blast of a/c, but my head was in flames!
I was ready for the Houston skyline to appear, and at long last it did.
Trying to forget my previous assessment of Houston, I approached intrepidly. Much like San Antonio and Austin before it, Houston also suffers from the same nonsensical Interstate Highway entrance/exit ramp system that always prevented us from actually entering or exiting the Interstate when we wanted to do so.
But, we finally made it to Enron Field.
Enron Field is an impressive brick and concrete structure with a retractable dome. Given the climate in Houston, a retractable dome makes perfect sense. For once, I did not complain about watching a game in a closed dome, for the air conditioning was a welcome respite from the unrelenting heat. The field was quite beautiful, with its real grass field and quirky dimensions.
I found the replica steam train that hovers over the left field wall to be attention getting when it blew steam and moved several hundred feet down the track.
After the 6th or 7th time, it got downright annoying.
The series of scoreboards and the Jumbotron fill in a monstrous space in left center field. I initially found these entertaining, but found them slightly irritating later in the game.
My overall analysis is that all the bells and whistles in Enron Field detract from the action between the white lines. Perhaps it is yet another sad statement that sports fans need to be entertained in order to enjoy a game. For me, the action on the field is always plentiful enough to not need any extraneous stimulation.
After the game, we fought through the confusing signage back to the highway in search of some downtown nightlife. Finding an incredibly boring and darkened downtown, we settled for a bar near the motel for a nightcap.
Once again, my experiences in Houston were underwhelming.
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