Part 10 of this year's Houston Bucket List.
In 2008, the city was still dreaming up what to do with vacant space available on the east side of downtown. There were already a pair of new stadiums plus the George R. Brown Convention Center. A park seemed like the most bizarre choice for a city like Houston that seemed to to enjoy, as Joni Mitchell once sang, pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
While you're there, consider one of Chinatown's most interesting creations: Crawfish & Noodles. The James Beard semi-finalist is one of the great examples of the blending of Vietnamese and Cajun food imported to Houston from our neighbors to the east. It is also one of the most unique ways to partake in an annual right of passage, the crawfish boil.
OK, so when you are hung over, your next stop should be Shipley's for coffee, a sausage kolache and a few sweet, yeasty donuts from this Houston classic. You can even watch them prepare the dough fresh through the plexiglass window. The line moves fast, even if you are stuck in the drive through at the old-school Ella location, so be patient and you'll soon feel better.