Houston is like Shreveport's big sister.
At over 2 million city population and 5.6 million metropolitan population, Houston certainly is a big sis. For many years the vast, anonymous suburbs of Houston and the traffic seemed to make her the sibling not to emulate. Today we can see that like most sisters, there are good qualities as well as the dubious.
One of the surprisingly cool facilities that make Houston worth watching was recently opened. It is a downtown park - adjacent to the convention center - called Discovery Green.
It has a bit in common with Riverview Park: the interactive fountains. Beyond creative ways with water, however, Discovery Green offers a ton of stimulation.
Recreational features of the park include:
* Jones Lawn - a two-acre grass lawn for lounging, offering views of the skyline
* The Brown Foundation Promenade - a shaded walkway, lined with 100-year-old live oak trees
* Wortham Foundation Gardens - an acre of flowering trees, plants, fountains and works of art
* Kinder Lake - a one-acre lake lined with native wetland plants
* The Natural Gardens - wetland and upland gardens extending the length of the park
* The Landforms - several sculpted knolls and grassy swells that highlight views of downtown Houston
* McNair Foundation Jogging Trail - tree-shaded promenades on which to stroll to the lake and children’s area
* Maconda's Grove - where you can play bocce on the Carruth Foundation Bocce Courts
* The John P. McGovern Playground
* Hagstette Putting Green
* Two Dog Runs - one for large dogs and another for smaller dogs with seating areas for their owners
* Approximately 630-car underground parking garage.
* And two restaurants.
In almost every item above there's a thought-provoking discussion possibility for Shreveport.
In this era when the overall city plan and the Clyde Fant Outdoor Recreation Plan are under discussion, let us be open to our siblings' better ideas.
Discovery Green: field trip!
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