This modern building designed by PGAL architects is the City Hall and Civic Center of the City of…read moreBellaire. Completed in 2019, it is located next to Bellaire-Zindler Park and immediately south of a handful of good restaurants that front Bellaire Boulevard. There are several entrances and it is not immediately clear which is the main entrance, but the staff are friendly and will direct you to where you need to go. There is a large parking lot to the south of the building. The double yellow lines on S. Rice Avenue do not align with entrances of the parking lot, suggesting the city needs to repaint those, as everyone who needs to turn left out of the parking lot does so illegally.

Love the newly built civic center and city offices. We had our Bellaire Little League Parent…read moreorientation meeting last week. Facility was clean and easy to use. I am glad there are places I like this offered to residents of Bellaire. Parking was easy with the new parking lot.

I believe history book has not provided adequate historical value to its original Chinatown in EaDo…read more(east of downtown). This long-lost memory is only in the memory of a few. To tell you the truth, I have never witnessed The Old Chinatown in its golden days. I'm a recent immigrant to Houston's New Chinatown, which established in late 1980's. I discovered Old Chinatown last year while attending a fundraising event promoting Asian fusion food. I parked at a parking lot next to a famous sports Beer Garden Pitch 25, which is owned by retired Houston Dynamos Soccer Coach Brian Ching. They installed their neon sign on top of the original sign of a Chinese furniture store 福星装潢贸易公司. It's only visible during the day. Across the street, there stands a lonely Asian market in a tiny strip mall. The sign marks the past history of this Old Chinatown. I have to rely on Houstonians on Yelp to share their memories on this business page. Because I want to know more. We can probably rediscover the past we missed.

If it were the "Ballerina Area Chamber Of Commerce" it would be smaller, better looking, and easier…read moreon the wallet (arguably). But it's actually the most famous and busy shopping mall in the USA's 4th largest city, which will probably be the 3rd largest within 10 years unless Texas secedes from the Union. I said secedes, not "succeeds", because in terms of Oil, it already did. And I said secedes, not "sexies", because in terms of sexies, Texas ranks at the very top of all States, anywhere. I'm not talking about the guys, though. Trucks and cowboy hats aren't my thing. Maybe if you're Jake Gyllenhaal. The Galleria area is one of my least favorite parts of Houston. Largely because of the traffic, in terms of the volume and consistency of bad traffic here but also in terms of how crazy the drivers are in this neighbourhood and how intense and rude it is. Sort of like New York City but without the driving talent. Lots of bad red lights and endless waits and like I said very rude people. Most of the food around here is very overrated, and while there are a few pretty good things they don't really get it done for me. Except for Peri-Peri Factory which is miraculous and the main reason to come to this area, and the food truck park near it (the middle eastern one near Hillcroft, not the hipster one on Chimney Rock). However there are a lot of beautiful women in this neighbourhood for sure. It almost seems like it's the sex industry capital of Houston actually, which is exciting. Lots of strip clubs, lots of hotties. This part of town is called Uptown. This is where you should come if you're looking for an uptown girl who's been living in a white-bred world, who needs someone to pop her can and so she's looking for a downtown man (that's what I am). And when she knows what she wants from her time, and when she wakes up and makes up her mind, she'll see I'm not so tough, just because I'm in love with a Galleria princess. Houston is one of my favourite cities in the world, largely because of the ethnic areas such as NW, Bellaire, Pasadena, and so on, but the posh, expensive areas are actually really great too (I'm not talkoing about the Woodlands). Like Houston Heights, Downtown, Montrose, River Oaks and Midtown, the Uptown-Galleria area is surprisingly wonderful. Yes, it has Malls and expensive corporate crap, but also some spectacular towerblocks and wonderful restaurants. It's an awesome area where, admittedly, stuff is a little too expensive and traffic is a little heavy and rough, and cops a little quick with the ticket if you're a few miles over the limit, but overall, it's one of the many cool parts of H-town. If you're in this area, you should try: Peri-Peri Factory (inferno style whole chicken and Peri Peri fries, the best) Istanbul Doner Truck (the best Kofte Kebab in town) Khan Baghdad Truck (the best Kofte and Chicken Kebabs and Burgers) Ekko's (for the best Gyros and Chicken Gyros in Texas) Midwest Coney Connection (for the best hot dogs in Texas) Also try: Argentina Cafe (the choripan and the mousse) Fountain View Fish Market (for a fish sandwich) Nu Ice (for Asian snow cream desserts with Mochi) Southwells (burgers and such) And that's all I have to say about that. As for the mall: I met someone very special the night before the first time I ever went to the Galleria. I'm not sure how things would have gone if that were the last time I met her, but apparently she must have liked me or something, because she came to watch my concert just 16 hours later, at the Houston Galleria, in one of the big flagship stores. It was a great concert, although not as wild as the one the night before. She then came to see me again the following evening... it must have been love! It was extremely difficult for me to load all my things into the Galleria because parking is a pain (and still is to this day), and distances are very long. Then unloading them would have been similarly sucky, except that this particular girl helped me with everything. Then she took me for dinner down the road at "Cha-Cho's" which was a lovely experience. Houston was always the most welcoming of the huge cities, back in those days, and has remained somewhere in those upper echelons ever since. I don't like Malls, but I have to give this one a very generous 4/5 because of all the memories. Yes, the stores are overpriced, yes, the parking is tricky, and yes, traffic is a nightmare around this area of Houston - partly because of this Mall. But despite all that, the personal memories reign supreme. And if you eat too much in the Food Court, then it becomes the Houston Caloria.

I was invited to attend an event at the Indonesian Consulate's Office this week. It's called…read moreCulinary Day. It was a very well-planned event. Originated from an idea of food presentation from Aurora Murabayashi, the wife of Consulate General of Japan. There were joined by the wives of several countries' consulate generals in Houston. We watched cooking demonstrations and got to try the dishes from Indonesia, India, Ukraine, Japan, Angola and Switzerland. The facility was beautiful and the atmosphere was amazing. I got to network with the food presenters. I also toured the museum promoting Indonesia. Lots of history in 75 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the United States. I have heard there is an annual bazaar happening in August. I can't wait to come back to learn about the Indonesian culture and try more Indonesian cuisine.

After hearing rumors of how local Indonesians flock to the consulate on Saturdays from 11-2 for a…read moremarket style smorgasboard of authentic food, we decided to check it out. Walking into the empty consulate doors on a Saturday afternoon, we found our way into a large room with women casually sitting behind tables selling various dishes prepacked in ziploc bags and to-go boxes and ready to go. The atmostphere is very much like what you might find perhaps post-church service with families selling their home-cooked foods a la bake sale style. Each dish costs approximately $5 to $7ish dollars cash only, so between the three of us, we grabbed 3 or 4 items that looked tasty and sat down to chow down. I couldn't really tell you the names of anything we ate, but I can tell you that it was all pretty delicious and we were surprisingly very stuffed at the end. There was a banana leaf wrapped chicken and rice thingy that was tasty. There were a variety of curry coconutty saucy broths that were delicious and reminded us of filipino or thai foods. There was also a package of what were basically potato chips glazed in a VERY spicy sweet chili sauce that was like a crack addiction (or so I've heard). Overall, the selection was so-so, but apparently we arrived a little too late (1230). Apparently, there is a lot more food at 11 sharp, so we fully intend on returning here next time right from the start to get the full experience.

Yours truly got called in to do her civic duty. I may not serve in the military, but I can serve…read morethis country by aiding in giving people their due process. This place is way the heck out there and is actually a police station! As it was originally built for and still is a police station, things get weird for jurors from here on out... The purpose of this court is to provide jury trials for those who wish to contest minor offenses like very minor assaults (pushing people), traffic moving violations, etc. Therefore, you will only be needed for one business day. SCORE! ARRIVAL TIME: They request that you be promptly there at 9am, but the guy who manages jurors is super friendly and is understanding if you get there at 9 WITHOUT that form filled out. UPON ARRIVAL: You will encounter a security guard and a metal detector. They will have you pass TSA-style sans shoes through that detector and inspect whatever you brought with you. JUROR WAITING ROOM: They have a super tiny room in which they keep about 2 dozen jurors who have also been summoned. There are only two AC units, and so it can get stuffy. There's hardly any room to walk, but you'll survive. They have a TV in the corner of the room that softly plays CNN. REFRESHMENTS / BATHROOM: I'm sure there is a bathroom. I didn't check it out and therefore can't review. Outside of the juror waiting room are two vending machines -- one for sodas and water, one for mainly junk food snacks. Bring some pocket change. THE COURTROOM: We were called into the court room at 11am. (So, note to self, bring something to do or to read.) We were promptly notified by the Honorable Judge that we would not be needed as jurors for the remainder of the day, that she had been able to settle anything without needing jurors. As it is a police station, there is a huge pylon in the middle of the courtroom that may make it hard for you to see the judge... EXIT PROCESS: We then were escorted out of the room. The guy who manages jurors met us. He had us sign something that acknowledged we showed. You can choose to get a $6 check in the mail as compensation or choose to have it donated back to the City of Houston, but not as a tax write-off. This guy will give you a certificate of gratitude for your time and can fill out an excuse for work, if need be. SPECIAL NOTE -- PLEASE READ: This guy said that even if you serve the Municipal Courts, that does not exempt you from serving at the Downtown Court for more complex (read: lengthier) trials in the same calendar year. Be advised!

This court annex 20 is wayyyy better than downtown. Parking is free and wide open. Inside court…read morehouse to settle your traffic ticket is efficient no long lines nor long waits.

It is still a working courthouse for the Court of Appeals First District and it is also a…read morehistorical building that anyone can enter and see or take photo as the backdrop. The main entrance is the door facing Fannin St. You can take the stair up to the main lobby or at the ground flood under the stairway there is another entrance which an elevator, so the ground floor is floor 1 and the main lobby is floor 2. The historical exhibit is on the 6th floor

Looks like I've written one shell of a lot of review…read more So it's definitely one of the most beautiful buildings in Texas, and it might actually be my fave in Houston. It's a gargantuan building that would be at home in New York City. It's massive and a monolith and absolutely remarkable. One of the most beautiful buildings in town and in the state and in the country. The 2 most recent times I came here were to visit the Barber Shop here for trims. Not to be confused with the One Hell Barber, which is a barber who believes that there's only one hell and we're all going to it. It's known as a hell of a barbershop in the tunnels. Some people say it's the best one in the tunnels, and other people say it's the best one in the whole downtown area. You can draw your own conclusions if you're something of a sketch artist, but if you need a haircut around here, this is definitely near the top of my list. Especially if you go with the older gentleman - which as others have said, is usually near the window.

absolutely beautiful! the marble has some hidden gems that you can only see in photosread more