I've been to many museums through the years. This was my first visit to a presidential…read moremuseum/library, and it was spectacular. In addition to a 25-minute video production about the life of President George H.W. Bush (during which I shed a tear), there are more artifacts here than you can shake a stick at. The guides are quite friendly and knowledgeable, and they are prepared to answer questions. During my visit, there were several original artifacts on display, including FDR's speech on Dec. 8, 1941, and Elvis Presley's original enlistment documents. But those are traveling exhibits. There is plenty of Bush family memoriblia to quench your thirst for some up-close history.

I love visiting Presidential Libraries when I happen to be in the area. So far I have visited the…read moreones for Hoover (West Branch, IA), Johnson (Austin, Tx), Nixon (Yorba Linda, CA), Reagan (Simi Valley, CA), Truman (Independence MO), and now George H.W. Bush. I was in College Station over the weekend for a Texas A&M Class of 1980 Reunion, and part of the agenda was paying this place a visit. The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library complex, located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, includes the Presidential Library and Museum, the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. My visit included the main Museum, a separate building holding the very cool Union Pacific 4141 Engine and the Marine One Helicopter, and the graves of President Bush, his Wife Barbara, and their Daughter Robin. The later involves a pretty walk around a scenic pond (and rose garden area) and onwards to a gated plot within a quiet woodsy area. If Gayle is reading this, of course I also took a look through the gift shop at the end of my visit. I found the main museum to be nicely curated, in chronological order, and with lots of interesting things to learn and remember. I found that I needed at least a couple passes through to help layer my visit. Of particular note (besides the 4141 and Marine One) were exhibits noting the fall of the Berlin Wall, Camp David, the family boat (Fidelity), and the car that the Bush family drove out to Texas for the first time. There was also a special (and worth visiting) exhibit when I was there Music America: Iconic Objects From America's Music History. Also, please don't miss the 22 minute orientation video when you first start in. I found that it really helped set the stage for what was to come at this museum.

These guys are AWEFUL. I stopped service in my online account for the end of May. But they claimed…read moreI stopped service on June 7 - the day they are normally scheduled to read meters. They claimed I stopped service on the 7th - why in world would I do that if my lease ended May 31? I didn't - they just didn't want to schedule a separate reading and it cost me $20. I have NEVER had a positive interaction with them over the past two years whereas Bryan Utilities was super. My recommendation is live in Bryan unless you want the hassle of dealing with CS Utilities!!!

Man every time I call I'm placed on hold .after thanksgiving being on hold for over a minute…read morebecause they are to lazy to answer the phone

This is the campus post office, and still standing in original "splendar" amongst the degrading…read moreNorthgate Buildings across the street, and the overall urbanization of areas in and around campus. This is where I picked up my packages from home during my student stay at A&M many years ago. I revisited the building last week both inside and outside. I was amazed again the huge rows of post office boxes, wondering if they'll ever run out considering campus growth. I also remain curious on what goods end up in these boxes. Musings on an idle day....

Terrible attitudes and customer service (specifically the old man who is mostly bald)read more

I was in College Station and decided to pay my respects to the individuals lost in the A&M bonfire…read morecollapse by visiting the memorial. This was the first time that I have been to the memorial. It was very touching how each pillar around the circle has information about each of the 12 students that were lost on that day. I felt that I learned more about each individual and it was a touching way to honor them by capturing them as individuals. There was a marker in the center of the circle with the date and time of the bonfire collapse. Coming into the memorial there is quotes and a poem at the entrance and you reach the monument by following a long gravel pathway until you reach the circular portion of the memorial. Overall was a very touching and moving way to pay tribute to those lost in the tragedy.

This is a beautiful memorial dedicated to the 27 students who were injured and 12 students who lost…read moretheir lives on November 18, 1999. I remember this incident when it occurred all those years ago. It's a very somber experience as you walk up the path to the place where the tragedy happened. There are three parts to this memorial: Tradition Plaza, the History Walk, and the Spirit Ring. Everything about this memorial is very intentional. The number of stones used, the number and positioning of the lights, the position of the portals, etc. all have meaning. I regret not reading the pamphlet before walking through the memorial. I actually wasn't sure if we could or should walk in the middle of the Spirit Ring, but there is a granite marker in the middle that indicates the exact spot of the last Bonfire Centerpole. The intentionality and representation would have been a lot more clear if I had read it when we first arrived. Each portal represents one of the students who perished that night. The portals face the direction of the respective student's hometown. Each portal has a portrait of the student and a written reflection. The majority of the students were only 18 or 19 years old. We toured the memorial later in the afternoon so the lights were barely visible. This memorial is very pretty at night, so I would recommend timing your visit after dusk. There's a parking lot right near the memorial and it's free, however it wasn't clear if a permit was needed. We had no trouble with parking on a Saturday, but double check the signage to be safe.

My sons and I took a great tour of the station, it was beautiful and all of the firefighters very…read morekind and friendly to the children. What a fun day the kids had. The station itself is pretty state of the art and well designed which makes me confident in its efficiency, It not only services College Station, but the neighborhoods just north of the boarder in Bryan where we live. It is my understanding the the station was built to accommodate more staff in the future because of the projected growth in College Station. Make sense to me! Making this one a little bigger is more cost effective than needing to build a whole new station in the next ten years. That's for all the cynical one stars in the world, lol!

Don' t get me wrong: I love having a fire station so close to my house and I admire fire-fighers…read moretremendously. Have helped them, sung carols to them, all that. But a fire station the size of a Death Star? I mean, this station is to normal fire stations what those new houses on Dexter with the six-car garages and temple-sized living rooms are to normal Dexter Park and College Hills houses! Kinda makes you wince. I mean, yes, it cost us $7 million to build, but please tell me those $$ included the cost of a solar energy collection unit that will pay for air conditioning that HUGE interior ceiling space this summer, and the electricity to power what looks like two hundred exterior lights to illuminate trees, fancy signs, the blue neon surrounding the statue of the firefighter (did a local artist get wealthy on this commission, I hope?), and the pump to power the continuously-running fountain. Please tell me it's off the power grid! It is mighty fancy and I am certain it astounds all our weekend visitors, but... pork barrel, anyone? Love, Kate L. College Hills resident

Santa Cruz - Screw the FAA! This is a response to the…read moreletters written suggesting the unrest emerging from communities under the current FAA "Next Gen" implementation is a NIMBY (Not in my back yard) reaction. Until you have spent a few days under this new "jet freeway" to experience first-hand the exceedingly high decibel levels and extreme concentration of flights, I recommend holding back on judgment. The new SERFR One route redirection is far different from the previous Star BIG SUR Two route in both number of flights and lower altitude levels. The SERFR One change has created extremely higher noise levels occurring all day as well as throughout the night. In fact, studies indicate that over a two month period before this change this area had just 177 flights overhead. Since the SERFR One implementation over a two month period, flights have increased to an astounding 8,892... averaging to 147 flights daily!! And let's not forget the FAA conducted no environmental impact report prior to changing flight paths on us all. One important aspect of the FAA's roles is the "Developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation" Instead the FAA's only due diligence to the affected cities and counties was to notify our representatives that there would be "no impact". They did nothing required It's critical to consider that the previous flight paths were much more dispersed and at higher altitudes or over different geographical terrain which caused far fewer noise exceedances. So I think it's safe to assume that anyone living under the old flight path, or anyone in general that has a problem with the Save Our Skies organization and its goals, ultimately has very little understanding of what has been taking place here as well as across the country. Mind you, the outrage is being heard loudly not only from residents from Capitola to Palo Alto, but also cities across the country. Other communities are considering following the lead from Phoenix and filing lawsuits against the FAA's multi-billion dollar Next Gen failure. Please note that the purpose of the FAA's new program of optimizing air space was to lower emissions, reduce flight delays, and utilize less fuel, all of which are not happening. Instead it has increased emissions, increased fuel usage, and had no decrease in flight delays. All this at the expense of the mental health of hundreds of thousands across the nation. This is not an annoyance issue as in leaf blower noise, this is a life-changing event for everyone effected. Before anyone criticizes the efforts to correct these wrongs by calling it NIMBY, which essentially translates into: "Shut up and stop complaining you pretentious whiners" you might want to do at least a little homework first. You might also want to ask yourselves who is standing up and demanding action from unjust governmental negligence and who is actually doing the whining. There's only one thing that is comparably frustrating as the noise from this Next Gen nightmare and that is reading these uninformed judgments disguised as opinions in the newspaper. Ignorance is to be expected but aggressive ignorance is intolerable. Please educate yourselves: www.saveourskies.com Michael

About Every 5 minutes or so i hear a jet fly over our house! When i am inside i think is that an…read moreearthquake? This has got to stop! I totally agree with Mike Leimbach, he said it perfectly!

If you're interested in becoming a Marine Corps officer, stop by this location to find out more…read moreabout your options. Outstanding office and extremely supportive staff. The officer candidates that come out of this location are extremely well prepared for OCS.

I very intimate performing arts theater. I saw "Educating Rita" here, and actually felt like I was…read morepart of the show. I recommend it to everyone, especially for a close performance feel. The only downfall: if you need to get up for some reason in between acts, there's no way to really get out of the theater without disturbing the play.