Posts tagged #hermann park

Well, That Took "Long" ... Back to the Japanese Gardens!

The Ideal Saturday Morning...

...Is when you are not in a rush to do anything and you grab your coffee, book and camera and go to the park. And even more so, when you are able to fulfill a promise you made the day before (which in this case was going back to Hermann Park's Japanese Gardens to capture their full glory in full daylight). This truly was a glorious morning - a crisp 54 degrees F, clear blue skies, and lovely vistas. Thank you Houston for having so much to offer at the unbeatable price of $0.   

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hermann park houston favorites japanese gardens hometown.

Houston at Dusk | Hermann Park's Japanese Gardens

Spontaneous Garden Visits Are Sweet

I have wanted to visit the Japanese Gardens at Hermann Park for years. And I truly mean years. Yet their challenging hours of operation are rather hard to work with (5PM... really?). Yesterday, I got lucky! With the garden's gates being questionably and invitingly wide open after 6PM, my accomplice and I were able to sneak right in. Daylight was quickly dwindling though and my first attempts at fighting the natural environment and overcompensating via digital camera trickery fell rather flat. So I had a revelation - why fight it? Instead, use it! I am not very good at dusk photography but I saw an opportunity for learning. Here are the first attempts... (with one fabulous action shot as well). 

On a side note, the gardens are just as beautiful as I imagined. I hope to be able to be back and spend some more quality time there very soon. And possibly take some full daylight shots of it while at it. :)

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hermann park japanese garden houston favorites hometown.

Houston Favorites | Hermann Park

Yet Another Reason to Love Houston

I have loved Houston's Hermann Park ever since I made my first visit here a few years ago (has it been 6 and a half years already?). Primarily because some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen have occurred here (and yesterday was no exception) and because it is within a short walking distance from some of the best museums in the nation (the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Health, the Children's Museum - all within less than a mile from here). 

To top that, yesterday marked the cutting ribbon ceremony of a wonderful addition to the park I cannot wait to start enjoying - the Centennial Gardens. Even though they are not quite finished yet (having a rainy season has its pros and cons - no need to water your lawn vs slower construction than anticipated) but I can already tell this will be one of my frequent weekend stops. 

The entire setting is comfortably reminiscent of LA's Huntington Library or San Francisco's botanical gardens yet on a tad smaller and thus more practical and enjoyable scale. The architecture of the Cherry Flores Garden Pavilion is a lovely, light and modernized throw-back to my all-time favorite mid-century modern period.

All in all, just another reason to add to my millions of other reasons as to why I love Houston so much (being able to hang upside down on the century-old oak trees in the area is clearly another one). 

Happy Sunday!

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hermann park centennial gardens cherie flores garden pavilion houston favorites houston parks.