Tuesday, March 13, 2018

WE CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS IN HOUSTON!!

Saturday, March 7 – We met up with Carrie and her friend, Holly, to visit one of Houston's historical sites. Located near the edge of downtown on the Buffalo Bayou is the “Cistern”. The “Cistern,” as it has been dubbed, was the City of Houston’s first underground drinking-water reservoir. Built in 1927, it provided decades of service until it was drained when it sprang a leak that couldn’t be located or contained. This huge concrete structure is hidden within the multi-use Buffalo Bayou Park, right next to the skateboard track. If you weren't looking for it, you would never know it was there.

Houston Cistern

Bike rentals are everywhere in Houston.
Houston

On top of the Cistern is a beautiful lawn area, stage, and a patio area with a gorgeous view of the downtown skyline. We have visited this area several times in the past and had no idea there was a hidden gem below our feet.

Houston Cistern

Down Periscope was built in 2015 to let visitors take a peek into the Cistern. It is being repair after the recent hurricane.

Carrie and Holly check the periscope out.
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There are still signs of recent Hurricane Harvey flood that buried this area under more than 50 feet of roaring water. The city is coming back but will take time and tons of money to completely rebound from that disaster.

The Buffalo Bayou is still brown. In the next two photos you can see how it took out so many trees along the water.

Buffalo Bayou

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The visit to the Cistern begins with a stop at the Visitor Center where we picked up our passes for the tour. The tour costs $5. You can make reservations online.  We then proceeded to an inconspicuous door in the wall off to the side of the Visitor's Center. Once opened, we passed through the door down a short walkway into a cool underground waiting room. After a brief explanation and review of safety instructions, our guide asked us to follow her down another walkway into the Cistern.

Our wonderful, informative guide.
Houston Cistern

We think our guide memorized everything and anything knowable about the Cistern. Marsha had to go back to the Internet to refresh her memory on the facts. Unused for years, the 87,500-square-foot expanse includes 25-foot tall, slender concrete columns set row upon row, hovering over two inches of water on the reservoir’s floor. The space, which was only very minimally renovated to make it safe for the public to access, feels like a work of art in itself. The size of one-and-a-half football fields.

Oh My Gosh! This place is awesome. 421 enormous columns.
Houston Cistern

Houston Cistern

The guide explained that several inches of water is constantly pumped through the Cistern system and onto the floor to keep the concrete moist, and the air damp in order to maintain the environment that has existed in the Cistern for nearly 80+ years. The walkway around the perimeter, safety railings, emergency exits, and LED lighting are the only additions added to the Cistern since opening to the public.

Houston Cistern

The space is also accessible via small hatches that open to 14-foot ladders used before the public access tunnel was constructed.

Houston Cistern

The spillway back when the Cistern was used as a water source.
Houston Cistern

Remember the photo of the Down Periscope…here is what it looks like under ground.
Houston Cistern

The guide asked us to join in on an experiment to illustrate the echo effect inside the Cistern. She counted to three and had us all yell at the top of our lungs for several seconds then stop. The echo lasted for about 17 seconds. We did this several times. Amazing!

We were then treated to an acapella rendition by our guide of God Bless America to show off the acoustics of the Cistern. She did a beautiful job with the song convincing us that with our ability to sing we would be turned down if we volunteered as a guide here at the Cistern.

Before we left the Cistern, our guide gave us one last illustration of the beauty of the Cistern…a light show. Using a high powered lantern, she directed the light beam across the Cistern to illustrate an optical illusion that made the pillars double in height and appear to travel infinitely across the dark expanse of the Cistern. Very cool!

We took photos but they don’t do it justice. It is so amazing.
Houston Cistern

That concluded our ¼ mile walk around the perimeter of the Cistern, one that our guide made walking backwards the entire time so she could talk to the group. We were lead back up the ramp to the surface.

Our happy guide. Great job!
Houston Cistern

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is located at 105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX, 77007, and tours are offered Thursday through Sunday. Access is limited to guided tours. Reservations required. Tours are free on Thursday but still require a reservation. In addition to tours highlighting the history and architecture of this unique industrial site, the Cistern houses periodic art installations. If you want to see a short video on the Cistern, please click hereWhat an exciting tour! Now we can say to others...”You won't believe what's hidden among the trees at Buffalo Bayou Park!”

If that wasn’t enough excitement, we all headed to the Beer Market for some eats and drinks. We all had a great time talking about what we just saw, watching some basketball and filling our stomachs.

Beer Market

In case you didn’t know, it is crawfish season here in Houston.
Beer Market

Beer Market

Peddle Parties are in order every weekend.
Peddle Party

Houston

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

13 comments:

  1. Finding hidden gems is so much fun! What a very cool tour! We would both enjoy taking the tour if every in Houston again. Thanks for sharing:)

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  2. What a cool find in Houston and a wonderful tour, have not had a feed of crawfish for quite a few years making me hungry.
    Great pictures today as well thanks.

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  3. Interesting tour. I would think there a lot of hidden gems around a city like Houston.

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  4. Interesting for sure! Not sure I'd want to kayak in that muddy river though.

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  5. Amazing tour. All that stuff underground that you just never think about or know about.

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  6. What a neat tour of the cistern. I often have wondered why they don't build cisterns like that our here in the Southwest to keep evaporation down. $$$$$ most likely the answer.

    Gerry and I like to find the out of the way and unusual things to see and do in the different areas that we travel. I will have to keep note of this one and check it out.

    Have fun.

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  7. You guys find the neatest places. Sandie is right, there is a lot of neat stuff underneath.

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  8. Wow, there are so many interesting and unique finds all over, the Cistern sound very interesting and unusual...what a good find. I bet it was neat hearing the echoes for about 17 seconds...

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  9. Neat ... I've added to our places to check out in Houston. There's a Basilica Cistern in Istanbul that we've visited ... dates back to the 6th century AD ... and still standing.

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  10. That looks like such a cool tour. Isn't it exciting to find those little hidden gems? You two are the go-to guy and gal for all things Houston. Thanks! LuAnn

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  11. How fascinating! I lived in Houston for a couple of years (many years ago) and never knew the Cistern existed. Your guide sounds like she did a great job -- very fun that she sang for you and put on a light show! Love all of the exploring that you two do.

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  12. Having a knowledable guide adds to the exprience. It looked like you had a great time. Thank you for taking us for I dont think we will eve come back to Houston anytime soon.

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  13. What an interesting post! I would love to take this tour someday.

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