This is the chandelier in the Hilton-Americas Lobby. The glass is made by Dale Chihuly and if you ever get the chance to see an exhibit get there yesterday because his work is strange but oh so beautiful. Luckily the hotel was attached to the convention center by covered walkways over the street. It made for easy drop offs after class or a shopping jaunt.
Speaking of the convention center - I swiped this from someone else's blog as it was taken from her hotel room on a different block of downtown. I am pretty sure this isn't even the whole Center in her photo. This Center is HUGE - supposedly the size of 7 football fields and it felt like it when you realized there was something at the other end you wanted to go back to. To the left side of the photo, in the park, was a "hill" over the entrance to underground parking. On Friday that hill served as seating for a silent movie accompanied by a band playing music. How cool! That park was busy every day I was there...
This is the view from our hotel room looking in the opposite direction. This is a concert venue near the Convention Center. The que was for a Guns-n-Roses concert.
This was the actual downtown area. The skyscraper on the far right appeared as a flat sheet of paper from our position. It was really a diamond but a neat illusion from our room.
These carpets were everywhere in the hotel – just a gorgeous/delicious jumble of color and design.
This 3D world map was in the lounge/café in the lobby area
Huh – forgot I took this picture of PART of the convention center. Can you read the little digital sign? It says “Welcome Int’l Quilt Festival.” Quilt Fest is supposedly the largest convention in Houston.
And last but not least for today, this was taken from a window on the second floor overlooking just a portion of the 1100 vendors. You can see the aisle markers - this is less than half the sales floor.
Oh.My.Goodness!! This is huge!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Chihuly's work. When the Olympics were in Salt Lake City they had a bunch of his stuff on display and some of it stayed. It all looks like it came from an undersea fantasy scene, I think.
What an enormous convention center. I get sensory overload just looking at your photo of HALF of the sales floor.
I so enjoy seeing these photos, Sarah. I am quite certain I will never be there in person, but I am getting a better feel for what it might be like through you. Thanks!
What Janet said. Oh.My.GOODNESS!!!! It's all pretty spectacular. Houston has a lovely city skyline! But you truly did save the best for last in this post -- Todd was watching me scroll through your post and when I got to the bottom and got hung up on that last pic, he told me I needed to pick my jaw off the keyboard! LOL! WOW!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that place is huge.
ReplyDeleteI would get lost for sure.
Sounds like you had a great time.
Your pictures are great. I've tried to describe the Houston show to friends and they just give me a blank look.
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