Tranquility Park and Hard Rock Cafe

Houston, Texas - We were downtown for an errand and since I had the kids, I decided to park in the theater district and do a little walking tour. We, again, rode the elevator in the JP Morgan Chase Tower to the 60th floor to the viewing deck. We really enjoyed the view of downtown and could see as far as the Astrodome, the Galleria, and the 290 corridor.

From the viewing deck, I could see city hall and the corners of Tranquility Park. It didn't look far so we went for it. That was a mistake. The official weather report says the high was only 96 degrees, but it felt much hotter. The heat just sucked all the life out of us. From the tower it was only 3 city blocks to the park, but those were some long, hot blocks. The park was a huge disappointment to the kids. They were too tired to run and there just wasn't anything for kids there. There were some trees and some shaded picnic tables. The tables were all occupied by some young adults playing rap music. The fountains were nice, but the metal bridge is a hugely bad idea in the heat of a Houston summer.

Two more blocks of walking, and we made it to the Hard Rock Cafe. On a Tuesday afternoon, there was no crowd. It is a nice little place with plenty of pictures and rock n' roll collectibles. The food was a little pricey, but not bad. We paid $35.00 for one salad, two kids meals, a glass of water and tip.

The 10 year old and I recuperated enough at the Cafe to walk a block and a half back to the car, but the 5 year old did not. At the Cafe the 5 year old just layed down in the booth and went to sleep. I had trouble getting him to eat or drink anything. The heat really hurt him. I mustered the strength to carry him back to car. He was limp and argued about eating and drinking the rest of the day. Thankfully, by morning he was back to his old self.

Trip Stats:

• Who: Mama, one 10 year old boys and one 5 year old boy
• What: JP Morgan Chase Tower http://www.chasetower.com/sub-frameset.htm, Tranquility Park http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?category=13683&id=28464, and Hard Rock Cafe http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=56&MIBEnumID=3
• When: Tuesday, Afternoon
• Where: Downtown Houston
• Why: Indoor/Outdoor Play
• Cost: Tower and Park are free. Hard Rock Cafe is a restaurant with the average entree at around $11.
• Parking: For almost 2 hours, we paid $5 to park in the underground theater district parking garage.