The Astrodome vs Reliant Arena

This is a tale of two cities- er, rather two stadiums. The old Astrodome's glory has faded with the new Reliant Stadium. The whole grounds & complex, including Reliant Arena & Reliant Center, has been spiffed up with new landscaping and some great artwork.

The Astrodome, called the 8th wonder of the world, when it opened in 1965, is a huge part of Houston's history and was the first domed stadium in the country. It has been home to the Houston Astro's and the old Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and numerous gigantic concerts. It was even home to thousands of refugees from Hurricane Katrina a few years back.

And of course, it was home to the Rodeo for over 35 years. The empty building, sits abandoned most of the year, waiting the outcome of a bitter local dispute on plans to demolish the historical building or transform it into some type of hotel & tourist attraction. The HLSR does set up a mini-club inside called the Hideout, as an after party bar and club with live music during the Rodeo weeks.

The Rodeo and the new Houston Texans moved to the new Reliant Stadium, which sits a few hundred yards from the old Astrodome. The giant new, fancy stadium dwarfs the old dome and make it really look like a 1960's relic.

These beautiful trees, full of youth and beauty, create quite a contrast to the dirty and very aged architecture of the dome.

And here's a special treat for you blog readers & something you don't see everyday. A well-endowed amputee bull. Yea....I don't know either! ;)

Just to satisfy my Google-Earth-loving-self, imagine all those parking lots filling with cars and everybody trying to leave at the same time.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Dallas is close enough to Houston to drive when your flights get cancelled & bad weather strikes, like yesterday.