Seeing the city
A walk through Houston's neighborhoods can reveal all kinds of good surprises
Mar 13, 2019, 6:26 am
Seeing the city
Jovan Abernathy is an international marathoner and owner of Houston Tourism Gym. To claim your free tour, contact her at info@tourismgymhtx.com
Let's talk gentrification or shall I say improving to conform to middle-class taste. (I looked it up) Wait this sounds like a trick. That depends on who is telling the story. So, I'll tell you my story of gentrification.
As always, this story starts with a walk. This time in Rice University. My foot steps onto the cinder path. I can hear the pebbles underneath my feet. The trees were swaying and the sky was blue.
I had run this path so many times during marathon training. I remember running into regulars that I used to wait on at a local restaurant. I used to see Julie every Saturday on this path. She once told me that her favorite part to training for her own half marathon was seeing "Flower Man."
I had never met him, but he was somewhat of a legend. They called him "Flower Man" because the flowers that he used to adorn the basket on his bicycle. I smile to myself and continue my walk.
From Rice University, I walk through the Museum District before boarding the light rail. I believe that was about 4 miles already, but whose counting? I'm looking for something special today. I'm not stopping until I find it. I step off the Metro at the Ensemble stop.
As soon as I step onto the platform, I knew I was in a different world. I could already see that this neighborhood was full of surprises. I was definitely not in Rice University anymore. I stand in one spot and look all around me. Without even moving, I could see the culture. Ensemble Theatre. Breakfast Klub. Double Trouble. And a number of murals.
I walk over to the Ensemble Theatre to get a better look. Just my luck. It's not open, but I could see a description of the theatre. Apparently, this is Houston's first professional African American theatre. It produces it's own in house shows. What's coming up next? Freeda Peoples and Pipeline. We will have to come back to that. On to the next.
As I walk along the Metro rail, I see Double Trouble. I've heard of this place. It's a coffee shop that serves cocktails and opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 2am. Bring your computer or bring your dog. I walk to the end of the street and turn the corner towards the Breakfast Klub. I have to push through an unexpected line of people.
"How long have you been in this line," I ask the closest person to me. "I've been here since 8 a.m." I look at my phone. 11 a.m. How good can it be? He hands me a menu. Wings and Waffles and Catfish and Grits. I think it's worth it, but not right now.
From driving by on the street, I noticed there was an impressive black and white mural of Barack Obama. I think now is a great time to finally get that picture I've been wanting. I move past the crowd to cross the street. I wonder who the artist is. It looks like it could be Icy and Sot (the Iranian brothers who painted the black and white mural in Graffitti Park) I look for a name….Reginald Adams. I proudly look at my photo. Time to keep moving.
I walk to Truxillio. I heard that there was a brewery here called Under the Radar. As I walked down the street, I looked at the old wooden houses that lined the street. It always gives me a good feeling to see old houses.
What's on the left? The Buffalo Soldiers Museum. I had no idea that Houston had one of these. In fact, I don't even know what a buffalo soldier is. That's why I bring my phone with me. The buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers charged with keeping white soldiers safe from American Indians. They were called buffalo soldiers by the Indians because they were strong and built to last making them hard to kill just like a buffalo. That goes on the list to must visit too.
I find Under the Radar a couple of houses down the street. If it were not for the hanging tea lights and and the picnic tables. I would have missed it. I go to the bar and look over the menu. Dirty Blonde. Radar Love. Midtown Bock. Mid Frequency IPA. I'm an IPA girl, so I place my order. I savor my first taste. It's a winner. I finish my beer and time to keep it moving.
I'm still on Alabama St. Just over the bridge, I see a red brick house. It's a little different from all the other houses near it. There is a lot of sculptures in the front yard. Because it is time for me to be curious, I don't hesitate to go in. This house is called the Gite Gallery. It's owned by Lloyd Gite. Through his many travels to Africa, he developed a love for Afro-Cuban art. He now shares this art with the public. African masks, Colorful paintings, Tribal sculptures are among his offerings. I'll let you in on a secret. Lloyd Gite was a journalist before. Around his gallery, there are many photographs he has taken with celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and even Rosa Parks.
Back out on the street, I see that I am approaching Emancipation Ave. I turn left. I came out today because I wanted to check out Project Row Houses. For those of you who don't know, Project Row Houses is a row of Shotgun Houses that have been repurposed into galleries. Each home has its own theme and is created by a different artist.
Project Row is much more than that. This 30 building campus also serves as an incubator for black business. NuWaters is a co-op that sells organic fruits and vegetables to the Third Ward Community. This produce comes straight from the NuWaters farm. Step in and listen to the manager, Carmen tell light hearted stories of how to keep rabbits out of the garden.
Next door, you will find Crumbville Bakery owned by Miss Ella. Miss Ella, who greets everyone with a hug, specializes is cupcakes stuffed with cookies. With favorites like her strawberry cookies called Cookie Minaj, carrot cake, and banana pudding, its easy to see why its hard to keep stocked.
I'm in the shotgun houses now. I saved them for last. Some of the exhibits have an overtone of frustration. Some have a note of inspiration. I came to the last house. When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was a sign on the wall with the instruction to elect my Third Ward hero. There were small pictures on the wall of people of the neighborhood. Beside each photo was their name and something special about them. I walked the wall and looked at each picture before coming to the last. I stopped in front of it and read the note: "I elect Flower Man as my Third Ward hero."
I could feel the goosebumps forming. I came out looking for something and I found it. I left the house in an energetic comptemplation.
Back to the gentrification issue. When I think gentrification in Houston, I think about Third Ward. There has been much controversy over the changes that are being made. I, personally, like to focus on the positive changes. Project Row Houses does much for the community. They purpose to bring voice and community to Third Ward. I say that they have done just that.
By the way, Flower Man, whose real name was Cleveland Turner, was a gardener who worked in River Oaks. He was also an artist who kept not only his bicycle colorful, but his front yard too. He used art to celebrate his sobriety. When he passed, the neighbors came to his house to claim their own Flower Man original work of art.
The Astros are making noise again — not by bludgeoning teams with a powerhouse offense, but by grinding through games and getting elite production from a patched-together pitching staff. It’s a testament to their depth and resilience that they went 4-2 on a tough road trip while averaging just 3.6 runs per game. Even more impressive? The staff allowed just 2.3 runs per game during that stretch.
It’s fair to be impressed. This is a team still missing key pieces and leaning heavily on unproven arms, yet they’ve built a 2.5-game lead over Seattle in the AL West. If the rotation keeps performing like this, that cushion might not just hold through the All-Star break — it could grow.
Houston's pitching has been the great stabilizer. The Astros rank 1st in strikeouts, 9th in ERA, 4th in WHIP, and 2nd in batting average against. The numbers aren’t carried solely by the stars either. Youngsters like Brandon Walter and Colton Gordon have stepped in admirably. Walter has allowed just two runs combined across his first two starts (6 IP and 5 IP), while Gordon has quietly gone five innings in three straight outings, giving up 1, 4, and 3 runs. Ryan Gusto has been inconsistent — failing to get through five innings in his last three starts — but has kept the damage manageable (3, 2, and 2 runs in those outings).
Meanwhile, the top of the rotation has been lights out. Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown have become one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in baseball, and Lance McCullers Jr. is starting to look like a real contributor again. It’s a staff carrying the team while the bats slowly try to catch up.
That offense, while mediocre overall — 15th in OPS, 20th in runs, 19th in homers, and 18th in slugging — has shown signs of life in recent days. Jeremy Peña and Jake Meyers have provided much-needed sparks. Peña is hitting .370 over the past week with an .851 OPS, while Meyers has been even hotter, posting a .381 average and .934 OPS.
The biggest news off the field this week was the potential end of the Forrest Whitley era. The former first-round pick was designated for assignment, a move that answers an early-season question: Who’s more likely to contribute this year — Whitley or McCullers? The answer is now clear.
Whitley’s DFA also serves as a reminder that not even elite GMs like Jeff Luhnow are immune to draft misses.
The Astros' last four first-round picks of the Jeff Luhnow era show how much of a crapshoot drafting can be.
2016: Forrest Whitley
2017: J.B. Bukauskus
2018: Seth Beer
2019: Korey Lee
Bukauskus and Beer did help land Zack Greinke, which certainly can be justified.
— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) June 8, 2025
As the Houston Chronicle's Greg Rajan points out, Luhnow’s final four first-round picks with Houston all fell short: Whitley (2016), J.B. Bukauskas (2017), Seth Beer (2018), and Korey Lee (2019) have yet to become meaningful pieces for any club. The draft remains a gamble — even for the best.
Still, the Astros are finding answers. Despite an offense that’s still searching for consistency, their pitching — both from the top and the bottom of the depth chart — has been dominant. If that continues, this club won't just hold the lead. They’ll have momentum heading into July.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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