Bay Area Blvd, Clear Lake

Bay Area Boulevard, takes off east-north-east, from I-45 south of Houston, starting off in a hip, up-scale retail center including the Bay Brook Mall. It meanders through first a host of excellent pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets. These include, amongst others, BJ's brewery and pub, Carrabas Italian Restaurant, Zios Italian restaurant, the Genghis Grill Mongolian eatery and Baba Mediterrarian Grill. My personal favorite is Zios which serves some great authentic italian food, and specially its outdoor eating terrace shaded by a huge, and I mean huge, tree.

It crosses Highway 3 and heads into a commercial zone flanked on one side by streets choc-a-bloc with company such as US Air, Lockheed Martin, etc. On the other side, more dining, more retail therapy, as well as a conveniently located Park & Ride. All this, even as typical of Houston, the Boulevard can boast of green spaces and beautifully landscaped streetscapes.

The Boulevard also has an entire range of mid to up-scale hotels and motels for the business visitor.

The condominium complexes on both sides of the street are mostly set-back far enough to minimize traffic noise inside each complex.

Passing by the University of Houston Clear Lake campus, set in verdant woodlands, Bay Area Boulevard arrives at the Armand Bayou Nature Centre. A stunning space, where one can routinely see a host of birds and water fowl, as well as deer and sometimes alligators. Come spring, the road dividers and surrounding fields are full of nodding wild flowers, including the Texas Blue Bonnet and the Indian Paint Brush, as well as beauties I still have to identify.

Its a street that grows on you, especially with a general spirit neighbourly camaraderie that makes our complex, Taylor Crest Condominiums particularly noteworthy. During Hurricane Ike, after evacuation had been announced, the few people that stayed behind provided the best possible neighborhood watch. Not a single case of theft or vandalism was reported. In fact, one gentleman hooked his generator to a cooking range he pulled into the parking lot and let returning families cook and heat water, till such a time as electricity was restored. Remember, gas prices were still high at the time - Hats off David ...

The Boulevard also has a number of mid and up-scale hotels and motels for business travellers. Banks on the Boulevard include WaMu, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Moody National and Gauranty.

The Clear Lake High School, located opposite the University Campus is an award winning institution for the quality of education delivered.