Cycle through these spots off-campus
With the beginning of a new academic year comes a surge of new students who are looking to explore their surroundings. But it also comes with Houston’s humid, musty weather. This fall semester, escape the Houston heat by commuting to these places using your beloved bike or e-scooter.
Purple Glaze
Express your artistic side and get the real ceramic experience at Purple Glaze in Rice Village, a quick six-minute bike ride from campus. Pick up any ceramic item of your choice and create your masterpiece using the dozens of brushes and paints that Purple Glaze provides. They fire and glaze your final product for you to use or display your creation.
Munchies in the Med Center
Thinking of skipping the servery food today? On Fannin Street, a short nine-minute bike ride away, you will find plenty of dining options. Craving boba? Make Möge Tee your best friend. Need some coffee to finish up your work? Starbucks is right there. Use your student status to your advantage and get pasta and a drink from Piada for $8. Eat some chips and guac from Chipotle. Try out non-servery pizza from MOD and find halal chicken at The Halal Guys.
Cockrell Butterfly Center
Submerge yourself in the natural beauty that Cockrell Butterfly Center offers, a quick seven-minute bike ride away from the academic quad. Observe hundreds of butterflies in a walk-through rainforest habitat, an exotic 50 feet waterfall and the insect displays in Brown Hall. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and noon to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Cockrell is the perfect off-campus spot to spend time with your friends.
Waterwall Drive
Spend time outside at Waterwall Park, featuring a 64-foot human-made waterfall. Bike to Main St @ Sunset Blvd bus stop, ride bus 292 to Westpark/ Lower Uptown Transit followed by bus 20 to Sage Rd @ Hidalgo St. From there, it’s a smooth four-minute bike ride to the waterfall. You can chill in the park and get some work done while overlooking the Williams Tower, the fourth tallest skyscraper in Texas.
Menil Collection
Enjoy the picturesque grounds of the Menil campus. Perfect for reading in the Houston sun if you can stand the heat, people in the area flock here for picnics and leisurely walks. Not to mention, it’s only a 10-minute bike ride from campus with a convenient route. For art aficionados, the Menil Collection boasts an array of contemporary art that is free and open to the public.
More from The Rice Thresher
‘Off the beaten track’: Commencement speakers through the years
A former American president, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nobel laureates and the founder of Khan Academy. All may share similar traits or levels of fame, but there’s another, quieter, common ground: They’ve all spoken at Rice’s commencement.
Peggy Whitson breaks the glass ceiling, lands among the stars
Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any other American. She was the first female, nonmilitary Chief of the Astronaut Office for NASA and the first woman commander of the International Space Station, but despite all her success, Whitson denies any claims of special talent or giftedness. Above all else, she said, hard work and perseverance brought her to the top.
Sitting Around the Bonfire with Ben and Michael
Being a small school has benefits and disadvantages. Some claim that one of the drawbacks of being a relatively small campus and having a strong residential college program is that it is often difficult to find events or activities happening across campus. That’s where Benjamin Liu and Michael Mounajjed stepped in.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.