It's Not London...but it IS an adventure!

A few months ago I blogged about a business opportunity to move to London. The position didn't pan out but I've recently made some changes within the company. My office is now in downtown Houston and I wanted to share a little of my downtown experience with you.Do you know about The Downtown Tunnel system?!?! Although the Tunnel is one of Houston's best-kept secrets, most of downtown's 150,000-person workforce - and thousands of visitors - use it every day, particularly when it's raining or close to 100 degrees above ground. This system of air-conditioned skywalks and subterranean passages has been given many different names - mall, concourse, connection, underground, promenade - but Houstonians continue to call it simply "the Tunnel."

Set about twenty feet below Houston's downtown street system, the seven-mile Tunnel is a series of underground passageways which, with above-ground skywalks, link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Theater District. Only one building, Wells Fargo Plaza, offers direct access from the street to the Tunnel; otherwise, you must enter the Tunnel from street-level stairs, escalators, or elevators located inside a building connected to the Tunnel. Most of the Tunnel is not owned by the City of Houston but by building property owners who lease space in their buildings' lower levels to retailers. Costing up to $15,000 per linear foot to build, links to the Tunnel are an enormous advantage when leasing office space. In fact, many property owners decorate their sections of the Tunnel with unique recessed lighting, display windows, and art, so you can usually tell when you are leaving one building for another just by noticing the change in Tunnel decor.

The Tunnel was not centrally planned; it just grew, inspired by Rockefeller Center in New York. But it is not connected to a transit network. And, befitting Texans’ distrust of government, most of it is private; each segment is controlled by the individual building owner who deigns to allow the public access during business hours — and then locks the doors on nights and weekends. Some parts, like those belonging to the former Enron buildings now leased by Chevron, are closed to outsiders altogether.

Below are a few of the pictures I took with my new camera! (yes...my old one died and besides being busy with a new position, I finally found time to go out and buy another one). I'm still learning about the bells and whistles so I apologize for the incorrect date printed on my shots...LOL! There are stores that sell greeting cards, small gifts, snacks, etc.
Haircuts, shoe shines, eye doctors and Starbucks are part of the mix!

Here's the tunnel florist and bank.

The tunnels also lead to some of the parking garages. They are well lite and air conditioned so it's safe to walk alone if you work late.

And here is my final destination....a 12 story parking garage. I'm really getting a workout walking the 5 city blocks from the parking garage to the office and back to the garage. But I LOVE the DOWNTOWN VIBE!!!! It's not London....but it's an adventure and I'm soaking it up!