RodeoHouston 2020

The RodeoHouston 2020 guide to parking and transportation

Thousands will descend on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo each day.

Photo courtesy of RodeoHouston

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is here, which means an annual journey of more than 2 million attendees who will flock to the various venues and events. For rodeo veterans and newbies, navigating the tens of thousands of daily visitors can be challenging. Here, then, are some parking and transportation options to help make enjoying RodeoHouston 2020 a boot-scootin’ success.

One tactic rodeo goers might consider is combining transportation options. Take the METRORail to Midtown or downtown to make a speedy exit from the Rodeo grounds, then use a ride sharing app to get home. This method will also help avoid any potential surge pricing in the immediate area (a common rodeo complaint).

METRORail
Attendees can catch a ride for $2.50 on the METRORail. Northbound Service runs Monday through Saturday until 1:40 am and Sunday until 11:20 pm. Southbound Service runs Monday through Saturday until 3:25 am and Sunday until 1:15 am.

Ride-sharing
Drop-offs and pick-ups are in the Miller Lite Yellow Lot 38. Entrance Gate 16B off Main Street from the north-bound lanes of Main Street is the only access to the lot. There is no left turn lane access allowed from the south bound lanes of Main Street.

Limousines
Arriving in style? High-rollers should plan for drop-offs and pick-ups at the southeast side of the Miller Lite Green Lot, Gate 13 off Lantern Point.

Public drop-off
Use Gate 9 off Kirby Drive. Kirby Drive is closed at 9 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on weekends. Take Main Street to Westridge, and head east to Gate 9.

On-site parking
Look for three parking lots near NRG Park: the Yellow Lot, the 610 Lot, and the OST 1 lot, located nearby. Parking is $20. The Yellow Lot opens daily at 6 am, the 610 Lot opens daily at 9 am, and the OST 1 opens weekdays from5 pm to 1 am and weekends 11 am to 2 am.

Park and Ride
The Rodeo Express Shuttles offer convenience; locations can be found on this map. Parking is free at all of the lots (except in the OST lot, which charges $20). Shuttle costs range from $4 to $7 per rider.

Midtown Park
Rodeo fans in the Midtown are can hit the parking garage at Midtown Park (2811 Travis St.), with a flat rate of just $5 on weekday evenings (beginning at 6 pm) and all day on weekends. The garage offers direct access to the METRORail McGowen stop at an additional rate of $1.25 each way.

South Main Innovation District parking, food, and fun
The Ion, the anchor of the future 16-acre South Main Innovation District, will be hosting free rodeo parking and fun weekend activations during the weekends of March 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22 — sponsored by Rice Management Company. The lot at 4203 Fannin St., at the future innovation district, will be open on a first-come, first-served basis from noon to midnight on those weekend dates. Look for food trucks and custom laser-engraved keychains from noon to 3 pm on each weekend.

After parking and grabbing grub and swag, take the adjacent METRORail Wheeler Station to head to the rodeo grounds.

Trams
Trams operated by rodeo committee members offer visitors free rides to and from parking lots and the grounds, as well as to and from NRG Center and NRG Arena. Click here for a tram map.

Woodland Express
This year, rodeo fans from The Woodlands can hop on the Woodlands Express, a new shuttle service. Woodlands riders should park at the Sawdust Park and Ride for drop-off at NRG Park. Return trips will depart from the METRO Rodeo Express pickup location at NRG. The service departs the Woodlands is 9 am; the last departure from the Rodeo is 11 pm. The Woodlands Express runs $13 for a round trip.

houston-rodeo

Movie Review

Reminders of Him taps into grief, grace, and the power of moving on

Photo by Michelle Faye / Universal Pictures

Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers in Reminders of HIm.

Texas author Colleen Hoover has gone from being a popular writer to a full-on celebrity in the 2020s. The new film Reminders of Him marks the third adaptation of her books in just 19 months (a fourth, Verity, is scheduled for release in October 2026). All of her books that have been adapted so far — most notably It Ends With Us — are female-led stories that feature elements of romance and trauma, catnip for studios looking to appeal to the underserved demographic of women.

Leading the way in this film is Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after spending years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), in a car accident. That relationship resulted in a daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom Kenna gave birth to while imprisoned and is now being raised by her grandparents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham).

Yearning to be a part of Diem’s life, Kenna tries to reconnect with Patrick and Grace, only to be rebuffed by Scotty’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a former NFL player who now owns a local bar. In running interference, Ledger starts to become closer to Kenna, discovering that her tragic mistake shouldn’t be the only thing that defines her.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Lauren Levine, the film features mostly surface level examinations of its themes and average performances, yet it winds up being effective thanks to a willingness not to rush through its storytelling beats. The filmmakers take the slow and steady approach toward the coupling of Kenna and Ledger, setting up their bond through a series of heart-to-heart conversations that makes any romance feel earned.

The majority of the focus is on Kenna reclaiming her place in the world, and on Ledger coming to terms with the fact that the person who killed his best friend is not inherently a bad person. The film definitely could have gone deeper in its explorations of grief and anger, but the sheer amount of time it takes in addressing the characters’ doubts and fears turns out to be sufficient for a film that’s not aiming to be considered a dramatic masterpiece.

It also helps that Caswill and Levine do a solid job of establishing the variety of characters that inhabit the film. Kenna and Ledger don’t always feel like fully-formed people, but they become so through their interactions with each other and the other townspeople. Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a girl with Down syndrome who lives in Kenna’s apartment complex, and Roman (Nicholas Duvernay), Ledger’s co-worker at his bar, help to broaden the appeal of the two leads.

Monroe has, to this point, been best known for starring roles in horror films like It Follows and Longlegs. While she does somewhat well in this role, her delivery is often more flat than you’d expect for a character going through what she does. Withers thankfully doesn’t remind viewers of his recent bomb Him, demonstrating a crossover appeal that should serve him well in the future. Whitford and Graham don’t get to do much, but their combined experience gives their roles exactly what is needed.

It may sound like damning with faint praise, but Reminders of Him is a competently made film that knows how to serve its core audience without insulting anyone who may not automatically be all-in for such a story. The filmmakers don’t try to force any of the key moments down the audience’s throat, and that stands out in a genre that’s not always known for its subtlety.

---

Reminders of Him opens in theaters on March 13.

movies film

RodeoHouston 2020

The RodeoHouston 2020 guide to parking and transportation

Lizzo makes Houston feel 'Good as Hell' at sold-out Rodeo concert

New chicken restaurant flies into Houston with 'gluten-friendly' tendies

Chicken fried lobster takes top prize at RodeoHouston carnival food awards

Movie Review

Reminders of Him taps into grief, grace, and the power of moving on