Meet Me at City Place

Discover the magic of fall at City Place in Spring, Texas

As autumn graces the Lone Star State, City Place transforms into a vibrant tapestry of seasonal delights.

Whether you're a local or visitor, the sustainable north Houston community in Spring — located immediately south of The Woodlands and a short drive from George Bush Intercontinental Airport — offers a perfect blend of entertainment, dining, and outdoor exploration that promises to make your fall getaway or staycation unforgettable.

Family-friendly fun
City Place is a fantastic destination for families looking to enjoy quality time together. A busy fall calendar of mostly complimentary events and activities caters to all ages, with offerings that span yoga and fitness classes to outdoor movie nights, wildlife education workshops, and puppet shows.

Spotlight programming for the season includes the Water Lantern Festival and the debut of interactive temporary artwork As Water Falls on Saturday, October 5. A festive Dia de los Muertos celebration is set for Saturday, November 1, and prepare for bustling holiday lighting starting on Sunday, December 1.

The Dia de los Muertos celebration is happening November 1.Photo courtesy of City Place

A seasonal wonderland
As the temperatures cool and winter starts to sneak in, City Place becomes a haven of seasonal festivities.

Stroll through the beautifully landscaped, waterfront City Place Park and gaze at the Plaza's holiday decorations, which include City Place’s signature, 35-foot, floating Christmas tree rising from the park’s main pond. The giant Gingerbread Village welcomes guests down a gumdrop, lollipop, and candy cane-lined path — guarded by two giant gingerbread men — to a raised clearing featuring cookie trees, a 16-foot-high gingerbread house, and a 12-foot windmill.

With its picturesque setting and welcoming ambience, City Place is the ideal spot for enjoying December’s charm.

Outdoor adventures
Pedestrian-oriented City Place provides a picturesque backdrop for outdoor enjoyment, regardless of the season.

Within the community, visitors can take advantage of easy access to 290 acres of parks and natural corridors via a network of smooth paths and natural trails. Utilizing RunGo, an ad-free placemaking app, users can select from nine verified and protected trail routes, ranging in distance from just over a half mile to 7.7 miles, with turn-by-turn voice navigation and location-based information.

Take a stroll around City Place Park.Photo courtesy of City Place

City Place also offers a direct connection to the Spring Creek Greenway, which connects and protects approximately 7,000 acres of forest, preserving this ecological gem as a mecca for ecotourism, education, and outdoor recreation. Users can explore more than 19 miles of natural forests and white sandy beaches brimming with local wildlife and plant species while enjoying activities including canoeing, kayaking. and archery, plus nature trails perfect for hiking and biking.

A taste of Texas
No matter your taste or budget, City Place serves up myriad dining options that showcase a variety of Texas-based, fast-casual concepts and independents. These include Sushi Rebel, Torchy’s Tacos, SwitcHouse Plates & Pours, Common Bond Bistro & Bakery, Jinya Ramen Bar, Island Grill, Noe’s Café, Tarka Indian Kitchen, Yi Cha Tea and Coffee, and Urban Bird Hot Chicken.

Also on the menu is dine-in movie indulgence at Star Cinema Grill, which also boasts a chic central lounge.

Explore your options at Sushi Rebel.Photo courtesy of City Place

Photo courtesy of City Place

Gather the fam for an outdoor movie night.

Area attractions
While there’s lots to do inside City Place, the community also benefits from its prime location and proximity to an array of nearby excursions such as Market Street, Old Town Spring, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown (home of The Light Park during the holiday season), and Lake Conroe.

Plan your visit
This fall, make City Place in Spring your go-to destination. In addition to its unique blend of dining, shopping, and entertainment, there are three premier hotels — the AAA Four Diamond Houston City Place Marriott, Residence Inn Houston City Place, and Courtyard Houston City Place — where you can rest and relax while create lasting memories.

Visit www.cityplacenow.com to plan your trip and discover all of this fall's exciting activities.

holidays families spring creek gateway christmas decorations promoted

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which made both tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

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Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22.

movies film

Meet Me at City Place

Discover the magic of fall at City Place in Spring, Texas

Gluten-free Austin restaurant picks River Oaks for first Houston store

Broadcaster Frank Billingsley finds second act at Houston radio station

Houston's new piano bar hits a high note with 2-story patio & martinis

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Meet Me at City Place

Discover the magic of fall at City Place in Spring, Texas

Gluten-free Austin restaurant picks River Oaks for first Houston store

Broadcaster Frank Billingsley finds second act at Houston radio station

Houston's new piano bar hits a high note with 2-story patio & martinis

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

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