Initially named, Reliant Stadium, NRG Stadium opened in 2002, in Southwest Houston in the same complex as the Astrodome. When it was built, it was the first-ever retractable roof football stadium. Even though I have been to many Texans games, my favorite event that I’ve attended at the stadium was Super Bowl LI. This game was played between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons and featured a classic Tom Brady fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime in which the Patriots would go on to win. Some say this is the greatest Super Bowl ever played and I’m proud to say that I was in attendance.

This building designed by Mies Van Der Rohe was a symbol of German architecture representative of spatial use and the influence it had on the world. The building has beautiful marble accenting the transparent glass that captures the various use of space by Mies Van Der Rohe. The empty space was meant as something to be enjoyed in tranquility by the people who came to visit the building. Encountering this building causes captivation as the impressive design of the building captures elegance and beauty in a sleek manner. I find the building to be awe inspiring and shows the manner of how Mies Van Der Rohe utilized high quality materials, transparent materials, and large open spaces to show creativity.

I think everyone eventually has a class in the Physical Sciences Center. To me, it feels like I have had 100. To be honest, I hate this building a lot. It looks like a big cinderblock and has no windows. I always think of boring or difficult classes when I think of this building. It has been rough to me and for this reason I hate it. I have spent countless hours in the building and hope to never venture into it again, unless I am old and retired and can laugh about my past struggles in the classrooms of this OU building.

Mercy Hospital is located in Oklahoma City right off of Kilpatrick Turnpike. It was where my brother and I were born and has seemed to be the place where most all our family and friends have had their children. It is large and almost looks similar to an Egyptian temple. Usually, hospitals give off feelings of sickness, death, and darkness, but all I think when visiting Mercy is the life that comes from it each and everyday. It is an extremely impressive hospital and puts a smile on my face when I see it after the life and excitement I have seen come from it.

My family’s favorite vacation spot was often California. We would go frequently and always stay at the same hotel right on Santa Monica Beach. It’s a tall, symmetric building colored in turquoise and yellow with striped overhang. It is very easy to spot and very easy to remember. I always loved the sight of it as it usually meant a week of vacation was ahead. The interior has an extremely old and fancy feel to it. The elevators seem straight from 1930. It was built in 1933 and you get a feel that a lot of history is wrapped up in the hotel.

The Farnsworth house is a home designed by Mies Van Der Rohe and regarded as one of the most significant buildings ever designed by Mies Van Der Rohe. The building captured the modernist ideals that were being implemented around the 1950s. Mies Van Der Rohe was looking to utilize the space in a modern and simplistic manner that he could not do with larger scale projects. When encountered you can imagine the thoughts Mies Van Der Rohe had and understand the sleek and simple look the Farnsworth house has to it. The building is not a giant awe inspiring building, but a small package packed with imagination and ideas. The expression of the building looks to inspire architects to explore simple designs that capture modern ideals. I find this building to be an excellent display of expression.

During my childhood my mom worked as a lawyer on the 19th floor of the Chase Tower in downtown Oklahoma City. I frequently was able to go to work with my mom and really enjoyed messing around in her office. I thought it was the largest building in the world as a kid when I’d look out her window over the flat and spread out downtown Oklahoma City. At the time, it was the largest building in Oklahoma City but was overtaken by the Devon Tower in 2012. I always felt excited when I was able to go to work with my mom. I’d often wear a little suit and dream of having my own office in a skyscraper someday. I never really thought of it as a pretty building but always enjoyed the corporate feel of it.

Opened in 2000, in downtown Houston, Texas, Minute Maid Park is my favorite sports stadium in the country. Throughout the years I have attended many Astros games here, in which they have both won and lost. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve being a Minute Maid Park and watching the Astros play; despite the outcome, I always remember having a good time and wanting to go back. During these strange times, this is one of the places that I wish I could go back to the most.