Home

Corpus Christi covers the waterfront -- beautifully

Submitted by SHNS on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 16:58

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- While driving under the palms of Shoreline Boulevard, we realize the people of Corpus Christi treasure their waterfront. They rollerblade and jog along the promenade. They play in city parks and on beaches along Corpus Christi Bay. They've planted the Texas State Aquarium and Art Museum of South Texas so that bay views can be enjoyed by all visitors. Downtown skyscrapers reflect on the glistening water. The world-class marina draws 40,000 people during the Texas International Boat Show.Corpus Christi, the largest coastal city in Texas, is the gateway to Padre Island and Mustang Island. It averages 288 sun-filled days a year and, better yet, has prevailing winds year-round that average 20 to 30 miles per hour. These conditions are perfect for kiteboarding and windsurfing. The Corpus Christi U.S. Wind & Water Open attract 10,000 competitors and spectators to McGee Beach every year in May. It features the national championships and U.S. title in wind and water extreme sports.The giant of the waterfront is the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Now a museum, the steely blue vessel was commissioned in 1943 and is one of the most decorated aircraft carriers in the history of the U.S. Navy, according to guide Robert B. McKinley. A tour gives more than a peek into the bridge, captain quarters, engineer room and galley. We wander through a maze of tunnels and compartments and read about World War II conflicts on display boards. The flight deck holds 19 vintage aircraft. The newest to the collection is the Blue Angel No. 1 Boeing F/A-18 Hornet. Boy Scouts are coming on board as we descend to shore. They're here for a visit that includes an IMAX theater presentation, flight simulator experience and sleepover.Our next stop on the bay shore is the Texas State Aquarium, an airy, light-filled attraction that seamlessly blends inside, outside and underwater attractions. Dolphin Bay, a 250,000-gallon exhibit for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, presents aquatic gymnasts in a delightful show. The Living Shores exhibit showcases creatures and plants in estuaries and bays. Island of Steel takes its name from oil platforms seen in the Gulf of Mexico.By crossing the Harbor Bridge we get a view of Corpus Christi's ship basin. It is the fifth-largest deepwater port in the United States. We also see the Art Museum of South Texas on the waterfront. One look and we realize the buildings are artwork. Thirteen rooftop pyramids on a wing are the design of architect Ricardo Legorreta. Architect Philip Johnson created the main building to house 1,300 works of art, including paintings, ceramics, textiles and drawings. The parklike setting also holds the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History.This city of about 380,800 people has held onto important parts of its past. A covey of historical homes forms Heritage Park. The oldest structure served as a Confederate hospital; it later sheltered citizens during desperado and Indian raids of the 1870s. In the historic Old Town, vintage-clothing shops, antiques emporiums, dinner movie theater and bistros hum with patrons. Hester's Cafe at Six Points serves breakfast omelets so large that they spill off the plate. Muffins and bagels, coupled with a wide selection of coffees, are local favorites.The South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center has an orchid house, plumeria garden, rose garden, water garden and hummingbird garden, among other delights. Nature lovers like to call Corpus Christi the "birdiest" city in the United States. It's a popular rest-and-refuel stop for migrating birds, and its ample natural resources convince many species to make their home here permanently.Larry Jordan, my guide for birdwatching, selects the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Area on Oso Bay. Though the stretch of shoreline is near a thoroughfare, traffic noise goes unheard amid the mix of twittering and chirping. Birds edge mud flats and flit between trees and shrubs. Jordan sets up his viewing scope and identifies egrets like they are old friends. We spy on black skimmers, white pelicans, brown pelicans and four different heron species. "This is a roosting area for laughing gulls," says Jordan, a member of the local Audubon Outdoor Club. Where to go birding is Jordan's greatest challenge because Corpus Christi and the barrier islands have a profusion of prime wildlife-viewing locations.The Texas State Asian Culture Museum is a small but worthwhile attraction with porcelain, ceramics, textiles, costumes and dolls. As we follow Shoreline Boulevard, sculptures resembling soaring stainless-steel rays shine in the morning sun. We learn they are "Orion's Belt" by Robert Perless. The Art Center of Corpus Christi gives us further instruction into the visual arts. Collages by Gilbert Cantu fill one gallery. Other spaces in this old USO building are used for art lessons and studios. The picturesque boulevard changes into Ocean Drive. Here mansions built decades ago with oil money are nestled in painterly gardens.People gather at a cluster of restaurants and bars in the heart of downtown. While waiting for a table at the Water Street Seafood Co., we drift into the Texas Surf Museum. This free attraction reminds us of the romance of riding ocean waves. Movie posters, vintage photographs and dozens of surfboards form the core of the collection. Wandering back to the restaurant, we notice star plaques imbedded in the sidewalk. They comprise the South Texas Music Walk of Fame, a tribute to legends such as Freddy Fender, Kris Kristofferson, Selena and Christopher Cross.The Water Street Seafood Co. and its sister restaurant, the Water Street Oyster Co., are locally owned eateries that serve fresh Gulf seafood. We savor fried oysters and shrimp at this family-friendly establishment. Our choices for dinner could have focused on smoky barbecue, Tex-Mex or juicy Texas steaks, but we save those offerings for another time. At the end of the day, we walk along the downtown seawall and look at dreamy yachts in the marina.For more information, call 800-766-2322 or visit www.corpuschristicvb.com.(Linda Lange is the travel editor of The News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn.)