Daniel L.
Yelp
It is square. It used to be a market back in 'ye olden days. The name does not lie. But that is only the beginning. Back in the slightly less olden days, before the renovation, this was still a really sweet place to look shady and hang out; and it was well-situated to be located near the watering hole CharBar when I went off the clock and the tasty tasty Treebeards for lunch when I needed some jambalaya.
After the renovation it is now an amazing space, something that seemed unpossible (like Ralph Wiggum failing English) to see in downtown just a few years ago when I moved here. Singlehandedly with the introduction of the dog park, it has made living downtown desirable and easy to do with your hairy children, instead of being relegated to the townhouses with a backyard and suburban lifestyle that seemed to be your only choice a few years ago.
The dog park: my little monster likes this dog park more than any other dog park in the city. He told me himself, I am not putting words into his mouth, that he likes this one with his kind of "people" around - we spotted a King Charles Cavalier! Now that should be a fixture at every dog park, a well groomed and well behaved little monster just like my own. Most other dog parks have the bigger, less cute/non-designer/non-royalty/definitely-not-purebreds. But we fit in here much better and even the humans are nice too, not snippy like the dog park at Ervan Chew ... where their huge dog lunges at your tiny dog and they shout out "don't worry, he's friendly!" which is a lie that people tell other people, like "Wow, that's interesting" or "I love you."
Niko-Niko's Market Square: see companion review, but it is awesome.
The fountain: so nice, peaceful, and pleasant. Oh man, I need a restroom now! It is so relaxing to just sit on the bench and listen to the rushing water go by.
The art: ahhh-wait for it-amazing. Love it. It is so distinctive and fun to be around as you walk towards it from blocks away on all sides. The wooden paddle thing stands out like only something impressive can - and if you eat outside at Niko's no less than five people will come pose in front of the statute during your meal. The smaller fountains with all the colors are distinctive reminders of a Market Square Past, and seeing the construction take place to transform an okay place to hang out and look shady into an awesome space to hang out and look shady in.
Near amazing pizza (ERA,) drinking (Hearsay,) cajun/creole (Treebeards,) Colombian food (Macondo Bistro,) and plenty of other neato things.
This is a lot of awesome crammed into a tiny space. One of my favorite spots in Houston - this is my Room of Requirement when I need some time to sit, think, and do some glorious people-watching that rivals the Greenwich Village people watching conundrum: the most attractive person in the world going one way and the craziest person ever with tin foil and footie pajamas going the other way. You need to pick one to watch! This happens every five minutes.
This is why I love Market Square Park.