San Jacinto

Or "San Jack" as the locals call this city outside of Houston, which houses the San Jacinto Museum of History. It looks like the Washington Monument, but with a 220-ton Texas star at the top that commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, a decisive victory in the Texas Revolution. Like the building in D.C., this monument also has a reflecting pool in front of it.

Being a Yankee I knew little about Texas' independence from Mexico, but names like The Alamo and Davy Crockett definitely rang a bell and I learned more during my visit and enjoyed the view from the observation deck at the top.

Here I am trying to climb the 570-foot column: