Tourist in Houston....Ideas?

[Whisky]

.
I really dislike the space center - will never go back - if visitors want to go I let 'em take my car ! kemah, this time of year, will be dead and cold. not sure about galveston but don't go for the water/beach (I'm from Kalif and lived in Hawaii - that part of galveston is terrible/dirty/unattractive)

I've lived here (north of houston) since '86 and have been "downtown" perhaps a dozen times - other than some of the "stuff" at the theater(s) nothing there appeals to me, nothing

 

[Younggun]

Not surprising......

 

[ROGER4314]

I read through the thread and while all of the suggestions are great, you're looking at a COLD January and most of those places will be uncomfortable.

How about some other activities?

Ride the free ferry at Galveston and drive the Boliver Peninsula eastbound along the coast. Go North on 124 to Winnie and eat at Al-Tees for Cajin and Louisiana type food in Winnie. There is nothing else like Al-Tees! It's a great day trip.

Moody Gardens in Galveston.
Happy Budda Chinese restaurant on 61st in Galveston.
Aircraft museum in Galveston.
Katy Mills Mall will knock her socks off! It's a hoot!
Wanna trip? Cowboy Harley Davidson in Beaumont. Lots of beautiful old bikes are there.
Three excellent Chinese restaurants very close to Cowboy HD in Beaumont.
Get her set up at a massage/spa.....or both go together. She'll love you for it!
The Houston Museum District is always good.
Kemah Boardwalk is good but it's too cold in January!

Have fun!

Flash

 

[subseashooter]

Yeah, I was chatting with her last night and talking about how full the schedule is getting, and mentioned HMNS and a few of the other things that have been brought up here. She was like 'wow'....we filled up 6 days really REALLY quick.

There is the equivalent of about a day and a half still open, but I think that we are going to leave that for relaxing....like Roger said....massages, mani/pedis (yeah, I get pedis, too....), sampling different things off of theWhataburger menu, catching a good movie.....and I'm sure that we are going to make a range trip here and there as well. ;-)

Good point on Galveston, Roger....I wanted to head down there, but she REALLY dislikes the cold, which I find interesting....her hometown is currently under about 4 feet of snow. I'd figure that she'd hate snow, but would be ok with cold. Nope. She HATES cold weather. So outside of doing the Riverwalk and the SA Zoo, I think that just about everything else we have planned is indoors.

Hopefully I'll be able to get her down in the summer for some tubing and crawfish!! :-D

 

[RACER X]

Take her to Chuys tex mex !

 

[benenglish]

If in the downtown area, think about Last Concert Cafe,...

A big thumbs up for that one, although he really needs to study a map before heading there. It's possible to get mighty confounded trying to just drive around and stumble over the place. And if you like more formal eating, several places have opened up within walking distance.

Hey, Acera, how did you enter the Last Concert the first time? I always find it funny when people timidly knock. I just barged right in...and people looked at me funny. (OK, it's clear I haven't been there in a long time. I assume the facade is more obviously commercial these days.)

I really dislike the space center...

It's sure not what it once was. It's been "improved" to the point that the character of the place is gone.

I've lived here (north of houston) since '86 and have been "downtown" perhaps a dozen times - other than some of the "stuff" at the theater(s) nothing there appeals to me, nothing

And on this one, I'll have to disagree. Having spent most of 30 years working downtown, it seems like a forbidding destination. There's almost nothing on the streets and little foot traffic; just a bunch of foreboding skyscrapers. But that's a false impression. There are plenty of good things to see and do; they just tend to be hidden away. Especially in light of...

...she REALLY dislikes the cold, ...

...downtown offers all sorts of indoor stuff. If subseashooter's friend likes to be shielded from the weather, the downtown tunnel system keeps out the cold in January and the heat...well...pretty much for the rest of the year. The bottom tail of the system, basically everything south of the Hyatt, is pretty much just office workers and their lunch places. Once you get north of that, though, there are enough things attached to the tunnel system to keep someone busy for a week, minimum.

Personally, the advice I give to people willing to spend the money is to book a room in one of the boutique hotels downtown, one that provides easy access to the tunnels and light rail. Between the tunnels and the rail, it's possible to walk to probably a solid quarter of everything worth seeing and doing in the metro area. A quarter of the vast number of things to do in Houston is far more than anyone could ever cram into a two-week vacation.

Another couple of useful links follow.

Here's a two-page overview of everything downtown. The Last Concert, btw, is on Nance at the very top of this map.

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site...1-04-01/Above__Below_Map_2010_Rusk_Tunnel.PDF

Something interactive for people who like that sort of thing.

Downtown Houston Map

One note - Obviously, since subseashooter will be based in the NW part of Houston, the above is probably impractical. Still, I thought I'd throw it out there, especially since the lady has some experience with a "walkable" city, Toronto. If you want to show her that Houston can be walkable, too, the only way to pull that off is to base yourself downtown.

 

[subseashooter]

LOL!! Thanks for the info Ben!!

She grew up about 2-3 hours outside of Toronto, in the sticks. She's going to have to relearn to drive is she sticks around....had a medical condition for awhile and had to give up her license, but all is well now. Thing is she now lives in a very walkable and very cab-full St. John's.

I had NO idea about the tunnel system....I'm going to have to check that out. I'm assuming it's all 30.06?

*ahem* and we are all still waiting on your review......

 

[benenglish]

I had NO idea about the tunnel system....I'm going to have to check that out. I'm assuming it's all 30.06?

It's attached to lots of places that are 30.06 so it's effectively one of those dreaded gun-free zones. Obviously, if I lived in a condo building that connected to the system, I'd be able to carry through at least some of the system but, yeah, you've got the right idea.

 

[Glockster69]

.
I really dislike the space center - will never go back - if visitors want to go I let 'em take my car ! kemah, this time of year, will be dead and cold. not sure about galveston but don't go for the water/beach (I'm from Kalif and lived in Hawaii - that part of galveston is terrible/dirty/unattractive)

I've lived here (north of houston) since '86 and have been "downtown" perhaps a dozen times - other than some of the "stuff" at the theater(s) nothing there appeals to me, nothing

Funny how you respect and capitalize the liberal states names yet none of the Texas locations.

*Funny = crappy (I didn't say shitty cuz that would offend you)

 

[cbigclarke]

You be careful glockboy! You'll end up on the ignore list

 

[Acera]

Hey, Acera, how did you enter the Last Concert the first time? I always find it funny when people timidly knock. I just barged right in...and people looked at me funny. (OK, it's clear I haven't been there in a long time. I assume the facade is more obviously commercial these days.)

Last time was at lunch, working with a PR firm that has an office within walking distance. Don't remember anything special about entering, guess I just followed them in the door. Next to last time was in the evening and again followed the crowd. It has been years since I walked up to that place on my own, or leading. Strange, now you got me thinking about it.

Speaking of downtown places to eat Mexican, notice how I did not mention Irma's downtown? I think I am the only person that detests that place. Not having prices on the menu, overcharging for mediocre food in small portions is not quaint, cute or quirky, it's just crap.

You be careful glockboy! You'll end up on the ignore list

He already is, probably only reads about half of what is posted here now

 

[benenglish]

Speaking of downtown places to eat Mexican, notice how I did not mention Irma's downtown? I think I am the only person that detests that place. Not having prices on the menu, overcharging for mediocre food in small portions is not quaint, cute or quirky, it's just crap.

But that's where all the powerbrokers eat! You can't be from Houston and not love Irma's!

In all seriousness, I don't like it at all. The wait can be excruciating. If you're especially unlucky, you sit next to some junior wannabe powerbrokers who feel the need to discuss business too loud, trying to impress...I have no idea who. The food quality has fallen since the old days.

And those birds! Do they still have the birds in cages in the dining areas? Just what I want in an eatery - a dining area where bird-poop-laden dust circulates constantly.

I thought about buying a condo in the property across the street from it a while back. Then I came to my senses.

 

[benenglish]

It has been years since I walked up to that place on my own, or leading. Strange, now you got me thinking about it.

For so many years, the place was famous for being totally unmarked. You just had to have the balls to walk up to what looked like the front door of someone's house and barge in.

I assume that's changed in the many years since I've been there but I don't know and, atm, I'm too distracted by other things to look at it on Google Street View.

 

[Glockster69]

You be careful glockboy! You'll end up on the ignore list

SURELY no one has the cojones .... lol

And those birds! Do they still have the birds in cages in the dining areas? Just what I want in an eatery - a dining area where bird-poop-laden dust circulates constantly.

I HATE it when staff does any more cleaning than busing a table while I eat, especially sweeping! In fact, next time I just may pull out a flashlight and show them the dust storm.