Travel Eye on Houston (Texas, USA)

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Overview:

The massive metropolis of Houston, sprawling across the Gulf Coast plain of East Texas from its busy port, is almost twice the size of the entire state of Rhode Island. Even with this heavy urban concentration, though, Houston is green and lush, sited at the end of a belt of forest coming down from the north, and characterised by marshlands and bayous lined with cypress trees in the southern reaches.

Houston, named after former Republic of Texas president Sam Houston, is hot and humid. To make life more bearable in the close-packed downtown area much activity has gone underground. The city centre sports an air-conditioned seven-mile (11km) pedestrian tunnel system full of restaurants and shops. Unlike most cities, downtown in Houston is the hub of residential development, so it remains busy and bustling long after dark.

Texas' largest city is not generally a sought after tourist destination, being concerned more with business than pleasure and leisure. Computer manufacture, gas and oil, and a huge concentration of medical institutions account for most of the economic activity, but all those hard-working citizens have to play sometimes, and there are some good attractions like excellent museums, the amazing Astrodome sports pavilion, some wonderful theatres and, thanks to the cosmopolitan mix of its residents, some ethnically diverse cuisine on offer in its many restaurants and neighbourhoods. For visitors the absolute "must-see" in Houston is the famed Space Center, mission control for the US space programme.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located twenty miles due north of downtown, is the major airport for Houston with many international and domestic flights daily. It is a thirty to sixty minute drive from downtown depending on traffic. There are vans and shuttles available to many downtown and suburban locations for about $20. The smaller William P. Hobby airport, located seven miles south of downtown, provides many domestic flights throughout the USA. It is just fifteen minutes drive from downtown.

Houston has an excellent network of roads including three beltways circling the city at various distances from the center. Route 10 loops around downtown at a radius of four miles. Route 8 and the Sam Houston Parkway form a double belt at near eight miles, and Route 6 forms an outer belt nearly fifteen miles from the center. Clusters of skyward soaring ramps highlight the major intersections and sometimes confuse out-of-town drivers. Despite the excellence of the road system, road repairs or traffic mishaps sometimes reduce rush-hour traffic to near standstills.

Locality:

Houston, Texas is located on the eastern coast of the state approximately 30 miles inland from the port city of Galveston. It is 350 miles west of New Orleans, Louisiana, and 300 miles northeast of the Mexican border. Houston is a large modern metropolitan hub with a sophisticated cosmopolitan environment and all of the amenities that you expect to find in a major city. It is the primary business, technological and commercial center of Texas.

The surrounding terrain is low and flat with a warm damp climate. They grow cotton, sugar cane and rice in the neighboring farmlands. The summer weather can be rather hot and humid. Winters are cool but seldom very cold. Fall and spring often produce the most pleasant climate for visitors.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The central downtown area has an exquisitely reconstructed old-town area and an outdoor heritage museum in adjacent Sam Houston Park. The cultural center of Houston with its Museum of Fine Arts, Children's Museum, Museum of Natural Science, Contemporary Arts Museum and several other cultural attractions is immediately to the south. The Bayou Place Entertainment Complex and Enron Field, new home of the Houston Astros baseball team, are both located nearby.

The older, but still impressive, Astrodome is just south of downtown. It houses the annual Houston livestock show every February. This major festival includes the world's largest rodeo, a national barbeque cooking championship plus many live entertainers. Just across the I-610 loop from the dome, are the Six Flags Astroworld amusement park and Six Flags Waterworld.

The Houston Space Center is located 25 miles southeast of downtown along I-45 near Texas City and Galveston. It is the most popular attraction in the Houston area. The visitor center at this NASA facility is open to the public every day in the summer and every weekday during the winter. For about $15, you can explore its exhibits, view an I-max film, test your space traveling abilities on several interactive rides and visit the actual mission control centers and astronaut training facilities. This is a great experience for children and adults.

Another popular attraction is the George Ranch Historical Park, located 25 miles southwest of Houston near Richmond, Texas. This 480-acre living history park is at the center of a 21,000-acre working cattle ranch. You can meet real cowboys and watch them perform their ranching chores. Costumed characters show you historical exhibits and explain various aspects of early farming and ranching life.

San Jacinto Battleground State Park and the San Jacinto Museum with its 570-foot obelisk monument are about 25 miles east of downtown Houston. This site commemorates the battle that insured Texas independence. The Battleship Texas, a World War One era Dreadnought that helped to support the D-Day landings in Normandy, is moored nearby. You can tour the museum, the monument and the battleship daily.

Galveston is less than an hour drive down I-45 from Houston. This seaport city, which once served as a pirate hideaway, has an old-town district filled with Victorian houses. It has elegant streets lined with tropical foliage and a long beachfront drive with seafood restaurants, nightclubs and bars. The Moody Gardens contain three large glass pyramids filled with a tropical rain forest, an aquarium and a tropical lagoon.

There are shopping malls scattered all over Houston. The Galleria, located in the uptown area west of central downtown, is the most impressive with its wide assortment of international designer shops. Highland Village and Uptown Park are other shopping malls located nearby. Further west is the Katy Mills Mall with many outlet stores, retail establishments, restaurants and entertainment venues. Deerbrook Mall, Willowbrook Mall and Woodlands Mall are located north of downtown. Baybrook Mall is located south along the route to NASA and Galveston.

The Houston Astros baseball team plays in the recently constructed Enron Field. Beginning in 2002, a newly franchised Houston Texans National Football League team will begin playing in the new Reliant Stadium. Houston also has a Women's National Basketball Association team, the Houston Comets. There is a thoroughbred horse racing track in northwestern Houston, a greyhound racing track to the south of downtown and over a dozen fine golf courses in the surrounding areas.

Cultural activities include the world famous Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet. There are several theaters featuring a diverse assortment of offerings from Broadway Musicals to avant-garde productions or serious drama. There are many museums, art galleries and venues offering all sorts of entertainments in this vibrant metropolitan center.