I’m going to be in Houston next week for business and wondered if there’s anything I really should see on the afternoons and evenings I’ll have free. I’m especially interested in good examples of local food and used book stores with a lot of variety.
I won’t be going too far from the city area, as I won’t be driving, so would appreciate info about the metro area. I’m staying near La Porte (which is one of the places I have meetings) if that gives a better idea.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Sassy If you are going to be in Laporte I imagine your visit has all to do with the petro-chemical industry. La porte ,Pasadena , and Deer park are right in the middle of all the channel area Plants sites.
You will actually be about 25 miles from Houston proper (downtown ) and all the things regularly associated with the Houston scene.
One area that will be close and of interest will be the Space center. Not sure how much you will be able to see there. I reckon they will be kinda busy right now.
Get down to the Kemah-Seabrook area for some good eats… There is a wide variety of dining opportunities and things to see down there. And not far from Laporte.
If you get a chance and some cheap transportation You can find ANYTHING you want to do in Houston. From a baseball game at Minute Maid park to a ballet or opera in the theatre district, museums, anything you might want to do for sure!
Not sure when you will be here, but if you can give me some advance notice, the wife and I might be able to show ya around a bit. We are about 10 minutes from Laporte in Pasadena.
The Water Wall is worth seeing.
I’d also suggest Galveston, although it’s been 20 years since I was there. Anyone know if it’s still beautiful and hip?
Galveston isnt really “hip” anymore, but the victorian homes and The Strand are still worth a visit. If you are at all interested in the 1900’s, there are plenty of victorian homes scattered on the island. Most are in perfect condition, and a few are famous. The Strand is on the west side of the island, and is worth an afternoon. There are shops and restauraunts, and this one HEAVENLY candy shop. Handmade saltwater taffy and the best red licorice I have ever found…
As far as Houston proper, if youre looking for nightlife the Montrose area is great, and you can always find tickets for sports games or plays. The Alley theatre has their Summer Chills series going right now, and I believe the play on at the moment is an Agatha Christie.
Johnson Space Center aka NASA in Clear Lake City
Tookie’s in Seabrook - great burgers!
Houston Galleria - Ice skating and lots of shopping.
Battleship Texas and San Jacinto State Park
Houston is VERY spread out. Driving from one sight to the other might take an hour or more if the traffic is bad (and when isn’t it?)
La Porte!? :eek: Bring OFF!™ (You’ll thank me later.)
Houston has many great restaurants. A few personal favorites are Goode BBQ (on Richmond), Ninfa’s (the original one on Navigation), and Gaido’s (in Galveston across from the beach).
For used books check out the Half-Price Bookstore chain. There’s about six of them skattered around the city. All very good.
Ditto on Half Priced. Just keep driving; you’ll find one eventually.
For some good cheap food there are a lot of small Indian/Paki places on Hillcroft. That’s also where a lot of the signs and billboards are in Vietnamese so there’s good food there too. With some exceptions it’s usually tasty food in a quiet atmosphere for cheap. My favorite is Bombay Sweets (I think it’s right on Hillcroft), tho don’t kill yourself looking for it (if you don’t know where it is you’ll probably miss it). A good thing about living in Texas is if you’re standing there looking like a goof not knowing how to eat it someone will usually come up with a smile and explain it all to you :).
If you like shopping there’s an Outlet Mall on I-45 south at exit 13. I just got 2 pair of Levi’s for $20 last week. They were originally $40/pair.
The Outlet Mall has a Visitor’s Center with lots of pamphlets and coupons for local attractions. Oh, and if you go to the Johnson Space Center website you can get a 1/2 off admission coupon.
There’s also the dog track, Gulf Greyhound Park, right next door to a 500,000 sq foot Wal-Mart. (No lie, we asked the manager how big the place was. You can’t see the back wall when you walk in the front doors.)
I agree with going to Kemah. Go to Joe’s Crab Shack!
If you’re shopping The Strand in Galveston on Saturday or Sunday you’ll see the cruise ships. You can’t go on board to tour them (since 9-11) but they’re durn purty thangs.
If you like swimming the water is in the 80’s right now. Parking on the Seawall is still free, I think. Watch out for jellyfish.
I’ll second that. Great place for Mexican food, I always wanted to stop by there whenever visting my sister in Sugar Land.
If you go down to Galveston for swimming, bear in mind that it’s illegal to take air mattresses or anything else of that sort into the water.
I was in Houston a few years ago and ate at an Italian restaurant, out on I-45 towards the space center turn off. It might have been at that intersection. Seems like a large mall/Wal Mart or something on the opposite corner of the intersection, and we stayed in a el-cheapo hotel in the same area as the restaurant (it was for business and I wasn’t driving). Just curious if anybody has a clue what I’m talking about.
If you punch them in the face they go away.
No, that’s for sharks. 
If you can find a jellyfish’s face, I’ll give you a nickel. 
Thanks everyone for your comments – I do appreciate it!
Craneop2 – I am actually visiting depots where my company stores commercial shipping containers. We have several in the Houston area and I need to make sure things are running smoothly. It’s an industry that no one thinks about until it’s mentioned, but quite important in moving goods and services. Our depots are in Houston, Galena Park and the edge of Houston proper, so I will be doing some running around. I’m arriving on Sunday afternoon and staying through Saturday the 6th. My email is available if you want to drop me a note – I love meeting Dopers!
Initially I wanted to stay at Kemah – it was recommended as a good location for food and such. My hotel is in Seabrook, so it doesn’t look like I will be too far away. I do want to see the space center, and am hoping I will have an afternoon free to do so. There’s no way of telling in advance, so I will be playing it by ear. That’s the real problem with planning too much – in theory I should have most afternoons and evenings free, but I can’t tell for sure until I arrive and see what’s going on.
Also, I am serious when I say I won’t be driving. I don’t drive here (and don’t need to) so I am not at all comfortable driving in a city I don’t know. I will be taking taxis or having people at our depots drop me where I need to be. I don’t mind public transportation at all, but I couldn’t make any sense of the website for the Houston metro. A new city is always an adventure, so it will be interesting to see how complicated it gets
**NoClueBoy **– I will be bringing Skin-So-Soft. Thanks for the reminder!
davmilsav – thanks for your suggestions. I love a good deal and savings on the space center might be just the thing. There will be no swimming – I have the traditional Irish skin and will be avoiding as much direct sunlight as I can manage.
I will be checking back and printing this out before I leave. Mmm – Mexican food! Also BBQ – I think I will bring the elastic waist pants!
Kemah has some good seafood restaurants - there’s a Joe’s Crab Shack there and another fancier place whose name I don’t recall - it’s a big blue place with a giant aquarium inside. You can watch the fish swim around while you eat their relatives.
Ninfa’s is excellent Mexican and the one on Navigation is, in my opinion, the best, However, the neighborhood isn’t that great. You might want to visit it for lunch or an early supper.
And if you like BBQ be sure to check out Goode’s.
If you’re going to be down by the Space Center (which is well worth a visit) you’ll find one of the Half-Price Bookstores along the road to it. One nice thing about the Half-Prices is that they’re all open late into the evening which should fit your schedule.
Was it a free-standing restaurant, or located in a strip mall?
I looked around a bit, and I’m pretty sure it was Frenchies. I remember it being a strange name for a Italian place, it’s right on Nasa Road, and it’s off I-45 just a little.
We live in Houston and we can’t make sense of Metro. Don’t feel left out.
Hey, Houston Dopers - should we throw a spur-of-the-moment HouDope for Sassy?