“I am so stoked we spent the day in Houston instead of Buenos Aires” -- Said No One Ever.
Although I’m resentful we lost a day of the trip, I’ll try not to take it out on Houston, since I'm sure someone stranded in San Francisco wearing 2-day old underwear/sans contacts would feel just as negative as me. So, I’ll try to give Houston the benefit of the doubt.
And since I’ve got some lingering Christmas spirit, I’ll even suggest that someone had our best interests in mind by stranding us here . . . if only because we really needed the sleep. (And it was a glorious 10 hours of sleep after the stress of Christmas day travel.)
While we were technically here 24 hours, we really only spent 8 hours wandering, biking, and taxi-ing around downtown. So, with that in mind, here's my run-down on 24 hours in Houston, Texas.
What’s cool about Houston:
Tex Mex!
It’s good, and it’s modern. We went to Fusion Taco, and had some of the best, most interesting fish/pork/steak/lamb tacos I’ve had in some time—definitely comparable to anywhere I’ve been in California or Mexico. Full of Indian, Asian, and Mexican spices, fresh veggies, and the right amount of crunch.
Steak taco w/black beans, grilled onions, ginger chipotle BBQ sauce, and red cabbage, slaw, Chinese BBQ Berkshire Pork taco with char sui glazed, roasted corn salsa + black beans, and the Blackened Tilapia w/pineapple salsa, black beans, cilantro pesto, and avocado. YUM.
The Museum District
While it’s not really comparable to the New York/San Francisco Museum scene in terms of size or scope, it’s pretty, and it seems like there is a variety of things to see.
Cheap bikes/Bike-friendliness
We got 2 (24 hour) bike passes + bike locks for 10 bucks. And the whole town is flat. Not bad conditions for a ride.
Beavers!!!
I saw a really cute one in the museum district. He was awesome.
What’s neutral about Houston:
Everything’s bigger in Texas. . . . . who the f- cares?
The absurdly giant Hilton with no one there.
Largest mistletoe ball in Houston. Lots of mom's forcing kisses on their toddlers here.
What sucks about Houston:
There’s no one here
Seriously. Lots of empty streets.
Even in the downtown, it felt like we were all alone. I guess I should give it some leeway since it’s the day after Christmas, but I expected to see SOMEONE out and about.
There’s not much to do
I think the whole city was here, if only because we didn't see anyone anywhere else.
Other than the space museum, which I’m not sure was open, there wasn’t much going on. The most interactive thing we found in the whole city was a crowded skating rink. While it was fun to watch children and out-of-shape adults attempt to skate, nothing about skating at the crowded rink seemed appealing.
It costs a lot to get around
To get from the airport to our hotel: $40. To get from our hotel to downtown: $40. To get from downtown back to the airport: $60. Plus, there are tolls to get on all the highways. Not cool.
Empty buildings, down-on-their-luck fellows, overly large parking lots, and boring buildings
It sort of felt like there was a lot of “sad” in Houston. There were a lot of old, run down houses, signs indicating stores were out-of-business, and streets where things were so empty and eerie. In more than a few places, I half expected to get robbed.
And that's all I have to say about Houston
So, that’s my run-down on Houston . . . the unexpected stop on our tour. I guess I have to say, for being stuck with no car, no prep, and no proper clothes, I think we made the most of our time.
We’re finally back at the airport, where our flight is ironically delayed (why this couldn’t have happened last night I have no idea . . . )
In conclusion, thanks for the nap Houston, see ya next time I have a lay-over.