<p>Has anybody mentioned that 6 Flags in Houston closed several years ago?</p>
<p>Agree with the recommendations to go to the museum district, and the park, and Rice Village. Then (maybe…) try House of Pies or House of Blues for some chow, libation or music. Not a recommendation-- just an experience.</p>
<p>Thanks folks, very interesting responses :-)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And her sisters named Ura and Hoosa.*</p>
<p>.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
<p>^^^^ Oh no, sibling is urban legend?? Surely some birthers out there can rustle up a birth certificate…</p>
<p>Grcxx3- taylor or 7 lakes?</p>
<p>onthefly…Mustangs all the way!</p>
<p>(actually, I don’t really care about the football…but my oldest son is in the JET Band!)</p>
<p>(don’t know why my post above appeared twice at 2 different times. Weird!)</p>
<p>Hey, leave Austin out of this!</p>
<p>Houston is not somewhere I would want to live (sorry, ag!), but it’s certainly not a horrible place. I have family there and visit regularly. And ds hopes to be living there next year as a Rice Owl. </p>
<p>The museums are wonderful. My favorite place to eat is [Mediterranean</a> Buffet, Dallas Mediterranean food, Houston Mediterranean Grill](<a href=“http://www.fadiscuisine.com/]Mediterranean”>http://www.fadiscuisine.com/)</p>
<p>Ima Hogg was the daughter of a Texas governor. Here’s her Wikipedia entry, which confirms she had brothers but no sister: [Ima</a> Hogg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ima_Hogg]Ima”>Ima Hogg - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>You could drive on up to A&M if you want to see another college on your visit. Depending on what side of town you’re on, it’s a very easy day trip.</p>
<p>I love HS football. Never miss a game, including the out-of-town playoff games. We have our first scrimmage on Saturday!</p>
<p>No one has mentioned the Orange Show. It’s weirder than the Beer Can house. You don’t want to miss it.</p>
<p>If you’re in the Rice area, you could stroll through the Texas Medical Center, probably the largest concentration of hospitals, med schools and med research centers anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>I probably know him but that would be weird to find out</p>
<p><<i probably=“” know=“” him=“” but=“” that=“” would=“” be=“” weird=“” to=“” find=“” out=“”>></i></p><i probably=“” know=“” him=“” but=“” that=“” would=“” be=“” weird=“” to=“” find=“” out=“”>
<p>Probably not. We just moved here last year…altho he was here for 2nd/3rd grades at Pattison. </p>
<p>Of course, we know kids at Cinco, 7 Lakes and Katy, some of whom were overseas with us.</p>
</i>
<p>I’m glad someone had the courage to compare Houston and Austin. I’ve been to Austin several times, but I never quite grasped what made it so great, at least not on a relative scale. For me, the main attraction is the downtown area. There are respectable suburbs, yes, but these are also available in Houston. I expected to be wowed when I drove down there, but I still prefer my city and its ‘spread-outness.’ I guess we’ll always side with our hometown to some extent.</p>
<p>I think austin will eventually become more like houston because of the rapid population expansion. More suburbs are being built people commute from pfleugerville, round rock, etc. and i feel lik austin is losing its charm</p>
<p>I’m no lover of Houston, but I did enjoy touring the battleship there.</p>
<p>google “Battleship Texas State Historic Site”</p>
<p>The fine arts scene in Houston is fabulous. The Alley, the symphony, the ballet, the opera - all fabulous. AD Players is currently doing “Steel Magnolias” to rave reviews.</p>
<p>My husband lived in Austin for a number of years back in the day for grad school and my son went to boarding school there at one point. H thought Austin had grown too much and the transportation infrastructure wasn’t there to support the growth. We have been in nightmare traffic there. We love Austin, but a lot of the charm has been lost. Nashville is similar in many ways, only with a climate we like better and an even better music scene.</p>
<p>I guess I’m compelled to jump in here. While Houston is definitely not a tourist destination, it is far from bleak. I’ve lived in a number of cities and I absolutely love living in Houston. Yes, the heat and humidity is unbearable for about 4 months of the year, but the weather in February and March certainly compensate for it. Houston is a dynamic, vibrant, cosmopolitan city with the 2nd most Fortune 500 companies (after NYC), the 3rd most foreign consulates, and ranked by Kiplinger this year as the best city to live-work-play. Although there’s no zoning in parts of the city, there are beautiful residential areas that are incorporated cities within the Houston that do have zoning.</p>
<p>There are world-class museums, theaters, opera, ballet and major league sports teams. The medical care here is second to none, with the largest medical center in the world located next to Rice University. There are also beautiful public parks (Hermann Park, Memorial Park, Discovery Green), and lots of local festivals. But the best thing of all are the warm, friendly, multi-cultural people who are so well integrated with a can-do attitude. Unlike some cities where you can only establish yourself if you’re 3rd generation from the “right” family, Houston welcomes anyone who wants to establish themselves with open arms.</p>
<p>Another great thing about Houston is the low cost of living. Also, I have found few cities that come close to rivaling the depth and breadth of the restaurants in Houston. There is an unbelievable range of great restaurants here – from little hole in the wall places to haute cuisine – in every ethnicity imaginable. Yes, there’s barbeque and Tex-Mex, but there’s also great Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Turkish, Korean, etc. etc.</p>
<p>I really could go on and on. In the end, you have to live here and seek out the local places to really appreciate Houston’s beauty.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2008/07/2008-best-cities-to-live-work-play.html[/url]”>Best Cities to Live, Work and Play | Kiplinger;
<p><a href=“http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/houston-city-guide.htm[/url]”>http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/houston-city-guide.htm</a></p>
<p>well said blackeyedsusan</p>
<p>
No dog in the Houston fight, but recommending a visit to a cheesy chain that is available nationally is kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel here in terms of making me think Houston has a lot to offer.</p>
<p>And totally agree that Austin is overrated. It’s just “cool and hip” in contrast to the rest of Texas, but it’s no big deal otherwise, no different from any good sized city.</p>
<p>Totally agree, blackeyedsusan!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So true. I’ve heard it said, “Houston - a lousy place to visit but a great place to live!”. As for the weather, the summer here deserves its reputation, and if you are coming in the next couple of weeks, you’ll think Hell would be preferable to this. But, as another poster said, the winter is very pleasant here. We have a few cold days, but seriously, it’s just a few. </p>
<p>I second the recommendation of a visit to NASA. The visitor’s center is called Space Center Houston - [Space</a> Center Houston](<a href=“http://www.spacecenter.org/]Space”>http://www.spacecenter.org/)</p>
<p>I was at the beach at Galveston last week, and it was honestly much nicer than before the hurricane. I can’t imagine how they put so much new sand in there, but they did. It was clean and pleasant. Yes, the water is brown, which as I remember is due to currents from the Mississippi river flowing into the Gulf…or maybe it’s from the Gulf Stream. In any case, it’s a geographic location thing, but it’s still very nice there. If you go to Galveston, be sure and take a walk along The Strand. From Rice, it’s probably a 1 hour drive to Galveston.</p>
<p>Here’s a restaurant suggestion for a great lunch or dinner near Rice - Ruggles Cafe. It’s in Rice Village. And you simply must have a dessert if you go there! [Ruggles</a> Cafe Bakery](<a href=“Ruggles Cafe Bakery”>http://www.rugglescafebakery.com/)</p>
<p><<i was=“” at=“” the=“” beach=“” galveston=“” last=“” week,=“” and=“” it=“” honestly=“” much=“” nicer=“” than=“” before=“” hurricane.=“” i=“” can’t=“” imagine=“” how=“” they=“” put=“” so=“” new=“” sand=“” in=“” there,=“” but=“” did.=“” clean=“” pleasant.=“” yes,=“” water=“” is=“” brown,=“” which=“” as=“” remember=“” due=“” to=“” currents=“” from=“” mississippi=“” river=“” flowing=“” into=“” gulf…or=“” maybe=“” it’s=“” gulf=“” stream.=“” any=“” case,=“” a=“” geographic=“” location=“” thing,=“”>></i></p><i was=“” at=“” the=“” beach=“” galveston=“” last=“” week,=“” and=“” it=“” honestly=“” much=“” nicer=“” than=“” before=“” hurricane.=“” i=“” can’t=“” imagine=“” how=“” they=“” put=“” so=“” new=“” sand=“” in=“” there,=“” but=“” did.=“” clean=“” pleasant.=“” yes,=“” water=“” is=“” brown,=“” which=“” as=“” remember=“” due=“” to=“” currents=“” from=“” mississippi=“” river=“” flowing=“” into=“” gulf…or=“” maybe=“” it’s=“” gulf=“” stream.=“” any=“” case,=“” a=“” geographic=“” location=“” thing,=“”>
<p>The beaches at Galveston are not like the beaches along the FL, AL, MS Gulf Coast. You are right that the Miss River is the culprit. Rather than get the nice pretty white sand (which comes from erosion of the Appalachians and related features), Galveston (and most of the LA, TX beaches) get the silt, sand, and mud mixture than flows down the Mississippi. </p>
<p>DS#1 was at Galveston last weekend. He said the water was brown but the waves were good.</p>
<p>What about Moody Gardens? Is that back and running? I remember that being a marvelous place when we went years ago.</p>
<p>Oh - and I still vote for a trip to the Blue Bell factory!!! yummmm…</p>
</i>