sunny16

I have mentioned before that I'm joining DH on a business trip. I will have 1/2 day to kill on my own before joining DH at the headquarters of a company. I want to go to the Museum of Fine Arts, and then to this company, possibly with a stop downtown for lunch. The problem is that I won't have a car down there, so I will have to use either cabs or public transportation. I used the Trip Planner on the Houston Metro website, and it looks like it'll be pretty easy to get around, except that I might want to take a cab to the company later. My plan is to take the bus to the museum, then possibly take the Metro downtown before taking either another bus or a cab to the company, which looks like a long haul from downtown. Is the bus system reliable?

My second question is about restaurants. I am having a heck of a time finding information about restaurants in the areas I will be in. Basically I will need to eat lunch, either in the Museum district or downtown. I know the museum has a cafe, but I would like to have other options. If I just wandered around, would it be easy for me to find something in either of these areas? Something relatively cheap ($20 or less) would be fine, maybe TexMex or something. I read online that the restaurants downtown weren't easy to find, as odd as that sounds. It's just been very hard for me to figure this out from looking online, and there don't seem to be any decent guidebooks on Houston alone. Any help would be much appreciated!

rkkwan

Where is this "company" you keep talking about? And where are you staying?

Not much dining choices immediately adjacent to Museum of Fine Arts. There are some on Montrose, about half a mile north of the museum, but they're not on the lightrail route, so you easily get back to downtown.

I take the bus all the time. They are reliable in general, but near the ends of many routes, the actual time can be very different from that in the timetable.

sunny16

The company is out west on Woodway. We're going to a party at their headquarters before we all go to the bbq cookoff. We're staying at the Hotel Indigo near the Galleria.

Thanks for the info on buses and restaurants! If I went to a taxi stand, would one come along pretty quickly mid-day?

rkkwan

You don't want to switch buses enroute, as the wait can be very long.

From your hotel, I'd walk down to Richmond and take #25, which is frequent. Get a transfer and ride all the way to the end (Wheeler) and then take the lightrail.

If you want to do lunch afterwards, walk up along Montrose. Then take #25 back to the hotel. And go to the company from there. Or take taxi directly from the restaurant.

No, I don't think you'll find taxi easily on the street or near the Museum. Call 713-236-1111 for a Yellow Cab taxi dispatch instead.

sunny16

Thanks so much for all the help!

starrsville

Report back on the Hotel Indigo. I love the one in Atlanta.

maryanntex

This is a really good website with customer reviews. www.b4-u-eat.com Niko-Niko's is fairly close to the museum and would be good for lunch--very casual--order at the counter--but great Greek food. Kraftsman Baking also has sandwiches. Check out the reviews for Hugo's, Tila's, and Red Onion for Mexican food in the general area. Also Brasil and Empire Cafe are very casual and very good.

starrsville

I stayed in downtown Houston with SO during a business trip and we had challenges finding restaurants open for dinner near us.

Office buildings have food courts for lunch - although not obvious from the outside. We ate at a Jason's Deli downtown between our hotel and the museum district (we have Jason's Delis at home).

While in Houston, eat at a Mama Ninfa's. There's one downtown - she invented fajitas.

Use google maps to enter your hotel address and then "find businesses" = restaurants to see what's nearby. MANY close at 5 or so.

Barblab

Cafe Express in the Museum is really pretty good if the weather prevents you from venturing out. While visiting the Art Museum if you have the time don't miss the Sculpture Garden and Contempory Art Museum right accross the street.

Take that Taxi number with you to call one as they don't just cruise around in Houston looking for fares.

Enjoy your visit!

sunny16

Starrsville, I'm really looking forward to staying at the Hotel Indigo. I'll definitely let you know how it is. And thanks for the tip on downtown restaurants. That clears things up a bit.

Maryanntx, thanks for the restaurant recommendations! I've made a note of some of them. That Kraftsman Bakery sounds great - maybe I'll make it down there for breakfast.

Barbalb, thanks for the tip. I really hope I have time to wander around outside instead of eating at the museum, but it's good to know that the food there is good.

cristinab

Hi again Sunny. Any reason you aren't considering renting a car for the day? There really aren't any taxi stands in Houston except at hotels, the airport and a few other places. It will take about 25 minutes to get from the Indigo to the MFA, without traffic. Light rail is a great option from MFA to downtown or vs., but it does not go west towards the Galleria. I have lot's of food advice having lived in Houston for 30 of my 42 years! Some of the best food in town is near the MFA, in/around Montrose. For a quick bite Kraftsman Bakery is a good idea, but very near are also Hugo's (fabulous authentic Mexican - not TexMex like Ninfa's), DaMarco's (sophisticated Italian - their $22 three course, business lunch is the best deal in town for quality food) and Mark's (American). Look on B4-U-Eat and I also like citysearch.com to see what appeals to you. Cafe Express in the MFA is fine, it is a chain that has been bought out by Wendy's (don't let that scare you, it's fine for a salad or sandwich, just not as good as the other choices). Two more options right near the MFA on Bissonnet are the Raven Grill (American food) and Picnic (fabulous sandwiches, salads and sweets). You may be aware that the MFA has a huge exhibit of French paintings from The Met that just opened this week. It is very crowded so be sure you call ahead to see if you can get tickets. It is a timed entry. I know some of the Houston museums' paintings have been put in storage to host this exhibit. Have a great trip!

sunny16

Hi, cristinab. The reason I'm not renting a car is that I haven't driven in a long time, although I do have a license, and since I'll be arriving at midnight, the thought of driving on highways in a new city is pretty intimidating. DH is going to get around by cab all week, so he won't have a car when I get there. I'm pretty much a city person at heart and I love walking around and trying public transportation in new cities; I find it's a good way to get the feel for a new place, taking one's time on foot. I might cave in and have the hotel call me a cab after all. I'll probably be tired from arriving late and I might end up sleeping in a little on Friday.

The exhibit at the MFA that has piqued my interest is The Target Collection of American Photography: A Century in Pictures. I'm really into photography, so this will be a lot of fun for me. I am hoping to have time to explore other parts of the museum, and there are a lot of other things I want to see in that area, like Hermann Park and the Mecom fountain. I was glad to see that restaurant row on Westheimer is about a mile from the museum, so that will be easy for me to get to on foot. Picnic also sounds like a good choice for me - since I'll be on my own, I won't really want to linger over a large, expensive meal.

I can't believe how much planning I'm putting into half a day! I have no idea what we're doing on Saturday - we're meeting up with a friend of mine who'll have just moved down there, and I don't know what she'll want to do, but at least I have some great restaurant recommendations!

LDLee

I will have time to post a more thoughtful reply later. If you are on the light rail from the Museum to downtown, consider the Breakfast Klub. Great lunch. It is at the West Alabama stop.

maryanntex

Personally, I don't think Picnic is worth the walk. Very mediocre sandwiches, in my opinion. I think Kraftsman is your best bet because it is close. Also, Brasil on Westheimer is good. And Breakfast Klub is definitely more interesting than Picnic. By the way, I have lived in Houston a really long time, and have never used public transportation. Not to say you can't do it, but be prepared. It's not like New York or Boston or DC or San Francisco.

rkkwan

It's definitely true that most Houstonians don't use public trasnport. Many of my cousins who've lived here for 30-40 years have never taken a bus, or can count the times in one hand.

But #25 Richmond is a major bus route, and should be fairly reliable. Buses are also pretty new and clean. The seats are pretty hard on the newer models, however.

LDLee

Many hotels in the Galleria area will provide transportation to points of interest, like the Museum. You should check with the Hotel Indigo to see if they do. If not, I really think you should take a cab. Less time (15 minutes) and more reliable. Cost should be about $15.

Forecast is for rain beginning Thursday. You will not want to eat at any place you have to walk to from the Museum. The restaurant in the Museum is Cafe Express. Pretty good salads and burgers. It is the "fast casual" concept of Robert Del Grande, executive chef at Cafe Annie. Otherwise, choose a restaurant near or on the rail line. I have already suggested Breakfast Klub. Excellent lunches. Try the wings and waffles. It looks like your visiting the Museum on a Friday, so you might want to try T'Afia (next door to the Breakfast Klub). Monica Pope is a very talented chef and highlights locally owned foods. Downtown, you should try Treebeards, very good cajun food. I like the beans and rice. Traveling from Downtown to your husband's office will take you through Memorial Park, where the riders from the trail ride will be camping.

If you need other suggestions for dining let me know. Houston has many excellent places

Between the Target Photography Exhibition and the Impressionist exhibition, you will be spending a lot of time at the museum.

sunny16

Thanks, LDLee! I think I am going to take a cab in the interest of saving time.

DH is down there now and he said that this AM, there was a cab sitting in front of the hotel as if it were a taxi stand, so I guess I won't have a problem. Thanks for all the restaurant recommendations as well!