I'm visiting Houston in November and one of my goals is to get a great city picture that represents the city well. Any suggestions on the best spot to take a representative picture, and what picture would say "houston" to anyone that saw it and knew their US cities (oil related? gardens? the cityscape? any special festival? etc.)

I like the view of the city driving in on I-10 from the west. That is a nice view of the skyline. Also, I took a bayou boat tour going east on the Buffalo Bayou and I got a great picture of the city skyline from the water...it was a pretty picture too.

kkukura: thanks for the two great tips! Can you provide the name of the boat tour, or where exactly I'd want to go in the "Buffalo Bayou" to get that shot?

I took the history boat tour. Here is the web site with the information: http://www.buffalobayou.org/boattours.html.

there are 2 streets that go west from downtown you might try==allen parkway and memorial drive--there are a number of turnoffs where you could park and see what the view looks like.

Rice University is also a great spot for photos. It has a lot of personality and tons of locals take their wedding/engagement photos there. Try taking pictures in the main academic quad, where the columns have owls (the Rice mascot) engraved onto them.

I agree that downtown is probably the recognizable. Other options would be Allen Parkway (great art and a view of downtown). There is also the water wall in the galleria as well as an observation deck in the Williams tower which might lend itself to a shot. For other "non-downtown" vistas, there are great statues in the reliant park area that relate to the history of Houston and Rodeo.

The freeways of Houston represent the city well. The numerous billboards, the "gentlemen's clubs" along the way, the impressive "5-level stack" interchanges.

Also, the refineries and chemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel on the east side. Take the TX225 east to the San Jacinto Monument.

The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest multi-institute center of its type.