HOUSTON-Flights & things to do there - Help!!
 

A friend has just been posted there so while I have the offer of free accomodation I though i might as well visit!<BR><BR>Does anybody know if it's possible to get flights there from the UK for less than &pound;400 - I can't seem to find anything.<BR><BR>Also, I've had a few people saying &quot;don't go -it's awful!&quot; Is it? Does anybody have anything good to say about it? Or any great recomendations of places to eat/see/go out etc??<BR><BR>Cheers.

Hi Luda,<BR><BR>I'm a native texan and have lived in Houston 15 years. Yes, there are things to see and do. The weather can be warm to hot, mostly hot especially in the summer. Also humid. Alot of good resturants and entertainment. When are you going? What do you like to do? Please e-mail me and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.<BR><BR>Gee <BR>[email protected]

Luda<BR>Go!! By all means,GO.I am not a big fan of Houston but I dont &quot;hate&quot; it.I find the coastline from San Jacinto south to be very interesting.I've never lived there.Galveston I think you would enjoy.Its very historic.The food in Houston is quite good all the varities.Every city has its naysayers.

thanks both of you. <BR>Quick question - how do I e-mail? tried clicking on your name but it brings up your posts rather than an e-mail address..<BR>anybody want to help me out? (sorry, last night was a big one, so I'm a little slow on the uptake today)

ok - sorry ignore me, I really am being stupid. just seen e-mail.<BR>

While I left Houston because I didn't want to live there any longer, it is a great place to visit. There are terrific museums and restaurants of all sorts and price ranges, lots of shopping if that appeals to you, and a short drive away are Johnson Space Center and Galveston Island.<BR>Continental Airlines is based in Houston and flies directly to the UK; check out www.continental.com, or look at www.orbitz.com, or check for discounts on other carriers and consolidators by doing a search on &quot;discount airfares&quot;

Just got back from a vacation that included New Orleans and Houston. I was expecting to absolutely hate Houston, but I was pleasantly surprised. The weather was cooperative the one full day we were there - warm, but with a stiff breeze to dispell any humidity. The morning we left, however, it was 74 degrees at 4am, and you could already feel the humidity, so what can you say?<BR><BR>The food that we had was good (though, of course after coming in from New Orleans, it seemed average). The only thing that is difficult to find (and this is throughout Texas, unfortunately) is true Mexican food, if you want to sample that. It seems as if every restaurant is &quot;Texmex&quot;. <BR><BR>I struggled finding things to do in Houston, however, and finally limited my stay to just one day. We spent that day at the Johnson Space Center and we were not disappointed. If you are at all interested in the space program, you would be interested in this. I hadn't thought there would be much to do there, but we spent 6 hours and still hadn't seen everything.<BR><BR>Houston is spread out, and I'm certain there has to be more there than the coast, Space Center, and shopping but perhaps the locals can better help you on that. I simply could find nothing. (Coast was too far for the limited stay, and why do shopping when I can do that at home) But the skyline of Houston is one of the prettiest I've seen, and the people I met were pleasant and helpful.

I think that the best months in Houston are March and November. You should be able to find reasonable airfares at that time of year, but I don't know if you can do much better than 400 pounds.

I have lived in Houston for 26 years. I get quite irritated with the negative press about our city. We have world-class museums, fabulous new sports arenas, awesome shopping, friendly people, incredible restaurants (and yes, we do have &quot;authentic&quot; Mexican restaurants, not just Tex-Mex as a previous poster said). I'm not trying to say it's the finest city in America but if you have a place to stay, what the heck? The weather is hot in the summertime, but everything is airconditioned. If you have enough time you could take a trip to Austin and you would really enjoy that. Go for it! If you give me your email address I can send you more specifics if you are interested.

Thanks everyone. <BR>Arc, my e-mail is [email protected] - I'd love some more info. <BR>I'm thinking that it must be so different from the UK I'm bound to find things to do right?<BR><BR>Is it at all possible to get round if i don't drive, or will i have a bit of a nightmare trying to do everything by public transport??

Luda:<BR><BR>Having been raised there myself, Houston is definitely not a well suited city for public transport. It's quite difficult to get around w/o a car since the city is so spread out.<BR><BR>I would also like to suggest October as a nice time of year to visit. That's when I always go.<BR><BR>I agree with others that Houston has a very wide variety of entertainment to offer, as well. My sister had friends visit from the U.K and they just LOVED it. They are anxious to return.<BR><BR>Good luck!

Houston is not known for its public transportation, so a car would be a necessity. However, of all the Texas cities that I've driven in (and that would be all the major ones with the exception of Austin), Houston is the easiest to navigate. Driving was fine in Houston. Besides, with your own car (or using a friend's, if that is possible) gives you more opportunities to explore the surrounding areas.<BR>