rkkwan

Yes, sorry. In August, it should be "high in the low-90's, low in the mid-70's". But Houston is actually a few degrees cooler than Dallas in August.

Problem is the humidity. And it gets warm pretty early in the morning, and stay hot deep into the evening. So, it's in the 70's only for a short time in the pre-dawn hours.

Again, I stand by my statement that "you'll be okay if you stay indoors". People just don't go outside in August.

koa

Sounds like august is pretty bad weather wise. Oh well, probably just stay at a hotel near the airport. Hopefully there are decent strip malls in the area to do some shopping before returning home.

michaelcrane

It is certainly worth checking out Minute Made park (a/ka/ "The Juicer" f/k/a Enron Field). Even if you don't love baseball, it's one of the country's best with great food and the retracting roof alone is worth the trip. The roof is generally opened near the end of the game and you can literally feel all of the air conditioning getting sucked out! I'm from the east coast and love visiting Houston, even in the summer for the nice people and great food. The St. Regis has a great pool area. Also, if you have time, head to Galveston which is a BIT cooler and worth exploring. The Hotel Galvez has an amazing pool.

bellairegirl

koa,

Yes, everyone's right -- Houston's hot in August. But, you never listen to what a Dallasite has to say about Houston!

You certainly won't be able to appreciate anything about Houston, though, if you stay near Bush Intercontinental. It's a good 45-minutes away from the center of town, with not much of anything to do around there. Take the airport shuttle to a hotel in the Galleria area or downtown and stay at a hotel in a location to do something else. You could even consider staying at one of the Westins (there are 2) that are connected to the Galleria Shopping mall. Then, you'll just need a sweater to deal with the air conditioning.

And emd -- every time I go to an evening Astros game they have the roof closed until the 7th inning and open it up then (unless it's raining).

emd1

Susan/bellairegirl and michaelcrane: : I just want to see the little train go around the top part of that portion of the stadium! How cool is that? Praying for a home team home run!
I'm so glad to see others posting on the positives about Houston, in spite of the heat. After we see family and baseball and my husband leaves town, I am spending the weekend w/my best friend at a nice hotel downtown and we are going to the Alley Theater's summer series and dinner at Zin and other fun stuff for the weekend. Can't wait. Of course, koa will not get to do that, but other's who have more time in Housotn will hopefully discover that it is not an only hot but can be fun and culturally diverse and many other things also....

koa

Unfortunately I really dont have the luxury of time, since I am just staying in houston from late afternoon and leaving on a flight for home the next morning. Thanks for all the help everyone. I guess its Im just staying at a decent hotel and eat at a restaurant, then sleep!

emd

Now that you have mentioned shopping, you could do some shopping at Greenspoint Mall. This is very close to Bush Airport- you go out JFK drive (the road in/out of the sirport), go right on Beltway 8, and it is about 3 miles up on the right. My guess is total about 7 miles, and this would give you no issues of getting back to the airport in time, as those roads do not get backed up w/traffic. It isn't the premier mall in Houston, but it is pretty good for regular shopping.

gblakeb

Houston is hot, but its still not nearly as hot as Dallas is. I don't know if I would go to Greenspoint. Kinda scary to go there. Anyways, if you want to go anywhere in Houston, rent a car. Its cheaper than a taxi, plus Houston is huge. Its not like NYC where you can walk and catch cabs, and stuff. Its huge.

emd

gblakeb, can you be more specific about why you tink it is scary to go to Greenspoint Mall? I have gone there many times en route to and from Bush airport and have never felt that it is scary or unsafe in any way. What has been your experience there? Did something happen to you while shopping there, or did you observe something?
I would say if you were going to go to Greenspoint, which has been very safe in my experience, a taxi is best. No reason to rent a car to go that short a distance.
Let's remember that we are giving big impressions to people who have not ever been to this area, and not scare them unless you can be more specific. Again, I have never felt unsafe in that area.

LisaLH

I agree that Greenspoint mall is not bad -- I've been there a few times and have never felt unsafe. The shopping is mediocre, but that's fine, it would give you something to do and somewhere to eat close by the airport.

The Wyndham Greenspoint hotel might be a good idea. I think they have good AAA rates if you're a member. Check with them also cause I believe they have a free airport shuttle. This is probably the closest you can stay to the airport while still being in proximity to shops, etc.

emd

gblakeb: It occurred to me that you might perhaps be thinking of Northwest or Gulfgate Malls instead of Greenspoint Mall? Northwest has gotten somewhat spooky in recent years, not due to bad characters, but it just seems deserted as it has not been updated and there seem to be few people shopping there. Gulfgate was somewhat run down last time I was there, but that was a few years ago and I don't know if it has been updated. But I just don't understand how anyone would think Greenspoint is spooky in any way, it's a normal, very large, clean mall.
koa: for a listing of the stores at Greenspoint, go to www.houstoncl.com/shopping/greensptmall.htm
The anchor department stores are Foley's, Palais Royal (I miss having that store where I live now), Dillard's, Sears; there is also a GAP, 14 shoe stores, 10 jewelry stores, dining, etc.

rkkwan

There's really no reason to visit Greenspoint or any other malls in the area. These are generic malls that are all over the country, with basically nothing unique about them. I would NOT spend any cab fare to go.

If you have enough time to go places, rent a car and go downtown, or go up to Spring, TX, where there are antique stores, etc... However, if you're arriving in the evening and leaving next morning, I'm not sure if any of those shops will be open then.

My advice is save all the cab or rental car money for a better airport hotel. Just relax at the hotel, and hope they have a good restaurant. Waste of money and effort to go to Greenspoint or anywhere far.

emd

koa mentioned that he/she hoped there would be decent strip malls in the area to do some shopping before going home. that is why i brought up the larger mall, as there are no strip malls around the airport. to each his own; some like to shop when they find themsleves w/a little free time to kill...

ilovetulips

The nickname for Greenspoint Mall is "Gunspoint". I never went when living there, but it probably has to do with the fact that it is what people consider a rough area, maybe not as rough as say East Houston or the 5th Ward, but people in North Houston prefer some of the suburban malls such as the Woodlands and Willowbrook. I don't think that the Greenspoint area is a great first impression of Houston.

emd

Oh my! Well I certainly do apologize profusely. I have been to that mall in the last year and did not notice anything like that, it seemed pretty normal but it was the middle of the day on a weekday, as we had just arrived in town to visit family and stopped for some gifts for them. Gunspoint- geez. I'm glad you cleared that one up.

LisaLH

Oh please. I wasn't going to reply, but after seeing the "gunspoint" message it's just about enough. These boards are for people to share information, not scare unwitting people when you don't even have all the facts. I take it ilovetulips does not live in Houston anymore, because Greenspoint has changed since the 80s/early 90s' "gunspoint" or whatever. The city has made an effort to revitalize these areas, and while it may not be the Woodlands mall or Galleria, it's fine.

Sure there are much nicer parts of Houston, but that's irrelevant in this situation. Greenspoint is certainly the closest place to the airport if you want, as koa said, some "decent strip malls in the area to do some shopping before returning home." If the Wyndham Greenspoint was good enough for the NFC this past January, I think it would be just fine for an overnight layover in Houston.

To each his own, but better to at least have more accurate facts and up to date opinions.

emummert

YUCK! I had the misfortune of living in Houston for a year....you can have it...ESPECIALLY in August

ilovetulips

I wasn't trying to be scary and I lived in the Houston area from 1998-2000 so it wasn't that long ago. I understand that it is convenient to the airport but as I said I don't think it is a great introduction to Houston and the posts limited time would best be spent resting. I just think there are many other better places to visit/shop in Houston.

mikemo

Avoid at all costs!
M
Dallas

koa

WOW, when I asked this question I didnt expect the response I got. Okay, it seems there is a debate on the safety of the greenspoint mall. Is it in a run down area? Any other shopping or dining options close to Bush Airport?