Seeing and getting around in downtown Houston
 

In town on business and will be staying at the Hyatt downtown. I want to visit the museum district. I will have no car. Sugggestions for getting there besides taxi? Never been to Houston will just have the weekend so what should I try to see in the downtown area?

Not sure where your hotel is but Houston has opened up a lightrail system that services the downtown area. Some of my favorite museums there are the Houston Museum of Fine ARts (close to the Medical Center) and the Holocaust Museum. Bayou Bend House and Gardens are also worth a visit even though the azaelas are past their prime.

The Hyatt is on Louisana St. Thanks for the response.

The Light Rail runs along Main Street, which is 3 blocks east of Louisiana. Take the southbound train, and there's a stop called "Museum District" for the Fine Arts Museum and the Science Museum.

You may also want to go to the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel on West Alabama street. Bus #78 goes from there downtown. Southbound, it runs along Milam street, which is one block east of Louisiana. In downtown, bus stops at every other block.

You can find maps and schedules at www.ridemetro.org

rkkwan: I went to school at University of St. Thomas. Has Rothko Chapel been moved from there to another location? I am thinking of taking my husband there on our tirp in august. It was always a sea of tranquility in the middle of alot of turmiol in those years.

and i caint spelle worth a dam.

emd - I graduated from UST in 1992. Rothko Chapel is still in the same location, between UST and the Menil Collection; Sul Ross @ Yupon. It is one short block from Alabama St, and that's why I recommended taking Bus #78 there. :)

rkkwan: I am humming "It's a Small World" I graduated from the UST School of Nursing, although I have gone on to other related things. Loved that school. It is so small, I never meet anyone who went there. The high school my son will go to has more students!

Thanks rkkwan for the info I really appreciate it. Any other art or architecture downtown that I should not miss?

UST has a school of nursing?

It did (so did Houston Baptist Univ. back then). It has since closed.

bcity - There's also the Contemporary Arts Museum, right behind the Fine Arts Museum in the Museum District. I believe it's admissions free now, so good deal.

If you like architecture, you should also walk around the University of St. Thomas campus. UST, the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection are all along Alabama Street, and within walking distance of each other. UST's campus was designed by Philip Johnson in the 50's before he is famous, loosely based on Thomas Jefferson's U of Virginia model. The chapel and the academic mall wasn't finished until about 10 years ago.

And there's a relatively new Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum behind the Rothko Chapel. It's only open Fri-Sun, and I've not been there yet.

The Museum District (Fine Arts & Contemporary Arts museums) and the UST/Rothko/Menil are linked by Montrose Street that runs north-south. It's perhaps a 20-minute walk (~ 1 mile) between those areas, and there are some restaurants in between. Or you can ride bus #34 for two stops, though that bus is infrequent.

Here's the official website for the Museum District with all the information and links to the individual institutions: www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org

Thank you for that site, rrkwan- it is a new one for me. So many people on this forum see Houston as a "dump" and tell people not to go there. This bothers me, as it is not a dump. Yes, it has big city problems (no zoning and transportation come to mind), but it has a richness of culture, diversity, and ethnicity. It takes a little time to get the feel of those things but that area around Rice and UST and the park and museum areas, and now the downtown area, have such a good vibe. bcity, I hope you enjoy your time there. If you enjoy it, maybe you can post on it.

Thanks for all the info posted this is great help.