A Tourist's View Of Houston

[Slick Vik]

There's a little complex down south of here, called the Johnson Space Center that has a heck of a lot more "wow" factor than 6th St. in Austin. To top that off, Houston has the POTENTIAL to improve itself? You've not been here long, obviously. Houston has improved dramatically within the last 20 years, and it didn't take a 6th St. type scene to accomplish it.

The problem with the ignore feature is when someone else responds to the individual you have ignored. It totally breaks up the flow of the discussion when you start reading the response and ask yourself what that person is talking about, because you can't read what initiated the post you are currently reading. That is just as frustrating as reading the poster's thoughts you want to ignore in the first place.

Space center houston is not the johnson space center. I've been here since 1990, so I know what houston was and is. It has improved, but I wouldn't call it a top 25 domestic tourist attraction,

[SMF]

There are tons of fun things to do in Houston. And many more coming - especially if you like touristy stuff and kid stuff. The Grand Texas Complex is currently under construction. There's another project in Texas City called Adventure Pointe that is under development. And believe it or not the EarthQuest people still haven't thrown in the towel.

Galveston is a treasure. There are many many things to see and do there. Moody Gardens, Pleasure Pier, Schlitterbahn, The Strand, Historic Buildings, and yes the BEACH. Thousands go into the water and enjoy going to beach every year.

Top notch shopping in uptown and great parks all around. Buffalo Bayou is going to blow people's socks off. Great museums and theaters keep people happy in Houston too.

Slickvick - You have proven yourself to be a completely unreliable source on transit and city planning. Now you have proven conclusively you know nothing about tourism too. Give it up. You can post YOUR OPINIONS until the end of time and you won't convince anyone that Houston doesn't rock. And no matter where it ranks on your own personal list, Space Center Houston is a great tourist attraction and thousands go there every year and love it.

[Slick Vik]

There are tons of fun things to do in Houston. And many more coming - especially if you like touristy stuff and kid stuff. The Grand Texas Complex is currently under construction. There's another project in Texas City called Adventure Pointe that is under development. And believe it or not the EarthQuest people still haven't thrown in the towel.

Galveston is a treasure. There are many many things to see and do there. Moody Gardens, Pleasure Pier, Schlitterbahn, The Strand, Historic Buildings, and yes the BEACH. Thousands go into the water and enjoy going to beach every year.

Top notch shopping in uptown and great parks all around. Buffalo Bayou is going to blow people's socks off. Great museums and theaters keep people happy in Houston too.

Slickvick - You have proven yourself to be a completely unreliable source on transit and city planning. Now you have proven conclusively you know nothing about tourism too. Give it up. You can post YOUR OPINIONS until the end of time and you won't convince anyone that Houston doesn't rock. And no matter where it ranks on your own personal list, Space Center Houston is a great tourist attraction and thousands go there every year and love it.

I know nothing about tourism? I'm in Istanbul right now. Tomorrow I'll be in Rome then Milan then delhi then agra then jaipur then jodhpur then udaipur. But you're right I know nothing about tourism and houston is better than all those cities.

[Howard Huge]

I know nothing about tourism? I'm in Istanbul right now. Tomorrow I'll be in Rome then Milan then delhi then agra then jaipur then jodhpur then udaipur. But you're right I know nothing about tourism and houston is better than all those cities.

Owned.

[Howard Huge]

Seriously I dont see what the big deal is, Houston is not a tourist destination, and probably never will be. No one from across the globe or even across the country goes on vacation to Houston, cmon, give it up.

That doesnt mean Houston sucks, or we dont have a robust economoy, and alot of jobs, and growth, and blah blah blah, sure, I love Houston just as much as anyone else, and I am a native Houstonian, born and raised, been here my entire life.

And a tourist destination Houston is not.

[SMF]

Spare me. After reading all the non-sense you consistently post, I don't believe anything you say.

[SMF]

 

Seriously I dont see what the big deal is, Houston is not a tourist destination, and probably never will be. No one from across the globe or even across the country goes on vacation to Houston, cmon, give it up.

That doesnt mean Houston sucks, or we dont have a robust economoy, and alot of jobs, and growth, and blah blah blah, sure, I love Houston just as much as anyone else, and I am a native Houstonian, born and raised, been here my entire life.

And a tourist destination Houston is not.

 

Go tell it to the O.P.

And don't be so gullible. Nobody ever said that Houston was New York. But that doesn't mean we don't get ANY tourists.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2013/11/08/still-undiscovered-but-improving.html?page=all

"For Houston being such a business-centric town, it might surprise some to know that the bulk of visitors, 69 percent in 2012, were leisure travelers — and the majority of those leisure travelers were visiting friends or family members. The remaining 31 percent of visitors to Houston were business travelers."

"Perhaps the most noteworthy fact that TNS pointed out was that 86 percent of visitors surveyed said they were satisfied with their visit to Houston. John Packer, vice president and travel and research for TNS, explained during a Friday presentation of the research that the satisfaction rate was particularly high among Houston visitors who are residents of New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Eighty-four percent of residents surveyed from these places said they were satisfied with their visit to Houston."

[Slick Vik]

Spare me. After reading all the non-sense you consistently post, I don't believe anything you say.

I don't really care. I'm at the hotel Marriott asia and headed to Bosphorus. Later

[Howard Huge]

I don't really care. I'm at the hotel Marriott asia and headed to Bosphorus. Later

Post pics for proof, lol

Seriously, post pics, I wanna see the hotel Marriott Asia

[KinkaidAlum]

Two things;

 

1) If you're such a great tourist then why are you in one of the best cities in the world bothering with this thread? Do you find Istanbul so boring that HAIF calls you back?

 

2) Your travel agent sucks. Turkey to Italy? Italy to India? Does he/she/you own a map?

 

 

[Purpledevil]

Space center houston is not the johnson space center. I've been here since 1990, so I know what houston was and is. It has improved, but I wouldn't call it a top 25 domestic tourist attraction,

I've been here since 1966. You want to put your "knowledge" to the test?

I continue to marvel at why you maintain residence here if you are so dissatisfied with our offerings.

[samagon]

Two things;

 

1) If you're such a great tourist then why are you in one of the best cities in the world bothering with this thread? Do you find Istanbul so boring that HAIF calls you back?

 

2) Your travel agent sucks. Turkey to Italy? Italy to India? Does he/she/you own a map?

 

When I was in Amsterdam, Paris, Omaha Beach, Ghent, and then back to Amsterdam this summer, I thought about Haif for about 10 seconds, maybe less. Sorry everyone.

 

When I was in Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum just a few weeks ago, I thought about Haif for just a hair less than 5 seconds, maybe less. Sorry again.

 

Anyway, I hope no one is saying that they are suggesting when someone lays out a map of the world, they circle Houston as a potential destination compared against say, Hawaii, Rome, or other great tourist destinations. However, I think it's not too unreasonable for someone in the USA who has been to Vegas, NY, Orlando, LA, SF, Chicago and other hotspots of tourism that they'd consider Houston in their list instead of going back to one of the other places.

[Nate99]

Café du Monde.

 

That was one of the places I was thinking of when I was describing bad esablishments that thrive in the path of throngs of people. That it managed to become famous in the process is a double bonus for them.  

 

If you happened by without the idea of going somewhere famous, you would never set foot in such a poorly run, filthy place with those kind of prices. But going somewhere famous has appeal to people not named nate99, so I don't blame the owners of Cafe du Monde one bit for not hiring sufficient staff, they don't have to.

[august948]

I know nothing about tourism? I'm in Istanbul right now. Tomorrow I'll be in Rome then Milan then delhi then agra then jaipur then jodhpur then udaipur. But you're right I know nothing about tourism and houston is better than all those cities.

 

I'm in Munich today drinking beer.  Tomorrow I'll be McMurdo Station then on to Reykjavik.  After that it's Hyderabad, Fukuoka, Algiers, Santiago, and Krakow.  And of course, I'm so bored in these cities that I constantly think about Houston and posting on websites instead of enjoying myself.

[SMF]

It is a great compliment to an imperfect city like Houston when someone on the other side of the globe can't stop thinking about it. I don't blame Slick Vic or anyone for being so obsessed over Houston. However, I do think it's strange for someone to be obsessed over a city they consistently trash on an hourly basis - especially while one is supposedly traveling around the world. Weird.

[samagon]

I'm in Munich today drinking beer.  Tomorrow I'll be McMurdo Station then on to Reykjavik.  After that it's Hyderabad, Fukuoka, Algiers, Santiago, and Krakow.  And of course, I'm so bored in these cities that I constantly think about Houston and posting on websites instead of enjoying myself.

 

you should totally be posting to haif from the BMW museum.

[august948]

you should totally be posting to haif from the BMW museum.

 

Ahhh...no...

 

[swtsig]

3, 1, 2, 4

[H-Town Man]

That was one of the places I was thinking of when I was describing bad esablishments that thrive in the path of throngs of people. That it managed to become famous in the process is a double bonus for them.  

 

If you happened by without the idea of going somewhere famous, you would never set foot in such a poorly run, filthy place with those kind of prices. But going somewhere famous has appeal to people not named nate99, so I don't blame the owners of Cafe du Monde one bit for not hiring sufficient staff, they don't have to.

 

In my experience they brought what I ordered quite fast and weren't noticeably dirty, although I went there when it first opened in the morning. Only problem was that they only take cash, which sent me way down the street to find an ATM. Prices weren't any worse than I was expecting, and it was nice to be able to just hand the money to the server and get direct change. Waitress could have been friendlier.

 

I'm guessing that you find places in urban settings or historic buildings dirty in general. If that's true, you were probably miserable in Rome and New York.

[skwatra]

3, 2, 1, 4

 

Honestly the only cities (depending on who it is and what they are looking for) I would have someone from out of the country to visit would be DC, NYC, SF, Vegas, LA, and New Orleans. If they are really in to NASA, then Houston or Cape Canaveral makes sense, and I have had people come here specifically for that. Most other people that I know that come here (not to visit family or for business) is for the Med Center.

 

I would never visit any other city in the US more than once other than to visit people (I'm talking urban only here).

[samagon]

I'm not picky. 1,1,1,1.

 

Not to get too far afield, but what's the attraction of LA? I was, on the whole, unimpressed. Some stars on the sidewalk, a few beaches, huge donut sign. moo. 

 

Outside of Disneyland, LA is about as boring as Slick finds Houston.

[skwatra]

I put the caveat of 'depending on your interests'. And I should have put Greater LA. There is just a lot there, I didn't include Orlando, so then have to keep Disney and Universal in the mix. And just Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc. There is a pretty large variety of stuff to do. Maybe I wouldn't go again on my own because I've seen it all, but someday I will take my kids there I'm sure.

[Montrose1100]

I'm not picky. 1,1,1,1.

 

Not to get too far afield, but what's the attraction of LA? I was, on the whole, unimpressed. Some stars on the sidewalk, a few beaches, huge donut sign. moo. 

 

Outside of Disneyland, LA is about as boring as Slick finds Houston.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed Los Angeles. I did go to Six Flags Magic Mountain twice. I like roller coasters, so perhaps put me in the cheesy tourist category. If I did visit a second time I'd probably skip the touristy things I did and probably check out the bar scene more.

[KinkaidAlum]

LA is a LOT like Houston in that you need to hang with someone who knows the city well. Each and every time I go to LA I like it more and more. My two best friends from growing up here in Houston have lived there for 20 years now and they've shown me some incredible stuff. 

 

Farmer's Market karaoke night, LACMA, Hollywood Bowl season tickets (you can bring picnic and wine), Griffith Park, Larchmont St in Hancock Park, Fred's Diner in Los Feliz, Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood on Halloween, etc...

[mkultra25]

LA is a LOT like Houston in that you need to hang with someone who knows the city well.

 

Or do your homework and have a plan before getting there. I love LA, and have often thought that it is very much like Houston in that it's physically huge and spread out, as well as having many hidden charms that aren't necessarily obvious to the casual tourist. 

 

As a historically-minded film geek, I've spent a lot of time wandering around Hollywood (I used to stay in the Hollywood Roosevelt right on the boulevard whenever I was in town). If you've ever visited Glenwood Cemetery here in Houston, its LA analogues are Hollywood Forever and Forest Lawn. Richard Alleman's The Movie Lover's Guide to Hollywood (in its original or revised editions) is an invaluable resource, particularly for those interested in older/classic films. And although I imagine the ubiquity of GPS-enabled smartphones have reduced its importance, the Thomas Guide to Los Angeles and Orange Counties was once essential for effective navigation around the city (think Key Map, except for LA instead of Houston). 

 

Since this is nominally an architecture forum, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that LA has a huge amount of stunning architecture. There is what's probably the greatest concentration of mid-century modern buildings of any city I can think of, including landmark houses by Wright, Neutra, Schindler, Eames, and more. The Broadway theater district has a cluster of dozen vintage movie palaces in various states of preservation, and the LA Conservancy's regular walking tour of them is highly recommended (https://www.laconservancy.org/events/broadway-historic-theatre-and-commercial-district-walking-tour). This just scratches the surface; for a more comprehensive view, Gebhard and Winter's An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles should be consulted first, with some caveats regarding the most recent edition as detailed in the Amazon reviews. As far as online resources, Swamplot readers will feel right at home at Curbed LA and Alison Martino's amazing Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. 

 

There are also tons of great places to eat in LA, much like Houston. Eater LA is a decent starting point for those so inclined. 

 

I really need to revisit LA, it's been too long since I was last there. 

[Sky-guy]

I know nothing about tourism? I'm in Istanbul right now. Tomorrow I'll be in Rome then Milan then delhi then agra then jaipur then jodhpur then udaipur. But you're right I know nothing about tourism and houston is better than all those cities.

Your argument is invalid. No one can/is comparing Houston, a 200 (?) year old co coties that have been around for thousands of years. The only reason a tourist city is considered a tourist city, is because of the history there. Think about it. In San Francisco, for example, most (or should I say ALL) tourist attractions are little boys and pieces of history. Golden Gate Bridge, coot Tower, Alcatraz, etc. same with cities like Rome, Athens, and other cities that have history dating back to BC. Sure, Hoyston is not a top notch tourist destination. But wait about a decade or two, with all of the new theme parks around town being proposed, we could easily have as many tourists as say, Irkabdo does today with Walt Disney World/Universal Dtudios.

Never say Never.

[Slick Vik]

Two things;

1) If you're such a great tourist then why are you in one of the best cities in the world bothering with this thread? Do you find Istanbul so boring that HAIF calls you back?

2) Your travel agent sucks. Turkey to Italy? Italy to India? Does he/she/you own a map?

I went free on miles. So I made the best itinerary I could for the places I wanted to go. But I would say Istanbul, Rome, Milan, Delhi and Taj Mahal is a good vacation

[Nate99]

In my experience they brought what I ordered quite fast and weren't noticeably dirty, although I went there when it first opened in the morning. Only problem was that they only take cash, which sent me way down the street to find an ATM. Prices weren't any worse than I was expecting, and it was nice to be able to just hand the money to the server and get direct change. Waitress could have been friendlier.

 

 

I had the exact opposite experience there, no exaggeration. Filthy, over-extended rude staff. Maybe I'm wrong on the prices, but I certainly don't remember feeling like it was anything but a tourist extortion machine parlaying a reputation. The negative Yelp reviews are exactly what I experienced, but there are plenty of good ones, so clearly people like different things.

[elecpharm]

From an article in the February Thrillist.

8 AMERICAN TRAVEL DESTINATIONS THAT ARE ABOUT TO BLOW UP

1. Albuquerque

2. Boulder

3. St. Petersburg, FL

4. Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

5. Houston

6. Reno

7. Outer Banks, NC

8. Mesa, AZ

BY MATT MELTZER

"Houston, TX

Right now, you are pointing to your screen and yelling: "There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to go to Houston. Ever." And we might tend to agree with you. But you know who doesn’t? Travel experts. Orbitz.com found a 60% increase in flight and hotel bookings in Houston over the past five years. And which city had the second-most hotel rooms built in 2015 after New York City? No, not Miami, Not Las Vegas. Freaking Houston.

Yes, yes, we get that a lot of that travel is for conventions, conferences, and business, but as Orbitz.com's senior editor Jeanenne Tornatore puts it: "Houston has shown that low gas prices can drive regional tourism and attract travelers hoping to cut costs." So, admittedly, it may be the towns on the Texas coast that are the true up-and-comers, but at least Houston is cool enough to get its own Thrillist edition."

An underhanded, yet gracious compliment.

*Apologies for the incorrect quoting format.

[samagon]

I came for the cheap gas, but stayed for the museums.