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Houston
Photo: Courtesy of Menil Collection
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Energy capital, rodeo town, biotech and medical research center, aerospace innovator, international arts destination: America’s fourth-largest city is many things to many, many people—2.2 million in the greater metropolitan area. Like Texas itself, Houston transcends its own clichés and stereotypes and is increasingly impossible to pin down. In a city untamed by zoning laws, these multiple personalities exist side-by-side, and the sheer randomness of the place is sometimes appealing, sometimes appalling, yet always exhilarating. Three separate skylines jagged with audacious towers—by the likes of I. M. Pei, Cesar Pelli, and Philip Johnson—tower over prim, leafy residential neighborhoods. Exquisite museums, fine restaurants, and fashionable shops lie just off the pristine avenues of downtown. You never know what awaits around the next corner, but therein lies the appeal of this unpredictable and in comparable city. See the slideshow.
Don't Miss
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Strolling (or jogging or cycling) around piney Hermann Park at the end of the day. Under the gaze of Sam Houston himself, take in the serene Japanese Garden, enjoy an impromptu jazz performance at Miller Outdoor Theatre or a sunset on the reflection pool.
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Chowing down at Goode Company, a Hill Country-style BBQ stand—complete with wood-fired pit, picnic tables, and Texas honky-tonk music. Whether in drop-dead Blahniks or dusty cowboy boots diners line up here by the dozens for cafeteria-style eats.
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Exploring the Menil compound of museums—including architect Renzo Piano’s first two buildings in the U.S., the Rothko Chapel, and clusters of outdoor sculpture surrounded gnarly live oak trees.
T+L Favorites
Where to Stay
Alden Hotel
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Au Petit Paris
This little bit of Paris, charmingly set in an unassuming brick house at the edge of the Museum D
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13 Celsius
One of the best of a new crop of wine bars around town that includes Max's Wine Dive and So Vino,
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Tips See All HOUSTON Tips
Getting around Houston by light rail
Houston’s sleek light rail runs up and down Main Street, the spine of the center city. These could be the only wheels you need if you are staying downtown and your destinations are along that route... More
Getting around Houston by bike
Compared to other cities its size, Houston has done little in the way of providing well-marked bicycle lanes. Bicycling in the heart of town is difficult and hazardous. Even on “Bicycle Lane” poste... More
Driving in Houston
There’s no delicate way to put it: driving in Houston is dangerous. On the freeways, slower traffic does not keep to the right and fast drivers weave from lane to lane. At traffic signals, green do... More
Getting to Houston from IAH or Hobby airports
Unlike most other major metropolitan areas, Houston has few options for reliable mass transportation from the airports to the center city. There are reasonably priced hotel shuttles and a door-to-d... More
When to go to Houston
Houston is famously steamy in summer, but it’s also the most air-conditioned city this side of Dubai (it’s worth remembering that the 1965 Astrodome, now a white elephant gawked at from the freeway... More