Yeah if you’re looking to do any hiking type stuff you’ll have to drive a bit. Hermann Park is pretty to walk around and explore if you haven’t seen it yet.
I don’t think we’d be doing much outdoorsy stuff. Going in we knew it was going to be more of an urban vacation, but we just wanted a long weekend somewhere else. Will probably do a museum or two (maybe a space related one and an art related one? Any to avoid or not worth it?). I generally like to walk around and explore so best areas to do that (aware that Houston zoning is weird so that may be hard to answer). Gf has more or less the same travel mindset but this is our first trip without very obvious things to see/do so we’ll see haha (did DC last summer). Our Airbnb is right next to a light rail stop so if there’s an area worth checking out near a stop that would be convenient, though we can always uber if needed. And definitely want some food and drink recommendations. My gf doesn’t like shellfish but other than that we’re open to whatever from a food standpoint.
And I apologize in advance for hijacking the thread on the first day
The Menil and MFAH are both great museums, well worth your time. The Menil also has a great restaurant attached to it. There isn’t really a “space” museum outside of going all the way down to JSC, but that’s gonna be like 40 minutes outside of the city for you. HMNS is a great walk around with tons of cool exhibits and some space IMAX films normally, and it’s a short walk from MFAH. Not sure what the current exhibits are at MFAH, but very often they will have some incredible traveling pieces to complement their already stout collection.
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Go to River Oaks or the Galleria for shopping and food.
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we’d been sharing space with the rest of the state over here, but I agree we need our own space.
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I’m in Houston, born and raised, and I currently live in the Heights. Probably going to move to the Jersey Village area in March but I’m down to play wherever. Feel free to hit me up. I’m usually only available on the weekends but that may change here pretty soon depending on how these interviews go.
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Definitely go to Himalaya (http://himalayarestauranthouston.com/) if you get a chance. Probably my favorite restaurant in the city and I’ve lived here for 30 years and spent 10 of those in the restaurant industry. It’s a whole in the wall though so be prepared.
On top of that, obviously go check out NASA. If you’re lucky there’s an air force base near there that constantly has experimental planes flying around. I saw them fly in the Super Guppie a while back which looked ridiculous. Midtown is a good spot for bar hopping so that should be fun. And with the light rail you can get downtown really easily but there’s not much to do there outside of visiting Discovery Green (a decent sized park) and if you’re at the end of the month, the last Friday of the month there’s an arcade game store called Joystix that opens up and I believe it’s $20 per person for unlimited play on all the games plus you can hop over to the bar next door to grab drinks.
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I’d second the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and Natural Science suggestions above. NASA is a bit of a hike, but if you’re really interested in space, it’s pretty cool.
As far as walking around, Midtown, Downtown, East Downtown and Montrose are pretty good bar and restaurant areas these days that are walkable. The Heights has a few cool clusters to walk around as well. Rice Village and the Galleria to a lesser extent as well. Each has its own distinct feel to it in my opinion, which is part of what makes Houston what it it is. As for food, here are a few I’d suggest:
Italian:
Coltivare (Casual Italian spot in the Heights with great drinks. Doesn’t take reservations so better for an early dinner)
Rosie Cannonball (Brand new Italian spot that is also pretty casual/not-pretentious in Montrose. Sometimes hard to get a table, but since you know your travel dates early, you could probably book a reservation now and be fine).
Giacomos (Under the radar spot, all pasta handmade daily, great wine list)
Asian:
Mala Sichuan (Amazing Chinese food, there is a location not too far from Midtown down Westheimer in Montrose).
Himalaya as stated above
UB Preserv (Asian influenced menu. Touches on a lot of different cultural foods that are tied to Houston).
Pondicherri for Indian
Kata Robata for Sushi
Just explore around Chinatown. We have a ton of amazing spots from across any type of Asian cuisine.
Mexican:
Xochi- Oaxacan Mexican restaurant in downtown Houston. More authentic mexican cuisine as opposed to Tex/Mex
El Tiempo or Original Ninfas on Navigation: Tex Mex
BBQ:
Pinkertons BBQ or Truth BBQ
Steak:
Georgia James, B&B or Doris Metropolitan
Other American/European:
Squable (French/European cuisine, laid back, really good drinks and almost always save room for walk-ins)
Nancy’s Hustle (A bit of a hipster spot in East Downtown, but great contemporary American food and a good drink list. Better to make reservations or get there early)
Bars (There are so many in Houston you’ll get different answers from everyone, but here are some of my favorites by type of alcohol):
Better Luck Tomorrow (Cocktails and amazing food), 8 Row Flint (Whiskey), Hay Merchant (Beer and good pub food), Public Services (Whiskey and Wine), St. Arnolds (Brewery with a great outdoor beer garden), Camerata (Wine)
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this list is strong to quite strong
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If you like bourbon/whiskey and speakeasy-type places I highly recommend Houston Watch Company downtown. It’s literally an old watch company from way back, with the original big safe in the women’s bathroom. Very cool vibe, great prices for top quality, and the bartenders were always friendly when I’d go in. Good Thai food like two doors down, and next door is a fun bar with a huge beer list.
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LOVE UB Preserv. Get the “feed me” or whatever they call it deal where you pay a flat amount and they bring you like 5-6 dishes. Well worth it.
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Tour of Texas at UB Preserv. I was there a month ago and that is definitely the way to go!
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Thank you, guis! Appreciate the recs!
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Add another one to the Heights crew. Always try to get a few rounds in on the weekends, however with public accounting busy season looming I might be more limited the next few months.
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Hello Houston Brethren,
Checking in for the Clear Lake area. Down to play most weekends on any side of town. I saw Gus Wortham mentioned earlier; I got out there once over the summer and can’t figure out why I haven’t been back.
Walked into Memorial Park around noon and I was the only one on the walk up list. That was a first.
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Will be in town for business the end of March. Should have time for 2 rounds, maybe 3. Spending time downtown and in Cypress.
Any course recommendations? From reading above, it seems Memorial is a popular choice. Any other favorites?