|
Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Houston
To say Houston is sprawling would be an understatement. The largest metropolis in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the nation, Houston covers 634 square miles—more than Boston, San Francisco, and Miami combined. Within these perimeters lies a bustling urban center, the industrial and financial hub of the state, with four million people and a host of attractions. The city that takes its name from Sam Houston—the general of the army that in 1836 won Texas independence from Mexico, and who later became the first president of the Republic of Texas—is fiercely proud of its heritage, from the bronze statue of its namesake on horseback in the Museum District to the Lone Star flags that line the sidewalks.
Attractions & Activities There are walking cities—and Houston is not one of them. Locals scoff at the question, "Can you get to it from here on foot?" Luckily, the downtown tunnel system—seven miles of underground pedestrian walkways—makes getting around easier. The air-conditioned passageways connect 65 buildings, among them the Houston Center shopping mall and three hotels, and have food courts and newsstands as well as shoe repair shops and photo stores. In addition, the city launched MetroRail in 2004, a light-rail that travels through downtown, including the Museum District, the Medical Center, and Reliant Park (ridemetro.org). The cab fare can add up quickly if you're headed to other parts of the city, so you're better off renting a car. One of the most popular destinations is about 25 miles southeast of downtown. Space Center Houston, at NASA's Johnson Space Center, encompasses some 72,000 square feet of exhibition space, with several interactive displays for would-be spacemen and spacewomen. The Astronaut Gallery is a collection of every NASA spacesuit since the program's inception, as well as photographs of each American who has gone into space. The "Living in Space" exhibit gives visitors a sense of how difficult simple things like showering and eating can be in zero gravity. A guided tram tour of the Johnson Space Center allows you to see some of its 20,000 researchers, scientists, and engineers hard at work; if you're lucky, you might even glimpse astronauts training for upcoming missions (281-244-2100; spacecenter.org). A star of the Museum District, the Menil Collection, architect Renzo Piano's white-steel pavilion, houses one of the world's largest private art collections. The late John and Dominique de Menil amassed more than 15,000 pieces over three decades, including African, Byzantine, classical Mediterranean, Oceanic, Surrealist, and contemporary art (713-525-9400; menil.org). A block away, the Rothko Chapel, another De Menil legacy, is a non-denominational sanctuary housing 14 of Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko's paintings (713-524-9839; rothkochapel.org). The largest art museum in the South, the Museum of Fine Arts has more than 51,000 works ranging from ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts to Renaissance paintings and bronzes to indigenous pieces from South Pacific, Australia, and Africa. Across the street, its Cullen Sculpture Garden showcases works by Henri Matisse and Auguste Rodin (713-639-7300; mfah.org). The Downtown Aquarium is a six-acre complex where more than 200 water-dwelling species from around the world swim in 500,000 gallons of water. Kid-friendly attractions include the train ride through Shark Tunnel and the popular Marine Biologist for a Day program, in which aspiring Jacques Cousteaus watch animal feedings and dissect a squid (713-223-3474; downtownaquarium.com). The uptown Galleria, where more than 24 million people shop 'til they drop each year, is Houston's number one destination. Luxury retailers such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany bring out the big spenders, but this is nevertheless a mall, and most of the shops can likely be found at high-end retail centers around the country. Of special interest to fans of figure skating is the ground-floor rink where Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinksi trained (5015 Westheimer Rd.; 713-622-0663). The Theater District covers 17 downtown blocks and includes four venues that host performances as varied as opera, Broadway blockbusters, and concerts by country music superstars. In a poured-concrete structure with two separate auditoriums, the Alley Theatre has a repertory company that mounts everything from classic plays (Shakespeare and Dickens) to dramas with local appeal, such as the works of Southern playwright Horton Foote and a stage adaptation of the Houston-based novel Terms of Endearment (713-228-8421). The Wortham Theater Center, a two-stage modern complex with a curving marble facade, is home to the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet (713-250-3600). The Jesse H. Jones Hall for Performing Arts, an Italian marble-clad cylinder topped with a columned pavilion, hosts the Houston Symphony Orchestra and visiting musical groups from classical to pop (713-227-3974). A recent arrival is the Hobby Center, architect Robert A. M. Stern's soaring glass, steel, and limestone structure, where recent productions have included The Lion King (713-315-2525). Lodging One Houston hotel ranks on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's best places to stay: the Lancaster Hotel, a 93-room luxury property between downtown's Financial and Theater districts. Oil barons and others for whom money is no object book one of the five suites at La Colombe d'Or, a 1923 mansion three miles from downtown, or in one of its nine villas across the street. On 18 acres of towering pines and oaks in the middle of the city, the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa is a surprising oasis. It's worth checking into the 287-room property just to gain access to the 125,000-square-foot health club and swanky Trellis Spa. Business travelers love the Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown for its connection to the underground walkway and its wireless Internet access, videoconferencing facilities, and spacious rooms. Shopaholics may prefer the Westin Galleria or the Westin Oaks, which both connect to the Galleria and have all the features you’d expect from a national hotel chain, including babysitting service, a swimming pool, and a fitness center. Dining Austin has its barbecue, San Antonio its Tex-Mex, and in Houston, Cajun reigns supreme, thanks to the city's proximity to Louisiana. Brennan's of Houston, sister of landmark New Orleans restaurant Brennan's, serves a legendary gumbo, as well as refined Cajun creations such as pecan-crusted amberjack with Creole meunière sauce. Be sure to leave room to sample the decadent dessert menu, which includes a rich pecan pie and Brennan's legendary bananas Foster (3300 Smith St.; 713-522-9711; entrées, $28-$39). Wine racks and old black-and-white family photos set the mood at Mingalone Italian Bar & Grill, in the Theater District's Bayou Place entertainment complex. Lovers of old-school red-sauce fare will want to mangia on staples such as angel-hair pasta with tomatoes or pasta Bolognese, but there are options for the carbophobic, too: lamb with fresh mint cremolata and Atlantic salmon topped with Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, and balsamic glaze (540 Texas Ave.; 713-223-0088; entrées, $13-$35). If you're craving barbecue, head to Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q, snag a picnic table on the patio, and get your hands dirty digging into the chicken, beef brisket, homemade jalapeño bread, and baked beans (5109 Kirby Dr.; 713-522-2530; entrées, $8-$10). Some of the city's best Southern food can be had at This Is It Soul Food, a family-owned restaurant that has enjoyed a loyal following for more than 45 years. And its fans know the drill: Step up to the counter and order one meat (choices include home-style chicken-fried steak, ham hocks, and apricot-glazed chicken) and any three sides—corn bread, macaroni and cheese, and dirty rice among them (207 W. Gray St.; 713-659-1608; entrées, $8). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
|
||
 |
