Visit in Sept (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: hotel, Home Depot, neighborhoods)

[sausalito]

Hi,

I am visiting Houston (and Dallas and Austin) in Sept later this year. Specifically, I am considering living in the Sugar Land area (and North Dallas and Round Rock).

I am staying at each place for a little over 2 days each. I would like to really get a sense of "what it is like to live there on a daily basis". Thus, I would visit places/neighborhoods/restaurants/shopping centers/etc. that would best give me a sense of this.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[NTT]

You're visiting for 2 days and want to "get a sense of "what it is like to live there on a daily basis""? I sure don't know where to start . I've been living in Houston for over 30 years and still don't have a sense of what is the "daily basis". I can tell you this, September is still hurricane season. It'd either be still hot & humid or stormy which means keeping our eyes on the weather .

[Svensk08]

Houston is a huge, very-spread-out city. There's no way you can tell what it's like to live here if you're visiting for only 2 days.

September weather is hot. An air-conditioned car is a must, as we simply don't have a good public transportation system.

Suggestion: ASAP, get a big, detailed printed map of Houston and vicinity and study it. Then go online for Google maps and see specific areas in detail.

Also, spend some time reading the dozens of "Moving to Houston" threads on this forum.

[Dopo]

I lived in NE San Antonio and got to visit Austin enough to tell you that the traffic there is horrible.
And their solution was to build toll roads that nobody uses, so everybody drives on I-35 plus the 1 million trucks per day that come from/to Mexico.

You have to tell us exactly what you are looking for to help you better.

[sausalito]

Originally Posted by Svensk08

Houston is a huge, very-spread-out city. There's no way you can tell what it's like to live here if you're visiting for only 2 days.

September weather is hot. An air-conditioned car is a must, as we simply don't have a good public transportation system.

Suggestion: ASAP, get a big, detailed printed map of Houston and vicinity and study it. Then go online for Google maps and see specific areas in detail.

Also, spend some time reading the dozens of "Moving to Houston" threads on this forum.

Thank you for your replies.

We are going to be concentrating on the SW portion of Houston, checking out public schools, parks, community centers, shopping centers, and restaurants. If you have any specific suggestions, that would be great.

Thanks!

[AlexTx]

For shopping definitely check out the area around Hwy 6 and 59. In that general area, off the top of my head, there is:
Whole Foods
Super Target
First Colony Mall (Macy's, Dillards, Pottery Barn, etc)
Sephora
Homegoods Store
Marshalls
Garden Ridge
Academy
Z Gallerie
Party City
Old Navy
Pier 1 Imports
Lowes
Home Depot

Google those stores and it will take you around to different shopping centers in that area general area (77478).

First Colony mall is nice, IMHO. Also, the Town Square shopping center (where Z Gallerie is) is neat. It's an "oudoor mall" type thing. First Colony and Town Square are next to each other. And behind Town Square is another shopping center with bigger stores like Marshalls, Ross, DSW shoes, Pier 1, Old Navy. Really, there is no lack of shopping in the area!

For Mexican Food, I suggest Lopez (11606 S Wilcrest Dr, Houston, TX ). It is not in Sugar Land, but a little North. The surrounding area is not as nice as Sugar Land, but the food is worth it.

For BBQ, I suggest Otto's BBQ. It is just North of Sugar Land in Staffod (11222 Fountain Lake Drive
Stafford, TX 77477). The shopping center that it is in also has some good stores - Bed Bath & Beyond, Steinmart, Hobby Lobby, Old Navy Outlet, Saks Outlet, Office Max.

Hope that helps.

ETA: If you don't have a hotel yet, there is a Marriot in the Town Square center that would be a good option.

Also check out: http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/