Questions for a Short Weekend Visit (Houston, Dallas: city hall, landscaping, rooftop)

[theurbanfiles]

Good to know about the other places (Colombian, Salvadoran, etc.)

That Cascade at the Wortham looks like a nice entry point! Can't blame you for starting there.

How regular is kayaking on the bayou at this time of year, given weather, etc? Is it something people do frequently still around now, and are there stopping points to register and dip in that are readily available?

At very least, we plan on walking around the Rice/Museum District area you mention a pretty good amount, though I may even try and spend more time over there, who knows! In any case, those places sound pretty cool.

In addition to that which you mention-if we did have a car I would consider checking out Project Row Houses in L3W-quite different from River Oaks it would seem, but both would appeal to me just in that you'd see the diversity the city has to offer.

Unfortunately-I think that bar is an executive lounge which I would have to have diamond status to enjoy-that said, it looks like the pool and fitness center are in the same area and also offer high quality views.

Jack Lance: Of course! I may even try to post some photos on Flickr so that I can do a little photo essay of sorts documenting the experience.

[theurbanfiles]

Okay, so just to satisfy my curiosity, I checked rental car rates for that time for one day. It looks like I could rent one from like 8 am to 4 pm for about $30.

Meeting midway with company seems out at this point. And unless something about Galveston or Mardi Gras there specifically would be really dynamic.. I’m ruling that out also as it seems to be too much out and back and potential traffic. That said, I had considered a few places I might be able to hit with a car. The Space Center, Kemah Boardwalk, and San Jacinto Monument all look to be in close proximity to one another, and all for varying reasons definitely pique my interest. Also, I figure that I could potentially get to Bellaire to try a place or two, and get to the Galleria sans RT Uber, and evening potentially leave off the car Downtown Sat at like 5 or so, if a return location is there.

Is this something you would consider doing? I feel like it might actually come out close to even expense wise, given that it would save 3 Uber trips including a 20$ or so one from the airport.

We wouldn’t have as much time in the core of Houston then. But I still feel like we could spend late Sat afternoon and evening around Downtown, eating at Xochi, enjoying the hotel, etc. Then Sunday morning going over and exploring Midtown/Museum District up till like 1 when it’s time to head to airport.

I wouldn’t consider renting it the whole time as that would run us closer to $60 plus an additional $20 for parking.

I’m a space geek and historian esp., so seeing the Space Center and San Jacinto would be neat. That said, maybe that is packing too much in still.

[SanJac]

@cavsfan137, I would play this by ear. If the weather is beautiful the weekend you are here then get a car and head to the east side of the city for Space Center, Kemah, SJ Monument. If the weather is not so great then maybe just stick around downtown and the museum district. I personally could spend an entire day visiting museums.

You might want to scratch the trip to the Galleria. There are major road closures near the Galleria for the next few weekends. https://abc13.com/traffic/mother-of-...ekend/5888984/

Also, it’s unfortunate, but false rumors about Chinatown and the Coronavirus are keeping people from going there: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...y-15021425.php

So you need to keep an eye on that situation as well.

BTW, Galveston has some nice historical sites to visit if you really enjoy history.

[SanJac]

Meant to tell you there is an Enterprise Car Rental on Washington Avenue which is about 2 miles from Downtown, but I would think your hotel could also arrange car rental and drop off. Good luck!

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Okay, so just to satisfy my curiosity, I checked rental car rates for that time for one day. It looks like I could rent one from like 8 am to 4 pm for about $30.

Meeting midway with company seems out at this point. And unless something about Galveston or Mardi Gras there specifically would be really dynamic.. I’m ruling that out also as it seems to be too much out and back and potential traffic. That said, I had considered a few places I might be able to hit with a car. The Space Center, Kemah Boardwalk, and San Jacinto Monument all look to be in close proximity to one another, and all for varying reasons definitely pique my interest. Also, I figure that I could potentially get to Bellaire to try a place or two, and get to the Galleria sans RT Uber, and evening potentially leave off the car Downtown Sat at like 5 or so, if a return location is there.

Is this something you would consider doing? I feel like it might actually come out close to even expense wise, given that it would save 3 Uber trips including a 20$ or so one from the airport.

We wouldn’t have as much time in the core of Houston then. But I still feel like we could spend late Sat afternoon and evening around Downtown, eating at Xochi, enjoying the hotel, etc. Then Sunday morning going over and exploring Midtown/Museum District up till like 1 when it’s time to head to airport.

I wouldn’t consider renting it the whole time as that would run us closer to $60 plus an additional $20 for parking.

I’m a space geek and historian esp., so seeing the Space Center and San Jacinto would be neat. That said, maybe that is packing too much in still.

There's a historical marker right on top of the Washburn tunnel that marks the spot where Santa Anna was captured . Heading north towards the tunnel there's an access road you need to look for because if you miss it you have to go through the tunnel then use the circle on the north side to come back to the south circle to try all over again. It's a good companion destination if you do go to the Monument on your way back west on 225.

It's one of those hidden sites that even a lot of locals have no idea it's there.

Santa Anna Capture site marker

[theurbanfiles]

Both of those suggestions are appreciated! Not too far off now!

[theurbanfiles]

Heading into the home stretch. Plan right now is to get a car FROM the airport, and then return downtown the following afternoon (return time is 4, but I may return it earlier or see if I can extend a bit depending on need). Apparently, the rate includes returning to a different location, which is nice. What I figure is that by having the car, even if there isn't any outside the box exploring, I have the option of doing so, and the $30 rental car cost for the day, will be 15$ cheaper than what it would be to get an Uber from airport to downtown, and then go over to somewhere like Galleria and back.

I don't think I would do the Space Center as it looks like even the basic tour and getting there registering would be about 3 hours of time. I WOULD consider going to 1-3 of the following, given my vehicular access, and depending of course on weather:
-San Jacinto Monument (just to go up the monument)
-Kemah Boardwalk (just to walk on water and maybe grab a snack/dessert. Either of these would be <1 hr. stops)
-Galveston (if we were to go here, it would be the only thing we did with the car, to experience during the day for a couple hours during Mardi Gras-we probably won't. But at the same time... I like big-time events, and this would seem to be the most unique thing happening in Greater Houston on this weekend)
-NRG Stadium/Astrodome (getting there quicker/more conveniently)
-Galleria
-Chinatown/Mahatma Gandhi District
-Memorial City Mall (only reason I mention this one, is it also looks interesting as shopping spot, and it looks like there is an exhibition for the Houston Rodeo there that I was curious about)
-Memorial Park/Houston Arboretum area
These latter three I know I could get to by foot or bus, but might be easier/quicker to stop by during time we have a car:
-Buffalo Bayou
-Menil Collection/St Thomas Univ.
-Montrose/Houston Heights

Just so it's clear, I would never intend to hit all of these places-they are just places that I would consider going depending on how I (and more importantly, my wife) are feeling, and timing/location/traffic/weather. Realistically, I'd only have time to hit 2-3 maybe, but I'm able to think with duality, and flip a coin in my head on that depending on what I want to prioritize most-it's kinda exciting to do that actually, like a spontaneous choose your own adventure, but in real life.

Then once we drop off the car, I plan to go on a jog/walk of downtown, enjoy the place we are staying at, and get dinner at Xochi and perhaps partake in a bit of nightlife within walking distance of our place.

The next day (Sunday) then, we would take light-rail over to Museum District area, and hang out/walk around up until 1 PM and then get over to airport by Uber.

Thanks again for all your input!

Edit: I'm not too concerned about anything specific happening in Downtown Houston actually. I mean, outside of maybe going out for a drink/dinner and a walk, I really anticipate just enjoying being in the hotel, skyline views, pool, etc. from about 3-4 Sat to like 9:30-10a Sun when checking out.

You may not all agree, but I feel like aside from actually perhaps saving some money, having the car for half the time gives us the best of both worlds with experiencing Houston at a core and regional level.

[chris_ut]

Look forward to hearing how it goes.

[SanJac]

You have a good plan in place. You probably already know this...Memorial Park is the most popular spot for runners in Houston.

I notice that you listed the Arboretum. If you enjoy gardens/nature check out the McGovern Centennial Gardens at Hermann Park. Also, Bayou Bend is a nice place to visit (take a stroll), especially if azaleas are in bloom. It is near Memorial Park so could be a quick stop.

Hope you have an awesome weekend!

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

-San Jacinto Monument (just to go up the monument)
-Kemah Boardwalk (just to walk on water and maybe grab a snack/dessert. Either of these would be <1 hr. stops)
-Galveston (if we were to go here, it would be the only thing we did with the car, to experience during the day for a couple hours during Mardi Gras-we probably won't. But at the same time... I like big-time events, and this would seem to be the most unique thing happening in Greater Houston on this weekend)
-NRG Stadium/Astrodome (getting there quicker/more conveniently)

I'd probably consider striking all of these.

I mean, if you really want to just walk up to the Astrodome, sure. There's no tour. There's no going inside. You walk up, see this giant concrete sarcophagus, and leave. It's about an hour round trip from downtown on the rail, and the Dome isn't exactly right near the rail platform. So, if you beat feet and get over to it to go pay your respects to Cleveland-grade sporting disappointment and then get back, the best time you're going to make is about an hour and a half. I guess maybe you can tie this in with a museum stop or something.

Galveston is an hour each way, without event traffic. You don't just get in and out of Mardi Gras downtown. Understand that this is about the same time/distance as driving between Cleveland and Canton. Except this Canton's on an island with one way on and one way off, for your purposes anyway.

I probably wouldn't bother with Kemah if that's all you're going to do. Parking is a hassle there. Getting in and out is a hassle. If you would be the type to visit, say, Philadelphia and take hours out of your Philly tour to drive to Atlantic City just to walk on the boardwalk for 20 minutes, then by all means do so. And you can do Kemah, just know that you could probably hit two or three of your other points of interest in the time you'd chew up in the process.