Where To Stay ? (Houston, Howe: car, Vietnamese, area)

[resonator]

No car, how do you get to Humble from downtown?

[hendersj31]

^^^ expense account. Uber, taxi, limo, whatever. OP mentioned a conference so I assume they know what is up. If it was me I would forget about the shopping requirement and stay downtown. It will be hot so maybe some place with a nice pool would be better served than marching all over to go shopping.

[Altuve]

Not sure if you will be going back and forth between Humble and your hotel every day. That can be a long drive depending on traffic, unless you get a hotel in Humble. And if you are taking a bus, you will be spending quite a bit of time on the bus every day.

Assuming you are spending a couple days doing touristy stuff before going to Humble, I tell visitors that if they can afford it, I think Hotel ZaZa is the best located hotel in Houston. You can walk to Rice Village, walk around Hermann Park, walk around the museum district, and you can take the light rail downtown to go to restaurants or a ball game there. You would need to take an Uber to the Galleria if you want to go shopping there. For what it's worth, I don't consider the Galleria to be a very walkable area, at least not as much as Rice Village or downtown.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by Altuve

Not sure if you will be going back and forth between Humble and your hotel every day. That can be a long drive depending on traffic, unless you get a hotel in Humble. And if you are taking a bus, you will be spending quite a bit of time on the bus every day.

Assuming you are spending a couple days doing touristy stuff before going to Humble, I tell visitors that if they can afford it, I think Hotel ZaZa is the best located hotel in Houston. You can walk to Rice Village, walk around Hermann Park, walk around the museum district, and you can take the light rail downtown to go to restaurants or a ball game there. You would need to take an Uber to the Galleria if you want to go shopping there. For what it's worth, I don't consider the Galleria to be a very walkable area, at least not as much as Rice Village or downtown.

By now I guess the OP already made their choice. Would be nice if they give us a report afterwards.

It's funny how we all perceive areas differently. For what the OP listed as their criteria I would have said stay at one of the two hotels connected to the Galleria. What is more walkable than the huge Galleria complex? You have all the shops and restaurants that you could possibly want, and if the restaurants don't suit you just take an Uber somewhere.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by SanJac

By now I guess the OP already made their choice. Would be nice if they give us a report afterwards.

It's funny how we all perceive areas differently. For what the OP listed as their criteria I would have said stay at one of the two hotels connected to the Galleria. What is more walkable than the huge Galleria complex? You have all the shops and restaurants that you could possibly want, and if the restaurants don't suit you just take an Uber somewhere.

Plus a lot of investment has been made in walkability in Uptown and around the Galleria, so honestly it's relatively walkable by Houston standards these days.

[Altuve]

Originally Posted by SanJac

By now I guess the OP already made their choice. Would be nice if they give us a report afterwards.

It's funny how we all perceive areas differently. For what the OP listed as their criteria I would have said stay at one of the two hotels connected to the Galleria. What is more walkable than the huge Galleria complex? You have all the shops and restaurants that you could possibly want, and if the restaurants don't suit you just take an Uber somewhere.

You are correct if by "walkability" we mean walking around in a mall. I was thinking the OP was envisioning walking around different blocks outside. Otherwise I would have expected the question to be "what's the best mall in Houston?" Once you get outside the Galleria mall, it's miserable to walk around due to the traffic and space in between the Galleria and wherever else you would want to go.

As just about every Houstonian knows, there's not a ton of very walkable areas outside. But if you don't want to be stuck inside, then the Rice Village, downtown and museum district are the best bets, in my opinion.

Agreed that if one wants to go shopping for several hours or for a full day, then there's probably no better place in Houston in the summer than the Galleria.

[mosborne39]

Hi all so I settled on The Derek Hotel on Westheimer. I have walked to some restaurants from the Galleria but that’s a tough walk due to the traffic and having to cross a couple busy intersections. However the walk toward the River Oaks district is much easier and only a couple blocks. I ate at Hopdoddy burger bar and it was awesome for burgers and beer! Had velvet taco first night and had snooze eatery for breakfast. I can definitely see needing a car to see the best parts of the city conveniently. I will also say I thought Houston and Atlanta are the same but I was wrong. Houston just seems like a bigger city and more cosmopolitan, even though the metro areas are similar in population.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by mosborne39

Hi all so I settled on The Derek Hotel on Westheimer. I have walked to some restaurants from the Galleria but that’s a tough walk due to the traffic and having to cross a couple busy intersections. However the walk toward the River Oaks district is much easier and only a couple blocks. I ate at Hopdoddy burger bar and it was awesome for burgers and beer! Had velvet taco first night and had snooze eatery for breakfast. I can definitely see needing a car to see the best parts of the city conveniently. I will also say I thought Houston and Atlanta are the same but I was wrong. Houston just seems like a bigger city and more cosmopolitan, even though the metro areas are similar in population.

Peli Peli is a unique dining experience if you are interested in trying new cuisines. It is close to where you are.

Humble is a good 30 minutes from where you are but you made a good choice booking a hotel in the city. I always recommend to out of town guests to pick a hotel in the city and commute to the workplace/conference center.

Enjoy your stay here.

[mingna]

Glad you’re enjoying your visit. There are some good restaurants walking distance just east of your hotel. Le Colonial is a good upscale Vietnamese-French place. Loch Bar and Steak 48 may be worth a try too.


Houston is currently in the midst of Houston Restaurant Weeks until Sept 6. Many Houston restaurants participate in this charity by offering set multi course lunches for $20 and dinners for $35/$49. A couple of those mentioned, and many more nearby, are participating and this may be a good opportunity to try them out without breaking the bank, if you get a chance.

[TallGreengrass]

How was your stay? How was the walkability factor as a visitor? Just curious.