In a few weeks I'll have an exciting 12 hour layover at the Houston airport. That is more than enough time to leave the airport and explore. Is there anything exciting to do for a day in Houston? (I've only ever been there once and it was between midnight and 2 am as I was driving back from Georgia)

Or is it better for me to hang in the airport for the day?

Well, that depends on what you consider exciting. I lived in Houston for almost 10 years so when people would come to visit I had a couple of spots I liked to take them.

1. NASA -- it's really cool if you are a space dork.

2. Museum of Natural Science -- one of the best mineral collections I've seen. Very cool if you are an earth dork.

3. Brazos Bend State Park -- you can walk around and watch the alligators.

Also, there is the Galleria, a really big shopping mall. There are good restaurants all over town.

On the down side, traffic in Houston is AWFUL and there is not much (almost nothing useful) in the way public transportation.

I'd just bring a really really long novel with me and employ the chess technique of sitzfleisch (literally "ass flesh" in outsitting your opponent).

Go see hair? Women with really, really big hair?

quote:

Originally posted by Not the first Travis:
Go see hair? Women with really, really big hair?

lol! That's more Dallas than Houston

There's some good Vietnamese food downtown at Mai's if you get hungry and like Vietnamese. I go there every time I'm in H-town. Or Fadi's for Meditteranean...yummmm.

Hermann Park and the museum district is pretty neat...I second the Museum of Natural Science.

Yum to Mai's and Fadi's!!

For Chinese there is

Lai Lai

and Mexican

La Tapatia

Sweet, I'll have to check that out. I'm sure it is far better than airport food!

I'll probably rent a car for the day. It's only $30.

quote:

Originally posted by Llalewyn:
Sweet, I'll have to check that out. I'm sure it is far better than airport food!

Actually, there is one good place to eat in the Houston airport: Pappadeaux's, a seafood and cajun sit-down restaurant. Not bad for a chain. I think it's in terminal E.