If you are coming to the US to vacation, here is your list(Excluding specialty destinations, i.e. beach, ski, etc...): 1. NYC 2. LA 3. Chicago 4. DC 5. San Francisco 6. Boston 7. Miami
Yeah....I love Houston, but it isn't a great tourist destination for reasons already mentioned. I had some family from Wales come through several years ago, but it was more or less accidental because they were connecting through here to somewhere else and their flight got canceled. We loaded them up with homemade chicken friend steak, mashed potatoes, creamed gravy on one night and Tex Mex on another, and bbq and steak and burgers and we took them to NASA. They loved it despite our saying Houston wasn't a great tourist place. We mostly just loaded them up with good food as they weren't here long enough for much else. Great place to live, though.
Galveston - Moody Gardens, beaches, Schlitterbahn (sp?) Splashtown, Nasa, museums, zoo, galleria (ice skating = escaping the heat), astros (I wouldn't travel around the world to see them tho...I live 5 mins from there and dont really want to go). If you're down in the nasa area, you could rent some jet skis and escape the heat...pretty fun. Not to mention different restaurants. I think you could find enough to do to keep you busy if you really wanted to, so long as you have transportation. All those places I mentioned are pretty much inside, or in the water...so you won't pass out from the heat. I would think Houston would be a good city to visit to have some fun if you've never been here before. But for the people who already live here, we've already been there, done that, so it is no longer interesting.
downtown, nasa, splashtown, galveston... i don't really go around htown as much, but i would recommend san antonio or austin.... that is if you're up for the drive...
When people say Houston is "a good place to live," is that only because it's cheap? Honestly, what else is so great about it? Weather sucks, sprawled out beyond belief, and the weather sucks. Good restaurants, museums, etc. is expected from a city that's the 4th largest in the nation, so that doesn't count.
IMO San Francisco is a better tourist place than LA. The city is much more unique and scenic. LA sucks because there is way too much traffic(can't go anywhere on the 405 without running into traffic) and too many douchebags.
Houston IS NOT a tourist city... same goes with Dallas... Austin and San Antonio would be tourist cities. There isn't anything to do here in Houston, it's a commuter town, it's just not made for tourists. We don't need them here, cities like San Antonio somewhat rely on Tourists for a part of their revenue...
Yup, NoCal for the win. It was 67 degrees and sunny all weekend. Gotta love the North Beach Festival too.
Sounds like a lot of out of towners in here or something. Dude is coming to Htown. He's not saying he picked it because he heard summers here made it the best place in the world, he's saying if he came what could he do, so all the "So and So is better and this and that sucks" is just unnecessary. Klolo seems the only straightforward and positive post while still being realistic. I agree that maybe another choice might be nicer this time of year overall, but he can find plenty to do, as Klo stated, that is either indoor or water related to beat the heat. It's a big place, unless your uberpretentious or just a home body, there's plenty to do if you look.
I don't know what you're talking about. The Summer sucks. The rest of the year is awesome. Granted, Summer lasts 5 months instead of 3. But the rest of the year is 70-80 degrees, including Winter.
I resent that remark But to answer your question, people are offering alternatives to Houston because the OP asked if he should go somewhere else if it's his first time visiting the United States. Regardless, the thread title is "IF I came to Houston..." not "I'm coming to Houston...".
I kind of expected these comments... It looks like I'll delay the trip to December.. I really appreciate the advice and the offers! I definitely think watching a Rockets game is essential now that I think about it.. I've never been interested in going to the U.S. but I've been following the Rockets so long, I almost owe it to myself to go at least once! Unfortunately, I'll be going to Dubai instead... So the heat wasn't really a factor for me lol (DaDa I'll be sure to get you the best Turkish coffee you've ever had!)
NASA Moody Gardens in Glaveston The Museum District w zoo go see the astros play some baseball if you can there are usually a number of festivals that go on around town check the web go and catch a play at the Alley theatre go to Fitzgerld's that place has character
What is there to do as a tourist in Austin besides go get wasted downtown and play at the lake? Houston is vastly underrated as a golf destination (if you're into golf). We have so many great courses here. I don't know why the city doesn't promote that more.
You're right actually...Now that I remember my LA vacation, it was pretty lame. If you're not into celebrity tours, etc... it's really not that great of a city to visit, thought there is the Getty. My new ranking: 1. NYC 2. Chicago 3. DC 4. San Francisco 5. Las Vegas 6. LA 7. Boston 8. Miami NYC is by far the #1. I think you could cut the city in half, and both parts would still be the #1 and #2 tourist cities to visit in the US. I also forgot about Las Vegas.
Agreed about Austin. It's far from a tourist destination. I love how people say well it's hot there but it isn't humid. I was there this weekend and it was just as hot/miserable as here in Houston. When was the last time Austin got some rain? Austin is a nice place but vastly over hyped.
So good things don't count because its a big city? Thats pretty stupid. I guess we can't count sunny days because its the summer. And yeah, the weather in Chicago isn't always great either. Unless you like it freezing in the winter. Look, the city is fourth in population for a reason. If price were the case, then all of Texas would be blowing up. Also sprawled out isn't a bad thing, it means we're not cramped in a small area like some cities. Its not as if you're driving through empty land in the city. The only case I've experienced where the "sprawl" was noticeable was Jacksonville, FL. I agree for the most part with the rest of you that there doesn't seem to be a lot to see for a vacation at home. Saying that, I've brought people over a few times before and they all loved it. I don't think any of them saw it coming. I don't know if I did either. OP, if you end up coming and have people to visit, I'm sure you'll have a blast. There are things to see over the time you have and you can always drive to Austin or SA for a couple of days to see more. I wouldn't bother with dallas, you're not going to get anything extra from what you will in Houston. Definitely check out an Astros game though.
