HOUSTON - SPACE CITY

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the 4th largest in the country, but it really doesn't feel like it. The downtown is small and empty, and the surrounding area is easily accessible. Of course, we visited Houston on a hot weekend in August, so most of its citizens were probably staying cool indoors, but we never felt that we were in a big city. The metropolitan Houston area, including Galveston to the south, is the 10th largest in the country. As well, Houston is the second largest port in the country, and the eighth largest port in the world. 

But all of these stats are not what Houston is known for. Instead, Houston is most famous as the home of NASA's Mission Control, and its name can be heard on most space shuttle missions as all astronauts preface their comments with "Houston". Ironically, NASA is actually not located in Houston proper, but in a southern suburb. 

Houston is located about 3 hours east of San Antonio, and 3.5 hours southeast of Dallas. It was named for Sam Houston, the man responsible for winning Texas its independence from Mexico. 

Our impressions: We visited Houston at a bad time - a hot summer weekend. The downtown core is devoid of any life, other than ball fans. The worst thing about the city was the immense amount of construction going on downtown - nearly every street was being torn up at some point. I know that this will bring improvements, but for visitors it can be annoying when roads are closed.

We didn't have enough time to experience Houston's transit system, but there was no light rail service anyway. However, highways here hummed along and we saw no traffic problems, even on a Monday afternoon. Apparently, much has been done to alleviate congestion and it is paying off.

The weather is hot and humid. We don't suggest spending any more time outside than you have to, at least in the summer. 

Overall, we were not here long enough to appreciate everything the city has to offer. It is hard to believe that this is the 4th largest city in the nation, it really retains a small town feeling. I hope to return here and spend a few more days, as I believe that Houston has a lot to offer besides baseball and space centers.