[bimmette]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Come at me, Brotatchip!

You look like a crazy duck.

[Mr Tonka]

That's how you keep the virus away.

[natedog7700]

Originally Posted by Skhmund

Chill at airport. I know that sounds bad but Houston doesn't have much to offer to tourists. Most go to Galveston for the beach but that's far. Houston is ghetto and has its ghetto parts that are trying to be "hipster." Downtown is boring, midtown is the whole hipster bar scene, and Uptown is rich white people shopping at The Galleria. You could come to try all the different food places if that's your thing, but do your research about the areas you visit. Houston is a melting pot, it's humid, pollution, and traffic everywhere. Only positive I know is that people are nice and friendly.

Best pizza in town: Star Pizza on shepherd, they have the best deep dish!

I had a fun time in Houston. The board walk is a must see IMO and the Segway tours are amazing! Very cool stuff.

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by natedog7700

I had a fun time in Houston. The board walk is a must see IMO and the Segway tours are amazing! Very cool stuff.

Where's the boardwalk? The Segway tour is there or downtown?

[eluded]

Houston is a dump. I would avoid at all cost. Call the airline and pick a different layover. Atlanta or Chicago have never looked so awesome.

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by eluded

Houston is a dump. I would avoid at all cost. Call the airline and pick a different layover. Atlanta or Chicago have never looked so awesome.

Haha, no can do!

[VRG_135]

Originally Posted by bimmette

I have 12 hours to kill at the Houston (Bush) airport on an upcoming weekday. I've never been to Houston but there doesn't look like there is much to see and the airport is about an hour from downtown. The space centre looks interesting but that's a costly trip by taxi. I'm contemplating renting a car to get there but not sure if it's worth the trouble. I'm not a big art museum person and not interested in shopping during this trip. I will have a big backpack on me and will be dressed very informally so no nice restaurant recommendations needed.

Any ideas or should I just chill at the airport?

Nasa will probably be great. Try Uber. Or the rental car. Just give yourself time to get to NASA and back. Houston has really bad traffic.

[C1Boston]

Originally Posted by bimmette

Roughly 6am to 6pm.
I'm not sure about doing Uber. I've never done it before as it's not yet legal where I live.

My friend in Vancouver told me there's no Uber in his area i was like...whattttttttttttt????? Seriously thought he was just messing with me.

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by C1Boston

My friend in Vancouver told me there's no Uber in his area i was like...whattttttttttttt????? Seriously thought he was just messing with me.

Yeah the taxi industry is fighting it hard, which is understandable.

[natedog7700]

Originally Posted by bimmette

Where's the boardwalk? The Segway tour is there or downtown?

Now that i think about it, the board walk/Riverwalk is in San Antonio lol. The Segway Tour i took was in Houston though. They take you through the whole city for like $80. I thought it was pretty cool stuff.

[UglyBuzzard]

United Lounge or Centurion if there is one there.

Take airport hotel shuttle for free. Uber to and from a spa. Houston is not exciting.

[STiLLsLow]

Although I like living in Houston, if I didn't have a lot of family and friends here, it wouldn't be a city I would be excited to visit (especially for a 12 hour layover). Most people have mentioned the nice spots to visit if you're spending a weekend here, but in your situation I would just chill at the airport. Like others have said, IAH is located pretty far north of downtown and it's just not worth the traffic you'll face to visit some parts of town. I've had to sit at IAH for 6 hours and it actually wasn't bad at all because of restaurants/streaming netflix/playing with the baby.

If you really can't stand being at the airport, then I guess driving down to Galveston or NASA is a decent alternative (keeping in mind stupid amounts of traffic). I work in downtown and can't imagine wasting money doing the Segway/double decker/tunnel tours. At least the weather is decent so it wouldn't be a complete nightmare compared to any other time of the year. Anyway, welcome to Houston in advance!

[VRG_135]

Read "Isaacs Storm" and go visit Galveston. Actually, never mind. Galveston is the armpit of texas, except for the touristy area. If you like looking at old Saturn I and Saturn V rocket stages, NASA will be a neat stop.

[Alfisti]

Too long o be in an airport, get a room near the airport, a real bed etc. Airport lounge will get old quick.

[Chihuahua]

Enjoy Planet Hooston. Say hi to Zod for me.

[shockin330i]

Weekday or weekend?

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by shockin330i

Weekday or weekend?

Weekday (it says that in the first line )

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Too long o be in an airport, get a room near the airport, a real bed etc. Airport lounge will get old quick.

I checked and it's a bit expensive.

[Aatish]

I remember there being a Taco Bell there. I was very happy. Tacos.

[BimmerRookie]

Originally Posted by STiLLsLow

Although I like living in Houston, if I didn't have a lot of family and friends here, it wouldn't be a city I would be excited to visit (especially for a 12 hour layover). Most people have mentioned the nice spots to visit if you're spending a weekend here, but in your situation I would just chill at the airport. Like others have said, IAH is located pretty far north of downtown and it's just not worth the traffic you'll face to visit some parts of town. I've had to sit at IAH for 6 hours and it actually wasn't bad at all because of restaurants/streaming netflix/playing with the baby.

If you really can't stand being at the airport, then I guess driving down to Galveston or NASA is a decent alternative (keeping in mind stupid amounts of traffic). I work in downtown and can't imagine wasting money doing the Segway/double decker/tunnel tours. At least the weather is decent so it wouldn't be a complete nightmare compared to any other time of the year. Anyway, welcome to Houston in advance!

This. I agree with this completely. However, it really depends on what you're up for physically and mentally. The reason why I say mentally is because the traffic to get to anywhere interesting will be an uphill battle for you. Since you do have 12 hours, you have A LOT of time, so as long as you can keep your cool through traffic you can get anywhere (even the space center).

As others have mentioned, staying in the airport is an option, but I'm not sure the status of the centurion lounge in IAH (I heard it was coming in the future) nor am I sure about the United Lounge (it was under renovations as of this past summer, not sure if completely finished). So you can risk staying inside for 12 hours.

If you wanna go out, your transportation options are limited. What kind of baggage are you traveling with? You can either taxi, uber, or rent a car. Personally, I would uber and not mess with car rentals or expensive taxis.

A few things that would be worth your time IMO:

Natural Science Museum
Galleria Area (mall + highland village + surrounding area)
Rice Campus/ Rice Village
Houston Zoo
Nasa/ Space Center (slightly childish, but still cool stuff) if you're a nerd like me!
Herman park


These are some of the things that I can think of off the top of my mind. It's hard to list things, because for one, I'm still new here (only been here for three years), and second, when people visit they just want to do silly "texas" things (gun range, eat texas bbq, country dancing). Also, when people visit they just want to eat the various kinds of food down here.

Sorry that post was fairly fragmented, but hope you have fun if you venture out of the airport!

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by BimmerRookie

This. I agree with this completely. However, it really depends on what you're up for physically and mentally. The reason why I say mentally is because the traffic to get to anywhere interesting will be an uphill battle for you. Since you do have 12 hours, you have A LOT of time, so as long as you can keep your cool through traffic you can get anywhere (even the space center).

As others have mentioned, staying in the airport is an option, but I'm not sure the status of the centurion lounge in IAH (I heard it was coming in the future) nor am I sure about the United Lounge (it was under renovations as of this past summer, not sure if completely finished). So you can risk staying inside for 12 hours.

If you wanna go out, your transportation options are limited. What kind of baggage are you traveling with? You can either taxi, uber, or rent a car. Personally, I would uber and not mess with car rentals or expensive taxis.

A few things that would be worth your time IMO:

Natural Science Museum
Galleria Area (mall + highland village + surrounding area)
Rice Campus/ Rice Village
Houston Zoo
Nasa/ Space Center (slightly childish, but still cool stuff) if you're a nerd like me!
Herman park


These are some of the things that I can think of off the top of my mind. It's hard to list things, because for one, I'm still new here (only been here for three years), and second, when people visit they just want to do silly "texas" things (gun range, eat texas bbq, country dancing). Also, when people visit they just want to eat the various kinds of food down here.

Sorry that post was fairly fragmented, but hope you have fun if you venture out of the airport!

Thanks for the ideas. I'm travelling with a giant backpack. I don't want a stressful visit in Houston, as the rest of my trip is gonna be very rough. I also don't want to spend a lot of money on taxi or uber if the sights aren't worth it. I may just play it by ear since I'm taking a night flight to Houston and not sure if I'll have energy to go out or not.

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by bimmette

If I do, I'll detour to Tampa and pay you a visit.