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Travel News
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Sunday January 12, 2003

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- It seems that almost anyone who visits friends or relatives in Houston these days asks to see the Enron Building.

That happened to me, recently, when some local boosters intent on showing me some of the attractions of this city relented just long enough to drive quickly through the skyscraper canyons of downtown Houston. Actually, there are -- or were -- two buildings once devoted to the bankrupt energy company. We slid by briefly just at dusk, and indeed saw security lights inside very sad and empty-looking windows on one of them.

The opulent Hobby Center at 800 Bagby St. actually encompasses two theaters. If you look up at the interior dome of the larger one, you can see a representation of the night sky over Houston as it might appear at that very moment if it were devoid of pollution.

Art Cars Show display

No visitor to downtown Houston should miss stopping by the Houston Visitor Center, at the corner of Bagby and Walker streets. This is an unusual and rather spectacular entrance to Houston's historic City Hall, and it includes a souvenir shop and a colorful collection of artistic displays, hung from floor to ceiling.

Many of the modern objets d'art at the Visitor Center are inspired by the Art Cars Show, held every April, when local artists gussy up their automobiles and trucks with spectacular paint, plaster, and sculpture and then parade through the city. Several tours in the city and the surrounding countryside leave from the Visitor Center.

As somewhat of a museum buff, I especially enjoyed the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Its Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals was the best I have seen in more than 20 years of museum-going. Our guide said it is the fourth most heavily attended museum in the country. (Beat out only by the Smithsonian in Washington, and New York's Metropolitan Art Museum and the American Museum of Natural History.) In Houston itself, our guide said, annual museum attendance is second only to Astro baseball attendance.

The Houston Astros, of course, moved 3 ¸ years ago to the new Enron Stadium downtown. Enron had paid $100 million to name the 40,000-seat stadium, and after Enron crashed, the Astros had to pay $2.1 million to erace the notorious name. Now it's the Minute Maid Stadium; the company best known for its Florida orange juice is headquartered in Houston.

Reliant over Astrodome

The old Houston Astrodome, once heralded by some as the Eighth Wonder of the World, seems to be headed for relative obscurity now that an even newer stadium, the Reliant, has played host to its first football games. The new and much larger sports structure, with its retractable roof, opened last August on what used to be a portion of the Astrodome's parking lot. It is now the home of the Houston Texans, a brand new expansion football team. Local supporters also saw it as the centerpiece of the 2012 Olympics, a dream that was recently shattered when Houston's bid was turned down by the International Olympic Committee. But at least there are plans for it to become the home of the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

In the eyes of most Americans, Houston is firmly fixed as Space City: It is the home of the Johnson Space Center at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Consequently, the most popular tourist attraction in the area is Space Center Houston, which turns out to be an indoor theme park at the entrance to the Johnson Space Center. But amid the fun and games, designed mostly to be appreciated by future astronauts, there are displays and interactive exhibits guaranteed to be a learning experience.

And most days, you can join a tour that will take you to an overview of the genuine Mission Control, where space shots and the coordination of things like the International Space Station are conducted.

Because of the space age, Houston has successfully fought its previous image as a big cow town. Nevertheless, one of the most interesting points of interest in the neighborhood is a genuine (sort of ) cattle ranch, seen on tours that take visitors on a 45-minute ride out of town. This is the 480-acre George Ranch Historical Park, which proudly describes itself as a "working ranch," although its main purpose is to help visitors gain an appreciation of the 150-year success of a Texas ranch.

Activities and demonstrations vary considerably depending on the season. But one constant is a tractor tour from house to house, starting with a recreation of an 1824 Pioneer Cabin, and finishing with the latest ranch house, furnished and equipped as it was in 1937. At each stop along the way are interpreters, costumed and apparently living there much as Texas ranchers did at various points in history.

Our morning at the George Ranch concluded with a chuck wagon lunch, with the six-gun-equipped cook describing the food and how it was enjoyed by cowboys on cattle drives in the 19th century. Pork and beans were popular, he said, but beef was never served.

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Robert Bone is a travel writer who lives in Hawaii. He can be reached at travelwriter@robertbone.com.

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IF YOU GO TO HOUSTON, TEXAS ...

Area code: 713, unless otherwise noted. (You must use the area code even when in Houston.)

Getting there: Houston is a five- to six-hour drive due west from New Orleans, or a one-hour flight, mainly on Southwest or Continental.

Where to stay: Just about every chain motel/hotel operates in Houston. Among notable ones are:

Intercontinental Houston, 222 West Loop South, Houston 77027; tel. 627-7600. (Opened in 2002, near the Galleria Shopping Mall.)

The Lancaster, 701 Texas Ave., Houston 77002; tel. 228-9500. (A downtown boutique hotel.)

Doubletree Hotel at Allen Center, 400 Dallas St., Houston 77002; tel. 759-0202.

Four Seasons Hotel Houston, 1300 Lamar St., Houston 77010; tel. 652-6220. (Near the financial and business district.)

Hyatt Regency Houston, 1200 Louisiana St., Houston 77002; tel. 654-1234. (Near the theater district and Bayou Place complex.)

Where to eat:

Taste of Texas, 10505 Katy Freeway, 932-6901 (Western beef specialties). Churrascos, 1800 Post Oak Blvd., 524-0922 (South American cuisine). Massa's, 1160 Smith St., 650-0837 (seafood). Irma's Restaurant, 22 N. Chenevert St., 222-0767 (Mexican).

Attractions:

Houston Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive; 524-2526.

Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Road 1; (281) 244-2100 (Theme park next to the Johnson Space Center.)

The George Ranch Historical Park, 25 miles southwest of Houston off Route 59. (281) 545-9212. (Working cattle ranch catering to visitors.)

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St. Phone (713) 315-2400. (Municipal theater complex opened in 2002.) "My Fair Lady" runs Jan. 30-Feb. 16.

More information: Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, corner of Bagby and Walker streets, Houston, TX 77002. (712) 437-5200, or toll-free (800) 4HOUSTON; www.houston-guide.com.

Robert W. Bone