Top Reader Tips About Houston

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Last week we asked for your advice on how to come or live in Houston, Texas. Then we disappeared for Thanksgiving. So here is finally a compilation of all Lifehacker readers’ recommendations.

Yes, everyone agreed, it’s hot in Texas, thanks for noticing. Summer heat can be literally deadly, and even temperatures in spring and fall can reach 90s, but take a jacket with you in winter. And yes, like in many cities, the drivers are crazy here. If you visit, use Uber and Lyft.

The best in-depth guide, complete with Google Maps links, comes from nevertrustamonkey:

Restaurants

  • The Breakfast Klub (brunch; “go on Tuesday to skip the crazy line up outside,” says Dnfnfh )
  • Empire Cafe (brunch)
  • Kolache Factory (breakfast)
  • BBQ Garden Korean Restaurant
  • duck and bop (Korean fried chicken)
  • Moon Tower Inn (branded hot dogs)
  • Hugo’s (“upscale and modern Mexican,” says nevertrustamonkey )
  • Hay Merchant (long beer list)
  • Mediterraneo Market and Cafe (opposite NASA)
  • Keellen’s BBQ (in Pearland)
  • Rogels (a more central alternative to Killen, says Bishba )
  • Vietnamese Mai
  • Black walnut
  • Q-shi (in spring)
  • Sang Sang (South Africa)
  • Sweet Parisian pancakes
  • Corkscrew BBQ ( ” Be sure to try the shoemaker,” says GoneToTexas )
  • Frenchy’s
  • Tapatia (cake and tex-mex)
  • House of Pies
  • El Rey (tacos)
  • Edojin Sushi Restaurant (in cypress)
  • Indica
  • Underbelly (upscale pork and common meals, says Ppotesailor )
  • Center of Phenicia
  • Oishii
  • El Tiempo
  • BB’s Cafe (late at night)
  • Brennan (“freaky cajun,” says Brennan )
  • Alamo Tamale Co.
  • “The best taco trucks are right outside the Longview and Veterans Memorial on the upper northwest side,” says CoSineBlue .

Here is a more in-depth nutritional guide with a good username:

But Erewonmai replies:

Taste of Texas? You’re kidding, right?

Pappas Brothers Steakhouse … much better. Also the best owner class.

Bars

  • Ice House West Alabama
  • Marfreless (hidden living room)
  • Breweries: Saint Arnold, 8th Wonder, Eureka Heights, Brash, Holler, Sigma
  • Spec’s (wine)
  • Moving sidewalk (trendy cocktails)
  • Public services
  • Gas station (craft beer)
  • Moontower Inn (more craft beer)
  • Hughie’s (craft beer again – and, in Demonhock’s words, “instead of regular pub food, it’s Vietnamese sandwiches and pho”)

Museums

  • Lonestar Flight Museum
  • 1940 Hobby Airport Terminal Museum
  • Museum of Fine Arts, or MFAH (free on Thursdays)
  • The Menil collection (see Some Warhols)
  • Rothko chapel
  • Texas Prison Museum (in Hempstead)
  • Johnson Space Center
  • Rocket Park, a free space history museum that peterpiper77 recommends as an alternative to the space center “if you’re short on time.”

“ Buy a ticket to several museums,” says tag007 :

If you want to visit a bunch of museums while you’re here, go and get a city pass. It gives you access to the Houston Space Center, the Downtown Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, the Zoo or Museum of Fine Arts, and Kem’s Promenade or the Children’s Museum.

Here’s another tutorial from oddseth:

More things to do

  • Wings Over Houston Airshow in October
  • River Oaks Theater (Midnight Movies)
  • Check out the Astros, Rockets, and even rice owls at Rice Stadium.
  • Rice Village Open Air Shopping Center and nearby Rice Campus
  • Wildcat Golf Club
  • Evening walks in Eleanor Tinsley Park or Woodland Waterway, says EL_ULY.
  • Sheldon State Park
  • Shopping in the Old Town Spring
  • Live performances at the Revention Music Center and the open-air Miller Theater
  • 64-foot water wall at Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
  • “Man from the Beyond” by Strange Bird Immersive, which RoomEscapeArtist calls “a hybrid of quest and immersive theater.”
  • “Brazos Bookstore has one of the most knowledgeable bookstore staff in the country,” says Joelgarza .
  • “Trekking is everywhere,” says AdamTheMechE .
  • “Houston has great ballet , opera and symphony . It’s also a great theater district, ”says Brennan .

Try one of tag007 ‘s favorite seasonal activities:

The Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show runs from February 27 to March 18, the Children’s Festival is April 7 and 8, the Art Car Parade is April 14, and the Nutcracker Market (a large convention for shopping for Christmas goods) is usually the first weekend in November.

World War Htown Protects Houston’s Beaches:

Many people hate the beaches of Texas, but Galveston is 45 minutes to 1 hour away on Highway 45 South (Gulf Freeway). This may not be Hawaii, but it’s a great option right in your backyard if you’re in Houston. It can get a little crowded in the summer, but the spring and fall when the kids go to school can be great times to visit. The weather is still great and the beaches are relatively uncrowded. Also check out Surfside Beach near Freeport in Brazoria County, which is usually not crowded at all (just avoid July 4th / Memorial Day) and you can drive your car to the beach.

Dr. E. Fraz strongly recommends Houston Restaurant Weeks, a citywide summer food festival:

Be sure to take advantage of the Houston Restaurant Weeks, now running TWO MONTHS, from August to September. The event benefits Houston Food Bank and features hundreds of the city’s best restaurants. Houston ranks among the top restaurants in the US, so this is a pretty big deal.

You can choose from pre-selected menu combinations to create anything from a 3-course lunch to a 7-course dinner. Typically, the selection will include that particular restaurant’s specialties at a fraction of their usual cost. As a native of the city, I can vouch that my wife and I have been looking forward to it all year and should definitely stay in shape for those two months.

Time for another city guide:

Neighborhood

In general, readers prefer the west side over the east. “For heaven’s sake, stay out of eastern Houston,” Trey says. “This is where we store all the refineries and heavy industry.” Some favorite hoods:

  • Montrose
  • Heights
  • East City Center
  • Western University

And when you’re in the city center, stay out of the heat with this air-conditioned tunnel map written by reader Chris .

We end up with another tutorial from LogicNotFound:

Leave your Houston tips below, leave your Toronto tips here , and check out the front page tomorrow for the best of these Toronto tips.

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