Houston/San Antonio
Discussion
I can definitely wouch for San Antonio and would recommend a stay at The Menger. The riverwalk area is full of great bars and music venues and such-like but all seem to have a very laidback atmosphere about them (try Jim Cullum's Landing for some great jazz and food to go with it on the Riverwalk). Mrs Mighty and I really enjoyed our visit to the Alamo (just across the square from the Menger) which is a very moving experience as well as being very educational if you're interested in Texan/Mexican/US history.
Every time we're in Texas we keep saying we're going to head to Houston mainly to do the NASA thing, but everyone we talk to out there does their level best to put us off and try to persuade us to try Austin instead which apparently is a really great place with lots to offer, but we still haven't made it to either yet. Dallas is worth a visit for the Kennedy connection amongst plenty of other things if you plan on going that far north at any stage.
And btw thats CAVENDERS and yes I will admit to buying a far too expensive pair of ostrich skin boots there.
Every time we're in Texas we keep saying we're going to head to Houston mainly to do the NASA thing, but everyone we talk to out there does their level best to put us off and try to persuade us to try Austin instead which apparently is a really great place with lots to offer, but we still haven't made it to either yet. Dallas is worth a visit for the Kennedy connection amongst plenty of other things if you plan on going that far north at any stage.
And btw thats CAVENDERS and yes I will admit to buying a far too expensive pair of ostrich skin boots there.
Edited by TheMighty on Tuesday 4th December 13:55
I lived in Houston for two years and visited San Antonio. To be honest I have no idea why anyone would take a vacation to Houston, living there is fine but even when I went back I got bored. San Antonio is nothing special and somewhere one would only visit for a weekend if living in the state. There are far better places to go, unless holidays are supposed to involve driving slowly in a straight line and shopping.
anonymous said:
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Nope no kids. However I am an engineer so was perhaps more appreciative of what was achieved by the US space programme than non teccy sorts. Perhaps I was luckier with the guide that I got than you but I recall being shown mission control and you could see them tracking a current shuttle flight on the screens (and some of them having a crafty surf) and getting a good bit of time at each exhibit. The museum bit with the static displays were probably a bit child centric but remember it is aimed at Americans. I would pay the entry fee again to have another look at the Saturn V static display, very impressive.Ben
anonymous said:
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lol - the 'guide' we had was pretty good, knew there stuff etc. It was well out of season so I suppose they're a bit more relaxed (as was the tour).Shame you missed out on the Sat 5. To be honest (and I'm inclined to agree with your comments on the rest of the tour) it's pretty much the highlight. It is impressively huge (and basic!).
The astronaut training 'room' was quite good I thought too (though looked more like a film set).
Mission control was, errrr... a bit underwhelming, but the fact that it was so basic is what made the lunar missions all the more impressive I suppose.
Useless fact for you - NASA don't have a rocket powerful enough to reach the moon anymore (the last being Sat. 5). Apparently the plans for the Sat. 5 were destroyed as part of a NASA 'Spring Clean' - does that sound as implausable to you as it did to me?
I spent a couple of years commuting on and off to Houston when working for Dicks mob.
The Houstonians tell me than anyone who didn't grow up there takes a minimum of 3 years to like the place. That pretty much sums it up.
I totally disagree with Tonker though - there is loads to see. You can see 10 gallon hats, the boots, trucks the size of tanks, mexican gardeners and most nightclubs have a line dancing room. You can also spot some of the most sensationally fat people in the world and, if you are lucky, witness a shooting.
I have had some fantastic nights out in Sams Boat, City Streets and (ahem) treasures. Churasscos is a fantastic place to eat.
But as a holiday destination? Hell no.
The Houstonians tell me than anyone who didn't grow up there takes a minimum of 3 years to like the place. That pretty much sums it up.
I totally disagree with Tonker though - there is loads to see. You can see 10 gallon hats, the boots, trucks the size of tanks, mexican gardeners and most nightclubs have a line dancing room. You can also spot some of the most sensationally fat people in the world and, if you are lucky, witness a shooting.
I have had some fantastic nights out in Sams Boat, City Streets and (ahem) treasures. Churasscos is a fantastic place to eat.
But as a holiday destination? Hell no.
I've done the East Coast cities, Boston, NY, Washington and Chicago. LA is a bit to expensive for a week over Xmas so I thought I'd try the South for something a bit different.
I'd hire a car obviously and would probably do a couple of days each in Houston/San Antonio/Austin.
With a 3yo, the airlines are still quoting £1100 for the 3 of us direct to Houston so it's cheaper than most other places. (including Europe and Middle-East)
I'd hire a car obviously and would probably do a couple of days each in Houston/San Antonio/Austin.
With a 3yo, the airlines are still quoting £1100 for the 3 of us direct to Houston so it's cheaper than most other places. (including Europe and Middle-East)
I spent a weekend in houston and, well, you just gotta do NASA don't you? I'm afraid I wasn't impressed. It seemed very low budget to me. The Saturn 5 was a disappointment as it just looked like a rusted hulk. We didn't get to see mission control as there was a live mission at the time and it was just after 911 so I assume they were still adjusting to security.
I did have a very interesting and drunken evening in a Russian restaurant though!
So to sum up, I don't think I'd go back by choice.
I did have a very interesting and drunken evening in a Russian restaurant though!
So to sum up, I don't think I'd go back by choice.
I visited the place in 1981 and thoroughly enjoyed it - but that was over a quarter of a century ago so lots must have changed since. We visited the Mission Control complex as well, which, in 1981, was still the original Gemini/Apollo control room. The day we visited they were running simulation and training for the second ever Shuttle mission - which took off the following week.
We were also given a tour of some of the simulator buildings, including the Shuttle and Skylab (which was still on site at the time).
Since I am interested in rockets I was fascinated by the small collection on display. It was the first time I'd seen these machines in the flesh (having read about themn since I was a kid) so that was a bit of a thrill. The museum part in those days was not that big but I knew what I was looking at so I wasn't too concerned about whether the guide was knowledgeable or not.
Regarding the "loss of blueprints" of the Saturn V, that is a bit of an urban myth. There never was a single set of blueprints for the entire Saturn V and all its systems. Each section of the rocket was built by different manufacturers and many of the plans and schematics are still held in the archives of those companies - many of them now being integrated into Boeing (Boeing themselves, McDonnell Douglas, North American).
Just to prove the point, some of the Apollo rocket technology has been resurrected for use in the new Ares project. The various comnpanies involved have had no trouble digging out the necessary plans and data on this stuff and have been test firing new versions of old Apollo engines for about a year now.
We were also given a tour of some of the simulator buildings, including the Shuttle and Skylab (which was still on site at the time).
Since I am interested in rockets I was fascinated by the small collection on display. It was the first time I'd seen these machines in the flesh (having read about themn since I was a kid) so that was a bit of a thrill. The museum part in those days was not that big but I knew what I was looking at so I wasn't too concerned about whether the guide was knowledgeable or not.
Regarding the "loss of blueprints" of the Saturn V, that is a bit of an urban myth. There never was a single set of blueprints for the entire Saturn V and all its systems. Each section of the rocket was built by different manufacturers and many of the plans and schematics are still held in the archives of those companies - many of them now being integrated into Boeing (Boeing themselves, McDonnell Douglas, North American).
Just to prove the point, some of the Apollo rocket technology has been resurrected for use in the new Ares project. The various comnpanies involved have had no trouble digging out the necessary plans and data on this stuff and have been test firing new versions of old Apollo engines for about a year now.
They should have a city motto.
"Houston. It's better than Dallas."
I must profess I found it a pretty dull city on the one occasion I went. Not actually awful just, well, kinda dull. The shopping wasn't too bad provided you didn't want anything too sophisticated, but crawling round malls populated by great big fat motherf*ckers buying tons of useless crap gets tedious anyway, and what with the £/$ rate it's not going to be the bargain it was a few months ago.
I never got to go to a titty bar, to my lasting regret. The steaks, whilst massive, had a faintly synthetic taste to them, I couldn't work out if it was all the growth hormones they pump into the cattle, or the nasty plastic BBQ sauce.
There's worse places I suppose.
"Houston. It's better than Dallas."
I must profess I found it a pretty dull city on the one occasion I went. Not actually awful just, well, kinda dull. The shopping wasn't too bad provided you didn't want anything too sophisticated, but crawling round malls populated by great big fat motherf*ckers buying tons of useless crap gets tedious anyway, and what with the £/$ rate it's not going to be the bargain it was a few months ago.
I never got to go to a titty bar, to my lasting regret. The steaks, whilst massive, had a faintly synthetic taste to them, I couldn't work out if it was all the growth hormones they pump into the cattle, or the nasty plastic BBQ sauce.
There's worse places I suppose.
The other NASA "venue" that a Houston visitor might consider is Ellington Air Force Base. When I was there in 1981, all the NASA T-38 trainer planes were there as were their Martin B-57 Canberras, one of the Super Guppies and the Boeing KC-135 Zero G trainer. Also based at Ellington were the Texas Air National Guard McDonnell F-101 Voodoos.
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