Houston Rendezvous

After a long hiatus, a specific event coupled with some free time at my new job allowed me to blog. I recently visited Houston. It was strange in that I had been there so many times but never had enough time or opportunity to explore it like a tourist. Countless times I would just shift from my airline to ground shuttle (or other way round) with just about enough time to take a walk in the airport terminals. I used to while away time browsing its many terminal shops and take photographs. Once I had been to the roof to watch the Houston in its full glory and twice I have took free rides in its terminal shuttle.

My longest stride in Houston would have to be a couple of blocks long walk in Houston downtown while waiting for a bus. Having said this Houston will have a special position in my heart. I spent my first night in this Texan airport having been unable to catch the last shuttle. Houston is in some sense a lifeline for all Aggies to rest of the world being the nearest international airport with cheap rides available on weekends.

Naturally I was very much lookin forward to visiting Hosuton properly. It is a feeling that you get when you have that first talk with one of your acquaintances which leads you to know him/her better and thereafter you become friends. The trip travelogue would probably be reserved for another blog but to tell in short, I loved it.

Houston is a huge city with very extensive road system catering to it. Houston has a black majority and is #1 obese city in US. While downtown offers skyscrapers (Chase tower is 4th tallest in US) and exuberant nightlife, La Galleria provides shop-till-you-drop experience. Museum district is full of museums on themes that one can imagine and lots of well-maintained parks with well planned activity centers. Houston Gulf area has San Jacinto monument - symbol of Texas freedom, Kemah boardwalk along the bay and NASA Space Center. Alas but for the smart management of Houston transit, no weekend buses run for gulf area and hence a poor graduate student like me had to contend with keeping it on hold for another trip. Wait ..did somebody say another trip. Maybe the management guys were smart after all.