I will be visiting houston in Aug. and would like to travel with out renting a car. What would be the best spot to book a hotal and how much ground would the rail cover? Any info on houston would be great.
2006-06-20 06:41:29 · 10 answers · asked by shea 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Houston
This is a very big town and it covers allot of ground but if you have to the best place is just stay Downtown. Although there is allot to do it isnt enough and you will most likely get bored. I would diffidently rent a car. The city has allot to offer. Unless you want to get a taxi but that can also be difficult. Taxis can not stop on the side of the road and pick you up you have to call for one. Hope you come and have fun the people are nice.
2006-06-20 07:11:03 · answer #1 · answered by crlynn2002 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you won't get stabbed on a metro rail car! The worst thing that would happen to you is you might have to sit next to someone who needs a bath. You could check into the Marriott Medical Center hotel, catch the Metrorail right outside. Ride it south and see medical buildings (oooohhhh).... keep riding and it will take you to the Astrodome and Reliant Park / Arena. There may or may not be something groovy happening down there in August (who knows). If you ride the metrorail north from the medical center, you'll pass lots of hospitals (oooohhhh, exciting stuff) but then there's the Houston Zoo and Herman Park and Rice University (all lovely) and then the Museum District - a very nice art museum, also Natural History museum, butterfly "museum" - live butterflies, plus there's a contemporary arts museum and a sculpture garden, a children's museum, and a health/science museum. Any kind of museum you can think of. Going further north on the metrorail you get into a wee bit dicey but interesting part of town (on the fringes of downtown).... you'll pass the Houston Community College, flower stands, fire sales, the Houston Police Dept. training building (if you wanna sign up as a new recruit), and the Houston Greyhound Bus Terminal. After that landmark you are well and truly in downtown Houston, still traveling north on the metrorail. In beautiful downtown Houston there are lots of interesting works of art & architecture to look at, there are plenty of restaurants, clubs, and live music venues right nearby. Depending on when you are there and if you can get tickets, you might want to take in a show - Houston has a wonderful ballet, opera, symphony, and theatre. All of these things are well within walking distance of the metrorail line once you get downtown. There's the Aquarium restauraunt that has several huge aquariums inside and rides (ferris wheel, train, etc.) outside. Near there is Bayou Place - and if I'm not mistaken.... is the Hard Rock Cafe still there? There is also a movie theater and live music nearby. restaurants and bars too. alley theater right across the street.
Anyway, to answer your question, yes you can see a lot of stuff even if you don't rent a car. But how long will you be in Houston for? These other responders are correct in that Houston is a HUGE f-ing city and you will be missing out on 98% of it by not having a vehicle. But I think they underestimated the amount of cool stuff you can get to just by riding the metrorail back and forth. Oh, yeah, the last stop is Univ. of Hous. downtown and it is worth it to go all the way there just to check out the view. Way cool. Enjoy your trip here!
2006-06-23 06:57:50 · answer #2 · answered by Zippy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rail doesn't cover much. It goes from Downtown to Reliant Park. You can go to the museums, Astro's home field, and Texan's home stadium a little ways off the line. Otherwise, you won't see all the parks from the rail line. You won't be able to go to the Galleria area from the rail line. You won't be able to get down to Galveston for the day via the rail line or any other public transport.
I'd suggest going to the Houston metro's homepage and looking at bus schedules and such. That's almost the only way you'll get around without renting a car. For trips to the outskirts, you'll have rent a car.
2006-06-20 13:53:55 · answer #3 · answered by Melissa Me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My best advise is rent a car - Houston is huge and you won't get the full benefit of your vacation if you limit yourself to the available public transportation - Houston is not at all like New York or Chicago where public transportation can get you just about anywhere - but if you decide to try it then stay in the Downtown area because that is where the bulk of the public transportation is - Good Luck and God Bless
2006-06-21 13:07:03 · answer #4 · answered by Rosie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Houston's rail system is a joke. You won't be able to get very far on it, and you won't get out of downtown. This is a big, sprawling city. The only way to get around it is in a car. As far as a hotel, that depends on what you are coming here to see and how far you want to drive to be entertained.
2006-06-21 07:15:56 · answer #5 · answered by kathy059 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Houston public transport sucks
2006-06-21 15:26:37 · answer #6 · answered by reallyfedup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
very hard to hang in houston without a car. there's a rail in the med center and metro (buses) throughout the city...but the buses suck! houston is HUGE...what do you want to do there?? If you want to party, go to montrose...also close to good shopping...it all depends...look online.
2006-06-21 11:42:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
not unless you want to risk being stabbed on a metro bus and walk a whole bunch
2006-06-22 09:07:02 · answer #8 · answered by Juicy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will miss out on everything, if you rely on a cab or bus. To spread out.
2006-06-22 13:12:31 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used the bus for transportation. That is all I have.
2006-06-21 05:01:32 · answer #10 · answered by Andrea 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋