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Published: October 22nd 2007
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We had the opportunity to get out and see a little bit more of Texas during September. Jamy had a long weekend on 3rd September and so we decided to head up to Houston (a 3hr drive from Corpus) and have a look around. Houston is not up there with Texas's top tourist destinations but we figure we probably wont live in Texas again and so might as well try and see everything we can. The drive up to Houston is about as interesting as the Nullabor Plain - not many corners, completely flat..and not many trees to speak of. The highlight (?) for Mel was the unique Texan roadkill - skunks and armadillos..which lined the highway! Houston itself is a massive sprawling metropolis. We discovered it is actually the largest city in the southern USA with a population of 4.8 million in the metropolitan area alone. It houses the largest medical centre in the world (52,000 people work there) and is also a hub for many of the US energy and oil firms. The Port of Houston takes more international freight than anywhere else in the USA, and is the sixth largest port in the world.
In an effort
Port Houston
View from the San Jacinto Memorial of the oil and gas refineries to budget efficiently (we are a one income family after all), Mel had diligently researched the budget hotels for location and price and booked over the internet. Jamy was thrilled by the price but became significantly less enthusiastic when we pulled into our accomodation which looked around 80 years older than the photo on the net. It took some cajoling to remind him we were there to see Houston and not sit in the motel...but he was still tempted to sit up and watch the car all night to check it didnt disappear!
Our first tourist stop in Houston was the San Jacinto Memorial. The 570 ft monument marks the site where Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836. The monument resembles the stone pillar in Washington and also has a viewing deck at the top. Although the day was hazy, the deck gave us a great view of the Port area and the numerous oil and natural gas refineries just outside the city. We headed into the city centre for dinner that night and were struck by the considerable amount of homeless people on the streets. The number of homeless people in the southern USA is considerably larger
Mission Control
Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center than up north due to the milder climate. A large majority of the Hurricane Katrina refugees were also relocated to Houston and many of them have chosen to stay. We were constantly approached for money both on the street and when we were sitting in outdoor cafes and restaurants.
The next day we were delighted to find the car was still parked outside our room and headed out for a bit of exercise - we've been trying to stay fit and the opportunity to run around Houston's 4km running track..complete with trees and scenery...was so appealling after the unscenic footpaths of Corpus that we had to give it a go. We then headed to NASA's Johnson Space Centre - made famous with the quote 'Houston..we have a problem'. The Centre has a large interactive visitor centre - where Jamy discovered he was coordinated enough to dock a spaceship...and Melanie discovered she wasnt. We looked around for a couple of hours and then queued for another hour to take a tour of the grounds. The tour was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. First stop was Mission Control where we were able to observe the room and displays that are
used to monitor all of the space missions. It was fascinating to hear how Mission Control manages the astronauts days - allocating them specific work time but also dedicated time off and sleep time where they are not contacted and are allowed to 'chill out', read and email home. The management of communication between the ground and the astronauts was also particularly interesting. They have a COM (Communicator) who is the only person in the room allowed to speak with the astronaut. The numerous other specialty personnel (super brains) in the room pass all messages to the COM..who is a current astronaut...who then relays the messages to the crew in 'astronaut speak.' The tour then took us to Rocket Park which houses a Saturn V rocket - the same type which took Neil Armstrong to the moon. The size of the rocket was amazing and the pictures dont do it justice. On a more sombre note, we then visited Astronauts grove, where a new tree is planted for each astronaut that loses their life either in space or in training. The grove was started following the Challenger disaster in 1996 and now has 38 trees marking astronauts that have lost
their lives.
That evening we headed to the Kemah Boardwalk which is the 'Darling Harbour' of Houston complete with rollercoaster and fun park. It was a beautiful evening and we had dinner at a seafood restaurant overlooking the water. After a few glasses of wine...we couldnt resist the Popeye cutouts on the Boardwalk.
Hope you enjoyed sharing Houston with us. Coming up soon - San Antonio, our boat...and New York!
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CJ
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Hello Texans!
Sounds like you had a blast Mel! Give Texas a wave for me! Looking forward to seeing you soon! xoxoxoxo