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Published: January 2nd 2010
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The Houston Ship Channel
From Continental Flight Over The Ship Channel inHouston, Texas Are your travels bringing you to South Texas in the near future? Well if they are I thought I could let you know about some of the things that you might want to do or see while you are here. Having lived in the Houston area for over 12 years now I know a little about the area and may be able to help.
To start, I guess I'll tell you a little about how to get here. If you are travelling by air there are two major airports and numerous smaller feeder airports that you can fly into.
To find airline tickets or hotels use this url. http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3721845-10517645" target="_top
If you are flying commercially, though, the two major, international airports will likely be where you end up. George Bush International Airport (IAH) is commonly known by Houstonians as Houston Intercontinental and is located on the North side of town. If you are flying in from an internatioanl destination this is probablly where you will land. This airport is huge and is served by most, if not all international airlines. Houston's other major airport, Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), is located just South of downtown Houston. It does have
The Metro Train
Downtown Houston Texas some airline traffic from international destinations but usually it is used by many business travellers from the States and Central or South America. Both airports have most of the car rental agencies located on or near the airport. Shuttles are available to take you to them if they are off site. Limosine service and taxis are available just outside of the baggage recovery areas at both airports. This link will give you all the info on Houston Airports.
http://www.fly2houston.com/home
You may have to get an International Drivers License before driving in the States. Use this url to read more about it.
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visitors_Driving.shtml
I you have never driven in the United States, remember the driver sits on the left and when you are on the road, the driver in the car approaching you will be on the inside of the lane. As with any trip of this nature you may want to get a guide to help you if you are unfamiliar. Most rental car agencies will have GPS available. If you don't know your way around this can be very helpful but be careful because it can put you in a bad part of town where
Downtown Houston
This was taken from a stream that runs through a park near downtown crime is high. Ask around so you know where NOT to go as well! Houston is a very large place and it can be confusing finding your way around. Just like any other large city out there. The city and surrounding metro are covers a HUGE land area and driving distances from one part of town to another can be as much as 30 miles.
The city also has a city bus system and you can reach most places using the city transit system. This is probablly one of the cheapest ways of getting around but you will have to learn the schedules and transfer points. Use this url to find out about Houston transit.
http://www.ridemetro.org/
Buses are also available to take you to different cities across the United States and again this may be one of the cheapest ways to travel in the U.S. Check Greyhound Bus Lines web site to get the schedules and rates if you need.
AMTRAK also makes a stop in the City 3 times a week. This is part of the AMTRAK line that extends from Los Angeles, California to Orlando, Florida. Just Google Amtrak for their schedules and rates.
WHERE TO STAY
Hostels - There really aren't a lot of hostels in Houston. The only one that I could find was near the museum district near downtown. If you are travelling on the cheap it could be a good place to base from. Here is the url. http://www.houstonhostel.com/index.php
Hotels - There are about a million hotels and all of the hotel chains have a presence here. The first url I listed above has every hotel you could think of, their availability and room rates. You can get rooms from around $30 (be cautious of what part of town these cheap rooms are in since they may be in high crime areas that are unsafe) a night all the way to $10,000 a night depending on what you can afford. Since Houston is so big you will want to find a place close to what you want to see. That may mean that you will stay in one part of town for a period of time and then move camp to somewhere else. Depends on how much you want to drive.
MAJOR HIGHWAYS
The major highways are Interstate 45 (North and South), Interstate 10 (East and West) and there are two loops as well. The inner loop is known as Loop 610 and the outer loop is the Beltway 8 or Sam Houston Tollway. Beltway 8 is a toll road. There is a North-South Tollway also known as The Hardy Toll Road as well. HOV lanes are available for any vehicle with more than 1 occupant. You can read about those under the transit page url I listed above. I-45 Will take you to Dallas about 300 miles North or Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles South. I-10 Will take you as far as the west coast in California or if you are East bound all the way to the east coast in Florida.
Road Hazards:
HOUSTON TRAFFIC SUCKS!!!!! - If you are going to drive in Houston, please bring some patience and you may need some stress relief techniques as well. We in Texas do not believe in signaling our intentions. If you see a turn signal it is purely accidental. DO NOT drive on the inside (left) lane unless you are doing a minimum of 85 MPH! Do not slow down at Yellow lights or you WILL BE rear ended. DO NOT HONK at other drivers as some Texans are known to carry guns in their vehicle.
All joking aside...be careful out there. There is a lot of road construction that is not properly marked and you could find yourself in a dangerous situation if going to fast and you come upon a city vehicle stopped in the lane in front of you unexpectedly. These roads are dangerous.
Fog is another road hazard that you should be concerned with. Typically it is only a problem in the winter and spring but when it is present, SLOW DOWN!!!
Flash flooding kills people in Houston all the time. It is a very dangerous situation and can happen suddenly and quite unexpectedly. It can happen when you are sitting on the road in traffic or if you drive into water that is too deep for your vehicle. Flash flooding can happen in a matter of minutes when the ground is saturated and it is raining heavily. Be careful and do not drive through water if you do not know how deep it is. People drown every year because they do this. It is better to get out of the car and wade to high ground and ruin your shoes, suit, whatever!
So when you are driving in Houston beware of:
Heavy Traffic
Road Construction
Fog and Rainy, wet roads
Flooding.
TEMPERATURE AND CLIMATE
From JULY to MID OCTOBER -- It is hot and muggy with a chance of rain, especially in the afternoon. Every day. Temperatures above 85 F regularly and sometimes it goes above 100 F!
From the end of October to January it is fairly pleasant with temperatures generally in the 60-70 Fahrenheit (15-20 Celcius). It rains a lot in Houston. In Junuary and into February the temperature sometimes drop to the 20 's or 30's F (-10 to 0 C) but it is usually only for a day or two and then it will be pleasant again. From about March to June it is temperate and pleasant. Spring brings a lot of rain sometimes.
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