houston Travel Guide
Tags: Film Festival Travel / Houston Travel / Culture Travel / Movie Travel / Film Festivals / → All Tags
Come Artists And All To Cinema Arts Festival Houston
Austin gets all the credit for being the arty city in Texas, and Houston residents probably like it that way: When no one's depending on you to bolster your state's reputation, you get a lot more work done! But the city where "Reality Bites" and "Rushmore" were filmed is stepping into the limelight with next month's Cinema Arts Festival Houston.
Held November 11 to 15, the fest says it focuses on "films by and about artists," offering events like a conversation with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga ("Babel") Nov. 13 and a screening of the new documentary "Yes Men Fix The World" with one of the Yes Men, who have been wreaking havoc in Washington D.C. this week with fake press conferences and silly costumes—that's on November 14 and 15.
Tags: Reality TV Travel / Amazing Race / Chasing Racer / Survivor / Events / Houston Travel / Kelly Crabb / → All Tags
How Past Amazing Racers 'Survive': A Reality Show Challenge In Houston
Kelly Crabb competed in Season 13 of The Amazing Race, taking 6th place with her best friend, Christy. Coined as "America's Divorcee," this freelance writer and travel enthusiast lives life to its fullest in Houston, Texas and remains "bitchy with a heart of gold." Here she recaps the latest Amazing Race/Survivor alumni event in Texas:
Stars of reality shows don’t always return to normal, everyday life. After such an eye-opening experience, most go on to alter their lives by making special appearances, continuing to travel the world, posing for pictures like a regular celebrity, working towards good causes, and some even hold political offices. Of course it's even more drastic if you win a reality show, as they usually drop work altogether.
Houston’s Jolanda Jones of Survivor: Palau, and now Houston City Council Member, has put on The Houston Survivor Challenge now for the second year in a row. Many reality stars from different shows were in attendance this year, including the event’s Emcee, Uchenna Agu, Winner of Season 7 of The Amazing Race.
Who else was there, after the jump>
Tags: Accidents / Amusement Parks / → All Tags
Houston Aquarium's 'Shark Trains' Collide; Sharks Unharmed
In some sad news that's all too similar to last week's Disney Monorail accident, a typical small amusement park train rear-ended another, injuring 31 visitors, 27 of whom who went to the hospital. The accident happened Saturday night aboard the Shark Voyage mini-train, which runs on a 10-minute-long loop through Houston's downtown Aquairum.
According to the Chronicle, the trains "never travel faster than 7 mph, and neither train left the track. Passengers were not thrown from the trains — just jolted in their seats." That hardly sounds like the type of accident which would send so many people to the hospital.
There is good news however for anyone anticipating a visit to the Houston Aquarium this summer: the trains were back up and running yesterday, and making their famous loop through an acrylic tunnel under a 200,000-gallon shark tank. Good thing the crash didn't take place in there, we say.
Related Stories:
· Accident at downtown attractions injures 31 [KTRK-TV Houston]
· Several injured after 2 trains collide at downtown Aquarium [Houston Chronicle]
· Accidents Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: waymarking]
Tags: Airplane Hell / Accidents / Houston / Southwest Airlines / Landings / Jetblue / Safety / → All Tags
Southwest Jet Suffers Tire Fire at Houston-Hobby
Last night was a beautiful evening, that is unless you happened to be channel surfing as we were, and come across Anderson Cooper talking between shots of a Southwest Airlines plane on fire and evacuating passengers via emergency slide.
Of course it wouldn't have been a pleasant end to the day for the passengers aboard Flight 519 from New Orleans to Houston either, as sitting aboard a flaming plane wasn't in the plans.
Upon landing at Houston-Hobby airport, the Southwest jet's tire caught fire and burned steadily through until emergency personnel arrived to the crippled plane on the runway. At that point, the rear left emergency slide deployed to get all 47 passengers and 5 crew out safely.
Tags: Laid-Off Travel / Apache Oil / Layoffs / → All Tags
How An Oil Company's Ex-Employees Can Spend Their 'Vacation' Days
Times must be tough if even oil companies are cutting down their workforce. Houston multinational Apache is "only" laying off 200 employees in response to dropping oil and gas prices, but that's a deep cut for an industry widely considered to be recession-proof.
Of course, the best revenge on the oil company which showed you the door would be to staycate and let their demand fall even further, but that's not as fun as our post-employment suggestions:
Cool It -- It's not even that warm in Texas yet, but you know it's coming, so spend a chill weekend sampling microbrews and watching the Rockies play in Denver; we found a LastMinute.com package for next weekend for $259/person, hotel included.
Craic -- This Gaelic word meaning "fun or light-hearted mischief, often in the context of drinking" is what you'll be having with a $516 round-trip ticket to Dublin on Air Canada this summer.
Crash -- Want to stay close to home but still get away? The NYLO Plano Hotel is offering a buy-one-get-one-half-off weekend special for a getaway you can drive to.
Related Stories:
· Oil independent Apache Corp. is laying off 200 [Houston Chronicle]
· Wall Street Meltdown Good for Airlines [Jaunted]
· Laid-Off Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: guccibear2005]
Tags: Food Travel / Restaurants / Brunch / Houston To Do / → All Tags
Three Great Deals For Brunch In Houston
Weekending in Houston lends itself well to brunch: Breezy mornings are often the best time to experience the city before the humidity really kicks in. Chow down at one of these and you're guaranteed to get the most for your money.
The Classic: West Gray Cafe (415 West Gray St.) A local in the know said he'd never had trouble getting a table at this River Oaks stalwart, also popular with the post-bar crowd for 2AM breakfasts. Platters include plate-sized pancakes, crunchy bacon and jokey, friendly service.
The Local: La Guadalupana (2109 Dunlavy St.) An unassuming family-owned joint tucked next to a convenience store and a laundromat, this Montrose bakery is best known for its tres leches cake, but if you want to eat how the city's Mexican-American population does, chow down on migas (scrambled eggs with tortilla strips and sausage) washed down with bottomless, cinnamon-scented coffee.
The International: The Black Labrador (4100 Montrose Blvd.) Combine a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston with pub fare at this scenic little stone cottage. The menu plays fast and loose with traditional conceptions of British food (quesadillas are not from southern London, no matter what the entree says!) but purists can order bangers and mash, the adventuresome type a chicken-filled crepe.
Related Stories:
· Post-Ike Travel: Houston's New Cruise Terminal Will Actually Get Some Use [Jaunted]
· Tribeca Grand Brunch Just on Summer Hiatus; Recession Not to Blame [HC]
· Brunch Travel: Totally Trendy in Seoul [Jaunted]
[Photo: groovehouse]
Tags: Adults Only / Museums / Ima Hogg / → All Tags
Houston Museum Putting on a 'History Camp' For Genteel Adults
Don't just grumble about the troublemakin' kids on your lawn -- leave them behind entirely: A Houston-based history museum plans to make a kinder, gentler age come alive with history camp for adults.
Bayou Bend was once the home of an oil millionairess named, we are so not joking, Ima Hogg. Now Hogg's house, antiques and gardens are open to the public thanks to the efforts of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts -- another good place to while away the hottest hours of the day -- which is helping to put on these lessons in 18th-century gentility.
The presentations run every Wednesday in February from 6 to 9PM; for $50, you can enjoy a proper dinner while learning about candlemaking (Feb. 11) or the proper way to host a tea party (Feb. 18). If you can't make it to camp, Bayou Bend is open Tuesday through Saturday with tours every 15 minutes; admission is $10. We'll be working on our pinky-curling in anticipation.
Related Stories:
· Learn 18th Century Etiquette and More at Bayou Bend [Houstonist]
· All the Educational Programs at Bayou Bend [MFAH.org]
· What To Do In Houston Other Than Sweat Profusely [Jaunted]
[Photo: zephrene]
Tags: Continental Airlines / Airlines / SkyTeam / Star Alliance / United / Delta / → All Tags
Continental Splits From SkyTeam For United, Star Alliance
Like your drunk friend who thinks everyone should know about her personal drama from her first, Continental Airlines e-mailed all its OnePass members last night to announce it is finally pulling away from the SkyTeam airline alliance and joining the Star Alliance. The official split date is October 24, after which Delta, Air France and KLM will be gathering at Korean Air's house to burn all of Continental's stuff.
The break-up has been a while in the making as Continental announced last year it would partner with United Airlines to fight high fuel costs after flirting with both American and British Airways. Continental had even explored buying the Star Alliance partner but walked away after United revealed greater than expected losses.
Should you cash in your Continental miles now while the gettin's still good, or wait to see what the new partnership can get you? We say redeem 'em now, if you can: The airline announced yesterday it will be cutting service overall by 7 percent after reporting a $266 million fourth-quarter loss.
Related Stories:
· 2008: Continental, United join in code-sharing, frequent-flier pact [USA Today]
· Continental's Switch from SkyTeam to Star [Houston Chronicle Departures blog]
· Continental, US Air Bring Group Loss to $1.35 Billion [Bloomberg News]
[Photo: caribb]
Tags: What Recession? / Celeb Travel / Miley Cyrus / → All Tags
Miley Cyrus Will Do Your Christmas Party
This week's refreshing reminder that the recession doesn't affect everyone: One lucky Houston law firm is spoiling its workers instead of canceling its annual Christmas party, making the whole family happy with a performance by Miley Cyrus.
It must've been a good year for Lanier Law Firm, best known for winning damages from the creators of the painkiller Vioxx. The party, "Christmas Cheers and Charity," is a benefit for a Guatemalan nonprofit working to provide free health care and education. No buying tickets for this show, though: You have to be invited by host Mark Lanier, at least till the coveted cards start showing up on eBay.
This must be the way pop stars handle the downturn--do relatively intimate shows (an estimated 8,000 will come to the Lanier bash, versus an 80,000-seat arena show) and snag big paychecks for them. At least she can practice in the new recording studio Cyrus got for her 16th birthday on Sunday. It's good to be Miley.
Related Stories:
· Houston Attorney Hires Miley Cyrus as Christmas Gift [Houston Chronicle]
· Miley Cyrus Does Office Parties Now [The Superficial]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: EvilBeetGossip.com]
Tags: Cruises / Hurricanes / Google Maps / → All Tags
Post-Ike Travel: Houston's New Cruise Terminal Will Actually Get Some Use
Turns out the $81 million Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston will actually get some use--and all it took was a Category 2 hurricane steamrolling Galveston! In the wake of Hurricane Ike, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to bypass the island, instead operating its ships Conquest and Ecstasy out of the brand new-but-unused passenger terminal closer to downtown.
Tags: Skateboarding / Active Travel / Outdoor Travel / → All Tags
Sports Travel: Houston Opens New Skate Park
Calling all boardheads! Houston is the latest city to open up a public park specifically for skateboarding. Crowds braved the scorching heat this weekend to inaugurate the Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark in downtown's Tinsley Park, which will be open seven days a week all summer long.
The venue came to life thanks to Public Use Skateparks for Houston (PUSH), a local organization which lobbied hard for the city to follow others like Nashville, Philadelphia and Black River Falls, Wisconsin.
Houston's new skate center is named for a local Lebanese-American lawyer and his wife who made a major donation to the park, so maybe that's why--despite what you see in this photo--helmets are mandatory. The park closes at 10 pm, but check out those awesome views of the skyline!
Related Stories:
· Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark [Official Site]
· The Opening of the Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark [Houstonist]
· Skateboarder to Jump at Hard Rock [HC]
· Get on Ya Board, Dave [Jaunted]
[Photo: cpm1]
Tags: Travel Advertising / Travel Marketing / Tourism Board Travel / → All Tags
My Houston, We Don't Have a Problem
Houston is the latest city to adopt the generic and unoriginal "My (Fill in the blank of your city)" tourism campaign.
The New York Times reports that the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau has put together the "My Houston" television and print campaign where local celebrities talk about what they love about Houston:
Clay Walker, the country singer, promoted the zoo and Texas's biggest rodeo; Hilary Duff, the actress and singer, Mexican food; Oscar de la Rosa, lead vocalist of the Latino group La Mafia, cultural diversity; and the Bushes, the city's big heart and neighborliness.
Also Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets gigantic center says he likes Yao Restaurant and Bar because, well, he knows the owner. Cue monumental eye roll.
