City Information                           Boka Flygbiljett                   Queensway Travel
Airport  
George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is approximately 20 miles north of downtown. Flight time from London is 10 hrs 15 mins. 

Transport from Airport to City Centre  
Taxis wait outside the main terminals and take 20-30 mins into downtown during off-peak hours and twice as long during morning rush hour. Metered fares from IAH will easily top $70, but note that airport fares are regulated by zone and actually range from $30.50 to $65.60. Check with the dispatcher's booth. Alternatively, Airport Express operates a half-hourly shuttle service from IAH to three downtown hotels for $19 one way. 

Orientation  
Houston has two ring roads. The outer one, Beltway 8, covers most of the metropolitan area and includes toll sections. The I-610 Loop is closer in, with downtown at its centre. Significant commercial areas include The Galleria, near Loop 610 and Highway 59 (the South-West Freeway); Greenspoint, along the Sam Houston Parkway (Beltway 8) near George Bush Intercontinental Airport; and the Sugarland megamall corridor along the South-West Freeway in Fort Bend County, some 40 km from downtown. The top restaurants are found close to the downtown River Oaks area and near The Galleria. Downtown has a variety of upscale clubs and restaurants within walking distance. You can also find live music and bistros in many corners of the city. Downtown nightlife is found within blocks of the Wortham Theater Center. If you are staying near the Energy Corridor, north of Houston or in any other business area, hotel staff can direct you to dining or entertainment. 

Excursions                                                          Boka Flyg --             Queensway Travel
Space Center Houston: Designed by the Disney team, this is a magical place to discover space. Space Center is the official visitor centre and interactive museum of NASA/Johnson Space Center. Visitors can explore the history of manned space flight and admire the exhibits of decommissioned spacecraft, space suits and moon rocks. Films, computer-simulated shuttle landings and satellite launches are among the Space Center attractions. NASA tours originate from Space Center. A 42 km drive south via I-45, in Clear Lake, at 1601 NASA Rd 1. Website: www.spacecenter.org. Admission fee: $14.95 for adults. 
George Bush Presidential Library: if you have time for a day trip, the George Bush Presidential Library - really a museum - is worth the drive to College Station, Texas. Located on the campus of Texas AandM University, the Bush Library offers fascinating exhibits on the end of Cold War, the opening of China, the Gulf War, and the background of the Bush family. You can even see a snapshot of the new Bush president as a toddler bathing in an old washtub. Check the website, bushlibrary.tamu.edu, or ask your concierge for directions and ticket information. 
Lone Star Flight Museum: Aviation buffs won't mind the drive to Galveston. Fully-restored (usually in working order) airplanes from the WWII era are displayed, and during Fly Day airshows planes are exhibited in action. Fly-in visits are encouraged (GLS Unicom - 123.05). 

Getting Around 
Taxis can be hailed in the street or from ranks outside the main business centres and hotels. The city's air-conditioned bus service is operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO). For a local fare of $1 you can see the city without the hassle of driving. Better value still is the Day Pass, which allows unlimited local travel for only $2. 
In the immediate downtown area, try the METRO Trolley. These free buses carry passengers to downtown attractions and past many of the popular restaurants on the edge of downtown. The only caveat is that the olde-time design includes quite hard bench seats. METRO's timetables are reliable and dedicated helpline operators will advise you on routes and schedules, and even give you directions to the nearest bus stop. 

What to see  
Museum of Natural Science: Part of a museum complex which includes a $6m exhibition of mineral specimens, a 70ft dinosaur skeleton, native American artefacts and displays about oil exploration. The complex also contains The Burke Baker Planetarium, which features laser rock shows on a weekly schedule. Similarly, The Wortham IMAX Theatr offers space, ecological and arctic exploration movies on a 6-storey screen. But the pièce de résistance is the glass pyramidic Cockrell Butterfly Center, in which a tropical rain forest has been re-created to house a huge collection of exotic free-flying butterflies. 
Houston Zoological Gardens: Within walking distance of the Museum of Natural Science, this zoo is a lushly landscaped home for thousands of animals spanning 700 species. Especially interesting is The Wortham World of Primates, a 2-acre rain forest containing 13 species of monkey and ape. 
San Jacinto Battleground: Just off the busy industrial Houston Ship Channel (and over 32 km from downtown) is this 570ft monument commemorating the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto, an 18-min conflict between General Sam Houston and Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana that resulted in Texas's independence. At its base is a museum chronicling local history and in the nearby Ship Channel stands the World War I vintage battleship USS Texas, which is now a museum. The San Jacinto museum is open daily. Free admission, but admission charged for tower elevator and for multimedia presentation on the battle. 

Shopping                              Boka Flygstol                    Queensway Travel
The Galleria is the ultimate one-stop shopping complex at the intersection of Westheimer Rd and Post Oak Blvd (take the Westheimer exit from Loop 610, about 10 km from downtown). The connected, entirely enclosed and fully air-conditioned malls (Galleria I, II and III) offer more than 185,800 sq m of department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nieman Marcus and Macy's, as well as Texas souvenir shops, upmarket boutiques and numerous restaurants. The full-sized ice rink is open seven days a week and there are many other concerts and attractions, all of which pull in over 10,000 people every day. The Italianate Pavilion on Post Oak, which is about half a mile north of The Galleria, features expensive designer boutiques such as Hermès and several fine restaurants. Nearby Uptown Park, at the Loop and Post Oak Blvd, has a dozen or so finer shops, dining and a day spa. 
Downtown Houston is not a shopping area. However, during business hours, Foley's, Houston's oldest department store located at 1100 Main St, still offers a huge array of goods, and the Park Shops in Houston Center, a chic mini-mall of 75-odd stores and eateries near the George R Brown Convention Center, provide safe browsing and parking. Other top spots are: River Oaks Shopping Center, about 3 km west of downtown at West Grey and Shepherd; The Village, between downtown and the Astrodome, near Rice University; Highland Village, a collection of well-to-do shops and restaurants on Westheimer Rd inside the Loop, between downtown and The Galleria; and the collection of mega-malls 32 km from downtown on the South-West Freeway in Fort Bend County. Rice Village and Highland Village evolved from sleepy strip centres into sprawling, high-end shopping areas. Both feature global brands such as Cole Haan and Williams Sonoma, one-of-a-kind boutiques and decent restaurants. 

Where to walk  
Houston's climate is hot and humid. If you can't stand the heat, help is on hand in the shape of a vast downtown tunnel system, which contains numerous plazas and food courts. Entry can be gained through many hotels and major skyscrapers. Weekend walkathons and various cultural events are also held in the tunnels. Note that some sections are closed off on weekends. 'You are here' maps are posted throughout the tunnels. 
Conversely, winter months in Houston are often lovely, with clear blue skies, mild temperatures and low humidity. This is the time to walk around the Rice University campus, with its century-old oaks and Oxford-inspired college buildings. The Houston Arboretum on Woodway, which is 8 km west of downtown and about 3 km north of The Galleria, is a 3 km nature trail offering a haven of peace amidst the urban sprawl. 

Weather and Climate 
Houston averages 57% sunshine annually, with temperatures of 90ºF or more in summer, and relatively mild winters. Houston averages 20.2 days per year with low temperatures of 32ºF or less.