Weekend Trip: Houston, TX
Back in June, I finally made the trip down to Houston to visit a friend. She recently moved back there after spending over ten years in Dallas. Although it was a quick visit, we did our best to cover as much ground as we could in two days.
After arriving late Friday evening, we went for Tex-Mex and much needed margaritas at El Tiempo in the Upper Kirby neighborhood. After dinner, we ventured over to Kirby Ice House (for those in Dallas, this is basically Houston's version of the Katy Trail Ice House, but with food trucks).
Saturday
Saturday morning, we drove down to Buffalo Bayou Park for a walk along the bayou to start our day with some good exercise. Knowing we were heading for brunch later was great motivation to fit in a four mile walk in the heat. I had only been to Buffalo Bayou Park for a music festival, so I had never really gotten a chance to see the park itself, nor explore any of the walking trails. I loved the beautiful view of Downtown Houston.
Once we cleaned up we headed to brunch at Down House in Houston Heights. The food was incredible, and our waiter even jokingly asked if we were ready for "round two" after seeing how little we left on the plates.
We then explored the shops on 19th street in the Heights. I personally loved the small town feel of this neighborhood, and almost felt as though I was back in parts of New Orleans, where I lived during college.
Later that afternoon, we drove over to The Menil Collection art museum to see three exhibits, in several different buildings. One featured flourescent lights and the other was the Rothko Chapel
After taking a quick break to clean up and change, we headed to happy hour at Holman Hall in Midtown. Their frozen drinks were delicious, and I highly recommend the cauliflower appetizer. The bartender recommended it, and we almost ordered another.
After Holman Hall and their fabulous frozen drinks (especially in that Houston Heat), we hopped in an Uber to East Downtown(EaDo) to 8th Wonder Brewery (which happens to be owned by a Tulane Alumni, my alma matter) before heading over to watch the Houston Dynamo soccer game against the Colorado Rockies. It was actually the first soccer game I have ever been to.
Of course, no weekend in Houston is complete without making a quick stop in Midtown. However, since my last trip down there, the neighborhood has grown and changed a lot. We checked out Oakmont Bar (which had actual swings at the bar outside),followed by a necessary stop at Pub Fiction.
Sunday
After sleeping in, we got ready and headed to Rice Village for quick brunch at Hungry’s. We took a little time to drive through Rice’s campus and Herman Park before I had to get back on the road to head home to Dallas.
Houston has so much to offer that I never knew about, but I think I will save my next trip down there for late in the fall, once it finally cools off.
