1,001 Words: I'm Not Believing That Much Goes On In This Town

Saturday, March 8 & Sunday, March 9, 2008 - Houston and Austin, Texas

How's that for a staring contest: a giant head of Andrew Jackson? He may have been our biggest president, I'm not sure. It was one of several things I got to see earlier this month which changed by idea of Houston, Texas. My first adult experience with H-Town was not a good one. Having a day to kill before a wedding party, I decided to bum around. I asked any stranger I could find what I should do. What are the must sees in our country's fourth largest city? I was met with blank stares every time I asked this question. I was offered two suggestions: go see Minute Maid Park, which being a big baseball fan, I had already done; and to go the Galleria, which is a giant mall, I'm sure like any other mall in any other city in these United States. I ended up going to the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, and wandering around some park as it was a cool Houston day in August with a high only around 95°. Even the bars in the downtown party district of Main Street seemed perpetually at 8:30pm - on the verge of bustling, but never quite making it there. Houston got a big thumbs down in my book, and I was happy to tell anyone who would listen that it left a lot to be desired, especially for a place that went out of its way to tell you it had the fourth largest population in the U.S. Yeah, you know what, so did St. Louis in 1904. It didn't work out awesomely for them.

So when I decided to go back to Houston to visit some friends, I really was biased. I figured we'd grab dinner, go to a generic bar, maybe stop at the Galleria, and then I would leave Houston with the same sense that it is a sprawling monster, consuming unincorporated communities as it goes. Instead, thanks to my tour guides, I got a new view of Houston. As one of my hosts so kindly informed me, Houston is the largest city without any zoning laws. So that means my hosts' nice little new Victorian style home sits across from a light industrial factory, down the street from some modest bungalows, and blocks from Spanish-style McMansions. Seeing this earlier, I thought this meant that a lot of Houston was run down with random nice spots. However, looking at it from a free-spirit, no-zoning rules kind of light, it seems better. I was helped by my guides, and a read of their coffee table book, Houston: It's Worth It. It showed me the city in a better light, of people who embrace its funkiness, multi-culturalness, randomness, and artsy side. Which I'm all for.

My tour guides were also good in showing me some of Houston's more artsy-funky side. The above picture of the giant Andrew Jackson is part of a art-industrial area with a guy who crafts giant busts of the Presidents, and then sends them around the world. I have to say, my inner dork came out and I was able to name a lot of the presidents. I also got to see the house pictured on the right, known as the Beer Can House. It's a house made out of beer cans, as the name implies (what - you thought it was made from puppy hair?). The front gate, walk, planters: everything is beer cans or labels. Awesome. And the best part is that it sits in the middle of a neighborhood of what appear to be upper-crust, gentrified homes in varying styles. There were people just cruising down the street to check it out. It's neat, and it's something I will tell people about (like you, dear reader) when I talk about Houston. My guides were nice enough to point it out, and back it up with the fact that Houston is one of those cities where "It's nice to live there, but I sure wouldn't want to visit there."

My travels then took me from Houston, west on Interstate 10 through the metropolis of Sealy, up Texas Route 71, past a lot of live oak trees, into Austin. I had never been to Austin as an adult, and I had a preconceived notion of it. It was a big college town with musicians on every corner and everyone was funky/weird/crunchy, overly Texan, and probably drinking constantly. I wasn't totally wrong, but my guides here showed me differently. It's a very respectable place with a fun side. It's still in touch with its more rural Texan roots, as indicated by my first night dinner at County Line BBQ. Mmm...tasty. As an aside, Texans love going out to eat. They apparently do it at least eight days a week. Which is why waits at restaurants generally eclipse an hour, and no one bats an eyelash. Weird. Anyway, we spent a night on Sixth Street, the party district of Austin. My friends gave me a great tour of bars, ranging from the trendy (Cuba Libre), the down home (Buffalo Billiards), and the fun (Pete's Dueling Piano Bar - the only bar I know with its own MySpace page). Quite a range, and quite a good time. These friends are good hosts, needless to say.

In taking a tour of Austin, I was surprised at the sprawling nature of it, even by Texas standards. But I was equally surprised by the beauty of the rolling Texas hills on the north and west side of Austin, made better by my hosts' Beamer and fun driving skills on the windy twists and turns of RM 2222. I was also surprised at the general suburban nature of some spots, seemingly pulled out of any part of America: nicely upper middle class and sprawling. However, I was on about the "keep Austin weird" vibe, which my friends helped express by taking me to some great locally owned places, like the aforementioned bars (although Buffalo Billiards is owned by the same people who own my local watering hole, Carpool), along with The Oasis and Chez Zee (which is not pronounced Cheesy, as I like to think).

Maybe both visits, both cities, and the impressions of both come from my hosts. The things I was showed are a big reflection of these great couples. I am indebted to them for their hospitality, and for showing me two cities I wouldn't mind seeing again. So if you're in Houston, be sure to look up Marcy and Jarrod. When traveling through Austin, give Sherri and Andrew a call. And be sure to buy them a beer.

Leftover pictures from Texas:

1. An artsy look at the beer can house in Houston.

2. More giant President heads, along with the Beatles in the background, and downtown Houston way off in the distance.

3. My Austin hosts, quite possibly the cutest couple ever, and only borderline vomit-inducing.

4. Your author, standing by the banks of the Colorado River. Downtown Austin in the background. On the far left is the Frost Bank Tower, which I enjoyed.