Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/53603
24 Hours: Houston No Problems Here Houston's offi cial nickname is the Space City, thanks to NASA's Johnson Space Center, but these days its culinary and cultural attractions are soaring, too. Truly a standout parks and art city, America's fourth-largest metropolis mixes innovation with old Texas charm. by Salma Abdelnour AT THE ECLECTIC Hotel ZaZa in the museum district, the rooms have skyline views. Guests want- ing the grandest accommoda- tions can stay in the sleek, NASA-inspired Houston, We Have a Problem suite or the That's Entertainment suite, tricked out for watching sports and movies in style (hotelzaza houston.com). • A fi tting tribute to a city that fi rst prospered in the boomtown oil years, the plush Hotel Icon resides in the former Grand Union National Bank headquarters, a circa 1911 building downtown. Just outside, visitors can hop the tram to reach the major museums, parks and performance centres, or take the hotel's free car service around downtown (hotelicon.com). FIRST-TIME VISITORS expecting a tangle of skyscrapers will gape at how green Houston is. At Discovery Green, a new eco-conscious urban park, kids can play in a water fountain or learn about the paths of migratory birds (discoverygreen.com). Hermann Park, a 180-hectare green space near the arts district, is beloved by Houstonians who use its perimeter as a jogging track (hermannpark. org). • If you have time for only one museum, make it the Menil Collection, in the trendy Montrose district (menil.org). This avant-garde art collection is a testament to the precocious tastes of the late Dominique de Menil, who also gathered ancient artifacts from around the globe. 6 WESTWORLD >> FEBRUARY 2012 Y'ALL READY for some Tex-Mex? Hit El Real Tex Mex Café, the latest from Houston star chef and The Next Iron Chef contestant Bryan Caswell. Inside this restored 1930s theatre in the hip Lower Westheimer area, try Caswell's puffy tacos and stacked enchi- ladas with pork and guajillo chilies while watching classic Westerns on a big screen (elrealtexmex.com). • A short drive from the sprawling Galleria shopping centre is Ouisie's Table, an elegant but cozy res- taurant that combines South- ern hospitality, generous portions and masterfully pre- pared regional dishes such as Gulf shrimp with cheese grits and chicken-fried steak with cream gravy, an iconic Texas specialty (ouisiestable.com). (centre) An elevated pedes- trian walkway in downtown Houston; (far left) the Houston, We Have a Problem suite at Hotel ZaZa; (above) an enchilada plate at El Real Tex Mex Café; (bottom) the family-friendly Lake House restaurant on Kinder Lake in Discovery Green. AMA MEMBERS SAVE MORE Before you go: Pick up a Houston CityPass, good for admission to fi ve premier attractions. From US$39 per adult. 1-866-667-4777; AMATravel.ca While you're there: Save up to 50% at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, plus $2 on adult entries and $1 on child entries to the Houston Zoo. Also save 10% on regular-price day passes for Space Center Houston. AMARewards.ca/SearchForDiscounts (top left and bottom) courtesy Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau; (centre) Didier Dorval/Masterfi le (Tex-Mex food) courtesy El Real Tex Mex Café