TEXAS: THE LONE STAR STATE
BY CLAY
LARROY
Traveling has
great educational value and increases of our knowledge. While travelling, a
person comes across people of different races, religions, regions, etc.
and also visits different places. Each
place has a historical importance of its own. Traveling is also a source of
great pleasure. It gives us respite from our dull and dreary routine. It
relieves us of our worries. It enables
us to meet new people and know their customs, habits and traditions. We can
also know the different kinds of food eaten by people belonging to different
regions. When you want to plan a
vacation contact me!
HOUSTON, “Space City”
About
Houston
Houston
History
From swampy,
rough-and-ready frontier town to sparkling oil hub, Houston has grown
stratospherically.
Fondly known as the Bayou
City, once nicknamed Space City, and widely recognized as the energy capital of
the world, Houston was founded in 1836 (by brothers Augustus and John Allen) on
the banks of Buffalo Bayou.
The city is named after
General Sam Houston, of the Texas Army, that won independence from Mexico.
Within a year of its foundation, Houston became the capital of the Republic of
Texas until 1840, when that honor was transferred to Austin. However, this
republic was rather short-lived as Texas joined the USA in 1845.
Houston's early days
weren't what you'd call glamorous. Muddy, boggy and rife with yellow fever,
it's a wonder anyone chose to stay at all. Yet stay they did. The Allen
brothers sold lots faster than they could count their fortune, the city began
to sprawl, and it hasn't stopped since.
Houston emerged as a
thriving commercial center, particularly for cotton. Railroads converged here,
and boom times were ahead when oil gushed out of the land at the very beginning
of the 20th century which resulted in the deep-water Port of Houston being
established.
Demand for petrol
escalated in WWII and associated industry mushroomed. The population increased
as people sought jobs in the oil industry as well as the newly opened space center.
However, the oil crisis in the 1980s sent the city into a deep recession.
Houston has emerged as a
city with more diverse industry, less reliant on oil, and is at the forefront
of cutting-edge technology. In the 21st century it is a city of science,
medicine, engineering and high finance with many headquarters of global
companies based here.
Did you know?
- Houston opened its first theatre three years before its first church.
- Houston was the first word uttered from the moon. Or was it? Buzz Aldrin disputes this, and says he actually said ‘Contact light, engine stop' as the shuttle touched down.
- Houston has sprawled so far, it now covers an area larger than New Jersey.
- Houston opened its first theatre three years before its first church.
- Houston was the first word uttered from the moon. Or was it? Buzz Aldrin disputes this, and says he actually said ‘Contact light, engine stop' as the shuttle touched down.
- Houston has sprawled so far, it now covers an area larger than New Jersey.
Things
to do in Houston
Activities
Horse racing
Make a day of it at the
Sam Houston Race Park and try not to lose your shirt betting on Thoroughbred
and American Quarter Horse races in this state-of-the art facility. The course
has restaurants and entertainment facilities and every weekend has live music
performances in the evening.
Website: www.shrp.com
Website: www.shrp.com
Ice Skating
Discovery Green Park is a
12-acre space in downtown Houston located just across from the George R Brown
Convention Center and just a few blocks away from the Minute Maid Park. In the
winter it transforms its model boat basin into an outdoor skating rink. Indoor
ice skating is available all year in the iconic ice skating rink at the heart
of The Galleria shopping centre.
Discovery Green Park
Website:www.discoverygreen.com
The Galleria
Website:www.iceatthegalleria.com
Discovery Green Park
Website:www.discoverygreen.com
The Galleria
Website:www.iceatthegalleria.com
Jogging
Getting some fresh air and
exercise can be important in a big city and both Memorial Park and Buffalo
Bayou have jogging trails that are ideal. The lap around Memorial Park is
nearly three miles long and there are distance markers every quarter of a mile.
There are jogging trails on both the north and south banks of the Buffalo Bayou
from where you can enjoy stunning views of the downtown skyline. Website: www.buffalobayou.org
Kayaking
Kayaking along the Buffalo
Bayou gives an entirely new perspective of the city skyline. There is a 26-mile
paddling trail going through downtown Houston and along the route you can see
birds, turtles and other wildlife. Rent a kayak to paddle on your own or join
an afternoon guided trip paddling a kayak along the bayou starting at I-610 and
finishing at Downtown's Sabine Promenade.
Website: www.buffalobayou.org
Swimming
Head out of town to
Galveston if you need to cool off. The Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark
is the place to go for more than just a swim. It has daring speed slides, waves
for surfing, White Water Rivers and twisting and turning tunnels ending up in a
splash pool. When it gets all too much for you relax in a hot tub with a
swim-up bar. Website:www.schlitterbahn.com
Golf
Houston has one of the
best municipal golf courses in the 600-acre Memorial Park Golf Course. The
18-hole golf course also has a driving range (with a lighting system allowing
it to open into the evening), putting and chipping greens, a fine clubhouse and
golf museum. The course is open to all-comers and golf lessons can be arranged.
The city actually boasts two municipal golf courses and the other is located in
Hermann Park. Memorial Park Golf Course Website: www.memorialparkgolf.comHermann Park Golf Course
Website: www.hermannparkgc.com
City
Attractions in Houston
Contemporary
Arts Museum Houston
The Contemporary Arts
Museum Houston, established in 1948, is housed in an award-winning contemporary
all-metal structure. It displays new and recent works from the last 40 years,
by regional, national and international contemporary artists. Exhibitions have
included the works of the avant-garde artist Yoko Ono, black conceptual art,
the influence of comics in contemporary art and the art of punk high-priestess
Patti Smith. As a non-collecting museum it puts on dynamic ever-changing
exhibitions, exemplifying the relationship between contemporary art and
society, through various media including paintings, films and sculptures.
Telephone (713) 284 8250.
Website http://www.camh.org
Downtown Aquarium
An opportunity to
experience an underwater world brimming with hundreds of exotic species in
naturalistic ecosystems, all from the safety of the Shark Voyage train which
travels through the middle of the tank. Sea life is recreated around various
exhibits of different habitats, including a sunken galleon, a coral reef, the
Amazon rainforest and the swamplands of Louisiana. There's also is a wonderful
white tiger exhibit and a number of funfair rides, all with a marine theme.
Telephone (713) 223 3474.
Website http://www.downtownaquarium.com
Holocaust Museum Houston
The Holocaust Museum
Houston serves as a memorial to the millions who were imprisoned and died in
Nazi death camps in WWII. The museum contains a permanent exhibition hall with
exhibits such as a 1942 railcar used to carry millions of Jews to their death,
regularly changing temporary exhibitions and a memorial area and sculpture
garden. A permanent exhibition reveals the atrocities of the Holocaust through
the words and memorabilia of local survivors. The museum features a 30-minute
film, Voices, which is a montage of oral stories by Holocaust survivors from
the Houston area. Guided tours available at weekends at 1230, 1330, 1430 and
1530.
Telephone (713) 942 8000.
Website http://www.hmh.org
Houston Museum
of Natural Science
This museum contains an
impressive collection of natural exhibits. Highlights include the Cockrell
Butterfly Center - filled with butterflies and tropical plants and featuring a
21m (40ft) waterfall, a rainforest environment, a planetarium and permanent
exhibitions of dinosaur skeletons. There is also an IMAX theatre, a stunning
collection of gems and minerals, a four-screen video wall about the wildlife of
Texas, the interactive Discovery Place where children can investigate science
in action and the Foucault pendulum which demonstrates the Earth's rotation.
Telephone (713) 639 4629.
Website http://www.hmns.org
Houston Zoo
A very popular visitor
attraction, the Houston Zoo covers 22 hectares (55 acres) and is home to
various themed habitats including the Wortham World of Primates for up-close
viewing of monkeys and apes. The newly opened African Forest recreates a
wilderness habitat through which visitors can take a tour. Most days, there are
opportunities to view the feeding of certain animals (such as giraffes) and to
enjoy Meet the Keeper talks at various locations around the zoo such as on
jaguar and red panda training. Other popular attractions are the big cats -
including Indochinese tigers, leopards and jaguars.
Telephone (713) 533 6500.
Website http://www.houstonzoo.org
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston, has an impressive collection including antiquities and Renaissance art
through to impressionism and early modernism. It also has artworks from Africa,
Central Asia, the Americas and South Pacific. The striking Beck Building has a
roof that is studded with skylights, which gives ideal lighting conditions in
which to view the paintings. Highlights include the Hogg Brothers collection of
artworks, depicting Native American cultures and showcasing the cowboy and the
Wild West, and the Beck Collection of early modernist, impressionist and
post-impressionist art, including Van Gogh, Degas, Cézanne and Gauguin.
Telephone (713) 639 7300.
Website http://www.mfah.org
National Museum of Funeral
History
The National Museum of
Funeral History houses memorabilia from the funerals of celebrity figures, such
as John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Judy Garland, John Wayne and Elvis
Presley. The collection also includes the original equipment for the John F Kennedy
Eternal Flame, which was used between 1967 and 1998, a funeral sleigh, a
Packard mourning bus, a collection of fantasy coffins from Ghana, ranging in
shape from a chicken and a leopard to an airplane, and an exhibit featuring the
lives and deaths of popes.
Telephone (281) 876 3063.
Website http://www.nmfh.org
Sam Houston Historical Park
The Sam Houston Historical
Park contains a collection of restored historic buildings - including houses, a
church and a reconstructed row of shops. The buildings have been collected
together on this site, to go with the 1847 Kellum-Noble House, the oldest house
in Houston. The latest addition to the collection is the Baker Family Playhouse
built in Greek Revival style. These historic buildings set against the sleek
city skyscrapers make for a great photo opportunity. The only way to see the
houses is on one of the regular guided tours.
Telephone (713) 655 1912.
Website http://www.heritagesociety.org
Space Center Houston
The Space Center Houston
is a privately operated attraction that acts as the official visitor center of
NASA's Johnson Space Center. Exhibits include the Gemini and Apollo capsules,
other space flight hardware, including a full-size mock-up of a space shuttle.
You can enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center, IMAX films,
learn what life is like on the space station and even watch astronauts train
for upcoming shuttle missions. One of the highlights is the virtual tour of the
International Space Station and experiencing the sensation of weightlessness.
There are opportunities to have lunch with a NASA astronaut on certain dates.
The Health Museum
A fascinating museum, the
Health Museum (at the world-renowned Texas Medical Center) gives an exciting
tour of the human body in the Jim Hickox Amazing Body Pavilion, with huge
sculptures of human organs including a 3m- (10ft-) tall walk-through brain and a
7m- (22ft-) long backbone with ribs descending from the ceiling to the floor.
There is also a large walk-in eyeball that demonstrates how the eye receives
and perceives images, as well as plenty of hands-on and interactive exhibits
that explore how the body works and how to stay healthy and a 4D theatre.
REFERENCE SITES:
It really started cooking when
I moved to Houston. I bought a house and got my own barbeque pit.
Earl Campbell
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