Things To Do
Rice University
Rice (where we met!) has a beautiful campus that's nice to walk around. Parking is limited and expensive, but if you're staying in our hotel block at the Marriott downtown, you can take the Metro Rail from right outside the hotel directly to Rice (https://goo.gl/maps/7xSeXaazNh9Fk6kS8)
Hermann Park
Right across the street from Rice is Hermann Park, a big beautiful park with a pond, reflecting pool, gardens, and lots of winding pathways. It's accessible by Metro Rail (https://goo.gl/maps/Njgx3nCA1QdNMYr28) but also usually has plenty of parking.
Boomtown Coffee
Boomtown Coffee is a fun coffee shop just a 7 minute walk from the Marriott hotel!
Local Foods - Upper Kirby District
Our favorite Houston restaurant! There are a few locations around Houston, including one in Rice Village, where we went all the time in college.
Southside Espresso
Southside Espresso was our favorite coffee shop to go to during college. The area it's in (Montrose) has lots of fun restaurants and coffee shops.
The Menil Collection
The Menil Collection is a great art museum (with free admission). Be sure to also check out the Rothko Chapel nearby (http://www.rothkochapel.org/).
Rice Village
Rice Village is a shopping center near Rice, with lots of great restaurants and shopping. For restaurants, it's got some great Texas chains like Torchy's Tacos, Velvet Taco, Hopdoddy Burgers, and Local Foods. For shopping, there's a mix of local boutiques and chain stores.