Things To Do
NASA Space Center Houston
If you only have time to do one touristy thing in Houston, this is it. You know what's cool? Space. If you wanna learn stuff about space, this is the place. You even get to walk around real space shuttles and stuff. It's unbelievably cool.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
This is a really great science museum. Lot's of fossils and other anciently great things of that nature.
Brazos Bookstore
This is Kemi's favorite bookstore in Houston. They have a well curated collection of reads and gifts, with an eye towards local topics as well. Close to Rice University, so you could also walk the tree-lined loop around campus!
Rothko Chapel
A small, dark, and meditative chapel to soothe your soul. Very contemplative. Much Rothko. In Montrose.
Catch a Rockets Game
If of interest, the Rockets play the 76ers on Monday 12/5 and the Bucks on 12/11. So you could see Embiid and Giannis, which would be pretty cool. Also the Rockets are not very good at the moment (but have real potential!) so you could maybe get pretty good seats! Also, Misha chose a relatively petty photo but he could have gone pettier. He was (very) tempted.
Hit the Trails at Memorial Park
A large park, tucked in the heart of the city, with plenty of walk & run-friendly trails. The Memorial Loop is a 3-mile easy amble around the perimeter of the park.
Hang Out in Montrose
A fun neighborhood full of great food and fun bars. Common Bond is a great place to get breakfast and coffee. Velvet Taco is a solid post bar spot. Some bar recs: Poison Girl (punk bar), Anvil (fancy cocktails), and Lola's Depot (lively dive bar with great outdoor space). There's lots of vintage shops too.
Check Out a Local Craft Brewery
Great Houston Breweries include St. Arnold's, which is the one to visit if you can only go to one, Eureka Heights, and 8th Wonder.
West Alabama Ice House
It's basically an outdoor bar with plenty of seating, some TVs, and a really good taco truck (Tierra Caliente) across the street in what we can only assume is an wonderful symbiotic relationship.
Turkey Leg Hut
They are emphatically not messing around here. They serve smoked turkey legs stuff to the gills (waddles?) with stuff like dirty rice and mac & cheese. The portions are ridiculous. There's also a full bar and hookah. The lines can be very long so it might make the most sense to go a little before they open.
The Pit Room
Some of Houston's best BBQ. You can call it in if you're worried about lines.
The Original Kolache Shoppe
For the uninitiated, kolaches are a Texan staple. Brought by immigrants from the Czech Republic, kolaches are baked pastries with savory or sweet fillings. A sausage, jalapeño, and cheese is always a good starting point.
Monchy's
Maybe some of the best breakfast tacos (and tacos generally) Misha has ever had (and he's had... thousands?). Get the chicharron ones if they've got 'em.
The Breakfast Klub
A Houston Institution (heh, that rhymes). Can have a long line but you might actually meet Beyonce.
Crawfish & Noodles
They got crawfish and they got noodles! Cajun-Viet food is a (glorious) thing and they say this is the best of it.
Bubba's Texas Burger Shack
One of Kemi's favorite college hangout spots. Buffalo burger is the way to go here (though beef is also an option), ideally with a Dr. Pepper.
Houston's South Asian Scene
You can check out the one of the main South Asian hubs in Houston, the Hillcroft area, which includes the famous store Keemat Grocers that Anthony Bourdain visited, located in a shopping park that's got a lot of other South Asian stores and restaurants, and Aga's (another restaurant).