I think Houston is a great city. It may not be the most exciting place to visit, but hell that doesn't matter. It's one of the greatest cities in the world.
Be sure to visit Kemah -- off Highway 146 midway between Galveston and Houston -- for great on-the-water dining and peoplewatching. If you love boating, you'll love the parade of boats of all kinds heading out into the bay.
I spent five of the best years of my life in tiny Tehuacana, Texas, as a student at Westminster College and Bible Institute! I remember many happy afternoons spent stretched out on a concrete picnic table on top of the hill next to a couple of Mesquite trees and a patch of prickly pear cactus. Almost forty years later I live in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee but have a poster print of a painting by Robert Woods of Tehuacana Hill hanging over my fireplace where I can see it and smile at those memories. If the old "Ad" (administration) Building is "haunted" it is filled with only happy spirits who have returned to a beloved place! I hope to return there this coming (2007) spring during bluebonnet season to photograph and reminisce!
Be prepared to have your deodorant handy! Walking around Houston in the summer is like being in a steamroom. I've never perspired so much in my entire life!
I live about two miles from Tehuacana. I've been to numerous parties there -- it's a great place to go and drink some beer.
I grew up 8 miles south of Dawson in what was once the El Dorado community. We owned a 241 acre blackland farm. One can see "Tehuacana Hill" from my old farm. The bluebonnets are spectacular in the spring there!
I grew up in Coolidge, about 6 miles northwest of Tehuacana, in the late 60s. There was a roadside park at the top of the hill offering a spectacular view of the begining of the Blackland Prarie extending over 20 miles. In the spring this is one of the state's most beautiful fields of Blue Bonnets that can be found anywhere. They grow so thickly that the air is scented by their blossoms. If you are a fan of our state flower, it's worth a trip back in time to when no one wore a watch because you got up with the chickens and went to bed at sundown, because there was and still is absolutely nothing else to do.
The nightlife in Austin is mostly centered downtown on 6th Street, starting at Red River Street and going west from there. If you find that 6th Street isn't your style, try the alternative music spots along Red River Street, or for the older crowd try the Warehouse District on 4th and 5th Streets, roughly between Guadalupe and Congress Streets.
I grew up in Tehuacana. I think it's funny that there is a hostel there. This is a small Texas town witha population of 307. There is a post office, a park, and there used to be a store. Also Trinity Institute is where Westminster College used to be and is supposedly haunted. That's about it, but it's a great place to just hang out.
I have lived in Tehuacana since I was a little girl and it is peaceful and a beautiful little town. I had the best years of my life there -- made the best of friends there and I wouldn't change any of my childhood. It is full of trees and at spring there are bluebonnets everywhere. It is a pretty place.
I lived in Fort Stockton for six years. It's not a very nice place to live, but there are some interesting things to visit. The "world's largest roadrunner" welcomes you to town. Be sure and stop by the Comanche Springs pool. (It's much nicer than the regular city pool.) Also, if you are looking for great authentic Mexican food, try a little place called Mi Casita. Bienvenidos is another good one, more on the main road, but not nearly as good as Mi Casita. There are also several nice parks in town, as well as an historic fort, and several small museums.
This is the most unusual place to find a hostel. Tehuacana is not even printed on most maps, as it is tucked way way back from any major highway and hidden between huge rolling texas ranchlands that look exactly like the paintings. There is nothing to do in this town other than go on long walks or sit in the old cemetary which and watch the amazing sunsets. This place is extremely peaceful. Quite possibly one of the quietest and most serene spots in Texas.
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