Houston. It might not be what you expect.
Sure, the host city of Super Bowl LI is big, bold and brash. Its miles of urban landscape brim with notorious traffic delays, although 23 miles of light rail help whisk travelers through the bedlam, especially from NRG Stadium (site of the Feb. 5 showdown) to downtown.
But the nation’s fourth-largest city is more complex than you probably think. Its unexpected quirks — an obsession with art cars, a fine wine auction tied to its famed rodeo — defy the 10-gallon hat and mechanical bull stereotypes.
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Home to Texas billionaire royalty, oil men and space travelers, this port metropolis rooted in a rebellious pioneer spirit also sports one of the country’s most diverse ethnic populations. It has a hip, burgeoning millennial citizenry, some of the best museums in the world, a philanthropic predilection that keeps the arts well fueled, and a no-zoning ordinance that gives the city a quirky architectural patchwork-quilt feel. Throw in some celebrated sports teams, the recently refurbished 160-acre Buffalo Bayou waterside park, and a food scene that’s caught the attention of international gourmands, and you’ve got a Texas-sized helping of reasons to visit The Bayou City any time of year.
In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, when an estimated 138,000 out-of-town football fans are expected to drop by, Houston has welcomed myriad new hotels and watched some classics get a reboot.
Debuting late last year, the massive, 1,000-room Marriott Marquis boasts a Texas-shaped lazy river on its rooftop overlooking the city’s lauded Discovery Green park. At the Marriott, tipplers can swig at former Astros star Craig Biggio’s eponymous sports bar, and the famished can refuel at Xochi, a restaurant by James Beard finalist Hugo Ortega (www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houmq-marriott-marquis-houston).
Nearby at the classic Four Seasons Hotel, guests can work up a sweat in the newly renovated spa and fitness center and party in the retooled lobby featuring a Topgolf Swing Suite, where as many as 16 people can play simulated golf. Another new addition to the lobby is Bayou & Bottle, a whiskey and bourbon bar from renowned restaurateur Richard Sandoval (www.fourseasons.com/houston).
Perhaps you’d like to wander the halls of a museum — or 19? Located a football’s throw from downtown, the city’s storied Museum District (www.houmuse.com) encompasses tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly streets linking 19 bucket-list venues. Among them: one of the nation’s top-rated children’s museums, the massive Museum of Fine Arts and the Holocaust Museum.
Some 6,000 animals — including seven western lowland gorillas — can be found at the Houston Zoo. Yet another art museum, The Menil Collection, is revered for its Cy Twombly Gallery, a satellite building devoted to the American-born artist’s paintings and sculptures, as well as the tranquil Rothko Chapel, featuring more than a dozen murals by Mark Rothko.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science’s fascinating “Mummies of the World” exhibition runs through May 29 (www.mummiesoftheworld.com).
To take on the city with the swagger of a Texan, you’ll need nourishment. You’ll have no problem finding traditional Lone Star State victuals — barbecue, tacos, steak — as well as some of the best vegan, Vietnamese and Indian food on the planet. (Yes, we Texans tend to be braggadocios.)
Make it a point to indulge at some of the restaurants best known for redefining Houston’s dynamic culinary scene. Haven’t heard of Underbelly yet? It’s time. Helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd, this hot spot in the mostly residential Montrose neighborhood led the movement to incorporate Houston’s many cultures into a new, yet very Texan-style cuisine built around local farmers, purveyors and products and a beak-to-claw mentality. An eatery with dishes so good you’ll want to “bless everybody’s heart,” this is the place to sample dishes like vinegar pie and Korean braised goat and dumplings (www.underbellyhouston.com).
Shepherd just opened a pop-up concept, One Fifth Steak (www.onefifthhouston.com), in an old church at 1658 Westheimer. This gourmet steakhouse emphasizing all cuts of the animal is part of a culinary experiment that will have Shepherd opening five different restaurants in five years, all in the same location and falling under the general moniker of One Fifth.
Other places to nosh and swill in Houston? You can’t go wrong with Pondicheri, Uchi Houston, Oxheart, Coltivare Pizza & Garden and Bernadine’s for food, and Eight Row Flint, Anvil Bar & Refuge and The Pastry War for libations.
With all of the culinary choices, you’ll want to bring an empty stomach — and an empty suitcase, because you’re going to want to shop. The city teems with purchasing possibilities at legions of designer boutiques and one-of-a-kind stores. Many can be found in unexpected strip centers, wedged between festive eateries and utilitarian businesses like laundromats.
It’s easy to spend both hours and money in my favorite: Kuhl-Linscomb, an upscale souk of a retail experience selling a mix of hand-carved furniture, glassware, clothing and stationery, among other things (www.kuhl-linscomb.com).
“Project Runway” buffs will want to meet Chloe Dao at her atelier by the same name (www.chloedao.com), Laura Rathe Fine Arts presents a bevy of Texas artists (www.laurarathe.com), and antique lovers will undoubtedly dig Found For The Home, a stylish home decor store (shop.foundforthehome.com).
The Super Bowl is certainly Houston’s biggest event of the year, but another major spectacle will follow on the heels of the big game.
March 7-26 marks the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (www.rodeohouston.com), a nearly century-old tradition stocked with competitions, auctions, exhibits, top-notch entertainment and carnival rides. After the cowboys quit wrestling the steers and the dust settles at NRG Stadium, musicians like Willie Nelson, Alicia Keys, Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan take center stage to put on nightly concerts.
An event so complex it requires the help of 33,000 volunteers, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a big deal. Indeed, it’s the biggest show of its kind. And in Houston, you’d expect no less.
Becca Hensley is a freelance writer.
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