Houston TX concert touristy questions

[secret love]

Hello all

I am planning on attending the Houston TX concert in USA this year. No need to say which band!

As an Australian who has never been to America, I am looking for advice from American fans who can offer a local perspective. Best spots in Houston? Is it close to Dallas? Tourist attractions? Restaurants/cuisine?

My other concern is safety. Is Houston a "safe" city like New York or is it a "rough area" for lack of a better phrase? Obviously this is quite subjective, but the local perspective is what I am looking for - you do not have to be Texan but just American. Is there a large Hispanic/Spanish-speaking community in Texas?

What are the crime statistics like?

I know this sounds like pesky tourist questions, but I have bought my ticket but not flights. This is not an attempt to palm off the ticket. It is a genuine thread enquiring about being safe as a lone traveller in Houston and the broader state of Texas.

Thanks guys

secret love.

[wondergirl9847]

Best spots in Houston? Is it close to Dallas? Tourist attractions? Restaurants/cuisine?

My other concern is safety. Is Houston a "safe" city like New York or is it a "rough area" for lack of a better phrase? Obviously this is quite subjective, but the local perspective is what I am looking for - you do not have to be Texan but just American. Is there a large Hispanic/Spanish-speaking community in Texas?

What are the crime statistics like?

Hi there! I don't live in Houston, but I've been there a few times. I live in Fort Worth, which is about 40 minutes west of Dallas. Houston is a 1 hour flight from DFW, but about a 3 and a half hour drive. So close depends on method of transportation.

Local attractions depends on what you are really interested in seeing. The Space Center is in Houston, which would be a neat experience, I'd imagine. I haven't been though.

There is the Kemah Boardwalk, which is a neat little place with restaurants, a few rides and shops. It's located south of Houston on the way to Galveston though.

Kemah Boardwalk

I must recommend going to Austin if you can and try the BBQ and Tex-Mex food. I'm sure some of the local Ledgies can steer you to some wonderful restaurants.

All cities have "rough" areas, but Houston overall is pretty safe. I went there a few years ago to see Lindsey by myself and was out at night downtown. Never felt unsafe. That's not to say you shouldn't be cautious because you should ALWAYS be aware and careful. If you can meet up with some other Ledgies, that is always a wonderful time and safety in numbers too!

Houston is a very heavy Spanish-speaking area, and there will be various billboards and signs in Spanish here and there (just like there are in certain areas of Fort Worth and Dallas). That said, I don't see you having any problems with things being in English. Although it has been a few years, so maybe the local Ledgies know more about this?

Crime statistics, I'm not sure of, but like I said, Houston is very safe overall. Now...if we are talking smog/air quality, that's a different story! Houston is a HUGE city.

I hope your trip is long enough to visit some other cities such as Austin and San Antonio. I think you'll like those cities quite a bit. Perhaps Galveston or Corpus Christi as well.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by secret love

Hello all

I am planning on attending the Houston TX concert in USA this year. No need to say which band!

As an Australian who has never been to America, I am looking for advice from American fans who can offer a local perspective. Best spots in Houston? Is it close to Dallas? Tourist attractions? Restaurants/cuisine?

My other concern is safety. Is Houston a "safe" city like New York or is it a "rough area" for lack of a better phrase? Obviously this is quite subjective, but the local perspective is what I am looking for - you do not have to be Texan but just American. Is there a large Hispanic/Spanish-speaking community in Texas?

What are the crime statistics like?

I know this sounds like pesky tourist questions, but I have bought my ticket but not flights. This is not an attempt to palm off the ticket. It is a genuine thread enquiring about being safe as a lone traveller in Houston and the broader state of Texas.

Thanks guys

secret love.

Houston has a museum district which contains museums unparalleled throughout Texas. There is a big arts & food scene in Houston as well. The city is the most ethnically & culturally diverse large city in America, and with 6 million people in the metro area, any type of culture/food/arts/activities/etc can be found there. It's also reasonably close to the Texas beaches & the other large metro areas in Texas- San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. The one largest detriment to Houston is it's sprawling nature, though. It even has multiple "downtowns," so everything is spread apart and far away. Despite that, I think they maintain traffic far better than any large city I've ever been in.

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

Hi there! I don't live in Houston, but I've been there a few times. I live in Fort Worth, which is about 40 minutes west of Dallas. Houston is a 1 hour flight from DFW, but about a 3 and a half hour drive. So close depends on method of transportation.

Local attractions depends on what you are really interested in seeing. The Space Center is in Houston, which would be a neat experience, I'd imagine. I haven't been though.

There is the Kemah Boardwalk, which is a neat little place with restaurants, a few rides and shops. It's located south of Houston on the way to Galveston though.

Kemah Boardwalk

I must recommend going to Austin if you can and try the BBQ and Tex-Mex food. I'm sure some of the local Ledgies can steer you to some wonderful restaurants.

All cities have "rough" areas, but Houston overall is pretty safe. I went there a few years ago to see Lindsey by myself and was out at night downtown. Never felt unsafe. That's not to say you shouldn't be cautious because you should ALWAYS be aware and careful. If you can meet up with some other Ledgies, that is always a wonderful time and safety in numbers too!

Houston is a very heavy Spanish-speaking area, and there will be various billboards and signs in Spanish here and there (just like there are in certain areas of Fort Worth and Dallas). That said, I don't see you having any problems with things being in English. Although it has been a few years, so maybe the local Ledgies know more about this?

Crime statistics, I'm not sure of, but like I said, Houston is very safe overall. Now...if we are talking smog/air quality, that's a different story! Houston is a HUGE city.

I hope your trip is long enough to visit some other cities such as Austin and San Antonio. I think you'll like those cities quite a bit. Perhaps Galveston or Corpus Christi as well.

Because of my career, I'm extremely well versed in Texas crime statistics. Even accounting for it's size, Harris County's per capita violent crime far outpaces any other major or minor metropolitan area in Texas. You are twice as likely to be the victim of a violent crime in Houston than you are in Fort Worth or Austin, for instance. Houston is also one of the largest drug & human trafficking cities in the nation. I'm not trying to be alarmist or contrarian, but hearing Houston summed up as 'very safe' just makes me squirm given my professional knowledge.

[wondergirl9847]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Because of my career, I'm extremely well versed in Texas crime statistics. Even accounting for it's size, Harris County's per capita violent crime far outpaces any other major or minor metropolitan area in Texas. You are twice as likely to be the victim of a violent crime in Houston than you are in Fort Worth or Austin, for instance. Houston is also one of the largest drug & human trafficking cities in the nation. I'm not trying to be alarmist or contrarian, but hearing Houston summed up as 'very safe' just makes me squirm given my professional knowledge.

Well, I had no idea of the stats! I'm never going to Houston again!! LOL J/K, but seriously...that's very sad to hear. I haven't been down there since 2007 (I think) to see LB and I had no problems as a single gal. But like I said, please be careful wherever you go and use common sense. Lawd knows I've walked around at night in various cities alone and I'm a complete idiot for doing so. I do highly recommend meeting up with other Ledgies if you can for so many reasons.

[HelloMonster]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

The city is the most ethnically & culturally diverse large city in America, and with 6 million people in the metro area, any type of culture/food/arts/activities/etc can be found there.

Maybe in Texas, but not America. That would be LA

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43066296

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

Well, I had no idea of the stats! I'm never going to Houston again!! LOL J/K, but seriously...that's very sad to hear. I haven't been down there since 2007 (I think) to see LB and I had no problems as a single gal. But like I said, please be careful wherever you go and use common sense. Lawd knows I've walked around at night in various cities alone and I'm a complete idiot for doing so. I do highly recommend meeting up with other Ledgies if you can for so many reasons.

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from visiting Houston for sure. Compared to most large American cities, Houston is quite clean and safe. In fact, even though it's the 4th largest city in the US, it ranks about 20th in violent crime. Houston's downtown is especially spick & span. I guess I just didn't want a foreigner to come into Houston with a false sense of security, given my professional background.

Originally Posted by HelloMonster

Maybe in Texas, but not America. That would be LA

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43066296

Google: "Houston most ethnically diverse city" and you will pull up dozens of articles on how in the past year Houston has surpassed NYC & LA as the most ethnically diverse city in the nation.

[StreetAngel86]

Originally Posted by secret love

Hello all

I am planning on attending the Houston TX concert in USA this year. No need to say which band!

As an Australian who has never been to America, I am looking for advice from American fans who can offer a local perspective. Best spots in Houston? Is it close to Dallas? Tourist attractions? Restaurants/cuisine?

this aussie was in Houston for one of the Mac SYW shows ... I have never been so hot and uncomfortable in my whole life. It was humid like i had never experienced humid before. But the atmosphere was so amazing. I lived in Dallas for a while and um ... yeah... guns and gangs. Don't walk around by yourself at night. Some areas ... just avoid if you can. I would not travel there by myself There are great museums and the zoo, there are tons of touristy things to do. TX is huge though, you need a car. San Antonio is beautiful. My advice ... try speaking with a bit of an American accent. Texas was the only place no-one could understand me. So I bung on an accent and no problems

[WatchChain]

I LIVE in Houston, Texas and reside in a high rise apartment in the heart of downtown Houston. I can see The Toyota Center (where Fleetwood Mac will be playing) from my window as I write this. I will be walking from my home to the concert. As previously stated, The Museum district is wonderful. Houston is a very diverse city that continues to grow by the minute. There is a high Spanish speaking population, but that is only apparent in some neighborhoods. As a general rule, people are not speaking Spanish in the streets. As a matter of fact, it is an extremely conservative town in an even more conservative state. These damned Red State Tea Partiers are very conservative, so I don't think you'll have a problem if you don't speak Spanish.

As far as the crime rate goes, it depends where you're hanging out. Much of the downtown area has been completely revamped and is pretty safe....However, if you travel about 1 mile in another direction (toward the bus station), you will find some extremely rough folks. That being said, I have lived here for 7 years and have NEVER COME CLOSE to being the victim of a crime. I walk the streets regularly all over town. As a previous poster stated regarding the HIGH VOLUME of HUMAN TRAFFICKING cases in Houston, well, since I don't fit the profile of someone who would be "trafficked", I'm fairly safe from that type of crime. If I were a resident in a third world country who was a victim of extreme poverty and a tyrannical government, I might be easy prey to be "trafficked". I can safely say that you will be able to visit Houston without the threat of being held prisoner and sold into sex slavery. So, sleep peacefully and go enjoy the Fleetwood Mac concert!

[wondergirl9847]

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

this aussie was in Houston for one of the Mac SYW shows ... I have never been so hot and uncomfortable in my whole life. It was humid like i had never experienced humid before.

In December, it won't be hot and humid. It should be nice and cold.

Yeah, the Dallas SYW show was on July 3rd, 2003 and ugh...it was unbearably hot. I hate summertime here. Bleh.