Houston baseball trip

[Homercles 10205]

Going to Houston July 13-16, my buddy from Michigan has gone to a game at every MLB stadium but the Stros so planning on catching them play the Tigers on the 14th and probably 15th as well. Couple questions:

 

What’s a good part of town to stay in? We are both getting away from our young kids so alcohol is a priority, doesn’t have to be super upscale, was considering a Airbnb but my BiL has to drop out so it’s just two of us and now I’m thinking hotel.

 

What the hell else should we aim to do/see? Last year we did this for the Rangers and my BiL hosted so non-baseball time was filled with drinking at his house, touring the Death Star, that kinda thing.

 

I’ll be picking him up at Hobby (I’m driving from Austin) about 4pm that Friday then he’s rolling back to Austin with me on Monday for a conference here. If we do games on Saturday (3pm) and Sunday (1pm) I need some filler ideas.

 

I’ll hang up and fuck your mom. Thanks.

[Tyler Durden 132]

Stay downtown. Hotel Icon or JW Marriott for proximity to great bars. Tongue Cut Sparrow and Bad News Bar. Go to Anvil otherwise.

[Mez2 4023]

Go to Warren's

[tx 3 putt 76868]

there's a hampton inn / homewood suites one block from the stadium

from there, you can walk to many downtown bars / East End bars or uber further away. one block from vic and anthony's or osso and kristalla. Xochi and biggio's are one block the other way. 5 blocks from flying saucer and ton of other drinking / food options

be sure to walk to buck's bbq (@lucky's lodge) for lunch one day 

Edited June 24, 2018 by tx 3 putt

[Homercles 10205]

Anything else worth seeing that part of town?

[Smax 3800]

Really depends on what you want to do but remember Houston is not a tourist destination so as far as touristy cool sites to see, there really aren't any. You'll be near more bad ass bars and restaurants then you'll have time to visit.

If it was me, Id stay at the Hilton Americas, Marriot  Marquis or Zazza, Friday night dinner at Xochi or go low key and do Ninfas on navigation, Michigan needs to experience real tex mex. Then pick your bar in mid or down town.

Saturday, if you guys stay at the hilton or zazza I'd hang by the pool if the scenery is nice for a bit then head over to Luckys and visit Champ at his BBQ place, then pre game at 8th wonder before the game. As mentioned before drinking and eating options are limitless just depends on what you're in the mood for.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Smax

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Ninfas will shuttle you to the game.  

[Homercles 10205]

Ok thanks assholes. I was just making sure there wasn’t any ‘must sees’ there...only been there twice, both times just for concerts and zoomed back that evening. My friend (comes from a diehard Michigan State and Tigers family one of my BiL married into) probably isn’t into tourist stuff anyways just checking the place out.

I’m waiting on his budget thoughts. The idea of being a block from MM Park seems awesome, doing nothing but watching baseball, eating bbq and ted mex, drinking and hanging.

[Dutchrudder 11133]

Sigma and 8th wonder breweries are near the stadium. A lot of shagsters like Papa Charlie's BBQ, which is also nearby. You can Uber or Lyft anywhere, so no need to drive.

[Smax 3800]

3 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Sigma and 8th wonder breweries are near the stadium. A lot of shagsters like Papa Charlie's BBQ, which is also nearby. You can Uber or Lyft anywhere, so no need to drive.

 

Papa Charlie's BBQ is no longer downtown, moved to the NW side

[RiceOwl 74]

If you desperately feel the need to do some siteseeing, I’d recommend MFA Houston, the Menil Collection, and (shameless plug) a walk around the inner loop at Rice (in the AM before it gets hot or Friday night with beers at Valhalla). 

Going a little further afield, the NASA tour is a bit kitschy but cool to do once.

[tx 3 putt 76868]

st arnolds is very close to mmp, not sure if walkable but a very short uber ride 

[huge 3793]

19 hours ago, Smax said:

 You'll be near more bad ass bars and restaurants then you'll have time to visit.

 

This cannot be overstated.  If all you want to do is watch sports and drink and eat badass food we can provide that as well as anywhere on the planet.  Just uber everywhere.

[mynametaken 1]

We just did this trip from Austin and stayed in an airbnb in the Heights.  It's a cheap Uber ride from there anywhere and there are some cool bars and breakfast places in the neighborhood.  Plus, free parking vs. hotel parking surcharges.  We had breakfast at the Onion Creek cafe but there are lots of choices on White Oak Dr.  

Downtown by the ballpark is good before/after games but mornings and evenings seemed kind of dead.  

[mycox 582]

20 minutes ago, mynametaken said:

We just did this trip from Austin and stayed in an airbnb in the Heights.  It's a cheap Uber ride from there anywhere and there are some cool bars and breakfast places in the neighborhood.  Plus, free parking vs. hotel parking surcharges.  We had breakfast at the Onion Creek cafe but there are lots of choices on White Oak Dr.  

Downtown by the ballpark is good before/after games but mornings and evenings seemed kind of dead.  

Downtown Main St. and Market Square area is always happening on the weekend evenings. Sundays are hit or miss. That is where the majority of the bars are. If you want to Airbnb, Midtown and Montrose have more going on than the Heights. Heights is cool though.

Don't even attempt to wakl to St.Arnolds.

Edited June 25, 2018 by mycox

[ChampKind 1314]

As has been stated there are many, many hotel options in downtown that are easy walking distance from Minute Maid Park and more bars/restaurants than you can count. Hotels.com is the answer you seek on that.  You likely will not have the chance to have my barbeque that week though. I'll be in Chicago at the Windy City Smokeout.  If you feel a strong urge for barbeque while you're here, catch an Uber or Lyft and go to Pinkerton's. It's not too far from downtown and is very solid. There are others that may be mentioned in proximity to downtown, but Pinkerton's is the correct answer.

And yeah, Saint Arnold's is not really walkable from downtown. 8th Wonder is, and Sigma is on the light rail line going east so its also easy to get to.

[Jameslaw121 4448]

1 hour ago, ChampKind said:

As has been stated there are many, many hotel options in downtown that are easy walking distance from Minute Maid Park and more bars/restaurants than you can count. Hotels.com is the answer you seek on that.  You likely will not have the chance to have my barbeque that week though. I'll be in Chicago at the Windy City Smokeout.  If you feel a strong urge for barbeque while you're here, catch an Uber or Lyft and go to Pinkerton's. It's not too far from downtown and is very solid. There are others that may be mentioned in proximity to downtown, but Pinkerton's is the correct answer.

And yeah, Saint Arnold's is not really walkable from downtown. 8th Wonder is, and Sigma is on the light rail line going east so its also easy to get to.

I came here just to tell you to find Champ Kind's BBQ. But I guess you're SOL.

 

A friend and I did this a couple of months ago. His BBQ was the highlight of the trip. Get a hotel downtown and uber yourself anywhere to far away to walk. Plenty of micro breweries and stuff there. We stayed in a hotel next to Flying Saucer and that worked out well

[Homercles 10205]

Thanks for the tips y’all. Hampton Inn was a decent hotel in a good location with a reasonable price right next to the ballpark.

We went to NASA Friday afternoon, were there almost four hours and still didn’t feel like we saw enough...Mission Control was a definite highlight (blue tour). Ended up eating at Papasitos (yeah I know) as we were beat from traveling and just wanted something we could get to easy.

Saturday ended up checking out Karbach, the game and Flying Saucer. Sunday was the WC Final at a sports bar, and Uber’d our to The Woodlands to eat, drink and catch a Soul Asylum/Collective Soul/3 Doors Down show...saved $15 in fees per ticket buying at the box office, fuck Ticketmaster.

Anyways heading back soon. Nice place to visit, not sure id want to live here though.