Our fifth and last state in country #4.
When planning our trip to the US, Texas was a state we wanted to visit, but given we were on the west coast, we decided it would have to wait. However, when trying to find the cheapest flights out of Cancun, it just so happened to be to Houston, Texas. We had thought we would go straight from Mexico to country #6, but we couldn’t possibly fly to Texas just for a layover. So, we booked a week in state #5, starting in Houston.
DAY ONE
A warm, southern welcome to Texas.
Our day started in Tulum, Mexico. We had breakfast, checked out of our Airbnb, walked to the ADO bus terminal and made our way to Cancun airport. We received 5 notifications saying our flight was delayed again and again, then suddenly, never mind, it’s on time. We arrived, checked our bags in, grabbed food from Starbucks (the cheapest option at Cancun airport) and waited for our flight.
We arrived in Houston at 6:30 pm. Thankfully the customs line was short, and we got through the airport fairly quickly. We ordered an Uber to our accommodation, dropped off our bags, and went straight out to find dinner. We ended up a few blocks away at Me’lange Vietnamese fusion restaurant. We received the warmest of welcomes from the few people in the restaurant, ate delicious food and walked back with a box of leftovers for dinner tomorrow.
DAY TWO
A grey and dreary winter day.
Coming back after 3 weeks in sunny Mexico, we had almost forgotten it was actually winter. Our first full day back in the US reminded us of just that. It was overcast, chilly and rained intermittently throughout the day, but that was not going to stop us from exploring Houston. We grabbed the bright blue umbrella left at our accommodation and jumped on the bus into town. The streets were very quiet, given it was a cold and rainy Saturday morning. We stopped by Day 6 Coffee Co, for coffee of course and to escape the weather for a bit.
We walked around the city, discovering all the impressive street art and murals along the way. We walked from Market Square Park to the Discovery Green, where we stumbled upon a light art installation called Solstice by Studio Iregular. Bec began walking through the archways when Clark captured how wonderfully and coincidentally our umbrella matched the colour of the lights. On the hunt for more art, we walked over to the Houston Graffiti Building, where we joined a crowd of tourists taking pictures around the lot.
One of the things we were most excited for in Texas was trying Texas BBQ. We had one marked to try each day, and for day one, that place was J-Bar-M Barbecue. We ordered way too much, but enjoyed every bite, and had some leftovers for another day. We caught the bus back to the Montrose area where we were staying, changed into activewear, and spent the afternoon walking through the suburbs and Buffalo Bayou Park.
DAY THREE
Finding our favourite coffee and Texas BBQ in Houston.
After the cold and rainy weather of yesterday, we were stoked to wake to sunny, blue skies on day three. We walked down the road to a café called Native Coffee, which very quickly became our favourite coffee shop in Houston. We walked, coffee in hand, to Buffalo Bayou Park and strolled along the bayou, getting to see the skyline without the cloud covering from yesterday.
From the park, we walked to have lunch at the second BBQ joint on our list – Truth BBQ. We waited in line for 30 minutes, but it was worth every second. This place remains our favourite Texas BBQ joint we visited. Very full after lunch we walked back through the streets, across Buffalo Bayou Park, and home to another Wholefoods salad with leftovers for dinner.
DAY FOUR
We spent USD$13 on instant noodles.
Ready for a big day of walking, we laced up our runners and began the journey south towards Herman Park. We stopped at Siphon Coffee along the way, for our cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin, then arrived at the Sam Houston statue, at the entry to Herman Park, just before midday. We spent a few hours exploring the park before it was time for lunch.
Our third and final Texas BBQ joint in Houston was The Pit Room. We enjoyed yet another plate and sides, and two giant cups of soda. After lunch we walked through the nearby University and suburban streets to Wholefoods for yet another easy and cheap dinner. Strolling through the aisles for dinner inspiration we stumbled upon a very exciting find. We are both big fans of David Chang and Momofuku, so you can imagine our excitement when we discovered their instant noodles. Probably the most expensive instant noodles we have ever purchased, but we just had to try them, and we can confirm, they were delicious.
WHERE WE STAYED
This little studio apartment is in the beautiful suburb of Montrose. We had everything we needed, including a kitchen, comfortable bed, clean space, and a quiet, safe and ideal location. We could walk to Buffalo Bayou Park, supermarkets, great cafes and restaurants. The buses into the city and to the airport were also just up the road, and there is a beautiful view of the city skyline from the street.
OUR NEXT STOP
Our next stop is also, sadly, our last stop in the US (for now). We are picking up a car and driving north to Dallas, Texas.
OUR GOOGLE MAPS
When planning our travel destinations, we pin our bucket list of sites to see and recommended places to eat and drink on Google Maps. We are then never lost for ideas when travelling, and can easily share these lists for our friends and family to use as well.
Click here to see our Google Maps for Our 4 Days in Houston.
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