RCA School Trip Spring 2008

HOUSTON is an ungainly beast of a city, confused by overdevelopment during the oil boom and then traumatized by the sudden slump of the early 1980s. It's a suffocating place, choking with traffic and high on humidity, yet for all this, its sheer energy, its relentless Texan pride, and above all its refusal to take itself totally seriously, give it a perverse appeal, while its well-endowed museums and rich nightlife mean there is always something to do. That Howard Hughes came from Houston makes absolute sense; eccentric, domineering and sordid, the millionaire typified all that makes the city intriguing.

There is no good reason why Houston exists at all; it was founded on a muddy mire in 1837 by two brothers from New York who hoped it would become the capital of the new Republic of Texas. For all their wild claims about its potential as a port, and its (imaginary) urban attractions, the more promising site of Austin was made capital in 1839. However, by then Houston had somehow established itself as a commercial center. Oil – discovered in 1901, and, like the city itself, unpredictable and heading for obsolescence – became the foundation, along with cotton and real estate, of vast private fortunes. Among the most famous of the philanthropists responsible for the development of downtown Houston was the cruelly named Ima Hogg. Her city improvement projects were largely cosmetic, however, and the contradictions of urban life are still writ large here, where abject poverty (not least among the blacks who migrated here from the rural South in the 1960s) coexists with ostentatious wealth.

Information by Rough Guides

Named for the legendary military commander who led the fight for Texas independence from Mexico and later statehood, the M/V Sam Houston offers leisurely 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel. Embarking from the port's Sam Houston Pavilion, visiting sightseers can enjoy passing views of international cargo vessels, and operations at the port's Turning Basin Terminal. Measuring 95 feet in length and 24 feet in width, the boat carries a maximum capacity of 100 passengers with air-conditioned lounge seating and additional standing room on the boat's rear deck.

In 1890 GALVESTON – on the northern tip of Galveston Island, the southern terminus of I-45 – was a thriving port, far larger than Houston fifty miles northwest; many newly arrived European immigrants chose to stay here in the so-called "Queen of the Gulf." However, the building of Houston's Ship Canal, after the hurricanes of 1900 killed more than six thousand people and washed away much of the land, left the coastal town to fade slowly away. Thanks to its pretty historic district and its popularity with Houston residents seeking a summer escape, Galveston's undergone a certain revitalization.

The downtown beaches of Seawall Boulevard are a constant reminder of Galveston's struggle simply to exist: murky, rocky and protected behind a ten-mile-long seawall from the ever-encroaching tides and the threat of further hurricanes. Stewart Beach Park, the most convenient beach for downtown, is geared toward family fun and gets very crowded; the wide R.A. Apfell Park, further east, is marginally quieter during the week, but has live music some weekends and a lively bar. Both of these beaches charge $5 per car.

Between the Strand and the beaches, old houses are everywhere, among them the ostentatious Bishop's Palace, 1402 Broadway (summer Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm; rest of year daily noon–4pm; $6), with its stained glass, mosaics and marble; the antebellum Ashton Villa, 2328 Broadway (Mon–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun noon–4pm; $5), which shows a film about the 1900 hurricane and tours starting on the hour; the 1839 Samuel May Williams Home, 3601 Ave P (Sat