# What's to do in Texas?



## pootle (Jun 15, 2008)

Hullo! 

Mr Poo is likely to be going to Texas to learn welding shizzle for the best part of a month - whilst I don't want to go for that long (as I'd be mostly entertaining myself whilst he was learning stuff) I thought a week or 10 day maybe.  Apart from buying lots of cheaper trainers, what's going to entertain me in Texas?  Please bear in mind I'm fairly simple/shallow.  My dream holiday would be somewhere with good theme parks and water parks, plenty sunshine and shops with a really good exchange rate in my favour.  Oh, and some cocktails please. 

They filmed "No Country for Old Men" in the state of Texas didn't they? Looks pretty dull to me...

It'd be november-ish btw - would the weather still be good there?


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## DotCommunist (Jun 15, 2008)

burn crosses


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## pootle (Jun 15, 2008)

I may be shallow, but less keen on general intolerance...I reckon I'll probably just be staying in London, eh!


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## pogofish (Jun 15, 2008)

Friends are just back from a couple of months there & pretty much described the range of activities as eating & shopping, with side trips to heavily managed attractions where the main activities were eating & shopping.


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## Firky (Jun 15, 2008)

Shoot black people. 
Incestual relationships.
Drive pick up trucks drunk.
Talk abut eye-rack and our brave boys.


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## Dr. Furface (Jun 17, 2008)

Texas is a rather big place, and very diverse. If you can't find anything to do there, I feel sorry for you. However, you will need a car to get around, even if you live in Houston, where the public transport is pathetic. But there's plenty to do there. If you can't be arsed then you can at least lie out by the pool and get yourself a tan, because in summer the weather is scorchio.


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## skyscraper101 (Jun 17, 2008)

Austin is supposed to be the best place to go in Texas and where the cool kids hang out - so I've heard.


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## Dr. Furface (Jun 17, 2008)

Austin's a mega college town which accounts for why so many bands come out of it - it's also where they hold the annual South by South West (SXSW) music event which is numero uno for new(ish) bands getting noticed. Apparently it has some great nightlife


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## zenie (Jun 17, 2008)

Yer go to Austin, it's the home of Texan music festivals. 

Also you have to do the whole cowboy thing followed by a line dance, it'd be rude not to! 

Why is he learning to weld in Texas???


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## Pieface (Jun 17, 2008)

pootle said:


> I may be shallow, but less keen on general intolerance...I reckon I'll probably just be staying in London, eh!



get yourself onto a ranch experience   Herd some steer.  Fix some fences.  Drink, er, cocktails....

Just go to Austin pootle - it's the island of cool stuff in a vast reactionary wasteland so I hear


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## Detroit City (Jun 17, 2008)

make sure you take a huge appetite and pack some firearms


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 17, 2008)

firky said:


> Shoot black people.
> Incestual relationships.
> Drive pick up trucks drunk.
> Talk abut eye-rack and our brave boys.



You're getting Texas mixed up with Arkansas.

In Texas you'd

Shoot illegals jumping the border.
have a BBQ
walk bow-legged
drive pickup trucks drunk
talk about how GW is the bestest president evar.


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 17, 2008)

Visit Johnson Space Center in Houston:

http://www.spacecenter.org/

Texas tourism:

http://texastourism.com/Default.asp


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## Detroit City (Jun 17, 2008)

don't forget to see Midland, TX....the childhood home of Dubya 

i think his daughter just got married there a few weeks ago


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 17, 2008)

All kidding aside.  Be prepared for Texans to be really friendly.  When I visited I had probably six people give me their address and phone numbers with instructions to call if I needed help or to visit if I returned again.   The first of these invitations was on the plane _to_ Texas.  For what I could see they were all honest offers, nothing creepy intended.


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 17, 2008)

zenie said:


> Why is he learning to weld in Texas???




I don't know about welding, but there is a really good welding inspection school in Texas.  (Big money in welding inspection and a high demand field for workers).


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## twistedAM (Jun 17, 2008)

Don't bother going. As someone pointed out above Texas is really diverse and you seem pretty closed-minded.


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## May Kasahara (Jun 17, 2008)

Get some new ink. Lots of great artists in Texas!


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## pootle (Jun 19, 2008)

May Kasahara said:


> Get some new ink. Lots of great artists in Texas!



Now your talking!

Mr Poo can already weld, but he's starting his own business making bmx handlebars and eventually frames.

The God of all things BMX design is in Texas, some fella called Tex Thayer, who started a company called London Bikes.  He's a legend apparently, but all I can think of is that skellybob in Super Ted - I want to say "ooh! Tex!" in a camp voice whenever he's on the blower!


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## girasol (Jun 19, 2008)

I've never been there but if I did I'd go horse riding and I'd go and talk to Mexicans and practice my Spanish - there's lots of them in Texas!

My boyfriend has been recently and he got me a nice cowgirl hat, so if I went I'd get more hats and possibly some cowgirl boots too.


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## rennie (Jun 19, 2008)

You could go to Austin and bask in the city's liberal ways?


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 19, 2008)

Iemanja said:


> I've never been there but if I did I'd go horse riding and I'd go and talk to Mexicans and practice my Spanish - there's lots of them in Texas!
> 
> My boyfriend has been recently and he got me a nice cowgirl hat, so if I went I'd get more hats and possibly some cowgirl boots too.



What is it about the British and cowboy hats?  

I ran into a bus load of tourists when I was in Nashville and every single one of them bought a cowboy hat!  The clerk couldn't pull them out of boxes in the back fast enough.  This was followed by bad John Wayne impressions.  I didn't know John Wayne had an Irish accent!


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## Belushi (Jun 19, 2008)

Yuwipi Woman said:


> What is it about the British and cowboy hats?



You know the way you guys think Britain is permanently shrouded in fog and inhabited by braying toffs and dickensian chimney sweeps? we have similar illusions about the States


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## Biddlybee (Jun 19, 2008)

No ideas, but have fun


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 19, 2008)

Belushi said:


> You know the way you guys think Britain is permanently shrouded in fog and inhabited by braying toffs and dickensian chimney sweeps? we have similar illusions about the States



Fair enuf.

Although I prefer the Jane Austin stereotype myself... carriages riding around the countryside and women finding the man of their dreams....


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## girasol (Jun 19, 2008)

Yuwipi Woman said:


> What is it about the British and cowboy hats?
> 
> I ran into a bus load of tourists when I was in Nashville and every single one of them bought a cowboy hat!  The clerk couldn't pull them out of boxes in the back fast enough.  This was followed by bad John Wayne impressions.  I didn't know John Wayne had an Irish accent!



I'm not really British, but I've always liked cowboy hats, probably from watching too many westerns as a child?  

If I had to pick sides I'd go side with the native americans, but I'd like to still wear the hat


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 19, 2008)

Iemanja said:


> I'm not really British, but I've always liked cowboy hats, probably from watching too many westerns as a child?
> 
> If I had to pick sides I'd go side with the native americans, but I'd like to still wear the hat



Where do you claim as home?

It might be a Europe wide obsession.  I saw a German tourist trying to take a tumbleweed home.  How he figured to fit it on an airplane was anyones guess.


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## Yetman (Jun 19, 2008)

Your sister


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## pootle (Jun 20, 2008)

I iz bang up for cowboy boots and hats, and riding horses and ink having thought about it.

And this welding fella is v near Austin!


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## twistedAM (Jun 24, 2008)

pootle said:


> I iz bang up for cowboy boots and hats, and riding horses and ink having thought about it.
> 
> And this welding fella is v near Austin!



Whereabouts exactly?

There's a few decent things to do round and about Austin.

The Hill Country to the west is nice but the little towns have had some new money from the dotcom boom come in. Guess though they wouldn't have survived anyway. Bound to be a "dude ranch" out there for horses.

Gruene (pronounced Green) to the south has the best dancehall. Even if you hate country/folk music it's worth a go and the little town has some nice quirky stores.

It's halfway to San Antonio which is quite pretty. Home to the Alamo of course. Worth it for watching Americans trying to understand their own history. Big Mexican market there too.

I'd go down to Galveston Island too. It'll be well out of season by then but I like it when it's quiet.

The big cities of dallas and Houston aren't really worth it unless you have friends to hang out with and show you the good places, of which there are many but are hidden in amongst the sprawl.

Best bar in Austin by the way is www.myspace.com/clubdeville


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## Strumpet (Jun 24, 2008)

zenie said:


> Also you have to do the whole cowboy thing......it'd be rude not to!


I agree with zenie. Ride a cowboy! Definately bad manners if ya don't. I think it's tradition or summin.


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## twistedAM (Jun 24, 2008)

Strumpet said:


> I agree with zenie. Ride a cowboy! Definately bad manners if ya don't. I think it's tradition or summin.



East Texas ain't much about cowboy culture though Fort Worth tries to keep up its rep as a cowtown.


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## brix_kitty (Jun 24, 2008)

Austin has the biggest urban bat colony in North America, 1.5 million I think. They come out from under the bridge every night (March to November), its quite a show  (esp if you like bats). Also has a pretty good live music scene. San Antonio is cool too, quite quaint.


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## twistedAM (Jun 24, 2008)

brix_kitty said:


> Austin has the biggest urban bat colony in North America, 1.5 million I think. They come out from under the bridge every night (March to November), its quite a show  (esp if you like bats). Also has a pretty good live music scene. San Antonio is cool too, quite quaint.



Oh yeah the bats!! Amazing.


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## girasol (Jun 24, 2008)

Yuwipi Woman said:


> Where do you claim as home?



Wherever I lay my (cowgirl) hat is my home!


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jun 24, 2008)

Strumpet said:


> I agree with zenie. Ride a cowboy! Definately bad manners if ya don't. I think it's tradition or summin.




Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy:


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## D (Jun 24, 2008)

I have a few friends from Texas and they are among the friendliest, warmest people I know.  They just introduced me to a shitload of other friendly, jolly Texans last weekend.

I'm actually quite keen to go to Austin - haven't been there in about 20 years.

If the Asylum Street Spankers aren't on tour, you MUST GO SEE THEM PERFORM!


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## phildwyer (Jun 24, 2008)

Go to El Paso, and cross the bridge into Juarez, Mexico--but be sure to come back before dark.

Go to Big Bend National Park.

Go to Austin--6th St is the place to be.

DO NOT go to Dallas or Houston.


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## D (Jun 24, 2008)

Yuwipi Woman said:


> Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy:




what's up with the creepy mannequin-esque woman (or mannequin?) in the car?


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## brix_kitty (Jun 25, 2008)

phildwyer said:


> Go to Big Bend National Park.



Yup recommend this too - it's the least visited National Park in the US so you virtually get the place to yourself. You can take a raft trip down the Rio Grande too and wave at the Mexicans


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## pseudonarcissus (Jun 25, 2008)

phildwyer said:


> Go to El Paso, and cross the bridge into Juarez, Mexico--but be sure to come back before dark.
> 
> Go to Big Bend National Park.
> 
> ...



Juarez is NASTY! and not very safe at the moment, if you get the chance go deeper into Mexico

Big Bend is good, so is Guadaloupe Mountain National Park (both about 10 hours drive)

Austin and the Hill Country are pleasant (self catering accommodation here

Houston's not so bad, I've been living here nearly 10 years. Dallas has Southfork Ranch and the Grassy Knoll

Forget Galveston, the water is brown and it's ugly with a few nice victorian buildings, much better to get south along the coast to South Padre Island.


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## Pingu (Jun 26, 2008)

I was near a place called plainview.

where we basically wrorked, eat out drank (even though we were in a dry county or was told it was dry anyhow.. didnt see much evidence of that though tbh) and shagged loads of girls who thought our scouse accents were cute

you probably dont really want to hear the last part of that though 

texas is OK, sunbathe, beer and food (lots of and IME quite tasty) will probably be happening.


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## twistedAM (Jun 26, 2008)

pseudonarcissus said:


> Forget Galveston, the water is brown and it's ugly with a few nice victorian buildings, much better to get south along the coast to South Padre Island.



I loved the faded glamour of Galveston and had to go there for the song. You're right about better beaches though.


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## bouncer_the_dog (Jul 10, 2008)

I found Texas to be extremely friendly, fun and Austin is wicked. Also the eating and shopping was ace.


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## Yuwipi Woman (Jul 10, 2008)

Pingu said:


> ....and shagged loads of girls who thought our scouse accents were cute



I wish I could figure out where my accent would get me laid. 

Mine will only get me a job if I go to the east or west coasts.


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## danski (Jul 13, 2008)

Austin.
Get a hot dog from The Best Wurst on 6th and Jacinta as my gfs brother runs it 

but there's lots of other worthwhile things to do there of course


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