Awaken Your Big City Swagger in Houston

Words by Rebecca Deurlein and Nicole Letts

Sometimes the big city calls to you, and you must respond. I live in Houston; Nicole had never been, and it had been a while since I’d seen my city through the lens of a tourist. Who better to share perspectives with than my trusted travel companion? While we went our separate ways for some activities, we also joined up to experience some new offerings in dining (welcome to Texas, Michelin Guide!), immersive art, and cool classes that reflect the kinds of opportunities you get in a city of six million people. Staying smack dab in the middle of Houston proper and absorbing its sights, sounds, and bustling vibe awakened our senses and nudged us out of our comfort zones, exactly what we wanted to kick off a new year. Are you ready to do the same? Houston is calling!

Rebecca’s Itinerary

Learning from the best

I’ve been a student my whole life, and I never tire of learning. Give me a good class, and I’m all in. So when I had the chance to sign up for not one, but two classes, I Ubered to the Heights, a hip community in central Houston. Manready Mercantile, a general store that sells everything from “throne sprays” to deer jerky to whiskey glasses, also hosts a super cool candle-making class. Tucked in the back of the store, the Candle Bar beckons with a delicious complimentary Old Fashioned and dozens of scented oils presented in plastic condiment bottles. I gave each bottle a light squeeze, inhaled jasmine and amber and pine (oh my!), and whittled down my favorites. Then I mixed them in the concentration that most pleased my proboscis, balanced the wick, poured the hot wax, let it sit for an hour or so, and walked out with a custom candle I named Jasmine Nights.

Dashing into another Uber, I headed to Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen for a cooking class entitled, “How to Make Tex-Mex Light.” For those not in the know, Tex-Mex is a unique cuisine that is more than just the combination of two cultures—it combines favorites from just across the border with Texan’s love of smoky meats, and it’s an obligatory cuisine when in Houston. Owner Sylvia Casares, a former Beat Bobby Flay contestant and author of The Enchilada Queen Cookbook, has been teaching home cooks how to make tamales and chili relleno since 2005, but it’s her 20 different enchilada recipes that are the true stars. Sylvia’s classes are demonstration style, but she’s happy to mix it up with another set of hands and even happier to answer all your questions. The best part? Crunching on her homemade chips and salsa while perusing her take-home recipes, then eating everything cooked during the demonstration. There’s no better way to learn about Texas culture than tasting it for yourself, and after this class, you’ll be able to incorporate some of that culture into your home kitchen.

Putting the pedals to the pavement

When you’re in a city, you tend to walk out the door with a mission—dinner in Rice Village, drinks in Midtown, the zoo downtown, or the meditation garden in the Museum District. But if you really want to know your way around all that the city has to offer, hop on a bike with a knowledgeable guide and pedal the streets.

I donned a helmet and entrusted myself to Tour de Brewery, a combination bike and beer tour that includes some history and cool facts about the city. You’ll also make three stops along the way that introduce you to some excellent local beers. After living here for 12 years, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was much I didn’t know about my city. And I learned it by jumping on a bike and becoming part of the metro landscape. I became much more aware of my surroundings and saw everything from a different vantage point. I was able to pause and gaze up at the colorful murals that decorate weathered concrete buildings; pedal through Buffalo Bayou, a quintessentially Texas park (swampy water, alligators, bats dangling from the underside of the Waugh Bridge); and travel along Main Street at a faster pace than the congested traffic allowed. Beer drinkers will love this tour, as just as you’re feeling sweaty and in need of a break, you’ll stop for a cold one and find a whole new appreciation for St. Arnold’s Banger IPA or 8th Wonder’s Mission Control. Houston, we don’t have a problem.

Becoming immersive art aficionados

Nicole and I joined forces to check out an attraction available in only six U.S. cities, Houston being the newest – an immersive art experience called Meow Wolf. If you’ve checked out Santa Fe’s version (the only other southern location), you know that these venues are designed for lovers of fantasy, storytelling, art, and music. You’ll wander the enormous wonderland bursting with color and sound and marvel at the artistry created by over 100 talents. Hidden dioramas, reactive buttons, and doors that lead into other worlds make this a fully interactive experience. We were there for hours and barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do.

When Nicole headed off to her museum, I immersed myself in an artistic experience with a nod toward Houston’s pre-eminent role in space exploration. Artechouse is a place to lose yourself in the art-meets-tech-meets-space continuum. Lie on a Love Sack and gaze up at a black ceiling where laser particles converge into constantly transforming images. Sit in a theater-sized room where images from Hubble telescopes become art that rushes at you and sweeps you up, carrying you out into the universe. It’s the polar opposite of gazing at a Renoir, the only sound hushed whispers of appreciation. This museum works equally well for both left- and right-brained visitors who love a little science and technology with their art. You can wander out to the lobby bar any time you’d like to take a break or hit the gift shop for some otherworldly merch.

Nicole’s Itinerary

Experiencing the curious

It’s been well-documented how much I love a museum. Rebecca often sends me off to spend hours meandering the depths of exhibition halls while I send her to explore the great outdoors. While I’ve never met an art gallery I didn’t love, a city tends to offer museums that are a bit quirkier, so when I discovered Houston was home to the National Museum of Funeral History, I knew it was a must-visit. My macabre October baby heart wouldn’t dream of missing it.

Opened in 1992, the 20,500-square-foot museum is dedicated to the heritage of death care including artifacts of the funeral services industry. The journey begins with presidential funeral items such as the 2003 Cadillac Masterpiece funeral hearse that carried presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, along with detailed information about the funerals of Barbara and George HW Bush. From here, the museum melts into other funeral histories and ceremonies like that of New Orleans’ famous second lines, papal funerals, and a robust collection of funeral programs (called folders) including actual ephemera from Whitney Houston, John Denver, and Marilyn Monroe. 

Getting handsy with candy

Rebecca and I both wanted to participate in as many hands-on experiences in Houston as possible. After all, not every city offers multiple simultaneous learning opportunities. I made my way to the Heights to Papabubble—the only artisanal candy-making company in North America—where I joined owner Jesse Cushman for a few hours of sweet success in a private candy-making class. Cushman patiently guided me through every step of the Papabubble process, showing exactly how his bite-sized cylindrical candies and cheeky lollipops come to be.

Flavored molten sugar is poured onto stainless steel and colored accordingly before being pushed and pulled into hard candies emblazoned with monograms, images, and even logos. For my class, the candy team already had hardened pops ready to go, and I was free to thematically decorate them with a pinch of assistance from the pros. Before long, I found myself giggling at my questionable creativity and losing myself in the process. Meanwhile, Cushman’s team was offering samples of their signature treats. I noshed on caramels, let fluffy, hand-made marshmallows melt on my tongue, and salivated over hard-candy flavors like the ever-popular fruit salad, super sour, berry, and tajin. I left with a bag of lollies for the road and saccharine memories.

Delighting in dishes

According to the City of Houston, the metropolitan area is the most ethnically diverse in the U.S. At least 145 languages are spoken by city residents, and 90 nations have consular representation. As such, Houston’s global influence is one of its best qualities, and that is most evident in its diverse food scene. More than 13,000 restaurants dominate the Houston landscape, so prepare to eat…a lot.

Grab lunch at POST Market, a communal dining hall. Here, you’ll have access to hot chicken and burgers, but you can also find offerings such as Chinese, Mediterranean, and Filipino. ChòpnBlọk is a West African concept that showcases items like coconut curry, jollof rice, and stewed plantains. The bowls are robust and could easily be shared among dining partners. 

For dinner and a show, Toca Madera serves modern Mexican cuisine with flaming beverages against a sexy backdrop. The guacamole topped with pomegranate seeds and lime pepitas and served with plantains is the best place to start before heading onto steak for your main course. Be sure to save room for the Dama de los Muertos dessert – peanut butter mousse is covered in milk chocolate and formed into a skull. 

For a contemporary American menu, opt for Credence where chef Levi Goode presents dishes inspired by his fifth-generation Texan ​​heritage. If you’re lucky enough to be at Credence on a weekend, make your way to its neighboring speakeasy, Sidebar, to be treated to live jazz music and an elevated bar bite menu.

Experience the unexpected at Ishtia located in Kemah, a coastal suburb about 35 minutes southeast of the city. Chef David Skinner presents a twenty-plus course Indigenous tasting menu for just twenty guests per evening. It’s a three-hour food journey in which Chef Skinner, a Choctaw tribal member, explains food and flavor origin stories. Dishes harmoniously flow from one to the other, each one stunning diners in its surprising presentation. Think salad in the form of an edible smudge stick and venison cheek skewers served in potted Aztec grass.

Sleep Tight

La Colombe d’Or Hotel in Montrose offers various accommodations on one gorgeous property, centrally located within the city. All three options have access to the hardworking valets, the lush grounds, and the complimentary snack station.

• The Mansion: The main building, formerly the Fondren Mansion, was designed by noted Texas architect Alfred C. Finn for one of the founders of the Humble Oil & Refining Company. Upstairs are spacious rooms named after artists, and below, a restaurant and bar bustle with activity.

• The Tower: Modern suites and residences fill the tower, which is topped with a gorgeous rooftop bar, recreation area, and lounges for sunset viewing.

• The Garden Bungalows: Apartment-style suites offer guests nine options of one or two bedrooms with full kitchens, living rooms, and outdoor spaces.