Houston - Category of Backgroud

Downtown Houston is at the intersection of I-10 (San AntonioNew Orleans) and I-45 (DallasGalveston), with most of what you'll want to see encircled by Loop 610, now widened on the west to include the huge Galleria mall. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (tel 281/230-3000), 23 miles north, is the main hub for Continental Airlines, while the smaller, domestic William P. Hobby Airport (tel 713/641-7770), is seven miles southeast of downtown, just west of I-45 and a major hub for the budget Southwest Airlines. Both are served by the Airport Express shuttle (tel 713/523-8888), which drops off at the Galleria and downtown hotels ($19 from Intercontinental and Hobby), and Metro buses (from Intercontinental on route #101 or #102: MonFri 5.30ammidnight, Sat and Sun 5.20am12.30am; $1.50; from Hobby on route #101 or #50: daily 5ammidnight; $1.50; www.ridemetro.org ) which run downtown approximately every half-hour. Taxis cost $35 to $45 from Intercontinental, with the downtown fare from Hobby priced at $25 though the fare to the Galleria from here is $35. With these prices, renting a car makes sense for some, and all major companies are represented at the airports.

Amtrak arrives at 902 Washington Ave, on the western fringes of downtown. Have your camera ready for a splendid view of the skyline, though the station itself is small, isolated and barely served by taxis. Try to arrive here, or at the large and modern Greyhound terminal, 2121 Main St, during daylight hours, as the immediate surroundings can feel a bit threatening.

The main tourist office , a huge space with touch-screen computers and other visual displays, is on the first floor of City Hall, 901 Bagby St (daily 9am4pm; tel 713/227-3100 or 1-800/365-7575, www.houston-guide.com ).

HOUSTON has 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 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 coexists with ostentatious wealth.