Houston By/For the Ill-Informed

So maybe I've been giving this city a bit of a bum rap. Or maybe just giving my life one, from which one might infer that I am not yet convinced of the Lone Star State. But just because no one will hire [totally qualified, competent, and pleasant] me, doesn't mean that I've turned against the town entirely. I'm still getting quite a kick out of exploring its vastness/sprawl, and I love the new-ness of it all to me, particularly having come from a town where, on any given night, there were maybe ten potential establishments to patronize, all of which were way too familiar.

Despite having only been here a short while (and despite not venturing out during weekdays because I know I should be home looking for jobs and yes, I should be doing that now too BUT it's Friday, I'm over jobhunting for the week, and I figured blogging would be a good way to occupy the time while my cake bakes), I've already picked a couple favorite spots, laid out for you here in easy-to-read bullet form.

• Brother's Taco House - Located less than seven blocks from our house, our Saturday morning pilgrimage to this taco hut is one of my favorite weekend traditions ever. Their homemade tortillas and various scrambled egg-based fillings are a surprisingly stellar way to start the day. Add in the lightening-quick service and the fact that two tacos fill you up perfectly and cost less than $4, and I'm sold. Yeah, I'm always a little afraid of contracting eColi, but I squirrel away the change from my $5 bill and figure I'll just use all the money I saved to pay the insurance deductible.
• Central Market - Central Market might just be the greatest grocery store in history. It's like Whole Foods, meets Trader Joes, meets the kitchen of your friend from high school whose mom always stocked the cupboards and fridge with the best stuff you never got at home and welcomed you over to graze at your leisure. Sure the place is overpriced, but if you're wily (some might call it cheap) like my boyfriend, you devise a fool-proof method for saving yourself some cash by fudging the weights of all your purchases (they have you weigh and print your own barcodes for everything). Plus, with the overabundance of free samples offered (and not some bullshit free samples, I'm talking jambalaya and ice cream with hot fudge and these beer-flavored gourmet potato chips that are DELICIOUS) you can totally insert a trip to the store for a trip to get lunch, honest to goodness.
• Spec's - (I know, I know, more food/beverage purveyors, so sue me) Spec's is to beer/wine/liquor stores what Central Market is to grocery stores: everything looks great, they have a huge selection of totally obscure items, and again, TONS of free samples. I'd encountered the phenomenon that is liquor store tastings in Australia, but never here in America. Like Central Market, you can substitute a trip to Spec's for say, a mid-afternoon pint or two--admittedly I've only had wine and liquor there, but the level of intoxication achieved will be comparable. Plus, they've got a gourmet deli section with every random ingredient you need and can't find for that off the wall recipe you're making. Something about being able to grab imported mustard, fine chocolate, and morels along with a gallon of whiskey reminds me of heaven.
• Galveston - Fine, Galveston is kind of a shit hole, but it's the beach! Only 45 minutes away! Enough said.
• The Proletariat - I haven't been to nearly all of the major music venues here yet, but the Proletariat is already a favorite. It's just crappy enough--so-so sound, hipster bar staff with attitudes, but some great live acts--to remind me of home/the Black Cat. While they may have no clue what ginger ale is (wtf?), they do have a central bar accessible from three different areas/rooms, and a penchant for putting on great happy hour shows, where the venue's half empty and the drafts are $1 a piece. My roommate's disdain for the place stems from their apparent lack of A/C; I would beg to differ, but in the end I'm not sure the ultimate concert experience is achievable unless you leave the club soaking.
• The Flying Saucer/The Ginger Man - Neither of these spots is perfect (which is why the “best beer selection" title necessitates two candidates) and admittedly I've only visited each one once, but both bars have impressive draft and bottled beer lists. They each lose points for being chain establishments (the former more glaringly so than the latter) but the Flying Saucer has a ridiculously wide-ranging selection and a well-organized, informative beer menu, while the Ginger Man has that home-y feel you crave in a beer bar and just about the best juke box I've ever encountered (which is saying something for picky picky me). Unfortunately the Ginger Man, located in Rice Village, is awash with college and post-college twats, while the Flying Saucer downtown is full of, well, professional twats, but luckily they both offer enough tasty treats that before too long everyone starts blurring in to the background.
• Allen Parkway – Seems a bit ridiculous to include a stretch of road here, but this is Houston and given all the god awful highways encircling the city, it’s beautiful respite to have a visually appealing stretch of road that is seemingly never crowded and in fact useful in getting places. Plus they put this fountain along parkway, which is not only gorgeous, but oh-so-appealing when driving around the city in 95 degree weather in your boyfriend’s car with the broke-ass air conditioning.
• Houston Museum of Natural Sciences - Houston has a surprisingly awesome museum scene, and this is definitely my favorite so far. Someone more familiar with the oil industry (see: everyone in this city) might not be quite as entralled by the enormous exhibit on drilling, and I did feel a bit guilty over the fact that these companies have obviously funded pretty much the entire collection, but hello, that oil drilling probe simulator is awesome! It's the most modern, interactive museum I've ever been to, almost making up for the $12 I wasted seeing Night at the Musuem on the IMAX screen.
• Our Couch – In some ways my life has changed very little since moving to Houston, and indeed, I still spend an inordinate amount of time on the living room couch. This version has yet to develop the well-worn butt divot of our sofa in Charlottesville (it’s coming!), but it’s also newer so I never have that fleeting thought about all the possible substances that have likely been ground in to the fabric over the years that I used to get after multiple hours of sedentary-ness on Ray’s couch. Then again, if I spill something on this one I am totally in trouble, or at least expected to flip the cushion.

So in looking at this list I guess it seems like all I do is sit around and eat and drink. And that would be a largely accurate observation. My gym is decidedly absent from the list given the fact that it is enormous and I get lost in it (honestly, I only know where one lone toilet is, I can never find any more although they were definitely pointed out to me on my initial tour. Oh and also their ceiling leaks poo-water all over the place. And I have to pay $1 for parking). Also missing would be my job (surprise! don’t have one yet), and my horseback riding barn (see: no job). So see, there is some actual activity in my life, or at least there will be in the future, but as long as I'm well-fed and well-drunk, well then I'm pretty happy.