- Airports
- Transportation
- Hotels
- Navigating Campus
- Accessibility
- Restaurants
- Bars and Breweries
- Museums and Culture
- Traveling with Children
There’s a good chance that Houston is the biggest city in the U.S. that you haven’t been to yet. Home to more than 2.2 million residents and host of culinary and cultural attractions, Houston offers attendees of Personal Digital Archiving 2018 a chance to explore one of the most diverse, dynamic places around.
While Houstonians know that there’s much to love about this town, our most recent turn in the national spotlight (other than the Astro’s championship!) was of course the devastation wrought by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. The stories of loss and recovery that accompanied the storm highlighted the fragility of our possessions, memories, and even lives–making the topic of preserving personal memories especially vital and urgent. Amidst this backdrop, it’s hard to imagine a more timely pairing of a city and the Personal Digital Archiving Conference.
http://www.uh.edu/about/houston/
Airports
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is the best option if your travel allows, since it is much closer to campus/downtown. Southwest Airlines has many flights out of this airport. Check here for HOU Ground Transportation Info.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is a much larger airport than HOU but it a good distance north of the city. Check here for IAH Ground Transportation Info.
Transportation
- Lyft & Uber are both active in Houston.
- Public transportation is available through METRO. UH campus is on the Purple Light Rail Line, which provides access to the downtown area. It is also served by numerous city buses. UH-specific METRO information can be found here.
Hotels
On campus:
- Hilton, University of Houston campus http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/texas/hilton-university-of-houston-HOUUHHF/index.html
Direct rail ride from campus:
- Hampton Inn Houston Downtown (~$139) http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/texas/hampton-inn-houston-downtown-HOUDWHX/index.html
- Aloft Houston Downtown (~$149) http://www.alofthoustondowntown.com/?SWAQ=958P
- Club Quarters Hotel (~$85) https://clubquartershotels.com/locations/club-quarters-hotel-houston
- Marriot Downtown Houston (~$178) http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houdj-jw-marriott-houston-downtown/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2
Navigating Campus
Parking is available on campus at the Welcome Center & Parking Garage. Parking is free for guests staying at the Campus Hilton, but visitors staying elsewhere will have to pay for parking. Visitors staying downtown may want to consider traveling to campus via METRO rail.
NOTE: If you plan to eat at Eric’s Restaurant in the Hilton Hotel, the restaurant will validate 4 hours of parking with a purchase of $12 (Eric’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner). There are a number of other dining options on campus, with the Student Center South being most convenient to the M.D. Anderson Library.
The M.D. Anderson Library offers a nursing room, located in 264A. The key is available for check out at the Service Desk. There are also gender-neutral restrooms, located on the 2nd floor in the Special Collections lobby.
Consider taking a walking art tour, an audio tour of campus, or visiting our art museum!
Accessibility
The Personal Digital Archiving Conference venue provides ADA-compliant meeting rooms, parking spaces, and accessible restrooms. If you require disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact the Library Service Desk at 713-743-1050. For information on UH Libraries accessibility services, click here.
Off-Campus Restaurants
- Common Bond Cafe & Bakery http://www.commonbondcafe.com/
- Conservatory http://conservatoryhtx.com/ **
- El Real Tex-Mex http://elrealtexmex.com/
- El Tiempo http://eltiempocantina.com/
- Hugo Ortega family of restaurants: https://www.htownrestaurantgroup.com/brands/Xochi**
- Hickory Hollow http://www.hickoryhollowrestaurant.com/
- Indika http://indikausa.com/
- Kanomwan Thai https://www.facebook.com/Kanomwan-136670723043319/
- Local Foods http://www.houstonlocalfoods.com/ **
- Ninfa’s on Navigation http://ninfas.com/ **
- Pappa Charlie’s BBQ http://www.pappacharliesbbq.com/
- Pepper Twins http://www.txpeppertwins.com/
- The Pit Room http://www.thepitroombbq.com/
- Uchi https://uchihouston.com/
Houston’s Award-Winning Restaurants
Houston Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurants in Houston
Bars/Breweries
- 8th Wonder Brewery https://8thwonderbrew.com/
- Anvil http://www.anvilhouston.com/
- Axelrad Beer Garden http://www.axelradbeergarden.com/
- La Carafe https://www.facebook.com/La-Carafe-107567809270676/
- Neil’s Bahr https://neilsbahr.com/
- Okra Charity Saloon http://friedokra.org/okra-charity-saloon **
- The Pastry War http://www.thepastrywar.com/
- St. Arnold’s Brewery https://www.saintarnold.com/
Museums and Culture
- *African American Library at the Gregory School http://www.thegregoryschool.org/
- *Art Car Museum http://artcarmuseum.com/
- Beer Can House http://orangeshow.org/beer-can-house/
- Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern http://buffalobayou.org/visit/destination/the-cistern/
- Discovery Green https://www.discoverygreen.com/ *
- The Galleria http://www.simon.com/mall/the-galleria (this is a shopping mall)
- Holocaust Museum Houston https://www.hmh.org/
- Houston Museum of Natural History http://www.hmns.org/ **
- *James Turrell Skyspace http://skyspace.rice.edu/
- *Menil Museum https://www.menil.org/
- Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/
- Museum of Fine Arts https://www.mfah.org/ **
- National Museum of Funeral History http://nmfh.org/
- The Orange Show http://orangeshow.org/orange-show-monument/
- The Printing Museum http://printingmuseum.org/
- *Project Row House https://projectrowhouses.org/
- *Rothko Chapel http://www.rothkochapel.org/
*free admission
**accessible via METRO rail line https://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/index.aspx Consider downloading the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing app (https://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/MobileTicketing.aspx) for easy ticket purchasing/access. Every fare ($1.25) is good for a three hour time period.
Travel with Children
- Children’s Museum of Houston https://www.cmhouston.org/
- Houston Zoo https://www.houstonzoo.org/
- Space Center Houston https://spacecenter.org/
City Pass
If you’re hoping to see most of the major museums and the Space Center or the Downtown Aquarium, City Pass is a way to bundle admission and save.
https://www.citypass.com/houston
Houston Did you Know?
- Houston was founded in 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen
- Officially, Houston’s nickname is “Space City.” The unofficial list of nicknames includes Screwston, Bayou City, H-Town, Clutch City, and the Magnolia City
- Houston has repeatedly rejected zoning ordinances–in 1948, 1962, and 1993.
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