We decided to make the 3-hour drive in to Houston in the evening, which had us arriving there around 11:00 p.m. We were booked at a Travelodge near the airport. We've stayed at Travelodge hotels before and they are fine (no Holiday Inn, but fine). So we arrive in the dark. We find the Travelodge sign, which points us to the hotel. Down a dark alley-like street. Poorly lit. There is a hotel back there in the dark. We are hesitant. We lock our car and walk toward the lobby. There is no sign ON the building or on the door indicating that this is, in fact, the Travelodge.
People are standing around outside. Odd at this hour. A note on the locked lobby doors directs us to a walk-up window. The people outside are waiting to speak with the hotel clerk, who is behind a bullet-proof glass window.
I failed. I did not read the online reviews before making this reservation. The price was right. We'd stayed at Travelodge before, as I mentioned. As we were waiting to speak to the clerk and debating whether or not to even check in, the girls in front of us were asking the clerk to come unclog the toilet in their room.
We fled. Got in the car, drove to a fairly well-lit McDonald's parking lot and started looking for another hotel. We found a Super 8 near Space Center Houston and were able to get a room. I wrote an extensive e-mail this morning to the hotel requesting a refund and a thorough review of that particular property. Read some reviews of it this morning and saw some other traveler photos. Scary!
Read the reviews, my friends!
A good night's sleep, a quick stop at Starbucks (across the street from this adorable McDonald's -- the astronaut has fries in his hand!), and we quickly found Space Center Houston.
There it is!
Here's Cassie touching a moon rock while taking a selfie.
The introductory movie was good, and the exhibits were interesting. A new exhibit is opening next week. Sorry we missed that.
We weren't going to take the tram tour because it was warm and humid outside, but ended up doing it anyway because the IMAX theater was filled with loud elementary kids on a school tour and we walked out of the movie. This is the only building we saw, though, because while we were in here looking at the astronaut training building (there are actual-size space vehicles in there) a downpour started outside, and there was lightning. The rest of the tour was cancelled. NASA was prepared for this and handed us stylish rain ponchos to wear on the tram ride back to Space Center Houston. I'm pretty sure the stuff in this picture is from Iron Man and Doc Oc. I couldn't really hear the tour guide.
Since it was pouring rain and we found Houston scary, we decided to head for Beaumont, Texas. The driving was not fun in the downpour, but we made it!
Crossed this pretty bridge along the way (after the rain stopped).
Trip Advisor recommended Boomtown BBQ Company. We were there around 3pm, so the place was empty, but they were very nice. The chopped beef sandwiches and cheesy potatoes were yummy. If you're near Beaumont, GO THERE.
After our late lunch/early dinner we were looking for something else to do and found that Beaumont has a mall. We walked through the entire place. Cassie found Ulta. Then we sat in one of their comfy seating areas to start reading hotel reviews. After reading LOTS of reviews (we're gun shy now after the Houston Travelodge), we decided to head to Louisiana and ended up in Lake Charles for the evening, Will see how the weather is tomorrow, but there's a nice walk around the lake, a rum distillery, and a Mardi Gras museum that I think Cassie will enjoy.
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