The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 11, 1983, Image 13

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    5
At Ease, The Battalion
Friday, March 11, 1983
Houston
The nightlife of the big city is just 2 hours away
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by Carol Smith
Battalion Staff
If you're tired of life in the
little city, why don't you go
where the action is for spring
break. Only two short hours
away from College Station
you can visit that metropolis
of excitement, heartbreak
and cheap thrills — Hous
ton. Why, you could spend
your whole week there and
not even see every play, go
to every basketball game,
visit every museum or drink
at every club.
To start, you'd have to
find a place to stay. As one of
the fastest growing cities in
the nation, Houston has
more than it's share of hotels
and motels ranging in price
for a single room from $22 at
the Alamo Plaza Motel to
$180 at the Remington of
Post Oak Park. Take your
pick.
If you want to get the big
stuff out of the way first, you
can head to Astroworld, a
huge entertainment center
that covers more than 60
acres. One price buys admis
sion to more than 100 rides
and other attractions, includ
ing the Texas Cyclone, one of
the nation's most exciting
roller coasters. Spend the
day riding the rides, eating
the cotton candy, and drink
ing lots of lemonade
You can head further
south and visit the Johnson
Space Center. The history of
America's space exploration
is depicted in the collection
of spacecraft and flight items
displayed at the center, lo
cated on N.A.S.A. Rd. 1 off
1-45 South. You can take a
self-guided tour which in
cludes the Mission Simula
tion and Training Facility
and the Space Shuttle Orbi-
tor Mockup and Integration
Laboratory. For a guided
tour of Mission Control, call
ahead.
The Houston Symphony
will perform on March 11,
12,19 and 20 at Rice Univer
sity's Hamman Hall. If you
like country and western,
Gilley's Club features two
shows a night by John Con-
lee on March 12 and Hoyt
Axton on March 18.
If you haven't gotten
enough culture, the Houston
Grand Opera will present
''The Merry Widow" on
March 17 and March 21. The
operetta is sung in English
and set in turn-of-the-
century Paris. Showtime is 8
p.m.
The Museum of Fine Arts
has four free exhibits during
the month of March. The
museum is open from Tues
day to Sunday and is located
at 1001 Bissonet.
One of the main attrac
tions in Houston during
March is the Houston Festiv
al. The festival focuses on the
arts community with indoor
and outdoor events in music,
art, theatre, dance, crafts
and ethnic foods. Over 3,000
artists, dancers, singers and
musicians perform outdoors
in eight different stages situ
ated in downtown parks and
plazas. Treat yourself to the
festival's Annual Juried
Crafts and Arts Exhibition,
which features the work of
artists and crafts people from
throughout the United
States. All outdoor events
held in the downtown Hous
ton area are free and open to
the public.
If you're a sports buff, the
Houston Rockets are playing
at the Summit on March 12
and March 15 at 7:30. Or, the
NCAA Midwest Basketball
Regional playoffs will be
played at the Summit on
March 17 and 19. For times
and information, call 961-
9003.
One of the largest of its
kind in the country, the
Museum of Natural Science
offers numerous displays in
cluding the Hall of Space Sci
ence, the Hall of Petroleum
Science and the dinosaur ex
hibit.
If you like history, the San
Jacinto Battleground and the
Battleship Texas is not too
far. The San Jacinto Monu
ment is the tallest masonry
structure in the world. It
overlooks the battleground
where Sam Houston's army
defeated Santa . Anna's
troops to gain independence
for Texas. Then climb aboard
the battleship, veteran of
two world wars and a monu
ment in its own right.
The Hermann Park Zoo
offers 42 acres with
thousands of animals in both
natural outdoor settings and
indoor cages, including a
special 3-acre children's zoo.
When you get hungry,
Houston has many re
staurants offering a variety
of international cuisines. Be
sides numerous steak and
seafood restaurants you can
find Chinese, Japanese, In
dian, French, German, Au
strian, Greek and Mexican
food to suit your taste.
A visit downtown is never
a wasted trip. Houston of the
19th Century and the 21st
Century stand side by side
today. There are six major
historical buildings in Sam
Houston Park, skyscrapers
that form a tribute to modern
architecture and an under
ground tunnel that's 3.1
miles of restaurants, florists,
bookstores and other shops.
If this isn't enough, the
Greater Houston Conven
tion and Visitors Council, lo
cated at 3300 Main Street,
Houston 77002, can provide
you with maps and sche
dules to help you along. The
phone number is 1-800-231-
7799.