Cinco de Mayo?

My husband will be in Houston for a convention starting the weekend before Cinco de Mayo, working with and handling a couple of guys from Russia. They probably will be busy on the 5th itself since they%26#39;re running a booth.

Are there any activities or restaurant celebrations that they might enjoy, possibly on May 2 or 3 if not the 5th? It looks like there are some family programs but that%26#39;s probably not the best for them. Eating, drinking, and entertainment would fill the bill. I%26#39;m not sure where they%26#39;re staying but the convention is at the Reliant Center and they%26#39;ll have a car. Is the FantaSea Cinco de Mayo cruise worth doing?

And while I%26#39;m here, are there any tourist attraction that might appeal to Russians LOL? Or that my husband might enjoy on his own if he gets the time?

Thanks for the help!

Cinco de Mayo?

I don%26#39;t know about a good restaurant for Cinco de Mayo on the 2d or 3rd, but having entertained Russians in Houston and San Antonio before, here is what we have found...

#1 attraction -- the Space Center. Russians have a unique pride about our species%26#39; achievements in space travel. We brag about our own achievements, but they take pride in humanity regardless of the country. The tours are the most interesting for them.

#2 -- the museum district. The museum of fine arts is especially nice, but depending on their background, they may well enjoy the geophysical exhibits in the museum of natural history. If they are from Gazprom, etc, take them.

#3 -- Galveston. They don%26#39;t care if the water is brown -- simply being photographed at a beach is important. They may feel like they HAVE to swim, with the beach so close by.

#4 -- a country nightclub. Having not been exposed to country music, they%26#39;ll probably hate it, but they like to be able to say they%26#39;ve done something ';Texan,'; even if this is not an authentic taste.

#5 -- Shopping. Again, this depends on where they hail from. If it is remote, then a US mega-mall may be overwhelming. Go by Rice Village, and let them browse. If they hail from Moscow or St Petersburg, then they may not care much for shopping, except maybe for a souvenir (see Space Center / Galveston for those).

For Tex-Mex, steer them away from enchiladas, and more towards Arrechera and/or Fajitas, or anything more authentically Mex-Mex. They won%26#39;t know what to order, but they all seem to love a good cut of steak.

For that matter, be sure to go to a good BBQ restaurant at least once. Get them to try the brisket, and if you know the restaurant has a good one, the sausage.

Cinco de Mayo?

Will they be attending the big Off Shore Drilling convention that%26#39;s held here in Houston every year?

Mike_In_Tx has some good suggestions, especially the first one. While Space Center Houston may be more for the kids, a drive to NASA out in Clear Lake may be good just to see the entrance and a few of the rockets used.

In terms of food, definitely check out a few Tex-Mex places. Usually you can%26#39;t go wrong with the chains such as Ninfa%26#39;s or Pappasitos since they will probably have specials for margaritas and fajitas. (Don%26#39;t forget to tell them that the ';j'; in fajitas is pronounced like an ';h';.) There are a few authentic Mexican places that are not to far by car from Reliant Park. If interested let me know.

As for shopping, I notice many do come with a shopping list to bring back home to their countries. Galleria is not to be missed since they can find most of their list at this mall. And since they are internationals, they do qualify for Houston Tax Free shopping. More information can be found using this link: www.txtaxback.com/locationsenglish.html .

Let us know if there%26#39;s anything else.

As it turns out, the Russians have been the last two years - yes, it%26#39;s the Off shore convention (they%26#39;re in metal). So apparently they have an idea of what they like to do generally - but it seems nothing in particular for Cinco then?

Hi M,

I would head for some fun Midtown area spot for Cinco de Mayo; Cyclone Anaya%26#39;s will have good food, not ';too'; Tex Mex for your visitors, and I am sure CA will have something festive going on on May 5th.

Midtown is just a good place to go for restuarants, nightlife and good food; whether you want an upscale meal (try Ibiza!), a drink (lots of bars, and you can park and walk to the different ones), or dessert at Coco%26#39;s Crepes.

This is a great website that can help your husband find good places in H-town:

http://www.b4-u-eat.com/

Enjoy!

cc,

Cupcake

Hi,

Just read theat Cyclone Anayas is having a big CDM party. Go to ';www.cycloneanayas.com'; for info.

cc,

cupcake

Thanks, I found that party and will let DH about it but that was not the link; it%26#39;s:

http://www.cycloneanaya.com/events.htm

Cyclone Anayas is in Midtown and a happening place in Houston. Both CA and El Patio on the corner of Brazos and Bremond will have something, but so would most of the other bars in the area where you could expect Coronas, Tecate, and margaritas to be the specials of the day. By El Patio, there are 5 bars/pubs within the tiny block.

Just try to get into one of the vendor%26#39;s parties... I have been to crawfish/shrimp boils...Astros games...unlimited Margherita%26#39;s for one vendor...

and all of it was free.

for OTC discounted tickets:

鈥lb.com/hou/ticketing/group_otc.jsp

Mike, you sure know Russians! It turned out they did want to see the beach so headed down to Corpus Cristi for the weekend, leaving DH free to watch his beloved Boston Celtics take the series from our home town Bulls.