Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau

Borrring.
Came here with some friends while exploring Houston during the day (exploring tunnels and stuff is a lot of fun) and it was just blah. The entry is interesting (the one closest to the big water feature/​pond thing) it has a pretty cool décor and old architecture, etc. That was worthwhile to see, but the main visitor center was just a bunch of Texas/​Houston trinkets and walls of brochures. Which, while helpful, doesn’t really make it a «go to» destination in my book.
Worth stopping by if you’ve moving through the area, but I imagine it’d be kinda disappointing otherwise.

Even though I’m a Houstonian, I decided to visit this place to see if it was good for any of my out of town friends, or if there was any good historical stuff to see. I also wanted to snap a few shots for Wikipedia. While there was a bit of interesting historical tidbits around, it looked like mostly coffee mugs, t-​shirts, and other various novelty items for sale.
I was sort of insulted to see the Texas A&M and University of Texas at Austin merchandise for sale here, without any University of Houston or even Rice gear. I spent a good 20 minutes walking around checking everything out, but nothing really appealed to me.
When I asked if I could get validated for parking in the Theatre District Underground Parking Garage, I was rudely told by the woman at the counter that they «didn’t do that.» I told her that I’d read it on their website, and then she said «That’s only for visitors.» Puzzled, I figured maybe she meant it’s for out-​of-​towners only or something. Then she says, «If you want to buy something, then I can help you validate your parking.» I explained to her that even though I’d like to buy something in an effort to donate to the Visitor’s Bureau, I didn’t really see anything I’d like to actually buy. I told her I would grab a bottle of water if it would help. Upon arriving back at the register, the woman tells me «See? This is how it works here.» I did my best to keep a smile on my face, but the woman was just plain rude. After all, it’s not like I just walked in and out or anything, I was a legitimate potential customer.
After walking across the hall to the Administration office which actually validates the parking, I came across yet another rude person. I approached the woman and asked «Can you validate parking?» The woman looks at me and says «Validate parking for who?». It was as if I had asked her to shine my shoes or something. I said, «Well, I just came out of the Visitor’s Center, and they told me you could validate.» She pulled out a book for me to sign, and I was gladly on my way.
Needless to say, I won’t be asking for validation if I come back. I’m not cheap enough to be talked down to so much for a lousy 1 hour parking in a crowded garage.

I’m Houston Proud!
Don’t know what that means? I guess you’re newbie to Houston (it’s an old marketing campaign).
Well, you’ll just have to go back to the seventies to appreciate the fact that Houston has changed a lot for the better. We have an emerging downtown, world class opera & ballet, world class medical center, Johnson Space Center, a decent economy, and great food. I’ll give you that our sports teams are up and down, and I won’t really bring up our terrible transit system. And for some reason, people from around the country and the world visit Houston (some of whom are friends, family or coworkers that you’ve become responsible for showing around town).
Enter the Greater Houston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. Located on the first floor of the Art Deco City Hall, the Bureau is a resource for all things Houston. It’s got a bit of a Disney feel to this shop (how much was the consulting fee for this one?), but I must admit, it’s a really interesting place. Amidst the standard Texana & Houstonana items for sale, you’ll find models of the Int’l Space Station & Saturn Rocket, a statue of Sam Houston, Rockets/​Texans/​Astros memorabilia, a multi-​media theater, and murals to Houston’s history.
This is a great first stop as tour guide to your Out-​Of-​Towners. There are brochures & maps, and a helpful staff that will guide you to interesting things. The many things that are for sale aren’t all that tacky. In fact, I found a great deal on a retro palm straw cowboy hat.
You know that you’re not really that into Houston (you live here), but do a favor for your Out-​Of-​Towner and drag them to a place that’s a little more tangible than a website.
Did I mention that you can actually get a free hour of parking outside of City Hall when you visit the Visitor’s Bureau…