If you're up for about a half-a-day's drive out of Houston, there's about a million things to do. There's the Gulf Coast, the border, New Orleans, the Hill Country and even Dallas. One important component of any road trip is a good truck stop to gas up, stock up and hit the bathrooms. One of the best places we've found is a cluster of truck stops after you cross into Baytown. Each of the stores and bathrooms are big, new and clean. We're partial to the Travel Center of America, which has the Country Pride restaurant and a nice selection of beef jerky and Chinese throwing stars.

Twitter has become increasingly important in both social and business circles, a fact that baffles the general public. How could a "micro-blogging service" that seems to be a vast ocean of noise in 140-character segments be so significant? And how does one use it? That's where Houston-based Dwight Silverman comes in. An early adopter of Twitter (he's been using the service since 2006), Silverman uses his many years of tech experience as the blog editor at the Houston Chronicle, author of several computer books and co-host of the KPFT radio show Technology Bytes, as well as his gentle yet wise hand, to guide the Houston (and national) community of Twitterers. Silverman conveys Twitter-related updates and information throughout the day as well as providing an example to his nearly 6,500 followers of how to be a valuable and influential member of the online community. His Twitter stream is tech-heavy (as are a lot of Twitter users' streams for now), but also features interesting non-tech links and helpful advice to anyone who turns to him with a question.

Skyline views are a dime a dozen. To really take in the city's sweep in all its satanic petrochemical splendor, you need to head over to the Ship Channel area, the engine room of the local economy. It may stink of smoldering benzene and God knows what else over there around the Port of Houston Industrial Complex, but without all those chemical trains, oil tankers and fire-breathing refineries, there would be probably be no River Oaks, Galleria or downtown skyscrapers worthy of the name. And truth be told, honest to God, so help us Jim, there is a sort of savage beauty to that fearsome industry. The 610 bridge is the highest easily accessible point for miles around, and the ideal vantage point to take in the totality of Houston, warts and all.

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