Note: Because there ain't a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays!
Despite the flood of people arriving here for the first time every day, Houston has never been a tourist town. Ask anybody: the skiing sucks, the mosquitos are packing heat and the traffic is stressful enough to put one off the very concept of travel for life. As an added bonus, the weather is too unpredictable to reliably support human civilization.
And honestly, that's pretty dope. It's just us hustlers down here, with no goony vacationers feeding the pigeons and asking us how to get to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. But every now and again, you're going to have some out-of-town relatives and friends come through who are going to want to "see the sights." And for some reason, these people are not content with simply sampling some bomb-ass Mexican food.
For God's sake, do not take them to the Galleria. Be a real G and show them a side of city life that they're never going to see or experience in whatever shitburg they flew in from. Show them the important places where Houston's one-of-a-kind, world-famous hip-hop culture was draped up and drank'd out: the top tourist destinations of Houston rap.
You won't find any roller coasters, theme restaurants, or towering monuments at any of these spots. But you will find more than enough street food, souvenir T-shirts and bootleg DVDs to satisfy any tourist cravings you might be forced to reckon with. Bring a map, and maybe keep a strap on you -- just in case.