Houston

May 18-20, 2024
AC591 YYZ-IAH, AC580 IAH-YUL, AC2195 YUL-YYZ

With Hyatt having a special promotion for stays at Thompson Hotels and a very good Thompson rate in Houston, it was an excellent excuse for me to spend the long weekend in Houston. Tom wanted a break from travel and was happy to have a week at home with the cats and his motorcycle, so I had planned to leave for Houston on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, Houston got hit with a freak derecho storm just before my arrival that caused a lot of damage and power disruptions at various pockets in the city.

May 18

After strongly considering canceling the trip, I was reassured that the hotel was operating normally and that the immediate area was safe. Being sensitive to causing disruption to a recovering city, after confirming with a few friends, I decided that it would be fine to attend, as long as I was aware of the impacted areas. The damage was very localized, creating a very strange dichotomy of completely normal next to damaged spaces. The Thompson was a lovely new hotel, recently opened in a new development across from my first Houston apartment. After landing in Houston, I was able to pick up the rental car and get to the hotel, passing little evidence of the storm damage other than some piled up branches on the edge of the highway.

View of downtown from The Thompson Hotel

Federal Reserve Building, my first Houston Apartment neighbour

To be cautious, I stayed pretty close to the hotel for the first night, and met a friend for dinner right nearby, at one of my regular Houston restaurants that I first enjoyed when I lived nearby, 10 years earlier.

May 19

Before traffic got too busy, I decided to drive around and do a bit of shopping and survey the immediate area. I didn’t have to get too far from the hotel to find areas still without power and people unsure how to handle uncontrolled intersections. I was certainly glad that I was not navigating in the dark. After getting back to the hotel, I decided to explore downtown on foot and visited the centre of the storm’s damage. Later in the day, I reconnected with friends, and ended the day with dinner and drinks at our favourite Tex-Mex restaurant.

Wind-damaged stop sign

Blown out office tower windows still being boarded up

More of the damage around the Hyatt Regency

Construction crews still working through the debris

The worst of the downtown damage I witnessed

Margaritas and Tex-Mex with good friends

After dinner, I had more time to visit with my friend Karen before heading back to the hotel.

May 20

With an early morning flight, and some uncertainty about any further impacts from the storm, I headed to the airport early and dropped off the rental car. After a brief lounge visit, I was on my way back to Toronto and home by early afternoon for the rest of the Victoria Day Holiday.