Keith’s Blog – November 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi. November has historically been a slower month than those months that surround it. However, in 2018, that is changing. The 5-day Quilt Festival Houston has moved to the first full week in November. It begins on a Wednesday and continues through Sunday. In past years, the Quilt Festival began in October and continued into the first weekend in November. Now, it is exclusively in November. This is the biggest annual event in Houston, with over 60,000 people attending and filling the George R. Brown Convention Center. We offer 8 different quilt tours that go to over one dozen towns in Texas. Enjoy a day out in the country and in towns that you have been meaning to visit someday. Today is that day. Check them out and sign up for one, . . . or two, . . . or. . . .

The latter portion of the month is generally slower than the beginning of the month. With the Thanksgiving holiday and people departing to be with friends and family in other cities and states as well as those individuals and families who are hosting friends and family and watching lots of football, less people go on tours. Throw in Black Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and many people have already been planning their alternative activities.

Weather in Houston

The weather is pleasant, if a little cool. You might want to wear a light jacket. This is a wonderful month to go on any of the tours that involve being outside. Keep in mind if you went on a Wine Tour or San Jacinto State Park Tour between April and September, you would likely be drenched in sweat. Go now while the weather is comfortable.

November is Houston’s fourth coldest month. However, do not be intimidated by the previous sentence. Cold in Houston is still warm in most of the world. Be prepared to wear a sweater or jacket. The monthly average high temperature is 73 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 53 degrees Fahrenheit/12 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 63 degrees Fahrenheit/17 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 4.54 inches/11.5 centimeters. It is tied for the fifth wettest month of the year.

Tours Below

Mention that you read about any of the tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount in the month of November. What a deal!

National Food Day Tours
Did you know that:

  • November 5th is National Doughnut Day II? The first Friday of June is National Doughnut Day I.
  • November 6th is National Nachos Day?
  • November 10th is National Vanilla Cupcake Day?
  • November 11th is National Sundae Day?
  • November 29th is National Lemon Cream Pie and National Chocolates Day?

We will create a customized 3-hour themed tour for your enjoyment anytime in this month for the above gastronomical sensations. Who does not like comfort food?

Wine Tours
November is a great month to go on a wine tour. See the countryside, sit outside sipping one sample of wine after another at a variety of wineries, possibly listening to a musical performer, and all without sweating – what a wonderful way to spend a day! We offer 5 different winery tours that venture into different directions to a total of 14 wineries + 2 wine tasting rooms = 16 sites. Eleven of the wineries have their vineyards attached to the winery. It cannot get much fresher than when you see where your product has been grown. Sometimes, you can walk or stagger through the vineyards.

You can go to 1 to 4 wineries on these tours. The tours can last from 3 hours one close winery to 12 hours for 4 more remote wineries. Most wineries offer 4 different samples from dry, semi-dry, sweet, and dessert wines. All of these wineries or tasting rooms are in or close to rural towns with names like Brenham, Chappell Hill, Burton, Bryan, College Station, Old Town Spring, Montgomery, Plantersville, Anahuac, Sour Lake, Winnie, Anahuac, and Baytown. If you wish to purchase any bottles of wine, the prices of such bottles are generally much cheaper than going to a store. Many of these wines are only available on site or in local stores. Stock up for the holidays. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on these tours.

San Jacinto State Park Tours
Another popular tour in November is going to the San Jacinto State Park. This is normally a six-hour tour. Go inside the San Jacinto Monument, Observation Deck, the San Jacinto Museum of History, watch the Charlton Heston narrated movie “Texas Forever! The Battle of of San Jacinto” and see the diorama. The Monument is the tallest monument in the United States at 567 feet/173 meters. It is taller than the Washington Monument because a Star of Texas caps it. This is the most important battle of Texas’s War of Independence where on April 21, 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and on the next day the Texans captured Santa Anna. This tour also includes going onto and inside the Battleship Texas, the only surviving US battleship from both World War I and II and the only one that survives that served in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during WW II. It was the first ship adapted to serve as an aircraft carrier. For groups of 14 or fewer people in a van or sedan, we will also go on a ferry boat. The ferry cannot have buses on it. Lunch is at a great restaurant that specializes in seafood and with huge windows with the best view of the Houston Ship Channel. You will watch barges and oil tankers passing us. If we skip going onto the Battleship Texas, the tour can be shortened to five hours.

City Tours
Of course, if you are visiting Houston for the first time, or new to Houston and still learning your way around, go on one of our city tours. You have 8 options ranging from 2 to 9 hours, depending on how much you want to do and see. Four hour tours and longer generally have one stop per hour and on Monday through Friday include a brief walk through the underground downtown tunnels. Five hour tours and longer have a stop for lunch. Houston has over 7.5 miles/12.1 kilometers of pedestrian tunnels. These tunnels form a city underneath downtown Houston with over 500 businesses and 10 food courts. They are air conditioned or heated and dry. They are a secret gem in Houston. These driving tours can cover from about 20 to 60 miles/32 to 97 kilometers when from 2 to 9 hours.

If you are visiting Houston for the first time and will be here for a number of days, you might want to schedule a 6 or more hour tour on your first day. This will enable you to drive-by and see more sites that you might want to visit at greater length during your stay in Houston.

Monthly Special – Discounted by 17 to 43% Based on the Number of People
The monthly special for November is a Houston Heights Walking Tour. This 2.5-hour tour focuses on going through the old downtown area of the Houston Heights, the area where serial killer Dean Corll lived, by beautiful old Victorian homes, Marmion Park, Opera in the Heights, Hits Theater, where a reservoir exists, one of the best spice shops in Houston, Penzeys, can be found and more. The weather is crisp, the leaves are different colors, and the big oak trees are imposing. You will find yourself returning to the Houston Heights to go shopping and eating now that you know what it has to offer.

Monthly Special Prices

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is a 17% discount off the regular price of $30.00 per person.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20% discount off the regular price of $25.00 per person.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off the regular price of $20.00 per person.
    $15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.


Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – Mid-October 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Keith Rosen

Hello to all of our new and continuing members. In the past month from September 15th to the present, my tour guides and I have had the pleasure to conduct tours for hundreds of people to and of:

 

Now that we are in the month of October and the temperatures are becoming more moderate, we offer over one dozen outdoor walking tours. We only offer these tours through March. By April, the temperature are just too hot and the weather too humid. In 2000, when I began the company, we offered these tours year round, but over the years, we have continued to make adjustments due to the changing climate. Take advantage of some of these tours to see different parts of Houston.

See the October blog from 2 weeks ago to see special offers that we are offering this month.

I occasionally ask trivia questions to provide discounts for our clientele to earn if they like Houston history. I am a sports fan and Houston fan. October is the best month to follow sports as we have baseball, basketball, football, and soccer all being played. Be the first to answer the following questions to receive a 20% discount off any local tour, excluding additional expenses such as admissions to museums or institutions.

  1. From what city and in what year did the Houston Rockets come here?
  2. From what city and in what year did the Houston Dynamo come here?
  3. In what year did the baseball team first play and what was the original name of the Houston Astros?
  4. What was the last year of the Houston Oilers and what was the first year of the Houston Texans?
  5. What were the last years of the major league Houston Aeros and the minor league Houston Aeros?

Good luck!

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s Blog – October 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi. October is one of our busiest months. The reasons for this are two-fold:

October has arguably the best weather of any month in the year. It is moderate. The temperatures are generally in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit/20s Centigrade. The humidity starts to fall in autumn. The most active hurricane period ends in September. We now have safe and pleasant weather. It is a relief after 5 months, May through September, of oppressive heat and humidity.

We have Halloween on October 31st. Houston Historical Tours offers nine different haunted tours. This includes 6 driving tours of 3.5- hours and 3 downtown walking tours of 2, 3, and 4 hours. We conduct on average of about 2 haunted tours per month from November to September. However, in October, associated with Halloween’s folklore of spooks, ghosts, orbs, and apparitions, we conduct 10 to 15 such tours. Most such tours start at 7:00 PM, but we are flexible and can star the tours at almost any time as long as we finish before midnight. You can read more about these haunted tours further in this blog.

Weather in Houston

October is Houston’s sixth warmest month. You probably do not need a jacket unless it is for water resistance. The monthly average high temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 62 degrees Fahrenheit/17 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 72 degrees Fahrenheit/22 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 5.26 inches/13.4 centimeters. It is the third wettest month of the year.

Now, for some reminiscing:

Hurricane Harvey – August 25 – 29, 2017

Fourteen months ago, Houston endured the hurricane that resulted in the most property damage, $125 billion, in our history. Many, if not most Houstonians, including me, had some damage. However, we have been pulling through and getting on with our lives. According to the Houston Forward Times, Harvey dumped 15 trillion gallons/56,250,000,000,000 liters of water on Houston. We received 51 inches/130 centimeters, almost Houston’s annual amount of rain in less than one week. Yet, Hurricane Harvey resulted in a total of only 107 people dying directly and indirectly, of which 93 were in Texas of which only 14 were in the Houston area. It is notable and a relief to distinguish the disparity between property and human destruction. We have much to celebrate. We all have much to learn and to implement if we want to reduce future destructions from catastrophic storms.

Until August 2017, I thought Harvey was a six foot, three and one-half inch tall invisible rabbit that was Jimmy Stewart’s best friend and meant no harm to anyone in the 1950 comedy.

 

Tours Below

Mention that you read about any of the tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount in the month of October. What a deal! This cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounted tours.

National Food Day Tours
Did you know that October 14 is National Dessert Day, October 18th is National Cupcake Day, and October 28th is National Chocolate Day? We will create a customized 3-hour Dessert Tour and a customized 3-hour Cupcake Tour to offer in addition to our 3-hour Chocolate Tour for any day in October. Who does not like comfort food?

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) Tours
Since 1985 October has been NBCAM. Select one or more of our three Women’s History Tours. Perhaps, you will be enlightened. If you select two or three such tours, you will receive a 20% discount off of the second tour and 30% off of the third tour.

Haunted Tours
Our driving tours include going to abandoned cemeteries, bars where people have been murdered or committed suicide, former hotels and hospitals where people were killed and died, drive by the mansion homes of River Oaks where people were murdered, and so much more. Two driving tours go to other cities about 30 miles/48 kilometers from Houston in Katy and Spring. Two tours specialize in only going to abandoned and lost cemeteries that may be hidden in jungle-like areas. Three tours are children friendly with no stops at haunted bars. The three downtown Walking Tours are of 2, 3, and 4 hours with the 4 hour tour having everything that the 2 and 3 hour tours have. This tour goes into the oldest operation building in downtown Houston. It was built in 1860, over 150 years ago and just 24 years after Houston was found. The walking tours focus on the oldest parts of Houston where you will see Allen’s Landing, the site where the Allen family landed in 1836 to become the first settlers of Houston.

Wine Tours
The state of Texas has designated October as Texas Wine Month. Check our website for dozens of wine tour opportunities. We take people to a total of 16 wineries and tasting rooms in 13 different cities. We offer 5 different geographic located wine tours with from 1 to 4 wineries and or tasting rooms on them. The average winery tour includes 4 tastings at each winery. The tours can last from 3 to 12 hours depending on how many wineries you want to visit and how far you want to travel. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Salud/La’ chaim/Cin cin.

Brewery Tours
October is the month for Oktoberfest. It was called Wurstfest in earlier years. Although this is supposed to be a celebration of sausage, it makes for a good excuse for drinking beer. In the greater Houston area, we now have over 25 craft or micro-breweries. Check our website for dozens of brewery tour opportunities. These can range from 2 to 10 hours with one to six breweries in one day. A couple of breweries have their own restaurants on the properties. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Prost/Cheers/Ariba/Sante, Skal/Slainte.

October Monthly Special – Downtown Walking Tour F
Discounted by 17% to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for October is Downtown Walking Tour F. This is a great month to be outside walking. The focus of this tour is Buffalo Bayou, 6 performance halls, statues, parks, and historic sites and buildings. This tour starts in the rotunda located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. This includes:

  • The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts,
  • The Wortham Theatre Center,
  • Houston Ballet Center for Dance,
  • Bayou Place with the Bayou Music Center, numerous restaurants, and a memorial to former US Congressman Albert Thomas,
  • The Alley Theatre,
  • Jones Hall,
  • Hogg Palace,
  • Buffalo Bayou Beast (our own pretend creation of a Loch Ness monster),
  • Buffalo Bayou Park,
  • Tranquility Park,
  • Sesquicentennial Park,
  • Market Square Park,
  • Fish Plaza,
  • Jones Plaza,
  • Statue of “In Minds” by Tony Cragg,
  • Statue of George Herbert Walker Bush,
  • Statue of James Baker, III, and
  • Statue of Virtuoso.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

Warnings:

  • Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only one public bathroom MAY be accessible during this tour.
  • We will be walking on uneven pavement, over curbs, and up and down stairs. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  • If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole walking tour. Thus, we will have to omit some sites.

 

Monthly Special Prices
(along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 6 or more people):

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is a 17% discount off the regular price of $30.00 per person.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20% discount off the regular price of $25.00 per person.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off the regular price of $20.00 per person.
    $15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

 

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s blog – Mid September 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hello to all of our new and continuing members. In the past month from August 15th to the present, my tour guides and I have had the pleasure to conduct tours for hundreds of people to and of:

  1. Multiple Heights Tours.
  2. Customized Museum and History Tour.
  3. Pick-up a New Zealand family from a Galveston cruise ship for tours of Galveston, Space Center Houston, Houston, and Buc-ee’s.
  4. Ice Cream Tour.
  5. River Oaks Tour.
  6. Weird and Unique Houston Tour.

 

This summer, I went on two different cruises: one for 7 days in Hawaii in June and 1 land and cruise tour for 12 in August. I got a last minute volcano special deal for the Hawaiian cruise and I planned the Alaskan cruise for months ahead. I try to get away from Houston’s oppressive heat and humidity as well as the hurricanes each August. I think that cruising is one of if not, the best bang for one’s buck. You have all of your meals, housing and entertainment for one price and you get to visit foreign and exotic lands and have one adventure after another. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, excursions refer to the land activities that one has the option to select in each port of call. These excursions can double the price of the cruise. In Alaska, I went on excursions to see bear, deer, moose, antelope, salmon, totem poles, lighthouses, glaciers, icebergs, a state wild animal rescue center, and a former Indian village. I rode a 1906 train that retraced the route of the 1896 Klondike gold rush and I took history and haunted tours.

As I travel, I always wonder if this vacation could make for a good tour and would people be interested. Last year, I spent 3 weeks in Germany and England during August. Who knows where I will be in next August? Please let me know if you and or your friends would like to see an out of state/nation tour planned for the future. Thank you.

I will be sharing in this and the other mid-month blogs various national days of eating and offering special discounts. For example:

  • September 13th – National Chocolate Day
  • September 20th – National Rum Punch Day
  • September 21st – National Pecan Cookie Day
  • September 29th – National Coffee Day

 

If you choose to go on any of our 2 or 3-hour Chocolate, Rum, Cookie, or Coffee Tours in the remainder of September, you will receive a 20% discount!

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s Blog – September 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

 

Hi. Now that school is in session, the queues, congestion, and noise at Space Center Houston and museums are now shorter. These institutions are more attractive to visit without the distractions, waits, and loudness to endure. City tours are always good year-round. September is also the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Weather in Houston

September is the fourth hottest month of the year and the second rainiest month of the year. The monthly average high temperature is 89 degrees Fahrenheit/32 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit/22 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 81 degrees Fahrenheit/27 degrees Centigrade. It is the fifth consecutive month when the temperature is in the 30 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 5.6 inches/14.3 centimeters. This is the most active major hurricane prone month. Remember:

  1. The Great Storm on September 8th, 1900.
  2. Hurricane Carla from September 11th to 14th, 1961.
  3. Hurricane Rita on September 17th, 2005.
  4. Hurricane Ike on September 13th, 2008.

Bring a raincoat and an umbrella. Wear light clothing. It is still hot and humid.

 

Tours Below

Mention that you read about any of the tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount in the month of September. What a deal!

Hispanic Themed Tours

Hispanic Heritage Month is an unusual holiday in that it begins in the middle of the month on September 15 and continues into the first half of October through the 15th. The reason for this unique recognition is:

  1. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared their independence, on September 15, 1821.
  2. Mexico declared its independence, on September 16, 1810. It was recognized, on September 27, 1821.
  3. Chile declared its independence, on September 18, 1810.

 

Read about the 4 Hispanic tours that we offer by clicking here. This link will bring you to full information about our Hispanic tours in Houston.

Space Center Houston Tours

Give yourself at least 6 hours to:

  1. See the 40+ minute IMAX film on the largest IMAX screen in Texas.
  2. View the 18 minute film on Human Destiny that traces NASA’s history from 1961 to 2011.
  3. Hear the 15 to 25 minute speaker about current and future projects that NASA is formulating.
  4. Listen to the 15 to 20 minute representative talk about Living in Space.
  5. Give yourself 20 to 60 minutes, depending on whether you want to read every placard to tour the Independence Plaza sites of going into a 747 and a mockup of a space shuttle.
  6. Allow 1.5 to 2.0 hours to ride on the tram to go to 2 or 3 sites including Rocket Park to see Mercury (1961 – 1963) and Saturn V (1968 – 1972) rockets, the former mission control, and or the astronauts training facility. Saturn Vs were rockets that were used to launch men to the moon.
  7. Have a narrative tour for 30 minutes through the Starship Gallery history museum including touching a moon rock and going through a replica of the first space station from 1973 and 1974 called Skylab.
  8. Spend 20 to 30 minutes to eat lunch at the Zero G Diner.
  9. Shop for 20 minutes in the Space Trader store for souvenirs and gifts.
  10. Stand in queues and walking from one activity to another for some unknown length of time.

Ask yourself the questions, when were you last here and when will you return again. This might be a once in a lifetime or decade trip.

City Tours

We offer 9 tours ranging from only 2 to 9 hours. Decide how much you want to see, how many places that you want to get out and take photos, and how many places that you want to go inside. These tours will cover from about 15 to 70 miles.

September Monthly Special – Tunnel Tour C –
Discounted by 17% to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for September is the 2.5-hour Tunnel Tour C. This is the longest tunnel tour that we offer with about 4.0/6.4 kilometers of walking. It goes through 3 hotels including the Hyatt Regency and Doubletree and through several businesses. It includes going to a 12th floor observation deck and taking the glass elevator facing the street in the Hyatt Regency Hotel to the 31st floor Spindletop bar and restaurant. Although Spindletop is closed during the day, the elevator rides can offer great views.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

Warnings:

  1. A walking tour only moves as fast as the slowest person.
  2. Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only about two public bathrooms are accessible during this tour. Most of the businesses in or operating over the tunnels do not allow the general public to use their bathrooms.
  3. Not all of the tunnels are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 accessible. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  4. If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole tunnel tour. Thus, we will have to omit some buildings.
  5. We go on elevators and escalators. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you have a phobia about either of these mechanical devices.

You cannot take photos inside the banks. Taking photos elsewhere is fine.

Monthly Special Prices
(along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 6 or more people):

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is a 17% discount off the regular price of $30.00 per person.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20% discount off the regular price of $25.00 per person.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off the regular price of $20.00 per person.
    $15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

 

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – Mid-August 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hello, my friends.  I am writing this short blog from Denali, Alaska.  I am visiting Alaska for the first time.  I am spending 4 days touring by land, rail, and bus.  I am then spending 8 days cruising by ship.  The temperatures have ranged from about 45 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit/7 to 22 degrees Centigrade.  I wear a layer of clothing and have never sweated or been uncomfortable.  The scenery is magnificant.  In 2015, Mount McKinley was renamed by its original First American name Denali.

In the meantime, I keep receiving emails and telephone calls to conduct tours.  My other tour guides are leading at least one-half dozen tours in Houston, including city, haunted, Galveston, weird and unique, tunnel tours, and more.

 

 

Keith in Alaska

Here I am in Alaska! Note the beautiful scenery behind me.

Reindeer in Alaska

Are these Santa’s reindeer taking a summer break?

A scene in Alaska

Gifts, Furs, and even Subway! Alaska has it all.

Alaska scenery

The scenery here is gorgeous!

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

Stay In touch and go on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – August 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi. Congratulations on your bravery to come outside in our month that has the second highest temperatures, the fourth greatest amount of rain, and the second most hurricanes. Think of:

  • Hurricane Alicia on August 18th, 1983.
  • Hurricane Harvey between August 25th – 29th, 2017.

Like July, August is a good month to stay in air-conditioning and to take an out-of-town tour. Perhaps, you would like to take a day tour to Austin, Beaumont, Galveston, Orange, or San Antonio.

Weather in Houston

August is the second hottest month of the year, only a fraction of a degree behind July. You might want to wear a cap or hat with a bill to keep your forehead and face a little cooler. Bring sunscreen and perhaps a portable hand-held fan that can spray water on you. The monthly average high temperature is 93 degrees Fahrenheit/34 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit/24 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 84 degrees Fahrenheit/29 degrees Centigrade. It is the third of three consecutive months when the high temperature is normally in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the fourth of five consecutive months when the temperature is in the 30 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 4.5 inches/11.5 centimeters. It is tied with November as the fourth wettest month of the year. The prime hurricane season begins during the last two weeks of the month. You can enjoy the 3 Hs: heat, humidity, and hurricanes.

Keeping Busy

In the month of July, Houston Historical Tours has conducted:

  • Chocolate Tour for a birthday present.
  • City Tours A1, A2, B, C, and E.
  • Customized African American Themed Tours.
  • Customized Downtown and Eado Tour.
  • Customized Haunted Tour from A, B, and W.
  • Customized San Jacinto State Park and Port of Houston Tour.
  • Texas Medical Center (TMC) Walking Tour B – the Monthly Special.
  • Tunnel Tour A.

It is good to keep busy!

We have had to turn away people repeatedly because they call and want to schedule a tour on the same day and sometimes within 1 hour of their call. We might already have a different tour scheduled that was paid for months in advance. Please plan your vacation in advance so we can be of service to you. We will try to accommodate you whenever possible.

Personal and Business Information

July and August have the worst weather of the year in Houston. Both have heat and humidity, but August also has hurricanes. Thus, I take a vacation to a cooler place each August. From August 8th through the 20th, 2018, I will be on a cruise and participating in land adventures of Alaska and British Columbia. This will include a trip to the Denali National Park and excursions in Anchorage, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Vancouver. This will be my first time to visit Alaska.

I am hoping that Alaska will be somewhat cooler than Houston. LOL.

I may not be able to immediately answer a telephone call while I am vacation (or as my foreign clients often say, “on holiday.” I may take longer to return calls and emails. I have no idea what the reception or Wifi will be like in Alaska, on a ship, and in Vancouver, Canada for the last day. I have other tour guides who conduct tours for me and they will be available. We already have scheduled 3 tours while I am out of Texas. Please be patient and understanding. Allow at least 48 hours before I can schedule any tour for you. I will try to accommodate you as much as possible.

Although I will be gone for 13 days, I will be here in Houston for 18 days and my other tour guides will be here, also.

Tours Below

Mention that you read about any of the out-of-town tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount in the month of August. What a deal!

Austin Tours
We offer 12 to 13 hour single day tours of Austin as well as multiple day tours and tours that combine Austin with San Marcos, New Braunfels, and or San Antonio. We can tour the state capital, go to the state cemetery, tour the University of Texas at Austin (my undergraduate alma mater, ha, ha), the LBJ Library & Museum, the Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Hill Country, and far more.

Beaumont Tours
We offer 4 different themed tours of Beaumont. Each one is 8 hours. This includes the 1.5 hour one-way drives to and from Beaumont.

  • Museums and a Historic Library.
  • Historic Homes and Mansions.
  • Outdoors and Nature, Reconstructed Boomtown City, Botanical Gardens, and More – Not the ideal time of year for this tour.
  • Downtown historical buildings and religious sites.

A Beaumont Tour could also be combined with a Port Arthur Tour.

Orange Tours
We offer two 8 hour tours of Orange. This includes the 2.0 hour one-way drives to and from Orange.

  • Museums and Historic Homes.
  • Shangri La Botanical Gardens, Religious Sites, and Historic Downtown.

 

August Monthly Special – TMC Walking Tour C –
Discounted by up to 50% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for August is a 2.5-hour Texas Medical Center (TMC) Walking Tour C. Participation is limited to a maximum of 15 people. These buildings are working research institutions and hospital buildings with patients and faculty moving through them. We cannot interfere with their work and needs. This is one of the world’s most famous cancer hospitals. This tour starts at the Patient Drop-off area on the third level of the Parking Garage 10 at 6700 MD Anderson Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030. This is north of Holcombe Boulevard. This alcove area has three benches that can each accommodate about four persons for a total of twelve people. We walk through six buildings that make up part of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. These include the:

  • Main Building,
  • Duncan Building,
  • Mays Clinic,
  • Pickens Tower,
  • Mendelsohn Faculty Center, and
  • Rotary House Hotel.

 

You will see:

  • The Aquarium,
  • The Art Gallery,
  • The Gazebo,
  • The Park,
  • The Pavilion,
  • The Star,
  • The Tree Sculpture,
  • A waterfall,
  • A grand piano, sometimes being played,
  • Lots of gift shops,
  • Chapels, and
  • Cafes and restaurants.

 

Learn who were:

  • D. Anderson,
  • George Mitchell,
  • Boone Pickens,
  • Dan Duncan,
  • Jesse H. Jones,
  • Lee Clark, and
  • Other movers and shakers.

 

You might ride on an electric golf cart through the skybridge along Pressler Street from the Mays Clinic to the Pickens Tower. This tour will be a fascinating experience in a world-class and respected institution.

Monthly Special Prices
(along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 1 to 5 people):

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is between a 43 to 50% discount, depending on the tour.

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is between a 25 to 54% discount depending on the tour.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is between a 17 to 50% discount depending on the tour.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20 to 43% discount depending on the tour.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25 to 40% discount depending on the tour.

 

Add 8.25% sales tax and for groups of 6 or more people a 15% gratuity.
These prices cannot be combined with any other offer.
A maximum of 15 people can go on the Texas Medical Center (TMC) walking tours.

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – July 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi.  Welcome to the city where we can have 100% precipitation and no rainfall.  The air is damp.  The heat is extreme.  This is an excellent month to:

  1. Stay in a vehicle during city tours.
  2. Plan a tour that involves being in buildings such as museums and Space Center Houston (SCH).
  3. Go on tunnel tours inside air-conditioned environments in downtown and the Texas Medical Center (TMC).
  4. Go on an out-of-town tour such as to Galveston or San Antonio.

 

Weather in Houston

July is the hottest month of the year, but just barely ahead of August.  You might want to wear a cap or hat with a bill to keep your forehead and face a little cooler.  Bring sunscreen and perhaps a portable hand-held fan that can spray water on you.  The monthly average high temperature is 94 degrees Fahrenheit/34 degrees Centigrade.  The monthly average low temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit/24 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 85 degrees Fahrenheit/29 degrees Centigrade.  It is the second of three consecutive months when the high temperature is normally in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the third of five consecutive months when the temperature is in the 30 degrees Centigrade.  The average rainfall is 4.4 inches/11.1 centimeters.  It is the seventh wettest month of the year.  In fact, Houston often has droughts in July due to the combination of extreme heat and a lack of rainfall.  Rainfall is not dispersed evenly.  Do you remember the old slogan for Morton’s Salt?  “When it rains, its pours.”  A month’s worth of rain may fall in only one or two days.

City Tours
Spend some time in air conditioned vehicles learning about your city.  With over 600 square miles, Houston is massive.  Relax and enjoy our tours.  You have the option of choosing the length of the tour and how much you want to see, from 2 hour to 9 hours, from about 15 miles/24 kilometers to about 75 miles/121 kilometers.

Museum Tours
How many of you know that Houston has over 45 museums and chapels.  What better time of year is there to be inside than summer in Houston?  Many of these museums and chapels are FREE and small enough that you can tour them in 1 hour or less.  Of course, some people might want to spend longer in some of them.  You can have this tour customized to the time you want and the number of museums you want to visit.  These free museums include:

  1. Art Car Museum
  2. Asia Society Texas Center – main exhibit only.
  3. Bayou Bend Visitors Center Museum
  4. Blaffer Museum
  5. Byzantine Fresco Chapel’s current exhibit
  6. Chapel of St. Basil
  7. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH)
  8. Cy Twombly Gallery
  9. Dan Flavin Installation
  10. Dunham Bible Museum
  11. Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts (HCCC)
  12. Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC)
  13. Houston Public Library African American Museum
  14. Houston Public Library Local Heritage Museum
  15. Menil Collection (arguably the best free art museum in the US)
  16. Rothko Chapel
  17. Watercolor Art Society – Houston (WASH)

What a wide variety!  Expand your knowledge, understanding of different cultures, and have a great time while enjoying air conditioning.

Downtown Tunnel Tours

Our downtown tunnel tours are always fan favorites.  We recently, as in this week, modified them.  The Wells Fargo Plaza has closed its observation decks to the public.  Only Tunnel Tour C has an observation deck on a 2.5 hour tour.  Per requests, we are now offering abridged 1.5 and 2.0 hour tours as well as extended 4.5-hour tunnel tours.  Check them out and tell what you think.

Texas Medical Center (TMC) Tunnel, Skybridge, and Hospital Tours
These tours are available 7 days a week and in the morning, afternoon, and night. They are all enclosed with the exception that on TMC Tour B (which is the most popular of the tours going through Texas Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital) we have to step outside to cross a street for about 5 minutes.  TMC A goes through the Memorial Hermann complex and has more history.  TMC C goes through the world famous UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.  These are generally 2.5 or 3.5 hour tours with a stop for lunch and a museum.  Did you know that the TMC has museums dedicated to Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley and his colleagues?  These are all fascinating places.  

Galveston Tours
Visit our historic neighbor to the southeast where you can always feel the Gulf breezes.  Cooler in the summer than Houston and warmer in the winter, now is a good time to visit.  We offer Galveston tours from 5 to 12 hours depending on how much you want to do.  Wear sunglass, a hat, and bring sunscreen.  Galveston has harbor boat rides, one-half dozen museums, historic mansion homes from the 1890s to tour, great restaurants, a winery, breweries, and more.  Let us customize a tour for you.

San Antonio Tours
Now is a good time to leave Houston.  San Antonio has a certain mysticism and romance lacking in most US cities.  Its history and culture are unique among major cities in the US.  Did you know that San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and seventh largest city in the nation?  We offer long 13 to 14 hour day tours as well as overnight tours from 2 to 6 days.  Austin is only 1.5 hours to the north.  Great shopping and other activities can be found in San Marcos, about 1.2 hours to the north on the way towards Austin.  Did you know that San Marcos has two of the largest outlet malls in all of the US?  Have fun in anything you choose.

Monthly Special – Discounted by 17 to 29% Based on the Number of People
The monthly special for July is a 2.5-hour Texas Medical Center (TMC) Walking Tour B.  This is the most popular of our 3 TMC walking tours.  We go through Texas Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the Methodist Hospital of Houston.  It also goes through a few other facilities.  It includes tunnels that were filled with water during Tropical Allison on June 9, 2001 and goes through approximately 7 skybridges.  It includes seeing waterfalls, an atrium, a miniature train layout, and much more that you might not expect to see in hospitals.  The front of The Methodist Hospital looks like an exquisite hotel with fountains, statutes, a huge ceiling, and a grand piano.   It starts in the first floor lobby of the Clinical Care Center (CCC) of Texas Children’s Hospital at 6701 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030.  This is off of Bates Street, Entrance #10 and the closet parking is Garage 16.  From Fannin Street, one can only enter from the south.

Monthly Special Prices (along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 1 to 5 people):

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is between a 43 to 50% discount, depending on the tour.

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is between a 25 to 54% discount depending on the tour.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is between a 17 to 50% discount depending on the tour.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20 to 43% discount depending on the tour.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25 to 40% discount depending on the tour.

Add 8.25% sales tax and for groups of 6 or more people a 15% gratuity.
These prices cannot be combined with any other offer.
A maximum of 15 people can go on the Texas Medical Center (TMC) walking tours.

Invite Your Friends
If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – Mid-June 2018

Keith's Blog

Hello to all of our new and continuing members.

In the past month from May 15th to the present, I have had the pleasure to conduct tours for hundreds of people to and of

  1. Tunnel Tours A
  2. Tunnel Tours B
  3. A customized Presidential Tour A and B
  4. Heights Tour B
  5. Texas Medical Center (TMC) Walking Tour C
  6. City Tours C, D, and E
  7. Haunted Tour Y

It is always good to keep busy.

As I write this, it is almost Father’s Day. If you want to schedule a tour for your dad anytime in June, we will give him a FREE local tour provided that at least two other people pay full price for that same tour. Buy 2, get 1 free. That is a 33% discount. This is a good deal! Find a father to adopt. LOL.

I want to share some information about what goes into creating a tour. Before we run any tour, we have to put in generally 10 times the amount of time to actually run a tour. For example, if one wants a 5 hour tour, I spend 50 hours to create it. I have to:

  • Create a theme for the tour.
  • Make an educated guess as to how long the tour should be and what can be included in a designated number of hours.
  • Develop a route.
  • Spend hours on Google Maps or Mapquest. (When I began the company in 2000, using this technology was not readily available.)
  • Type up a detailed minutia route with the time of every turn and location.
  • Program stops in a GPS. (I bought my first GPS in 2007 for $500.00. That was a real luxury item. Before GPSs, I had to run the routes more times in advance of a tour than I do now. It was much more time-consuming, but it made me memorize a lot of driving information. I now have GPSs in all of my vehicles.)
  • Run the route.
  • Meet with people and or get off at sites to see if they are worth including on the tour.
  • Make corrections to the route. I almost always make initial mistakes based on what streets are open, what streets are wide enough for buses, what streets do not have low hanging branches, low bridges, or other obstacles that will create problems and scratch up vehicles.
  • Make changes to the route. Sometimes buildings that are allegedly still standing have been bulldozed, moved, or remodeled.
  • Edit the typed route.
  • Run the route again.
  • Make more corrections.
  • Edit the typed route again.
  • Run the route again.
  • Adjust the time of the tour as necessary and create a variety of different lengths of tours based on what can be included in a given time-frame.
  • Research documentation on the history of any number of sites that we pass and or stop at as well as people relevant to events and the events themselves that took on the route of a tour.
  • Identify clean sites for bathrooms every 1.5 to 2.0 hours. This might sound funny to some people, but the average tourist is a senior citizen and clean bathrooms in a timely period in a safe area is important to most tourists.
  • Identify sites for appropriate restaurants that are large enough to serve and seat large groups of people if necessary. I have eaten at many good restaurants that are on our tours, and many bad and or expensive or poor service restaurants that do not make the cut.
  • Edit the typed route again.
  • Run the route again.
  • Put together a binder with all of the above information that has been acquired for what is needed and what may be needed when clients ask questions: route information, biographies historic people, addresses, telephone numbers, and the name of the contact people who we may need to call to them they we are on our way to visit their institution, reference materials, historic photos when possible, and the history of the events and institutions. All of this has to be in an orderly manner so I can quickly find and share the information with tourists.
  • Decide on what are reasonable prices for the number of people and hours of any tour.
  • Create price tables for quickly providing quotes for customers as well as for us so I am always consistent.

From the time that we first conceive of a tour or our clients suggest a tour that they think we should include, typically 6 months pass before we can implement it. Remember that we have to create the tour during the times that we are not already conducting and planning other tours for paying clients. A forty hour work week is for a slacker.

As for me, I am going to be a slacker this month. LOL. I am taking a vacation from Saturday, June 16th through Sunday, June 24th. I am taking an 8-day, 7-night cruise of Hawaii. My non-stop flight departs in a few more hours from IAH to Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. For those of you are unfamiliar with Hawaii, the state has four major islands and lots of small ones. The major islands are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai. This will be my first trip to Hawaii. I will board a cruise ship later today and take off as we visit all of the major islands. I have signed up for 7 excursions (tours) so far, including at least one on each island to learn of the people, culture, geography, history, values, and anything else that I can absorb. I am getting a volcano special. LOL. As Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano continues to explode, people are panicking and cancelling their vacations and trips to Hawaii. The reality is that the volcano is on only one tip of one island and will have little to no effect on tourists anywhere else. (Imagine if in late August 2017, people from other states and nations who had planned vacations to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, or Fort Worth began cancelling them because they saw that Houston was under water from Hurricane Harvey. Harvey did not cause any significant damage to the aforementioned metropolitan areas.) The tourist industry is desperate to bring people into Hawaii as tourism is a major source of the state’s revenue and, of course, the cruise ships’ profits. My cruise is costing only about 1/3 to ¼ the normal price of a cruise. My airfare will cost more than the cruise. The excursions will cost almost as much as the cruise.

As I built up my company, I could not afford in expense or time to neglect my company for over 10 years. I took no vacations for more than a decade. I used to teach at Houston Community College (HCC) history and government year round so that I had a steady flow of income. Sometimes, I also taught at Texas Southern University (TSU), Alvin Community College (ACC), and Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) to supplement my income. Now, I collect a pension as a retiree in the state of Texas. Now, I have other tour guides who pick up the slack. Now, I want to be the tourist, instead of the tour guide. Ha, ha. Wish me well!

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s Blog – June 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors

Hi.

  1. Do you like sunshine?
  2. Do you like heat and humidity?
  3. Do you want curly hair?
  4. Do you like to sweat?
  5. Do you feel more comfortable when your eyes are stinging from perspiration dripping in them?
  6. Do you like your hair matted on your neck within 1 minute of going outside?
  7. Do you like drinking the air?

 

Welcome to Houston where you can have all of this. Dress as lightly as possible and bring fluids to hydrate yourself.

June is Gay and Lesbian Month.
Houston was the first major city to have an openly gay mayor: Annise Parker from 2009 to 2015. Some estimates show that Houston has the sixth largest gay population in the United States. An area of Houston known as Montrose has a thriving gay population. Houston is among the leaders in the nation for performing and theater arts. The gay population is active as sponsors and participants. However, you can find the gay population throughout the city in all walks of life

Weather in Houston
June is the first month of the hurricane season that lasts through November 30th, for six months. However, have no fear. With the exception of a freak storm that began in the Pacific Ocean and crossed Mexico, Hurricane Patricia on October 25, 2015, 100% of all major hurricanes that have hit Houston do so in a six-week window during the last two weeks of August and the first four weeks of September. Some people who come from cooler climates who are not used to air-conditioning complain that our buildings and cars are too cold. However, within two minutes of us turning the AC off, these same people will complain that the temperature is too hot and insist on us turning on the AC again. Many ethnic minority women shield themselves from the sun and heat by using umbrellas on bright clear days. You might want to wear a cap or hat with a bill to keep your forehead and face a little cooler. The monthly average high temperature is 91 degrees Fahrenheit/33 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 74 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 82 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees Centigrade. It is the third hottest month of the year and the first of three consecutive months when the high temperature is normally in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit/30 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 6.8 inches/17.4 centimeters. It is by far the wettest month of the year. It is the only month with 6 or more inches of rainfall or 145 or more centimeters of rain.

Tours

Mention that you read about the driving tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount.

Gay and Lesbian Themed Tours
We go to a variety of bars, restaurants, clubs, unisex shops, and boutiques, and neighborhoods. This is usually a late afternoon and or evening tour.

Brewery Tours
Nowadays, Houston has over 2 dozen breweries. All but one, the St. Arnold Brewery (the grand-daddy, has started up since 2011. We offer brewery tours from 2 to 10 hours, from 1 to 4 breweries, from 1 to dozens of people. We can play Irish, German, and country and western beer drinking songs along the way or play DVDs of movies and television shows that focused on beer drinking and where everyone knows your name. Most breweries have either restaurants or food trucks on the premises to eat meals.

Galveston Tours
Galveston tours range from 5 to 14 hours depending on what you want to see. Galveston has about 6 museums including the Ocean Star Oil Rig museum, The Bryan Museum whose specialty is anthropology, the Texas Seaport Museum, and the 4th largest Railroad Museum. Perhaps, you would like to tour one or both of the 1890s mansion homes: the Bishop’s Palace and or Moody Mansion. You might want to go shopping on The Strand; this area looks a lot like a mini-, cleaned up version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. You could see one to three movies about the history and main events in the history of Galveston, including the greatest natural disaster in United States history. The Galveston Hurricane, also known as the Great Storm killed between 6,000 and 8,000 people in just one city. That figure is greater than the total number of people killed by all of the hurricanes that have hit the US since that time COMBINED. We will also take you around to see the different neighborhoods, and Victorian homes and public structures and to tour downtown, and drive along The Seawall.

San Antonio Tours
We offer single-day tours of between 13 and 14 hours as well as multi-day tours. The single-day tours generally leave from downtown at 6:30 AM to arrive in San Antonio by 9:30 AM. We will go to the Alamo, Alamo Plaza, St. Joseph’s Church, the Riverwalk, the Arneson River Theater, La Villita with homes from the 1700s (It is now an artist colony, and Market Square (the Mercado). If time permits, we will go to the Mission San Jose y San Miguel from 1720. We will drive through the King William District of old mansions of a German settlement from the mid to late 1800s. We will drive through downtown where we will see the Bexar County Courthouse, City Hall, Spanish Governor’s Palace from the early 1700s, San Fernando Cathedral from 1731, 1840s home of Jose Navarro, the 1929 Majestic Theater (an old movie theater palace) and the home of the great short story writer O’Henry. Multi-day tours can include a day at Seaworld and or Fiesta Texas, as well as going to Austin, New Braunfels, and or San Marcos, museums, the San Antonio Zoo, and Japanese Gardens.

Monthly Special
Discounted by 17 to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for June is the 2.5-hour Tunnel Tour B. THE TUNNELS ARE AIR CONDITIONED! CELEBRATE!

Of the three tunnels tours that we offer, this is one of the two most popular tunnel tours. It has the most visual stimuli, variety of activities, and a moderate amount of walking. We will see hundreds of different stores and shops, go through the largest food court in the tunnel system, walk through at least 3 skybridges/skywalks from building to building and with smaller groups of 10 or less, go to 59th and 58th floor observation decks. We walk through the busiest sections of the tunnels. The walking is 2.0 miles/3.2 kilometers. Shoppers and people with attention deficit disorder (ADD) tend to love this tour.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

It goes into the:

  • Wells Fargo Plaza
  • 1 Houston Center/LyondellBasell Tower/1200 McKinney Street,
  • 2 Houston Center/909 Fannin Street,
  • 3 Houston Center/Fulbright Tower/1301 McKinney Street,
  • 4 Houston Center/Shops at Houston Center/1221 Lamar Street, and
  • 5 Houston Center/1401 McKinney Street.

 

It goes under:

  • The Kinder-Morgan Building,
  • 919 Milam,
  • 1000 Main,
  • One City Centre,
  • 1001 Fannin,
  • 1001 McKinney/ International Bank of Commerce (IBC),
  • The Commerce Towers, and
  • 811 Louisiana.

 

You will walk through skywalks/skybridges over:

  • Caroline Street twice,
  • McKinney Street, and
  • San Jacinto Street.

 

Warnings:

  1. A walking tour only moves as fast as the slowest person.
  2. Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only about two public bathrooms are accessible during this tour. Most of the businesses in or operating over the tunnels do not allow the general public to use their bathrooms.
  3. Not all of the tunnels are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 accessible. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  4. If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole tunnel tour. Thus, we will have to omit some buildings.
  5. We go on elevators and escalators. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you have a phobia about either of these mechanical devices.
  6. You cannot take photos inside the banks. Taking photos elsewhere is fine.

 

Monthly Special Prices

1 person – $40.00. This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00.
$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

2 people – $30.00 each. This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.
$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

3 or 4 people – $25.00 each. This is a 17% discount off of the regular price of $30.00 per person.
$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

5 to 9 people – $20.00 each. This is a 20% discount off of the regular price of $25.00 per person.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person. $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x  6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

10 to 19 people – $15.00 each. This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $20.00 per person.
$15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com