NRA Show, Houston Texas. Going?

Status
Not open for further replies.
"I've seen too much of Texas already this year."

How is that even humanly possible?

"Houston would be my LAST choice... please don't hold it against us"

Say what you want, if the USA were a ship, Houston would be the engine room.

And if Houston were a human body, it would be the butt hole. ;) I've lived and worked all over the state of Texas the past 45 plus years including Houston many times. Sorry, there are several cities I would choose first. I'm no fan of Austin, but I would choose it before Houston. San Antonio and Fort Worth are great choices. Not sure how the NRA chooses cities. St. Louis? I guess for its central location in the U.S.
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't you know it...I'm a relatively new Lifetime NRA member - I work 5 blocks from the convention center - and have to leave town tomorrow (Thursday) and will be gone all weekend. (sigh)
 
I am not sure what you mean. I would say that CHL's are respected if we have reciprocity. I would expect that the convention center won't allow you to carry on site but that is pretty normal.

You should plan on more than half the cars (some quote 80%) are armed. If you are from out of the area, don't use your horn as that is a good way of causing trouble. Remember keep it friendly, drive aggressively if you want to survive and in general have a good time.

Down town does not have many good restaurants in general but if you head up westheimer a ways things are much better. Or get on 10 and once you get past the 610 loop you have many options to consider.
The best dining in the city, and some of the best in the country, is inside of the 610 loop. There is some great dining downtown. There is a fantastic restaurant in the park across from the George R Brown convention center. Several blocks west of the convention center on Main St. (along the Light Rail), there are tons of great restaurants and bars. Further down, Market Square has a some very good restaurants, bars, and clubs. If you are driving, within a few minutes of downtown, without getting on the high way, are several world-renowned restaurants. Sure, it isn't Manhattan or downtown Chicago, but Houston is a fantastic city for dining and night life. If you are going to be in Houston for the convention, and want some recommendations, send me a PM. I can recommend something in any price range and style.
 
"And if Houston were a human body, it would be the butt hole"

Thank you for bringing that up. It is an excellent comparison. It's not the most attractive part, but if that body part quit working, the rest of the body would have major problems....

Think about that.

Yes, there are nicer looking places in Texas. However, Houston is the economic engine of the USA, as it has been, and will be, for decades.

No Houston: No gasoline, no diesel, no plastics. No Space Program.

World's largest medical research center. The first heart transplant. (Dr. Denton Cooley). The first mechanical heart. (Jarvis Heart)

Drink coffee? Maxwell House is here.

The fastest production car on the planet, the Hennesey, built where?

Drone aircraft operating in Afghanistan, operating from a control base, where? Ellington Field, next door to NASA.

Houston is always hiring, if you need work, you'll find it in Houston.

Finally... Does anyone remember the first word spoken from the Moon by Neil Armstrong in July 1969? Need a clue?
 
I'm going on Friday with co-workers. I'm looking forward to it since I've never been to an NRA convention before.

As far as CHL carry in the convention center, it looks like a High Road member found out the answer. http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8834623&postcount=9

To the Houston haters, its the same ol' same ol'. Houston has always been a working city. Don't worry, we hate plenty of things from the other metropolitan areas in the state, too.

Traffic in north DFW makes Houston traffic almost feel like a small town. Geez, y'all got a ton of people up there.
 
Rgwalt,

You should list some of those restaurants by name. I know whenever I am down at the convention center for conferences I find the food is pathetic in the local area. Maybe things have changed in the last year or so, but when I was last there teaching schools I always found the food to be poor nearby. If you are willing to walk down into the city you have more options but close by, not so good.

The convention looks really nice. I was walking around it today and it really fills the place up. I think it will be a lot of fun over the next few days.
 
Directly across from the GRB Convention Center, in Discovery Green park there are two restaurants. One is the Lodge, a gourmet venue. The other is the Lake House, a "gourmet hamburger" stand. The burgers are some of the best I've ever had. I'm not just saying that because my son is the manager there...:cool:
 
If you want the best burger in Texas go to Lankford Grocery at the corner of Dennis and Genessee St. Just west of downtown.

P.S. it's a joint, cash only.
 
Just FYI, I found another source about concealed carry at the George R. Brown convention center. Read near the bottom of the pdf file here - http://www.houstonconventionctr.com/meeting_planners/Rules&Regulations.pdf

From this website, page 4 of Forms and Documents. Look at Rules and Regulations. http://www.houstonconventionctr.com/MeetingPlanners/FormsDocuments.aspx

The first paragraph on the document.

"The Licensee is responsible for compliance with these Rules and Regulations and should instruct its employees, contractors, agents, and attendees accordingly to eliminate problems before they arise."

Last page near the bottom.

"Concealed Handguns -
(1) Possession of Firearms is forbidden in the Facility with the exception of the following: (i) licensed peace officers and licensed honorably retired peace officers and (ii) exhibitors and patrons during duly licensed gun shows and (iii) individuals licensed by the State of Texas to carry concealed handguns."
 
If you want the best burger in Texas go to Lankford Grocery at the corner of Dennis and Genessee St. Just west of downtown.

P.S. it's a joint, cash only.
...and the burgers are absolutely ginormous too. Be careful though, they want to put jalapenos and other hot stuff on everythig they make.


Three Forks restaurant (not too far away) is pretty good - pretty expensive too.
 
"And if Houston were a human body, it would be the butt hole"

Thank you for bringing that up. It is an excellent comparison. It's not the most attractive part, but if that body part quit working, the rest of the body would have major problems....

Hey igotta40, You gotta me on that one! great reply! I was referring to the criminal element. The only two times I ever felt unsafe or uncomfortable in all my years working or traveling in TX were when I was in downtown Dallas late one night and downtown Houston in the middle of the day. All the contributions and vital services you brought up are valid.
 
Rgwalt,

You should list some of those restaurants by name. I know whenever I am down at the convention center for conferences I find the food is pathetic in the local area. Maybe things have changed in the last year or so, but when I was last there teaching schools I always found the food to be poor nearby. If you are willing to walk down into the city you have more options but close by, not so good.

The convention looks really nice. I was walking around it today and it really fills the place up. I think it will be a lot of fun over the next few days.
Excellent point! I can recommend:

Vic & Anthony's for a great (but expensive) steak. Located near Minute Maid Park, short walk from the convention center.
The Grove at Discovery Green, right across the street
The Flying Saucer for beers and german food. Over 200 beers on tap
Bombay Pizza Co for Indian influenced pizza
Several other steakhouses are very close. If you walk under the highway behind the convention center, there is Lucky's Pub, with good beer and great food at a reasonable price. There are several asian restaurants in the area of lucky's pub, too.

As you get into the area where you will find Bombay Pizza and Flying Saucer, there are tons of restaurants I haven't tried yet. You might have to walk 6-8 blocks, but the weather will be great.
 
On the opposite side of the Discovery Green Park, on Austin st., on the ground floor of the Park Shops, is the Phoenicia Market, it's a Mediterranean market and cafe. Awesome deli, hot platters, gourmet bakery, coffee bar, live music, the works. Walking distance from NRA Convention.
 
Come on down to Houston. We are a gun loving society . Come on down, folks. I think im going to see how it goes. Every one should be proud of the NRA !
 
Hey Andy,

My buddy Micah needs a sling for his 30-06. I told him to head your way when he gets there.
 
I went today, unfortunately wont be going to the banquet or any of the speakers, but it was a great time
 
As always , Ted Nugent is there to entertain us. A lot of celebrities too so thats a good way to attract new members.
 
Just got back from the show. It is really great overall. Lots of folks there today and I brought back over 14" worth of catalogs.

The highlight of the show (for me) was seeing the collector guns, talking to Les Baer (got his autograph), and then chatting with Mike Mcnett of Doubletap. I thanked Starline for the brass, talked to RCBS and Redding in detail and asked Marlin about my MD24 (no they don't have parts).

The show was busy, but you could move about. Vendors were friendly and very helpful. We did discuss the ammo situation and the general word is everyone is running flat out and the system is just behind. Same for guns and parts. I think it was Ruger that said they have a 2 million gun backlog on orders. Amazing.
 
Now,would that include individuals from other states who have gun permits that Texas recognizes via reciprocity?

That's a good question and one I truly don't know the answer to. I've never had to cipher through the reciprocity rules from an outsider's point of view coming to Texas.

I would hope that the convention center would be like any other place someone with an out of state carry license (with reciprocity with Texas) could carry a handgun.

There were no Texas 30.06 (anti-CHL) signs on the premises today. Just like we expected. No metal detectors or wands either, obviously. :D
 
Just got back from the show. It is really great overall. Lots of folks there today and I brought back over 14" worth of catalogs.


The show was great! I only got to wander the floor from 9am to 12:30pm due to going upstairs from the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum which burned the remainder of the afternoon. It was worth listening to the speakers, but I wish I had more time to spend back on the main floor too.

Too many booths, so little time. :p
 
I went today and will go on Saturday and on Sunday, and I won't see it all.

It's an amazing exhibition.

This is my third annual meeting. One in Houston the last time it was here and one in Louisville, also a few years ago
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top