It's a pulse-quickening sight, this gleaming "world of tomorrow" rising improbably from a Gulf Coast marshland. You don't so much arrive in Houston, which lacks a definitive center, as you circulate through and around it, in a dizzying freeway swirl, catching glimpses of pointy skylines (plural, because downtown isn't the only sprouting ground for audacious skyscrapers by I.M. Pei, Cesar Pelli, Philip Johnson and other renowned architects), surprising expanses of parks and greenbelts, and billboard braggadocio ("Welcome to Houston—First Word Spoken from the Moon!").

This is a city of jarring juxtapositions, a place both charmingly local, where the Deep South meets the Wild West, and dazzlingly global, a quality easy to sense and to see—in the many languages you hear upon arrival, and in the urban landscape that includes cathedrals, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. Untamed—or unencumbered, as real-estate developers see it—by any significant zoning regulations, Houston is home to exhilarating (and sometimes appalling) jumbles of the commercial, residential and institutional. In one short stretch of a few blocks, you can find a school, a strip shopping center, rows of early-1900s bungalows, a tattoo parlor, a house of worship, trendy cafés and restaurants, delightful parks shaded by oak and magnolia trees, a bookstore that occupies an old movie palace and museums with exhibitions that draw art lovers from around the world.

A freewheeling boomtown, home to more than 20 Fortune 500 companies, Houston is the boastful originator of Texas can-do and know-how that first put a man on the moon and an air-conditioned dome over a sports stadium. (Houston's never been shy about exercising its bragging rights—this isn't just Texas, after all, but the big state's biggest city, by far.) Since the days of its unlikely bayou beginnings, the seemingly recession-proof "golden buckle of the Sunbelt" has come to mean many things to the world: energy capital, aerospace center, biomedical mecca, rodeo town and international arts destination.

In population, Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, is gaining on New York, Los Angeles and Chicago with an increasingly international mix of people and cultures (accent on the Latin American, Asian and Middle Eastern). Only New York and Los Angeles host more consulates than Houston. The great diversity is evident in the number of global concerns located or doing mega business here. One of the newest arrivals is Energias de Portugal, that country's largest utility provider and the new owner of Horizon Wind Energy, which its Houston founders had previously sold to Goldman Sachs. An emphasis on diversity is also evident in supermarket chains like HEB, whose targeted marketing to the city's many ethnic populations has become the subject of business-school courses. Street signs in Houston come in a thrilling array of languages, including Vietnamese and Sanskrit.

But the most vibrant proof of Houston as a melting pot is seen in its cultural life, from grand opera and ballet to jazz and hip-hop, from hushed museum exhibitions to exuberant street celebrations. The 2007 International Festival, or i-Fest, a downtown block party, paid tribute to the music, dancing, costumes, food and crafts of India; this year, the focus was on Africa. Recent blockbusters presented by the Museum of Fine Arts include "Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin America" and "Red Hot: Asian Art Today." This summer, the Menil Collection, housed in a modern masterpiece (the Italian architect Renzo Piano's first U.S. building), will mount "NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith," featuring painting, photography, sculpture, video and performance art by a roster of intergenerational artists from North, South and Central America. A recent gala to establish an Islamic-art initiative broke fundraising records in a city where people, corporations and foundations are known for their generosity to the arts and other worthy causes and projects, such as Houston's new Asia Society headquarters. Designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, architect of New York's Museum of Modern Art, the new building is scheduled to open in 2010.

Though Houston continues to sprawl, with far-flung residential developments and office parks, the city's handsome downtown grid, growing denser, has begun to snap back to life, with new parks (including Discovery Green, an 11-acre playground with lush foliage, fountains and outdoor sculpture, located across from the George R. Brown Convention Center), condominiums, boutiques, hotels and restaurants (many of them occupying beautifully renovated historic landmarks).

Though you'd never confuse downtown Houston's orderly streets with teeming New York's or London's, the pace is picking up, with loft living on the rise, a lively club and bar scene, increased pedestrian traffic and freshly blazed bicycle trails. A sleek light-rail also navigates the length of Main Street, linking downtown destinations to Midtown shops and apartments, the Museum District, Rice University, Reliant Center and the Texas Medical Center. It's a limited line, for sure, but a good beginning—the spine of what will be a more comprehensive train system, designed for suburban commuters and airport travel. (Houston currently has no reliable mass transportation to and from its airports.)
Nearby oilfields and refineries are, of course, what secured the city's enormous fortunes, spawning the myth (and frequent reality) of the overnight Texas millionaire, and putting Houston on the world map. Oil made Houston the international city that it is, linked to world markets and giving rise to complementary industries, such as banking, real estate, hospitality and travel, insurance, retail and construction.

In today's world of air travel, Houston is an important hub and innovator. In the past year, the three airports of the Houston Airport System (HAS)—Intercontinental, or IAH, Hobby and Ellington—serving a record 52 million passengers, have launched more than 42 additional weekly flights to such destinations as Dubai, Hong Kong, London's Heathrow, Korea, Taipei, Moscow and Singapore. Welcoming Singapore Airlines to Houston earlier this year, HAS spokesman Robert Wigington called Houston "an international gateway, with a lot to offer the international traveler. Not only do we have a strong origin and destination market, but also an equally competitive connecting network." 

In addition to improving its physical plant, the 40-year old IAH is working with the Department of Homeland Security in piloting a new Global Entry Program, designed to expedite customs arrival for frequent, pre-screened passengers, or "trusted travelers," as Wigington calls them. At Hobby, airport managers have devised separate security lines, one for frequent business travelers.

The improvements couldn't have come at a better time, as travel to Houston is on the rise. Some 35 million people visited the city last year (including about seven million from Mexico). 2007 brought nearly 300 conventions, events and shows to Houston, and in 2005, the Travel Industry Association of America for the first time ranked the city as a top destination for convention, conference and seminar travelers. Part of that success has to do with Houston's fine facilities, from various conference and trade-show arenas to the splendid array of new hotels that includes behemoths like the Hilton Americas-Houston and chic boutique properties.

But perhaps a bigger part of it has to do with Houston hospitality. Conference Direct, a meeting-resources company that works with more than 800 corporations and associations worldwide, has named Houston "Easiest City to Work With." Says the firm's CEO, Brian Stevens, "Houston has invested the time and money in getting to know our customers' needs. They understand the must-haves, nice-to-haves, and know how to deliver it all." James Crane, CEO of Crane Capital, spotted what he considers the city's greatest asset early on: "People. There are fine people here, and a solid  work ethic."

Academics agree with what Crane and many of his fellow captains of industry have observed of Houston. Urban historian Joel Kotkin has explained the ascendancy of Houston as "a combination of ambition, entrepreneurship, trade and tolerance." Where some cities place perhaps too much value on family lineage, club memberships and certain academic credentials, ideas carry the day in Houston; hard work and good manners seal the deal.

When people travel to Houston on business, they also wind up having an awfully good time. As natives know, and newcomers discover, Houston is a cosmopolitan city—a "world-class" destination. Attractions range from the Buck Rogers skyline, a raucous extra-innings game at Minute Maid Park or a cheering night at Houston Fatstock Show and Rodeo to the tranquil beauties of the leafy Museum District, Hermann Park or Discovery Green. The arts patron Jane Blaffer Owen, whose father brought in one of those legendary oil gushers at the dawn of the 20th century, has made a game all these years of finding the quiet treasures of Houston. "This city," she says, "is a series of lovely oases between all the glittery places. You should enjoy them both—enjoy them all."

Houston Hotels
We often put our visiting colleagues nearby, at the Magnolia Hotel,” says Sarah Bray, Horizon Wind Energy’s manager of corporate communications. “This downtown hotel has great Texas flair—the building was the original headquarters of the Houston Post-Dispatch newspaper, and then the first corporate headquarters for Shell Oil Company.” Bray is referring to one of Houston’s top three boutique hotels, all of which are within walking distance of one another (and close to Horizon’s offices, in the historic Esperson Building).

Local history at the Magnolia, at 1100 Texas Avenue (facing the oasis garden of Christ Church Cathedral), is evident in the original architectural detailing and in such artifacts as the old, wooden typesetting cart displayed in the lobby. Guestrooms and public spaces are up-to-date, with contemporary accents, as in the curlicued, brightly colored loveseats and oversize lamps. The windy roof deck offers a breathtaking panorama of Houston.

A block away, The Alden (1117 Prairie), was formerly the old Sam Houston Hotel, and there is something gentlemanly about the low-key interior, done throughout in soothing shades of brown and white. In the lobby, the two-tone color scheme is enlivened by a wall-size light installation, inspired by James Turrell.

To either side of that arty lobby is the lively bar and one of the best restaurants in town, called 17. (The name is a nod to both the hotel’s address and the number of railroads that once served Houston.) The room is a beauty, with white wing chairs, red-brocade wall coverings and “deconstructed” chandeliers. (Light shimmers from lines of individual crystal drops.)

On Main at Franklin, on the METRO line, is the Hotel Icon, a Baroque refurbishment of the 1911 Union Bank. The new owners have kept the bank’s massive steel-and-brass vault as a backdrop for the front desk. Sunlight pours into the soaring, columned lobby through great arched windows. Guestrooms are lavish and romantic.

Located a few blocks west, in the heart of the Theater District, is the reassuringly old-fashioned Lancaster Hotel (701 Texas Avenue), built in 1926. The property is done in shades of green and gold, with brass chandeliers and sconces, plush rugs covering hardwood floors, great vases of roses and lilies, and English antiques placed here and there. Ask for a window seat at the pleasant and cozy Lancaster Grill, and watch the pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and the occasional horse-drawn carriage make their ways to and from the Alley Theater, Jones Hall, the Wortham Center opera house and the Angelika Film Center.

Don’t be discouraged by the bland exterior of the hulking Four Seasons (1300 Lamar). Once you step inside, you’re surrounded by the luxury and attention to detail for which the hotel chain is celebrated. For longer stays, consider Four Seasons Place, luxury apartments, fully furnished, in an adjoining tower accessible by private elevators. Virtually all the upper-floor rooms have terrific western views of the downtown skyline—against the setting sun, it’s a smashing sight.

A fun choice for the Museum District, Medical Center and Rice University area, Hotel ZaZa is situated at the very intersection of those three destinations, where Main Street whirls around Mecom Fountain.

Until recently, the ZaZa was the venerable Warwick Hotel. Though the ZaZa works a bit hard to be hip, no one can take away the appeal of its splendid location: A few steps away are the MFAH, CAM and other museums, the leafy jogging trails of Hermann Park and Rice University and a METRO stop. The ZaZa bar and restaurant, called Monarch, could not be livelier or friendlier.

In the Galleria-Post Oak area, there are several fine choices, including the discreet and elegant St. Regis Hotel (tucked away at 1919 Briar Oaks Lane, off busy San Felipe near the 610 Loop) and the pampering Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa (111 North Post Oak Lane), plopped down in a veritable pine forest at the edge of Memorial Park.
Hotel Derek, 2525 West Loop South, makes for very stylish and entertaining lodging. Sleek is the word for the glass exterior, lobby, restaurant (Bistro Moderne) and handsome guestrooms. Shoppers take note: The Derek is within easy walking distance to Neiman Marcus, flagship store of the Galleria.

The Granduca, 1080 Uptown Park, is the only luxury hotel in this newish shopping area just north of the Galleria. The hotel is meant to recall a vintage European apartment house—low-rise, with iron balconies—and it succeeds, making for a charming, welcome alternative.

Houston Restaurants
There are many Tex-Mex legends in Houston, old and new (La Tapatia, Felix, Tila’s and Maria Selma all have legions of fans), but none as fine or as fun as Ninfa’s. The original east-of-downtown location, opened in 1973, is at 2704 Navigation. Laid-back doesn’t begin to describe the friendly atmosphere of this family restaurant that helped put Tex-Mex cuisine on the map. At the end of a long day, don’t deny yourself a “Ninfarita,” the owner’s own margarita concoction. Sunday evenings are especially fun, when River Oaks socialites and Montrose bohemians mingle with neighborhood denizens.

Armando’s, on the edge of River Oaks at 2630 Westheimer (corner of Kirby Drive), is the white-tablecloth (and pricey) opposite of Ninfa’s. Armandos offers a place where fashionistas and art-world hipsters rub shoulders as they delicately bite into enchiladas and sip salty margaritias and frosty Mexican beer.

Hugo’s, at 1602 Westheimer, occupying a handsome, many-windowed brick landmark, features “real” Mexican cuisine—not Tex-Mex, but the harvest and cooking of interior and coastal Mexico. Specialties include Gulf snapper, shrimp tamales (wrapped in banana leaves), ceviche and barbacoa plato (lamb roasted with onions and cilantro). Hugo’s also serves outstanding guacamole and chips.

Café Annie, on Post Oak at San Felipe (at the crossroads of the high-end Galleria area), is renowned for its handsome, dark-paneled dining room, fashionable customers who come and go in a blur of couture and bling, and pioneering twists on Southwestern fare.

At T’afia (3701 Travis), a chic Midtown bistro with an enchanting garden, only locally grown, organic ingredients are to be found in the kitchen. On a lovely spring or fall night, opt for the garden, away from the din of diners. The menu, which changes daily, takes good advantage of local markets—the spring-pea soup, with a hint of mint, is smile-inducing; fresh fish is often prepared with a pan-Asian flair.

The Grove (1611 Lamar) occupies a brand-new, certified-green building, at the southeastern corner of Discovery Green. The wood-and-glass Grove offers spectacular views of the new park from its main dining room and terrace bar. The view of chef Ryan Pera’s open kitchen is also thrilling, with free-range birds slowly roasting on rotisseries and steaks and chops sizzling on the hot grills. Start with the retro deviled eggs, olives with shavings of fennel and duck meatballs—then move on to grilled fish and to those steaks and chops.   

Another eatery that gets it exactly right—great food, authentic atmosphere—is Gravitas (807 Taft Street). What fun this oddly named place is, perched at the ragged border of Montrose and Midtown. Go for the mussels in a white-wine broth, with a delicate touch of tarragon.

Quattro, in the Four Seasons Hotel, perfect for a quiet dinner or Sunday brunch, is situated just above the hotel’s lobby. The name, meaning “four,” here refers to breakfast, lunch, dinner and a fabulous antipasto bar. Being Italian and Texan, the brilliant kitchen has devised some delicious Lone Star twists on Italian classics and basics, such as ravioli filled with locally grown butternut squash and goat cheese from the Texas Hill Country.

Voice, cleverly situated in the see-and-be-seen lobby of the Hotel Icon, happens to occupy one of the most theatrical, over-the-top rooms in Houston. But it isn’t just the soaring columns, massive arched windows and velvet curtains and swags that make for such a grand dining experience (all day long, from breakfast to late-night supper). Chef Michael Kramer aims for what he calls “regionally inspired, modern American cuisine.”

Da Marco and Dolce Vita (1520 and 500 Westheimer Road) are two fine Italian eateries in the heart of the Montrose district. Though Da Marco is more “haute” than Dolce Vita, you’d never know that from its décor, that of a comfortably furnished old house. One specialty is branzino, roasted whole, then boned at your table. Risotto with truffles, short-ribs with horseradish  and penne with broccoli rabe often appear on the small, gold-framed chalkboard menu presented upon your arrival. Study it carefully, while you sip a fine Prosecco.

Down the street is the more casual Dolce Vita, and how sweet it is—this upscale pizzeria (famed for the crispiest crust in town) is also known for perfect pasta dishes and a wine cellar bursting with Chianti and other fine Italian wines.

Goode Company Barbecue, at 5109 Kirby Drive, is the genuine deal, smack in the middle of town: One look at (and whiff of) the open-pit fire, and you can be excused for thinking that you’ve made a wrong turn and wound up in the Texas hill country. It doesn’t get much better, or more real, than this, from the slow-smoked meats to the scattering of picnic tables, and the sounds of country music.

Tony’s, at 3755 Richmond Avenue, is one of Houston’s most upscale and, well, toniest restaurants. The room is a knockout, in bronze and off-white, and ablaze with fresh flowers. The well-spaced tables allow you to talk business (and gossip) without fear of being overheard. The menu features American classics prepared in a French way—or is it the other way around?