huntmj wrote:
Hi, I live in the UK and have been to the US many times but never to Texas.
We are thinking of visiting in Sept/Oct this year and would welcome any advice relating to places to go and things to photograph. We will probably fly in to Houston and out from DFW and have 2 weeks or so to travel.
I also understand that West Texas is very photogenic and would welcome advice on places to visit and stay.
Thank you
Good vacation choice. When you come to Texas think about it as visiting a country in a country. The rest of the US is an also ran compared to Texas. Yes, typical 'Texas attitude'.
The first notion that you need to understand about Texas is tat in the center of the state is a triangle, that is Houston to the Eat and a long line along the western edge that is Dallas/Fort Worth in the north down to the South at San Antonio. The rest of Texas is of no great importance. Everything that is lies along the boundaries of these three major triangle lines with Austin lying between Dallas and San Antonio.
The great hidden jewel of the Texas is quite simply The University of Texas. In Houston, not that you will visit the UT MD Anderson Hospital, anchored in the Downtown Medical Center, you have the absolute finest cancer research facility in the world. Also, Anderson has so much money they could operate the entire State of Texas and never touch the principle.
Now how important is the University of Texas beyond cancer research? he chief of clinics at the UT Dentil School reshaped all of modern medicine through out the world by pushing through CPR as standard required practice for all medical personal and that reshaped medicine in your country and most civilized countries in the world creating the foundation of Emergency Medical Services placing these services in most fire departments (as opposed to police departments). Sow me a country or doctor who does not know and is required to demonstrate CPR as a requirement for their license. Late 1970's/early 1980's, University of Texas Dental School, right next door to M D Anderson Hospital.
If you are looking at photography, UT Humanity Research Center in Austin Texas, The Harry Ransom Center. The first photograph and pretty much the entire early history of photography for the first fifty years. Of course, open to the public with rotating exabition's year round. Yes, the University of Texas.
If you want architecture, that is San Antonio. The conservation Society stopped counting buildings in San Antonio for it's registry at 10,000. An example, go to 110 Broadway and on foot go behind the building between 110 and the Federal building and you will see painted signs for advertising on the old building from the 1920's. But, look down at your feet, find a spot where the asphalt has become lifted and see the original down town street made up of raw cur cedar that was the original 'road' foundation that was there during the siege of the Alamo. And just down the street you can see the second daguerreotype studio built in the US, now the oldest existing original daguerreotype studio in the world that is still existing unaltered. While you are standing in front of it, you will notice that Broadway on that section of Broadway changes direction the goes back to it's original course, and that is the reason for that glitch in the path of Broadway because the second story building is where the natural north face lighting studio exists. The building is marked with a placard and is owned by the SA Conservation Society.
Texas is loaded with things to see and discover, many define what we know about our world, many never explained nor noted even the history of the modern world. This is why Texas is so important to the US and the world.
The building that I own and have as Mission Road Studio is on Mission Road. Across the street is the location for the first electrical generating plant for San Antonio. My building is where Teddy Rosevelt and his officers put up their tents and where that generating plant now stands is where the Rough Riders were formed up with their supplies and horses and mules to begin training. The railroad track down the street was were trps and supplies were off loaded. Teddy slept in what is my garden in a pecan grove that provided shade and fire wood that is all around me. And that is why the street next to my building is named Yellowstone and the park at the corner is named Rosevelt Park. (The street I live on is the original Mission Road, the first Mission of that Mission System is just down the street and around the corner). It is part of the San Antonio River Park. Texas is a rather interesting place to visit, even better to live in.
By the way, if you visit San Antonio, be sure to visit the Southwest School of Art (now part of the UT) which was the old Urseline Academy School, before it became the Southwest Craft Center in the 1960's. Great example of Spanish ram filled rubble building found in the US.