From El Paso to see Radiohead (Houston, The Woodlands: how much, hotels, taxis)

[RHHSTN]

Hello. I'm new at the forum and actually only sign up to see if I could get some help about a trip I'll make to see Radiohead at Woodlands .
I'm planning to go from El Paso to Houston by car, the concert will be on Sat 17 and I would like to go first thing in the morning of Friday; if Mapquest is right I will be arriving to Houston around 7-8 PM according to my plans... what can I expect about the traffic at that time on that specific day of the week?. I want to stay in a hotel that's not that far from Woodlands but also not that far from cool places to visit in Houston (saturday morning).
What do you recommend about this whole trip?, should I just focus on attending the concert 'cause the traffic on saturday will be too much?, are there any places that I could visit and don't have to invest too much time? or the drive to Woodlands is a quick one?
And what about leaving the city on sunday?, I mean, again what should I expect from the traffic?.
I hope you can make some recommendations... thank you!

[Eastender67]

Arriving in Houston 7-8 PM on Friday nights means you'll be coming in on I-10 West (Katy Freeway) when most of the traffic on I-10 West is heading OUT. *So, that part of your trip won't be too bad.
Take Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) around to I-45 and traffic is probably moving reasonably *fast.
Take I-45 (North Freeway) north toward The Woodlands and the worst of rush hour is tapering off and/or done with so traffic is moving reasonably *fast.
*Of course all of the above depends on freeway wrecks or no wrecks.
Why not stay in one of the hotels right in the Woodlands and just WALK (or take one of the water taxis) to CWMP (http://pavilion.woodlandscenter.org/)? (broken link) If those are too expensive for your budget there are dozens of motels on I-45 near The Woodlands exit and southward toward Houston city limits. Take your pick.
Traffic on Saturday, between Houston and The Woodlands, is mostly like any other freeway, that is, maybe heavy but not gridlocked. It's normally an easy drive, half hour or so at most even from downtown Houston.
Leaving on Sunday is easy. You'll be going OUT I-10 West and most of the traffic will be coming in (returning from Hill Country, etc.).
There are no cool places in Houston.
Maybe some other readers can give you more specific details as to hotels/motels on the I-45 North area.

[RHHSTN]

Thank you for all the information. I hope someone else could give me some advise about the hotels or some places to visit in my brief trip.

[Mustang1]

You should stay close to the pavilion. I've stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn for concerts and it's walking distance. There are some other hotels close by too.

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by RHHSTN

Thank you for all the information. I hope someone else could give me some advise about the hotels or some places to visit in my brief trip.

What's your Sunday timeline? What time will you be getting back to Houston and how much time will you have to spend there before heading back to El Paso?

[RHHSTN]

We have some time on friday evening, after we arrive to Houston, then on saturday all the time before the event... but on sunday we'll be heading back first thing in the morning. What do you suggest we (my friends and I) do with this little time we have?

[houstoner]

Mmmhmm, and will you be staying in The Woodlands the whole time? If so, disregard the following.

In Houston, since you have limited time, I recommend you stay around the Montrose. Friday night you might want to have dinner and do the bar thing, like everyone else will be doing. There's a bunch of restaurants, so take yer pick there. Bars/live music venues you may want to check out include Poison Girl, the Mink, Avant Garden, Rudyard's (they serve food; awesome veggie burgers!!), Last Concert Cafe (they serve food; Tex-Mex), and/or Notsuoh in the Montrose/Midtown/downtown, and there are others. Saturday morning I'd recommend breakfast at Inversion, Cafe Brasil, or Empire Cafe, also in the Montrose, then maybe heading over to the Museum District. After, have lunch at Discovery Green. It's a new park downtown and a good way to spend a lazy afternoon before heading to The Woodlands for the show, or if you have time, check out "The Houston Fringe Festival" which will be happening around the Montrose all weekend as well. More stuff to do in Houston - Calendar (http://entertainment.houstonpress.com/ - broken link).

In The Woodlands, I got nothing for ya.