Houston and Galveston updates now available

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Sep 28, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Louisiana residents certainly empathize with Texans who have started the recovery process following Hurricane Ike. Colleagues and friends, with pleasant memories of trips to Houston and Galveston, have been asking about the area’s attractions.

Last week, Texas tourism authorities were reminding travelers that while areas affected by Hurricane Ike continue in the recovery phase, other areas were not affected by the storm. These include Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, the Texas Panhandle, Big Bend Region, South Texas Plains and the beaches of South Padre Island and Corpus Christi and Port Aransas.

Coastal areas from Surfside Beach to the Texas-Louisiana border are beginning the recovery process. Galveston allowed residents to return to the island last week to start the cleanup process. Conditions are improving daily. However, the island still has no power, no water and no sewerage service.

Travelers should closely monitor the current situation in the Gulf Coast communities before traveling to them.

The Galveston Historical Foundation reported minor damages to some of its famed historical sites. Visit http://www.galvestonhistory.org.

Moody Gardens has kept animals and received some damage to the Moody Gardens Hotel. The historic downtown Strand District received major water damage and will need repairs.

Structurally, the island is strong behind the Seawall. Hotel Galvez and the San Luis Resort received minor damage but will be in operation as soon as possible. Visit http://www.galveston.com for updates.

Most of Houston proper has had power restored, and most hotels, restaurants and attractions are now open. Gasoline is available as usual.

Here are a few updates:

• Of more than 500 hotels in greater Houston, the majority had no damage. A few experienced minimal water damage. For info, check with http://www.visithoustontexas.com.

• Airport system: Flights are fully operational at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. Visit http://www.fly2houston.com.

• Most Houston area attractions are open, including The Galleria, Houston Zoo, Space Center Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts main campus, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston’s Children’s Museum and the Menil Collection. Check http://www.visithoustontexas.com.

• Cruises from Texas. Regular sailings for the next 45 to 60 days will continue at Bayport Cruise Terminal for Carnival’s Ecstasy and Conquest per its regular schedule and itinerary, based temporarily from the Port of Galveston to the Port of Houston Authority’s Bayport Cruise Terminal. Visit http://www.portofhouston.com.

• Conventions: The George R. Brown Convention Center is one of two major convention center facilities in the nation. The facility weathered the storm with only superficial damage. No floodwater entered the building. Visit http://www.houstonconventionctr.com.

• State Parks. Of the 90 plus Texas State Parks throughout the state, 13 remain closed because of Ike. The current list of parks closed because of the hurricane are listed online at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/parkinfo/hurricane.

For additional information, visit http://www.governor.state.tx.us.

Pompeii art and culture
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., will present a new exhibit, Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Oct. 19 to March 22, 2009.

Displayed in the East Building Mezzanine, the exhibition will contain some 150 luxurious works of art excavated from the opulent houses of the elite in Pompeii and from nearby imperial villas along the shoreline of the Bay of Naples. They illustrate the region’s importance as an artistic center. Exquisite objects reveal the breadth of cultural and artistic life, as well as the influence of classical Greece on Roman art and culture in the region.

Visitors can obtain an audio tour for $5 narrated by gallery director Earl A. Powell III. A film in the East Building’s small auditorium examines the explosion of artistic activity around the Bay of Naples that began in the first century B.C. Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi, the film includes original footage shot in the villas and houses on the Bay of Naples, including Pompeii, where many of the objects were preserved in the ash that covered the area after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The film is shown noon to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday,  and noon to closing, weekends. A DVD is available for $19.95.

Three Sisters Festival
Chattanooga’s Three Sisters Festival takes place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4, on Ross Landing on the Riverfront downtown. The free festival offers live bluegrass music, including the Del McCoury Band, Nashville Bluegrass Band, the Greencards, The Lovell Sisters, Lone Mountain Band, John Cowan Band and the Dismembered Tennesseans. Beer, food and soft drink concessions will be available. Call (423) 265-2825.