“Known as both the Bayou City and the Energy Capital of the World, Houston is a diverse city that offers world-class arts and entertainment to people of all nations.” In this recipe I will take you to my hometown—Houston, Texas. Houston is a perfect city in every way – not only that it was voted third most livable city in the U.S., it's also home to NASA and many historical museums. I will include a list of attractions and best restaurants in Houston as well; and since you are getting the information from a Houstonian, you can trust it to be authentic!

Recipe objective: Using 2 credit card promotions to create a three-night trip to Houston, Texas with free flight and up to 4 hotel nights, as well as a guide to have a great time in the city (visiting fun places and having great food)!

Ingredients:

• A good 2+ years credit history with no blemishes
• 720+ FICO score

Main Dish Preparation Steps:

Step1: Apply for: United Mileage Plus Visa Signature Card

• 25,000 bonus United Mileage Plus miles after your first purchase—enough for a roundtrip to Houston.
• 5,000 more bonus miles after adding an authorized user.
• $50 in statement credit after first purchase.
• One $25 United Discount Travel Certificate, and a one-way, 1000 mile, one-class upgrade certificate.
• No Annual Fee for first year ($60 after).

Step 2: Apply for: American Express Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card

• Get 10,000 Starpoints after your first purchase--enough for staying at Four Points by Sheraton Houston, Memorial City (category 2 hotel) for 2 weekday nights or 3 weekend nights.
• No annual fee for the first year.

Step 3: Make flight reservation at United

• It will cost you less than 25,000 points depending on your starting city.

Step 4: Make hotel reservation at Four Points by Sheraton Houston, Memorial City

• This is a category 2 hotel. 10,000 will suffice 3 weekend nights (3,000 each), but only 2 weekday nights (4,000 each).
  • Book by July 31s t for 2 nights to receive a $40 gas card.
  • Book by December 31st to receive FREE breakfast for two for everyday of your stay.
• If you travel with your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/etc. and each gets on the same deal, you have twice the number of hotel nights!
•  If you plan on keeping the card, note that you can also earn 2 Starwood points (instead of 1) for every dollar you spend at Starwood hotels and resorts.

• From July 23rd to 25th (Friday-Sunday)
• Fly a roundtrip with United from San Francisco to Houston
• Four Points by Sheraton Houston, Memorial City for 3 nights

Side Dishes Preparation Steps:

Step 1: Buy your tickets to NASA Space Center

• Needless to say, this is a must-see in Houston.
• Buy your tickets online to save $5 on admission.

Step 2: Get your All-Day Adventure Pass at the Downtown Aquarium

• The world-class complex boasts 500,000 gallons of visible underwater tanks with more than 200 species of marine life. Each pass includes unlimited access to Shark Voyage, Aquarium Adventure Exhibit, Ferris Wheel, Carousel & Lighthouse Dive!
• Buy one get one free!
• Expires on December 31st, 2011.

Step 3: Make sure to visit the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences

• The museum has a spectacular collection of mineral specimens, a dinosaur skeleton, space-station models, and much more to see.
• The Cockrell Butterfly Center is something you most definitely don’t want to miss—butterflies will be flying around you like in fairytales.

Step 4: Be sure to visit the unique Houston Downtown Tunnels System

• This is an interconnected series of great restaurants, shops, etc. This is where many Houstonians go to get away from the hot weather.

Step 5: Rent your car at Travelocity:

• Simply enter your pick-up and drop-off date and location, Travelocity will show you the best deals for all categories.
• Public transportation doesn’t work too well in Houston, having an automobile is definitely a plus.

Steaks Preparation Steps

As the largest city in Texas, Houston is best known for its steakhouses and good old Texas barbeque—gourmet food that you cannot find in anywhere else (no matter how authentic they claim to be!) This is a short list of the most famous steakhouses in Houston. Try them out!

• Taste of Texas
• Papas Bros Steakhouse
• Fogo de Chao Churrascaria – Buffet style barbeque; definitely one of the best out there!
• Truluck’s Steak and Stone Crab
• Lynn’s Steakhouse

Alternatives:

• If you want to go to any other cities or countries, you can do your flight research here.
• Similarly, for other Starwood participating hotels, the conversion table between Starpoints and redeemable hotel nights for hotels in different categories will show you how many nights you can redeem.
  • Note that depending on the category of some hotels, the 10,000 points may not be enough for 3 nights.
  • If you choose to stay at a category 1 hotel on a weekend instead, 10,000 points can be redeemed for 4 nights!
• Check out this complete guide for visiting Houston. Be sure to visit the Special Offers section—there are some pretty neat deals here and there.

Summary of steps:

1. Check your credit history and score.
2. Apply for United Mileage Plus Visa Signature Card (at least 25,000 bonus miles).
3. Apply for American Express Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express (10,000 bonus points).
4. Make a purchase with both cards on anything.
5. Book your plane ticket.
6. Book your hotel rooms.
7. Select certain (or all!) side dishes to make a plan for your trip to Houston. Take lots of pictures!
8. Cancel your cards or keep them to earn points to your convenience.

 
(Photo: http2007)