Houston - Prepare

Bring a pair of jeans, for women a can of hairspray for (for the humid days of summer) and walk tall while in Houston. Attitude is everything in the US's fourth largest city.

Yell "Yee-ha!" at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in February-March. View mobile art at May's Art Car Parade, and get a new take on the Bard's works at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in July-August. Cool off during the winter with the outdoor ice rinks Downtown, or travel back in time at Galveston's Dickens on the Strand in December.

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Martin Luther King Jr Day (Jan), Robert E Lee Day (Feb), Presidents' Day (Feb), Texas Independence Day (2 Mar), San Jacinto Day – remembering Texas's key battle for independence from Mexico (21 Apr), Memorial Day (last Mon in May), Independence Day (4 Jul), Lyndon B Johnson's Birthday (27 Aug), Labour Day (first Mon in Sep), Columbus Day (Oct), Veterans' Day (Nov), Thanksgiving (fourth Thu in Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec).

The hot, humid Houston summer kicks into gear in early May, easing up in September. Highs hover around 34°C, with lows just a little cooler. Sudden afternoon downpours are common from June to September. Winter, spring and fall are wonderful, with mild temperatures in the mid teens up to 25°C. Houston can be affected by the hurricane season (1 Jun-1 Nov), with drenching rains and high winds common if a tropical system is within range.

110-120 Volts AC 60 Hz, two flat-pin parallel plugs are standard.

Dial 1 before long-distance calls. Area codes for Houston include 713 and 832. Do not include a 1 before the area code for local calls. For international calls, +011 is the country code.

United States Dollar ($) is the currency.

GMT -5 (GMT -6 in summertime).

Visit Houston website

Jeans and boots are a common sight everywhere, as are boots with business suits in the Downtown district. Ladies who lunch in River Oaks and Uptown are perfectly turned out in couture clothing. Anything goes in Montrose.