World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Houston  - Shopping
Shopping

Houston is a shopaholics' paradise, as there are over 30 malls in the area. There is even a ten-kilometre (six-mile) system of underground pedestrian tunnels and sky walks for weather-free shopping and dining. The uptown area of Houston, around Westheimer Road at Post Oak, has a host of shops, including Macy's, Versace, Tiffany and Gucci. Most are all located in the Galleria, a shopping mall that is also one of Houston's top tourist attractions, and which has a giant indoor ice skating rink as its centrepiece. A few blocks east of the Galleria is The Highland Village Shopping Center on Westheimer, which has several upmarket shops.

A more eclectic mix of shops can be found in the Rice Village neighbourhood, with designer boutiques, art and craft galleries and traditional shops. Art galleries and antique shops are to be found in the Upper Kirby District. Houston's oldest shopping district, West Gray, now has a string of Art Deco-inspired upmarket shops and galleries in the River Oaks Shopping Center. Most visitors to Texas come away with an item of cowboy wear, such as a stetson, and these can be bought at Stelzig of Texas, Post Oak Boulevard, or The Hat Store on Richmond Avenue. Other best buys include Western-style boots, clothes and riding equipment. Antiques and arts and crafts bargain hunters should go to the Back Bay Market, held twice a month south of downtown in Clear Lake.

There is a sales tax of 8.25%, which foreign visitors can claim back if exporting their purchases. This can be done at Texas Tax Back at Level 3 of Galleria II (tel: (713) 965 9414), where passports and flight tickets have to be presented, as well as the sales receipts. Shopping hours are generally Monday-Saturday 1000-2100 and Sunday 1200-1800



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