I'm in Houston this week - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Botnst · #16 03-25-2008, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

I have been to the texas on a previous trip but I don't remember the battlefield. I thought I saw a flat top parked where it must be decomissioned too. I am a sucker for ships!

Tom W

It's the tall obelisk -- taller than the Washington monument (of course!).

WVOtoGO · #17 03-25-2008, 11:27 PM

A good "flat top" to tour is the Lexington over in Corpus Christi.
I don't know of any in the Houston area. There certainly could be though.

DJ

t walgamuth · #18 03-25-2008, 11:30 PM

I'll have to see how far that is. I would love to see the Lexington.

Tom W

WVOtoGO · #19 03-25-2008, 11:36 PM

A bit of a drive from Houston.
(now you know why we fly

)

Here’s a link:
http://www.usslexington.com/

My only gripe is that their “on deck” T-28B should be a T-28C (with the arresting hook).

DJ

t walgamuth · #20 03-25-2008, 11:39 PM

I was looking for some ww2 fighters but could not see for sure with the size of the pictures.

Thanks for the link!

Tom W

WVOtoGO · #21 03-25-2008, 11:55 PM

If it’s WWII aircraft you’re after. They’re right down the road in Galveston.
We have friends with aircraft based there. Know the staff well. Great people. Stay a night at Moody Gardens if you have kids with you, and walk over to the museum.

http://www.lsfm.org/

POS · #22 03-26-2008, 07:56 AM

Tom, have dinner at El Tiempo near Buffalo Speedway and Richmond. The food is the best upscale Mexican in town, and the margaritas will leave you drooling.

Botnst · #23 03-26-2008, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

I'll have to see how far that is. I would love to see the Lexington.

Tom W

Corpus Christi

They've got a handful of old farts that do a fine job of guiding guests around. The ship has a nice museum, too. You gotta have sympathy for the pilots whose berthing compartment was nearly among the arresting cables. Also they have some really neat color-coded cut-aways of old aircraft engines from little lycomings to giant supercharged bomber behemoths. Look like they were salvaged from an aircraft engine school. Nice collection of aircraft on the flight deck, too. It's the only time I've seen a Banshee, though I built a model when I was a kid.

Visiting a little ship like the Lex after going aboard say, the America or other large carrier gives an idea of the scale of advancement in naval architecture and naval aviation.

t walgamuth · #24 03-26-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVOtoGO

If it’s WWII aircraft you’re after. They’re right down the road in Galveston.
We have friends with aircraft based there. Know the staff well. Great people. Stay a night at Moody Gardens if you have kids with you, and walk over to the museum.

http://www.lsfm.org/

I am probably going there today.

My youngest is in College now, so the kid thing is out. I am enjoyning free room and board at the BIL's house here in south Houston. Free alcoholic beverages too. I'm good for one per night!

Tom W

t walgamuth · #25 03-26-2008, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

Corpus Christi

They've got a handful of old farts that do a fine job of guiding guests around. The ship has a nice museum, too. You gotta have sympathy for the pilots whose berthing compartment was nearly among the arresting cables. Also they have some really neat color-coded cut-aways of old aircraft engines from little lycomings to giant supercharged bomber behemoths. Look like they were salvaged from an aircraft engine school. Nice collection of aircraft on the flight deck, too. It's the only time I've seen a Banshee, though I built a model when I was a kid.

Visiting a little ship like the Lex after going aboard say, the America or other large carrier gives an idea of the scale of advancement in naval architecture and naval aviation.

The trip to the LEX will have to wait til another time.

Drat!

Tom W

t walgamuth · #26 03-26-2008, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

Tom, have dinner at El Tiempo near Buffalo Speedway and Richmond. The food is the best upscale Mexican in town, and the margaritas will leave you drooling.

I don't need a marguerita to drool! I do love them though.

One time I had some then rode a motorcycle into a barbed wire fence!

Ouch!

I am more careful now.

Tom W

Skid Row Joe · #27 03-26-2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

Tom, have dinner at El Tiempo near Buffalo Speedway and Richmond. The food is the best upscale Mexican in town, and the margaritas will leave you drooling.

POS,
Thanks for the tip when in Houston. Is that on Richmond, north of the Gulf Freeway (Hwy 59,) but south of I-10? I can't place where Buffalo Speedway is......? Also, is that their only location in town?

I usually stay up on FM1960 west of I-45 about three to five miles at a Wal*Mart overnight in my diesel coach. I workout in the early evenings before supper either at the Bally's on Hwy 290 or the one on FM1960.

Thanks for the recommendations!

t walgamuth · #28 03-26-2008, 09:17 PM

I went to the air museum today. It is very good. They have a bunch of aircraft that are in flying condition including some ww2 fighters and a b 17. they also have a b 25 doolittle bomber. They pushed the b 17 outside and fired up the engines for about a half an hour while I was there....Cool!

I enjoyed some of the smaller exhibits... a tailgun turret settting where you could get right up and see the details. Those are very very compact. I imagine sitting in one of them for six or eight hours must have been grueling.

They also had several planes in various stages of dissassembly for restoration. It was very cool seeing the details on the engines and airframes.

They also had a dc 3 and a b 58 hustler. the b 58 brought back cold war memories of them and the b 52s that I passed many times at Grissom in central indiana (formerly bunker hill).

Great stuff. I had a very hard time finding it as the signage for it is spotty at best.

Tomorrow we are heading north and will spend a day at Eurika Springs.

I might go by the farm for a rematch with the yellow rooster too!

Tom W

WVOtoGO · #29 03-26-2008, 11:11 PM

They were probably making sure the B-17 and the B-25 were ready for rides this weekend. That starts Friday and runs through Saturday. Their B25 (Special Delivery) is a real sweetie. Not too familiar with their B-17 though.

Was the little turret you speak of still sitting just off the walk ramp behind the torn down PB4 ? If so – That’s where DJ and some other volunteers put it some time ago. I understand that PB4 to be one heck of a job. It used to be a fire bomber (I believe), now turned back to Privateer (I think it’s called). DJ and some of her friends have gone down and volunteered on that project a few times. (Her Tucson friends suck her into it. But she likes it... regardless of it’s affects on her manicure.

)

Did you see their Spitfire and/or Hurricane? Both, very sweet.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it all.
Have a safe trip back north.

t walgamuth · #30 03-28-2008, 11:22 PM

Yes on turret, spitfire and hurricane.

The b17 seems equal to me to the b 25. very very nice.

I think the most fascinating to me was the b58 since I remember it from my younger years sitting ready to go over at Grissom.

Good stuff!

Tom W