Long maligned by everyone from sports writers to financier watchdogs- it was, after all, home to the infamous Enron, and, more recently, the Stanford Bank- Houston enjoys a rather dubious status in the minds of many travelers. On the other hand, long-term residents (while acknowledging the foibles of their city with a roll of the eyes) are quick to point to the vast network of urban delights spread over its vast sprawl (600 square miles and counting). Here are just a few of the hidden gems to be found in this Gulf Coast mecca.

The Orange Show. Built by Jeff McKissack on a vacant lot near his home as a monument to his favorite food (you guessed it- the orange), this beguiling folk-art environment lights up an otherwise unassuming interior Houston suburb. Since McKissack's death in 1980, this sprawling maze of poured concrete alcoves, metal spires, and orange paint (now re-christened the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art) serves as the spiritual core of a thriving Texas outsider folk art scene.

Ninfa's - Most people know this amazing Tex-Mex restaurant for its shiny, cavernous Kirby Drive location (just south of prestigious River Oaks), but you'll want to hunt down the cozy original on Navigation Boulevard. Get there early, though, as their famous margaritas and fajitas draw diners from all over Houston.

The Menil Collection. The Menil is perhaps the most complete and diverse art museum South of the Verrazano, though you'll talk to many art lovers before you'll find someone who knows it. Built originally as a home for oil-money diva Dominique De Menil's massive collection of Dada, Surrealist, Pop, contemporary, and Ancient/ Primitive art, the museum (and the attached Rothko Chapel) continues to awe gallery tourists lucky enough to wander through Houston.

The Galleria. The shopping center of the known universe, this towering indoor mall (near Houston's soaring TransCo Tower just west of the 610 loop) is a hymn to conspicuous consumption, featuring its own indoor ice-skating rink, operational even when the temperatures outside the door are in the triple digits.

In addition to all of its cultural and commercial charms, Houston boasts some of the cheapest office space in the country, with no state income tax to boot- so if you or your business are looking to escape the expensive chill of northern climates, come on down!

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