Houston, a multicultural, international city of approximately 4,000,000 people is the 4th largest city in the US. It is a major seaport. In 1995, the Port handled 144 million tons of cargo aboard 5,535 ships, making it the second busiest port in the nation. Sitting on the Gulf of Mexico in the southern US, Houston enjoys a semi-tropical climate. The resort beaches of Galveston are just down the road. Recently, the Port of Houston Announced "Texaribbean" Cruises.

The Texas Medical Center, comprising approximately 40 non-profit hospitals, is the largest medical center in the world. Texas Medical Center's 1994 employment was approximately 55,000! Houston is home to the two time world champion Houston Rockets of the NBA, and is known as a sports fanatical city. You can listen to Houston radio stations or view local TV to get an idea of what's current in the city.

The Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as the International Sports Committee are spearheading the drive to bring the US Open here. This is in line with their efforts to host the Pan Am Games in 2007. Houston is also bidding on a future Summer Olympics. It is important that the Table Tennis coompetitions be first rate as this will speak to Houston's ability to run such major events.

The US Open will require the use of the Astrodome complex for 5 full days plus set up and tear down. It is a major sporting event and largest of its type in the world. It generally draws from 700 to 1000 athletes. Along with providing top flight facilities for the competition, Houston is also providing fabulous vacation opportunities for both players, their families and spectators. Approximately 10,000 matches will be held over the course of the event. There will be hundreds of volunteers and officials participating.

The host hotel, is yet to be decided. There will be shuttle buses running constantly. You will want to stay at the tournament hotel as this will be the hub of table tennis during the championships. Make your reservations early! The hotel will fill to capacity with TT enthusiasts. Great rates and a good location make this where you want to be. Don't get left out!

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The Astrodome Expo Centers and Arena facilities offer four individual halls and 280,000 gross square feet of exhibit space. The premier events will be showcased in The Arena Pavilion which provides a 1,700-seat limited access amphitheater configuration and room for 12 courts. (Only 8 courts will be used in the pavillion, practice courts will be just outside)

Weather here is generally very predictable. Houston in early July will be warm and humid. Temperatures will range from 85^o F during the days to 70^o F at night. Humidity will vary from 45 to 85%. Frequently, the afternoons are cooled by about an hour of rain. Bring cool summer clothing (and of course a bathing suit!). Remember to drink lots of fluids during the competition as you will tend to dehydrate if you fail to replenish moisture lost through persperation. Being close to the Equator, the sun is very bright. Over exposure to the sun can cause severe sunburn. Always use a high SPF sunblock if you are going to spend any significant time outdoors. With all there is to offer here, you WILL want to be outside quite a bit.

This is especially true if you are coming from Northern Europe or Asia. The sun is more intense here than in Florida. Exposure to the Texas sun of even 45 minutes unprotected may result in uncomfortable sunburn. Don't hurt your game by neglecting simple common sense! If you are going to explore our fabulous outdoors, buy an inexpensive straw hat while you are here. These can run from $4-$10. (Of course, Texas is noted for its fine hats. If you want to pick up a genuine high-quality hat, they can run from $25-$400).

The playing site (and the hotel) will be well air conditioned. There will be a big difference in temperature as you go in and out of doors, you will adjust quickly to this. Bring a light warm-up suit for use while in the playing site. Generally a light warm-up jacket will do. You will shed this as soon as you go outdoors. Breathable cottons or fast evaporating synthetic fabrics are recommended. Bring plenty of changes of playing shirts. Vendors will have jackets and shirts available at special prices if you chose to wait until you get here. Houston is 60 feet (20 meters) above sea level. The dense air will put more drag on the ball than at altitude. Spin shots will have much more curve in the air and tend to be less explosive off of the table. Sidespin can be much more effective.

You might want to come in a few days (or weeks) early and get used to the conditions. The Houston Table Tennis Center is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the playing site. With 24 barriered courts and 7 day a week availability, it is a good place to pratice and get the feel of the locale. Vector Sports also runs an 8 table club nearby. The University of Houston U. C. has 6 tables available. The Chinese Cultural Center also has some tables available. Please contact us to arrange for early arrival. Houston is in the Central time zone of the US. 1 hour behind New York and 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles. Since Houston is so large, you may want to rent a car while you are here. Houston is the only major US city who's traffic congestion has been reduced every year for the past 10 years. You may check here to see real time current traffic conditions (Speeds are in miles per hour. For kilometers per hour, multiply by 1.61. for example: 70 mph =113 kmph).

Providing that the 1998-99 US Open Table Tennis Championshps are successful, the city in conjunction with the USATT wants to bid on hosting the World Championships in 2003. This multi-national event (held every 2 years) recently fielded teams from 117 countries in Manchester, England. The Table Tennis World Championships is a multi- million dollar event. Running the Worlds is important to Houston as it bids on the 2007 Pan Am Games and on a future Summer Olympics.

John Kelley of the Houston International Sports Committee is Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton's father-in-law, and he approaches his task with the same cereal-box enthusiasm. After recently sponsoring the Pan Am Invitational in gymnastics, he made these comments. ''All I know is we're real serious,'' he said of the Pan Am and Olympic bids. ''This is not a marble game. It's like the second World War. You'd better have plenty of money, and we've got about $3 billion behind our deal.'' Houston has already anteed up $100,000 to the US Olympic Committee.

Athletes; get a jump on your competition by coming to the US Open and getting used to the conditions. 1998 Pro Tour athlete roster

Dealers and exhibitors, call early to reserve booth space in the exhibition hall. This is prime space and very well laid out. You do not want to miss out on this show! There has never been exhibit/tournament space laid out so well for you. Call USATT at 719-578-4583. You need not be directly involved in table tennis to show here. Exhibit space is very economical. Also be sure to reserve ad space in the program, tell them who you are!

Houston is the least expensive major city in the US. You can make your travel dollar go a long way. Click here to see current currency conversion rates. Because of the international mix of Houston's population, the food here is as good as it gets! With the highest per capita number of restaurants in the world, if you want it, you can find it! Prices vary from $1.00 a meal to $100. Let your taste decide. While in town, check out the huge selection of places to dance!

Houston has a distinctive skyline. Downtown and suburban office buildings offer striking examples of award-winning contemporary architecture, including Texas Commerce Tower, the tallest U.S. building outside New York and Chicago, and Transco Tower, the tallest U.S. building outside a central business district. The Connection--begun in 1929, and now 6.3 miles of enclosed, air-conditioned pedestrianways (tunnels and elevated walkways) featuring retail and service establishments--links more than 70 downtown buildings. You may browse the Houston Chronicle to read what is going on now in the city.

There are also a wide variety of sightseeing attractions in Houston among them is NASA's Johnson Space Center, a $954 million complex, where all manned US flights are controlled & Space Center Houston (a Disney attraction). The Houston Museum District,with Natural Science Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Museum of Health and Medical Science, Contempory Arts Museum, and Children's Museum, is just up the street from the venue. The Houston Zoo and The Miller Outdoor Theatre are also close by. Houston is one of a handful of U.S. cities with resident companies in opera, the theater, the symphony and the ballet. You can find out current culteral events scheduled for this week. There are 8 colleges and universities in the city. Shopping? Did somebody say shopping? You should visit Rice Village, a collection of unique stores grouped near the Museum District. Houston is a high tech city. It has vast internet resources and information. And, of course there is golf.