park like a pro

5 best parking tips to navigate Astros playoff week downtown Houston

Houston Astros parking $80 sign downtown

Skip the $80 lots and park on the cheap.

Photo courtesy of ABC13

It's going to be a busy week in downtown Houston. The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox face off for Games 3, 4, and 5 of the ALCS and the Rockets host their season opener on Wednesday, October 17.

These sporting events will unfortunately mix with evening commuters, but before you start to stress, remember downtown street parking is free after 6 pm. You may prefer a secure lot or letting someone else do the driving.

Near the intersection of Texas Avenue and Austin Street, we spotted $80 parking during the ALDS. When we went by on a regular weekday: that same lot was just $12.

That's why parking along the METRORail is a good option. The Convention District stops on the green and purple lines are just two blocks from the ballpark.

Use an app like ParkHouston or ParkMobile to find and pay for parking without ever pulling out your wallet. If you reserve your parking in advance, ParkMobile claims that if you simply print a parking permit, even if the lot or garage sells out, a spot will be saved for you.

One more note: Barricades are already blocking most of the street on Texas and Crawford alongside the ballpark, so in your search for the perfect spot, definitely enter downtown on the side of Minute Maid Park where you want to park your vehicle. Don't get stuck trying to get past the stadium to park on the other side.

METRO
Take METRORail to the game. A ride is just $1.25 each way and offers several Park & Ride options. Cheap parking ($3) is available at the Fannin South Transit Center Station. Free parking is available at Northline.

To access Minute Maid Park, exit at the Convention District Station Stop from the Green/Purple Line. Or, from the Red Line, exit the Preston Station stop, and walk six blocks.

Greenlink
The Greenlink Circulator operated by METRO provides curbside service to Minute Maid Park, and it's free. You can park at other cheaper, remote lots around downtown and avoid the walk.

Uber and Lyft
Lyft is offering 25 percent off two rides with code NEVERSETTLE. Uber is offering $15 off to first-time riders with the code GOASTROSGO. Pickup and dropoff is outside Centerfield Gate, between Crawford and Preston streets.

BCycle
Use promo code "2018" at any Houston BCycle station on Tuesday, October 16; Wednesday, October 17; or Thursday, October 18 to get a free 30-minute ride. There's a $3 per 30 minute overage charge. 15 stations are available Downtown, plus another 4 in East End that are a quick walk to the stadium. Find them with the BCycle station map.

$5 Parking
The virtually undiscovered parking garage at 2811 Travis $5 public parking, and it's just a short ride to the ballpark. (You may have missed it because it is located underneath Midtown Park.)

Daytime rates are just a dollar per hour with an $8 maximum. Nighttime, weekend, and special event parking is a $5 flat rate. Once you park, hop on METRORail and ride 10 minutes to the Preston stop.

Other tips

Download the ParkMobile App to pay for street parking with your credit card.
Park farther away, wear walking shoes, and embrace the walk.
Downtown Houston Parking interactive map can help located garages and lots (with hours and capacity), but rates are subject to change.

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For more on this story, including video, visit our content partner ABC13.

downtown houston-astros

better than last year

Texas struggles as one of the 15 worst states to live in 2026

Photo by Vik Chan on Unsplash

Livability apparently isn't Texas' strong suit, according to the study.

After earning its worst-ever ranking last year, Texas has improved couple of spots on an evaluation of the best states to live, but it's still at the bottom of the pack.

Each year, WalletHub's analysts compare all 50 states using 51 livability metrics to measure their affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Factors that were weighed include the cost of living, homeownership rates, population and income growth rates, wealth gaps, public school system quality, road quality, crime rates, and many others.

The Lone Star State landed at No. 36 in 2026, making it the 15th worth state to live right now. That's on par with its 2024 ranking, and it's a two-spot improvement over its 2025 performance.

While Texas residents can brag about living in a state with the No. 1 highest number of restaurants per capita and the 7th best quality of life in the country, that's about it. Texas earned middling-to-poor scores among the four remaining livability rankings: safety (No. 33), affordability (No. 35), economy (No. 37), and education and health (No. 40).

Here's how Texas fared in other nationwide rankings in the study:

No. 27 – Income Growth
No. 30 – Housing Costs
No. 39 – Percentage of Population in Poverty
No. 42 – Percentage of Adults in Fair or Poor Health
No. 46 – Homeownership Rate
No. 49 – Percentage of Population Aged 25 and Older with a High School Diploma or Higher
No. 48 – Average Weekly Work Hours
No. 50 – Percentage of Insured Population

Texas has a lot of work to do to improve its livability for all of its residents, but especially for women, according to several other 2026 WalletHub studies. Texas is the fourth-worst state for women, the ninth-worst state for working mothers, and the seventh-worst place to have a baby based on limited access to maternal and pediatric healthcare.

But the very worst states to live prove that life could be much worse. New Mexico ranks 50th overall, with Louisiana (No. 49), Mississippi (No. 48), Alaska (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46) rounding out the bottom of the list.

After holding on as the No. 1 best state to live for a few years in a row, Massachusetts now ranks No. 4 and was overtaken by Idaho (No. 1), New Jersey (No. 2), and Wisconsin (No. 3). New Hampshire rounds out the top five best states to live.

WalletHub's top 10 best states to live in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Idaho
No. 2 – New Jersey
No. 3 – Wisconsin
No. 4 – Massachusetts
No. 5 – New Hampshire
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Utah
No. 8 – Minnesota
No. 9 – Pennsylvania
No. 10 – Florida

wallethub texas reports