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CORPUS CHRISTI |
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The unabashed resort town of CORPUS CHRISTI is reached along the
coast on Hwy-35 from Houston or Galveston, or on I-37 from San Antonio.
Originally a rambunctious trading post, it too was hit by a fierce
hurricane, in 1919, but recovered, transforming itself into a center for
naval air training, petroleum and shipping. Much of the population is
Hispanic, and the community was devastated in March 1995, when the 23-year-old
singer Selena was shot dead in a motel parking lot by the former
president of her fan club. Selena was on the verge of becoming the first
major cross-over star of Tejano music, a hybrid of Mexican rhythms,
German polka and reggae-influenced Colombian cumbia , and fifty thousand
fans turned out for her funeral. In addition to the Selena Auditorium at
the Bayfront Convention Center, there's a memorial to the singer just
south of Peoples Street on Shoreline Boulevard; a new Selena Museum ,
5410 Leopard St, is stuffed with Selena memorabilia, from her famously
extravagant gowns to her Porsche (MonFri 911.45am & 16pm; free). The
visitor center can supply a free map of Selena-centric stops.
Apart from fishing, sailing and water sports across the channel on Padre
Island, there's not a great deal to do in Corpus Christi. The impressive
collection of the Philip Johnson-designed South Texas Institute for the
Arts , 1902 N Shoreline Blvd (TuesSat 10am5pm, Sun 15pm, first Thurs of
the month until 9pm; $3; tel 361/825-3500, www.stia.org ), includes
pieces by Monet and Picasso. Further along N Shoreline Boulevard, at no.
2710, is the massive Texas State Aquarium (summer MonSat 9am6pm, Sun
10am6pm; rest of year until 5pm; $9; tel 361/881-1200 or 1-800/477-GULF,
www.texasstateaquarium.org ), which nonetheless feels cramped compared
to the aquarium in Galveston. Adjacent is the USS Lexington (summer
daily 9am6pm; rest of year until 5pm; $10; www.usslexington.com ), a
World War II aircraft carrier that's impressive to walk around, though
the few exhibits on board are weak. The Corpus Christi Museum of Science
and History , 1900 N Chaparral St (daily: summer 9am6pm; rest of year
9am5pm; $8; tel 361/883-2862, www.ci.corpus-christi.tx.us/services/museum
), specializes in hands-on natural history exhibits, on topics ranging
from shipwrecks to shells to, curiously, the building of the Selena
memorial. Moored in the harbor a short walk from the museum, the
Columbus Fleet (included in the museum admission) consists of life-size
replicas of Christopher Columbus's Santa Maria and Pinta .
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Vacation Rentals in Corpus
Christi |
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from $80.00
USD