Edmonton , General info:
8/10

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies. It is the second largest city in Alberta after Calgary, and is the hub of Canada's sixth largest census metropolitan area, with a metropolitan population of 1,034,945, making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million. At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal. Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in North America, about 9.4% that of New York City. A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.

Edmonton , Cheap stuff:
8/10

Edmonton serves as the northern anchor of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (one of four regions that together comprise 50% of Canada's population) and is a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories.

Edmonton , Different stuff:
10/10

Edmonton is the most northerly major city in North America. At the summer solstice, Edmonton receives seventeen hours and six minutes of daylight, with twilight extending well beyond that. Edmonton receives 2,289 hours of sunshine per year, and is one of Canada's sunniest cities.

Edmonton , Don't miss:
9/10

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which takes place in mid-August, is the largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world. More than 1500 performers take part in the festival each year. In 2006, over 77,000 tickets were sold to indoor shows, and over 500,000 people visited the festival site.

Houston , General info:
9/10

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of Texas. Houston is the seat of Harris County and an economic center of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of around 5.6 million.

Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou.

Houston , Cheap stuff:
9/10

Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant, 100% Taquito, Collina's Italian Cafe, ...

Houston , Different stuff:
9/10

Dynamic Downtown, Architecture & Public Art, Shop Nonstop, Urban Green Spaces, ...

Houston , Don't miss:
9/10

Earth Day celebrations, Art Car Parade, NASA, Menil Museum, Astros

Houston , Food:
9/10

Paulie's, Lankford Grocery & Market, Prince's-Houston's Hometown Burger,

King Biscuit Patio Cafe

Houston , Hotels:
9/10

Howard Johnson Express Inn, Hotel Zaza, Crowne Plaza, Four Points By Sheraton Houston Southwest, Hyatt Regency Houston,...

Houston , Safety:
9/10

Like any large city in the world, Houston has its share of unsavory characters. If you use common sense, you'll enjoy your trip and have no problems.