Some might describe Houston as a big, sprawling mess of a city. Its arterial highways are perpetually clogged by the plague of construction, its lack of zoning regulations allows bizarre juxtapositions of businesses on the same block, and it seemingly possesses a civic determination to never, ever, put anything within walking distance of anything else. In the summer, Houston offers the heat and humidity of an equatorial jungle. In the winter, Houston offers the heat and humidity of a Turkish sauna. Weirdly, this all works in Houston's favor, making it one of the most vibrant, alive cities in the country - one that also happens to be a great boating destination.

One thing you have to know about Houston - it's the world capital of self-invention. Compared to Houston, Los Angeles is a piker when it comes to starting fresh. As far as Houston and Houstonians are concerned, the only day that matters is tomorrow. Yesterday's gone and what happened then is forgotten, and what you do today is only a preparation for what's coming tomorrow. The city starts fresh every day. As a result, the only way to really appreciate Houston - especially if you're bringing a boat - is to spend a few days, so you can scope out the length and breadth of the city and all it has to offer.

That being the case, the decision is made to spend a long, three-day weekend in and around the Houston area, soaking in as much as possible - both on and off the water. An early arrival on Friday will allow for at least a long afternoon of boating on the north side. Saturday's schedule includes a lazy morning, which will lead to another long afternoon on the water, but this time on the south side. And Sunday will be a day to sleep in, pack up, and get back home in time to get enough shut-eye to make it back to the salt mines Monday morning.

DAY ONE: H-TOWN NORTH

Houston's north side is where the freshwater fiends go to sate their fishing and watersports joneses. There are several lakes close enough to Houston to be considered, but this time out, the lake of choice is Lake Conroe (www.lakeconroecvb.org), about an hour north of downtown, right off of I-45.

At just over 20,000 acres, Conroe's a good-sized lake, but not a huge one, so it's best to get here during the week to avoid as much of the crowd as possible. Even during the week, Conroe can get busy. With 157 miles of coastline and plenty of coves, it's a favorite of Houston-area anglers who come mainly to chase channel catfish. There are also huge bluegill (12-inchers are not unusual) and trophy-sized largemouth bass (the lake record is a 14.91-pounder, caught by Bill Boyett in 1997), if you're looking for quality over quantity.

Charlie don't surf and Dave don't fish, so the bluegill and the bass are safe, as long as they keep their heads down when the wakeboards and inflatables are passing by. The no-fee FM 830 Ramp is the place to put in, just five miles down FM 830 from I-45. This ramp puts you in the water at the southern end of the lake and in prime position to get most anywhere on the lake fairly quickly.

Word to the wise: the prevailing winds - and they can be stout - are from the southeast, and this relatively shallow lake can get whipped into froth pretty easily. The winds' effects are intensified by the lake's more or less northwest-to-southeast orientation, forming a sort of natural tunnel for the breezes. If you really want calm water, you want to be on the water at sunrise.

This Friday, the boat traffic and the winds are fairly light, the sun's warm, and the water's good. A solid wakeboard session gives way to some goofing off on the inflatables before finding a quiet cove that's amenable to a couple hours of just hanging out.

There are plenty of places to stay on Lake Conroe, even marinas where you can overnight on board your boat. Thing is, there's not much happening in and around Lake Conroe after sunset. And after a full day on the water, bellies are empty and demanding fulfillment, so it's back to the FM 830 Ramp to retrieve the boat and head for the bright lights of the big city.

There's no better place to base in Houston than the Hotel Icon (220 Main, 713/224-4266, www.hotelicon.com), a spectacular remodeling of the historic 1911 Union National Bank Building, with awesome views of downtown Houston, a great bar (the Whiskey), and a first-rate restaurant. A quick, refreshing shower and a visit to the Whiskey has everyone ready for the night.

Houston's become a city of great restaurants, and the crew is lucky enough tonight to score a table at one of the newest and greatest - Gravitas (807 Taft, 713/522-0885, www.gravitasrestaurant.com). Even though it's one of the hottest tables in town, the ambience is relaxed and friendly, executive chef/owner Jason Gould stops by the table to chat, and the prices are reasonable - a steak frites with mushrooms and onions is the most expensive thing on the menu, and it's only $27. For variety and fun, spend $60 and get one of each appetizer - you get enough food for six people. Hunger sated, it's back to the Hotel Icon for a well-earned night's sleep. Tomorrow's a big, big day.

DAY TWO: SOUTH SIDE

Any time you're in a city the size of Houston, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the options. On a sunny Saturday morning, for example, part of you might really want to be getting an early start on a long day on the water, but another part might want to take the highly entertaining Saint Arnold Brewery tour (2522 Fairway Park Dr., 713/686-9494, www.saintarnold.com, complete with samples), and another part might want to spend the morning, if not the whole day, touring the Johnson Space Center (1601 NASA Road 1, 281/244-2100, www.spacecenter.org), home of NASA and Mission Control. Sadly, you can't do it all, at least not on the same day. It doesn't make the choice any easier when you realize you'll be driving right by the Space Center on the way to the inviting waters of Kemah (www.kemah.net), about 35 miles south of downtown, arguably the hottest boating spot in the whole Houston area.

Kemah's about halfway between Houston and Galveston, and according to Jessica Davis, Getaways! and marketing coordinator for MarineMax-Seabrook (3001 NASA Road 1, 888/340-2419), it's where all of the action is. "It can get really crowded here on the weekends," she says, "but that's also why it's a lot of fun." Davis, as the local expert, is pressed into service as guide (this also gives access to MarineMax's boat ramp - a clever ploy that only the most experienced and crafty marine journalists should attempt).

Wandering around the protected, inland waters of Kemah, interesting sights present themselves. Around one bend, there's a wakeboard tricks course, complete with grinding rails, just waiting to be shredded. Not far away is a quiet city park with waterside picnic tables.

Go the other direction, though, and the closer you get to the Galveston Bay and the entrance to the Ship Channel, the wilder Kemah becomes. The bayou banks are filled with anglers, and the waters - fairly deserted inland - become crowded with boats of all sizes and descriptions. You can easily satisfy any hunger or thirst by tying up along the famous boardwalk (www.kemahboardwalk.com) and hitting any of the half-dozen or more restaurants, most of which seem to feature crabs first and foremost.

Pass the boardwalk and under the bridge and you're in Galveston Bay, with a world of options. Head east and you're in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Or you can stick close to shore and take the Intracoastal southwest to Rockport, Padre Island, or even Mexico. Going northeast, the ICW will have you in New Orleans in a couple of days.

Not having a couple of days to kill dawdling to the Big Easy means staying put in the confines of Galveston Bay. Thrill-seeking PWC riders and even the occasional wakesurfer will turn the giant wake of a passing supertanker into their personal Pipeline, catching huge air or riding a nearly endless curl. Be warned, however, that these wakes can be dangerous to recreational boats, especially those smaller than 28 feet, so give the big vessels the widest of berths.

Fishing in the Bay can bring major rewards, but the real sport is to be found in the Gulf. For the most part, the Bay is for pleasure, with the powerboat to sailboat ratio usually running about 4:7, although when the wind gets up and the chop gets rough, more and more powerboaters of all sizes keep to the protected inland waters and leave the open Bay to the raggers.

Between the Bay and the boardwalk, you always wish for a few more hours of sunlight when you're at Kemah. But time and tide wait for no man (and yes, Kemah does experience tides; consult the charts if you're going to be in a boat big enough to make draft and depth a concern when returning inland). But there's a Saturday night in Houston waiting, so it's a quick trip back to MarineMax and a quick "thanks and so long" to Davis before making the run back to the Hotel Icon.

It's a sweet coincidence that the boating season almost perfectly overlaps the baseball season. And it's a sweeter coincidence that the Hotel Icon is only about a mile or so from Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros (www.astros.com), so it just takes a little planning to ensure that your days are spent on the water and your nights in a third-base box seat, hoping to snag a foul ball.

It's a bit of a hike back to the Icon after the game, but it can be done, and it gives you a chance to check out at least a little of Houston's burgeoning nightlife. A must-stop is the Char Bar (305 Travis, 713/222-8177, www.charbarhouston.com), right around the corner from the Icon. During the day, this is the Duke of Hollywood Tailors, where you can drop in for a shoeshine or order up a custom-tailored suit. At night, it becomes Char Bar, where you can drop in for a cocktail and admire the joint's history.

After a nightcap, it's back to the Hotel Icon's welcoming and luxurious bed for 40 winks (maybe 50, it's been a long day).

DAY THREE: GETAWAY DAY

All things must come to an end, so the third day of the Houston adventure is dedicated to passing gently and easily out of town and back to the real world of deadlines and obligations. A late-morning start is advised, since that gives the folks who run the James Coney Island (www.jamesconeyisland.com) restaurants enough time to get the doors open, the chili on the fire, the onions chopped, and the hot dogs cooking before you stop by to pick up a half-dozen (not all for you) for sustenance on the ride home. If you absolutely must get a much earlier start on the day, then make a stop by any of the Shipley Do-Nuts shops for your recommended daily allowance of glazed donuts and hot coffee.

And don't forget to make your reservations for the next visit before you leave. There are still a half-dozen lakes that need to be fished or wakeboarded, museums to be visited, and a lot fun to be had.

GETTING THERE

It's possible to reach Houston by water (it's one of the biggest ports in the United States, after all), but for recreational boaters, a land-based approach makes more sense. Bringing a boat on a trailer gives you more mobility and more options, and it keeps you from having to navigate the Houston Ship Channel, the engineering triumph that really made Houston what it is.

Houston, in case you didn't realize, isn't a natural port. Only by carving out Buffalo Bayou to create the Ship Channel, a 50-mile-long deep-water path from the city to the Gulf of Mexico, was Houston able to compete with New Orleans as the prime U.S. port along the western Gulf Coast. (Prior to the Ship Channel's completion in 1914, Galveston was the main Gulf port, but the devastating hurricane of 1908 and the creation of the Ship Channel all but ended Galveston's tenure as a major port and city.)

It's entirely possible to navigate the Ship Channel, but doing so means sharing some of the busiest water in the United States with everything from supertankers to barges, so it's not a trip many recreational boaters make. Bring the trailer. - D.K.