If you're driving a used car in Houston, hopefully you'll get a good view of the downtown skyline ' it's one of the ten tallest skylines in the world, and several of its landmark structures rank among the 100 tallest buildings in the world.

The main airport in the largest city in Texas is George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the ninth busiest airport in the U.S. and home of Continental Airlines. Driving into town from here, you may be using Interstate 10 or 45, or any of the large number of state routes that converge on the city.

Houston operates on a hub/spoke highway system, with major interstates and routes connected by loop roads, including 610 surrounding downtown and Beltway 8 further into the suburban neighborhoods.

Locally, residents classify locations as lying either inside or outside of the 610 loop. Because the area developed gradually, there is no consistent grid system in place within the metropolitan area.

Parking varies: on-street parking can be tough to find, especially in downtown. There are strict time limits and fee structures that change from neighborhood to neighborhood, but parking structures are conveniently located throughout the metro area. If you do park on the street but don't make it back in time to feed the meter, parking tickets can be paid online at http://www.houstontx.gov.

Driving a used car in Houston means sharing the pastime of sitting in traffic. The metropolitan area features a total of almost 600 miles of freeway ' most of it crowded. Bumper to bumper traffic is common for several hours each day. If possible, avoid morning and evening rush hours. Instead of sitting in traffic, take a walk among the 700 miles of tunnel and skyway paths linking downtown buildings ' a landmark architectural achievement designed for the practical purpose of keeping well-dressed Houstonian businesspeople from baking in the outdoor sun as they move from place to place.

Partly due to the massive amounts of automotive traffic, but also caused by the exhaust from ships traveling in and out of Houston Port, Houston now ranks sixth in the nation for production of air pollution, particularly smog. Consider reading a few air quality reports before investing in that convertible.

METRO Texas, the local light rail public transportation system, doesn't currently connect the downtown area to all of the major suburbs, but plans to expand the rail system are underway as one measure to cut back on both traffic and air pollution. Meanwhile, try to find a carpool, and take advantage of the many High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on the Houston highways to cut down your commute.

Drivers' license and registration renewal is available online at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/. The site also has other automotive information for new residents.