M.M.
Houston does not have a good mass transportation system. It is a very spread out city. There are buses and cabs, but I don't believe yet it has any light rail/train. Generally speaking people in Tx love their cars. I just moved from there after 20+ years. I lived in HOU for 6 years and then Austin and Dallas. Biking is not an option either unless downtown where there are sidewalks as expected. Not sure where he is going to work, but there are plenty of hotels and maybe he can stay at a hotel that is in walking distance to work. When I traveled to HOU as a prof'l I'd stay at the Westin Galleria which was great. My work was walking distance from it and being next to the Galleria gave me access to plenty of restaurant options and shopping (biggest mall in the city). One thing about Tx is people are usually very friendly and helpful so he should try to feel comfortable asking questions.