Houston

Well, we spent the weekend in Houston for the Astros/Red Sox game. It was ok, but I'm not in any hurry to run back. We stayed at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston, only a few blocks from Minute Maid Park. The hotel was nice overall, but I told Jeff I had to be honest: I was annoyed that there wasn't a fan in the bathroom, the hairdryer was subpar, and the a/c didn't work so well. Minor things, but just thought I'd mention them! :)

We got there Friday evening, and went to dinner at Catalan. Excellent food; we opted for the tapas menu, so no clue what the entrees are like. Dessert was incredible. Definitely a lot of people watching there. Apparently it's the new 'in' place, so a lot of the people that walked in the door were the stereotypical Houstonites trying to impress everyone with their outfits, accessories, etc. (some of them failing miserably I might add).


Saturday we thought we'd get up early and head down to Galveston to see the ocean. Perhaps we were a little too excited to see an ocean after being landlocked in Texas for 4 years. We should have known when we went to get the free breakfast that morning and the line was out the door that the day wasn't starting off well. :) So we opted to just head out and drive to Galveston and get breakfast there. After a minor skirmish over the directions the hotel concierge gave us, we made it to Galveston.

We started in an area called the Strand, which is the historical district and where the cruise ships come in. We found a nice little place for breakfast, then started walking around. What we quickly discovered is that the Strand is just a tourist trap with all the same crappy souvenir stores block after block. So, we figured we'd head over to the other side of the island to check out the Gulf. We got to that side, only to be disappointed as well. The Gulf water is muddy and gross (note: I was in South Padre my senior year for spring break. I don't recall it being that ugly, but then again, I was heavily intoxicated most of the week, so who knows for sure), and it was very rough water.

We opted to keep driving around, because there was nothing there but some hotels and chain restaurants. Desperate for something to do in Galveston, we attempted to go to a place called Moody Gardens. This place was so crowded, we couldn't even park near the visitor center, so we bailed on that too.

After that, we opted to head back toward Houston so I could take a nap before the game. But we saw some signs on the way back for the Kemah Boardwalk, which was supposed to be located near the Space Center. Well, we got lost finding that as well, and when we finally did find it, we didn't have any time to stop and check it out.

So, we headed back to Houston, and finally I got to take my nap. We got up and went to the game that night. Minute Maid Park was an interesting experience. I've never watched baseball inside an air conditioned dome and it was so nice! To quote Jeff, 'it was like watching a baseball game in the Mall of America'. Unfortunately the Sox lost, but it was a good game!

Sunday, we got up early and managed to get the free breakfast at the hotel. We were back in Austin by noon and spent the rest of the day relaxing. It was nice to get away for the weekend, despite the complete cluster that Saturday morning/afternoon was!