Houston and Galveston

---

Houston and Galveston are two destinations that don't necessarily stand out as cities to visit to most myself included. I watched the show Top Chef and saw it was featured this past season and was interested to go visit. It looked like Houston had a good food diversity and Galveston looked beautiful on the water. Before the trip, I had some concerns about the Houston Airbnb. The host was not super responsive with very unclear instructions of check in. There was a picture of a lock, garage door, but no other instructions if a key or pass code was to be provided before check in. In addition, I had read some reviews about unresponsiveness with the host and not provided toiletries so I definitely had some trepidation before the trip. In addition, we used a company called Turo which is a car sharing service. I was happy I had WiFi on the plane and my friend Scott was in communication with the person renting the car with. Scott was going to meet later on in Houston and I would get him at the airport. Scott was able to speak to and get the instructions for picking up the car. The car host was great sending very detailed instructions on the spot to get the car in, copy of the ticket to use for the bus and where it would pick me up, in addition to a ticket to getting out of the car rental area where the car was left. The flight was good though an old plane. There was no TV's and each side had two seats. In arriving to the city, you see different types of homes, body of water with a mixture of city and nature so it was a good mix. We landed 30 minutes early but it still took 10-15 minutes from taxing to sitting at the gate to get off the plane. We ended up in total 10 minutes early.

The airport was quite old looking when you got off the plane. It definitely needs some renovation. There are some nicer shops as I was looking for the entrance for the shuttle to pick me up. It was very confusing and there wasn't a desk to ask about anyone to help me find the exit at Terminal B. The shuttle was similar to Fast Park in Raleigh and very crowded. There was 14 people in the shuttle and it was 15-20 minutes drive from the airport. The Nissan Versa was parked in the appropriate spot but a few funny things about the car. You had to literally roll down the window to get fresh air, a car key was required to open and close the doors unless you wanted to manually close it from inside and there was no automatic lights on the car so you had to turn it off and remember to turn it off. In addition, the Apple Car Play was installed manually and didn't come with the car so it was glitchy during the trip. Otherwise, it was a great car with excellent gas mileage and cheap. The Turo part of the trip was so easy and my concerns was eased for the moment. I drove to the Airbnb still not knowing the full instructions for getting in. It took 30 minutes to drive into the city. I saw a beautiful city skyline coming in and Minute Maid Park/Toyota Center was right off the highway.

I pulled into the garage of this beautiful apartment complex. I didn't hear back from the host. I found the lock box as in the picture but there was a code and I didn't get one. There was no one at the front desk to call to help since it was 7pmish at night. I was very nervous and tried calling the host without an answer. I called Scott to try to get in touch with him and he did with the same luck. We decided we would call Airbnb when Scott got to Houston. I went searching for dinner without a place to stay and had my baggage in the trunk. The city wasn't the nicest to drive through with a lot of homelessness and very spread out. I went to Pappas BBQ. It was a local BBQ chain. You grab a tray and place your order. There was some confusion as I heard my order called out, but was given a buzzer which never went off. I had a delicious patty melt brisket with steak fries. It was heavy but so tasty. I went back to the Airbnb. I tried to call them but they wouldn't speak to me since I was the guest and didn't book the reservation, Scott did. I tried to get in contact more with the host, but the same non response. I sat in the garage for hours waiting for Scott to get into Houston airport. I picked up Scott at the airport and he spoke with Airbnb. They tried to call the host without a response. They froze his funds until the guy finally called back at 1AM local time. We found out he was traveling internationally which he never told us and it was very early and was sleeping why the host didn't answer. He also said the main desk isn't there and thought we would be getting in earlier even though he never asked us our itinerary. He said in the morning he would make sure that the front desk had a key for us and he would refund our first night. We ended up booking a Springhill Suites that we walked to 0.4 miles (10-15 minutes walk) from where we stayed and left our car in the garage in the potential new resident spot since he said to do so. It was a beautiful hotel and we finally fell asleep at 2:30-3AM local time after a very long day.

We had breakfast the next day. There was eggs, sausage, cereal with fixings, yogurt and other items. We passed a cute dog park on the way back to the Airbnb, We went into the leasing office at 10AM and the front desk didn't have the key as the host claimed. They said it would take 30 minutes to sort it out. We sat and listened as the elevator sounded like church bell when it would go up or down a floor level. Finally, the front desk host said she would bring us upstairs. We got to the room and randomly the cleaners were there to clean. It was hilarious consider we were to checked in the day before. Would the cleaners not have cleaned then if we didn't arrive the day before? So ridiculous. We were told to get the key from the cleaners since the front desk woman wouldn't give it to us. There was no toiletries, keurig pods, minimalist in plates/kitchen silverware, spatulas and other important kitchen equipment. This matched what was in the reviews. There was a cute balcony with 2 chairs, nice bathroom/kitchen and walk in closet.

We didn't get a copy of the key fob to get in and out of the building for the car. The owner he would come tomorrow to deliver personally to us and had to fire someone who messed up something with the key to the room and we didn't get a code to the pool. The owner didn't leave the clicker under the mat like he said he would so the frustration continued and then finally we got the code to the pool/gym. We drove to Hermann Park with a beautiful large park. You need to follow someone to their spot to get one when it is crowded. We went on pedal boats and saw the park from the water. We saw Miller outdoor park and the stunning Japanese Garden. The garden had turtles, colored ducks and orange fish.

We left to the Museum of Fine Arts. Included in the admission was a cool sculpture garden. There was colorful, stunning and dramatic paintings, artifacts and sculptures from various eras such as Egyptian, Italian, German and Netherlands and other parts of history. It reminded me a lot of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. There was an amazing Israel section with different menorahs, torahs, torah pointers and other items. There was a mixed media modern, contemporary sculpture and paintings sections. We left and went back to the room. We walked to J Bar BBQ. I was very sad that there was no ribs to eat as they ran out earlier in the day. The service was so so. We had amazing fried chicken wings that were so moist with a great sauce and rub on the wings. I got a meat with 2 sides. The brisket was soft and tender. The cauliflower gratin was good, but the beans and bacon were mediocre. We split this humongous cinnamon bun that was large enough for 10 people. It was soft and beyond amazing. We only had some of it and was able to bring it back and use it as leftovers for 2 more days. We headed to the Julep Bar. It won a James Beard award for Bar Program. The host sits you at a middle table and there was a barcode to scan for drinks that you wanted to drink. The waiter comes over to take your order and you have to wait until a spot opens up at a time or at the bar. It was a strange setup but surprisingly effective and not crowded. It was a very cool hip vibe at the bar. We waited a bit longer than another party who got a drink ahead of us so an extra drink got made at the bar and served to us before we got our drinks. We got a Missionary Downfall drink that was delicious that we split and then I ordered a Floridora drink that was also good. The drink was well made and would easily recommend this bar to visit. We headed back to the room to sleep. It was noisy by the pool area up to 4am though I slept decently well.

The location wasn't the greatest on Airbnb as I need to walk 15-20 minutes to get a cup of coffee. We had leftover Cinnamon roll for breakfast. We walked to Minuti on Main street. It wasn't in a great part of the city. There was a commuter rail in the middle of the streets. We both got an iced Vietnamese coffee which was very delicious. We went to Buffalo Bayou Park. There were some lovely parts to the walk and other parts had homeless people and the water was dark and brown. At the end, there was a stunning view of the park and skyline. We walked around the city some more and then came back to the room. We went food shopping for the room and headed out to the Houston Space Center. I would recommend making an appointment before going there. It was cool to learn about various space facts and see the space suits. A lot of simulations and attractions cost money there and weren't very cheap. It was a very dollar driven place. I did enjoy seeing the replica space ships. We spent about 3.5 hours there as there is a lot of information to learn. We saw the graffiti building from the car. It was a bunch of different art that was done on building near where we ate dinner the night before.

We made a reservation at Xin Chao for dinner. It was a Vietnamese restaurant and would recommend getting there for happy hour menu. The pork belly bao and not your moms egg rolls was so delicious. We split a 1/2 order chicken dish, crispy pork belly rice and flat noodles. We loved the chicken as it was crispy and delicious. The crispy pork belly rice was excellent. The noodles was decent but it was so much fun. We went back to the room and still didn't have a key fob from Brandon the Airbnb host. I worked on Monday and we finally got the Fob at 11AM Texas time. In addition, we got a two night refund. We worked and went to Kemah boardwalk. It was 35 minutes from Houston. It was a cute drive in with boats galore you see on the way in. The park had many rides and games closed on a Monday. We were able to go on the Ferris wheel. We had Landrys for dinner. They give you garlic bread for free to start off the meal. It was ok but not super hot. I got a decent berry faux jito (non alcoholic drink). I got an ok gumbo but it wasn't spicy. The coconut shrimp was delightful and fries/onion straws was tasty. On the drive back, there was miles and miles of oil containers and smoke stocks all lit up at night. It was beautiful but also not the most environmental friendly. There garage door didn't work back at the Airbnb even with the keyfob so we had to continue parking in future resident and one hour parking. Thankfully we never got a ticket or towed. We went to bed once we got back to the room.

I worked on Tuesday. I walked to Amilie which was a coffee shop in an office building on the ground floor. It was a cute little coffee shop that was popular with workers from the building. I had a Cinnamon toast brunch iced cereal milk latte. It was ok, but it wasn't anything too special and just tasted like a cinnamon latte. We went to the beer can house after work. It was weird to see it in a nice area of townhouses and homes. It was a house that had a lot of random beer cans on it. It was free and definitely worth a quick visit. We went to the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. We saw an armadillo digging in the ground as we walked along the trail. In addition, we saw a titt mouse, egret and lizard. There was a ropes type course to climb and was a nice hiking area. We head back to the Airbnb. Someone let us into the garage for the night so we didn't have to do one hour parking or future resident parking. We relaxed in the room for the evening.

We worked the next day. We finally was able to go to the pool, but the router went out in the apartment. It eventually worked. The electric went out in the apartment. We were told By Brandon when we called him that Reliant Energy was doing testing even though all power was on in the building which made no sense. Once again, communication was lacking as he could have told us if he received notification of a power outage that was going to happen in the residence. Scott made the quote of the trip when he said he would rather be attacked by diseases then staying in one of Brandon's places again. Airbnb should add a link to where not to stay. I got coffee from the Phoenicia specialty market. It was a cute market with a coffee shop. I got an Iced Turkish coffee. It was decent to drink and not far from where we stayed. We hung out at the pool after work. We went to Tony's Mexican restaurant for dinner. We had dinner and then hung out with a friend of Scott and his friend. It was loud environment and thankfully we sat outside. I got Parrilla Tejana brisket, chicken, Texan sausage skillet with jalapenos charred, onion, beans, pico de gallo and rice with tortillas. The guacamole was delicious to eat I had a skinny margarita and we split churros. The churros had too much caramel and would have been better with a dipping sauce and ice cream. The tres leche cake was terrible and had a flat bland flavor. We finally got the garage door to work on the last day. We worked the next morning and didn't get a late checkout. The cleaning crew came around 11AM and we finished work earlier so we could drive down to Galveston.

It was a beautiful drive down and see the stunning homes on the water. The airbnb community we stayed in was very laid back with multiple swimming pools, hot tubs and a nautical theme condo to stay in. It felt so comfortable to stay in the condo with a fully stocked fridge, silverware, plates and a welcome back with things to do and eat at. It felt so much more comfortable than Houston. The only minor downfall was buying a parking pass and pool bracelets that cost $35, however you felt secure in the complex so it was worth it. The security did check at the pool to ensure that the bracelets were worn when we went. We relaxed in the room and got to see the complex with a cozy deck that overlooked the pool. I listened to music while looking at the pool while Scott worked. It was very peaceful. We had a location that was close to Babe Beach across the street. We went to a beautiful hotel before dinner called San Luis that had a macaw bird that greeted you in the lobby. We went to Grotto Galveston St Luis resort for dinner. It had Italian food and beautiful views of the pool and cabanas outside. We got complimentary bread and olive oil with breadsticks. We sat with a stunning view of the pool right next to the window. I had a simple dish called shrimp and crab cavatelli. It was so delicious and worth a try. We got a butter cake for dessert with warm brulee cake with fruit and ice cream. I would highly recommend this to try as it was mouthwatering delicious.

We went to Pleasure Pier in Historic Galveston. It was beautifully lit at night but you had to pay to walk on the boardwalk. There was a huge line for the rides so we ended up not going in. We went to Hotel Galvaz which dates back to 1900's. It had beautiful chandeliers and classic looking. We went to the Spot Bar that had bars. One featured rum, one featured tequila and the other was a nice looking spot. It was two floors and very chilled vibe. I got a vodka lemonade drink. We went to the Strand area that had many bars and restaurants. We saw Tremont hotel and Pier 21. The area had similarities to New Orleans with the party vibes. There were cruise ships that were docked. We saw the Galveston Shrimp Festival area. We headed home and went to bed.

We woke up and made breakfast. We went to Moody Gardens which had a water park, aquarium, ropes course, zip line, rainforest and movie theater among other sites on the hotel property. There was a fish pond in the lobby. There was chess, connect four and cornhole in the back part of the property. The strange part was we asked if the water park was open and we were told it was closed after Labor Day. It was odd because it was 90 degrees out so it made no sense that it was closed. There was some other things that was closed like the ropes course. We went to Moody Mansion. There were antique cars and found out that William Moody was involved in the Santa Fe railroad inception which we saw on our Santa Fe trip. It was a beautiful house with amazing detail on the walls and ceilings. There was funny quotes or things so don't use or touch things like you wouldn't. For example, if someone went through your drawers how would you like it. We saw Sacred Heart church next door from outside and it was stunning. We went to Bishop Palace with beautiful detail such as stained glass, intricate details on the columns and chandeliers. We found out that Galveston was the capital of Texas in the 1800's. The Storm of 1900 destroyed Galveston which is why many of the homes were raised. It killed 6,000-8,000 people.

We left for Sunflower Bakery and Cafe. I got an iced coffee and water. It was ok coffee nothing special. We drove around Broadway and saw beautiful homes similar to Charleston or Savannah with color and extravagance. We walked to Pier 63rd street and was able to go onto most of the pier, but once again had to pay $12.00 for the inside pier. It is ridiculous to pay to access a pier. We did laundry and went into the pool. We went to Willie Gs Seafood and steaks for dinner after walking The Strand. It was very lively from Shrimp Festival. I got a delicious lobster bisque that had chunks of lobster in it. I got Fried shrimp and oyster with a loaded potato. It was delicious and a good sized portion. We went back to the Strand to Hearsay on Stray (bar) which was a cool looking bar that had delicious gin drinks. We talked to one group of three people where two of them were a couple that moved to Texas and other was from Colorado. We spoke to a 2nd group of 3 where two of the people were involved in the chili cookout and got 5th place. It was funny though that they thought Scott and I was a couple not that there is anything wrong with that😊 (Got to love Seinfeld!) There was a lot of friendly people and it definitely had a Mardi Gras vibe to the area. We left for home and went to bed.

We finished up in the morning with breakfast in our place. It was very confusing at the airport to find the terminal. There was a lot of construction and thankfully Scott dropped me off and there was attendees to direct me inside the airport as it wasn't clear. I went to Terminal E and to find departures wasn't simple. It was a great flight and the trip was a success. It really is amazing how many great cities there are in the United States and just always happy to see new ones whenever it is possible.

---