Tours of Texas - Galveston

It’s been a rough year.  This is my first Christmas without my mom and I needed to be somewhere different where I wouldn’t be flooded with memories and my mind would be distracted.  Enter Galveston.  

It’s about a five hour drive from my house.  It’s far enough away to be considered a good road trip but not so far that the prospect of the drive is exhausting.  John booked a VRBO condo, we packed up and headed out.  

Our condo.  By the Sea.  That was the name of the condo.

Unit 609.  One bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen fully stocked with everything but food!  I'd stay here again..

Our place was along the seawall, which is right on the beach.  I know what you’re thinking…beach?  In December?  In Texas?  Yes! We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather.  Upper 70’s to mid 80’s.

Galveston or Galvez Town, was established in 1825 by the congress of Mexico after they gained independence from Spain.  Prior to that, the island was a hideaway for none other than the pirate, Jean Lafitte.  It was the main port for the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution of 1836 and after, served as the temporary capital for the Texas Republic.  

Then, in 1900, one if the deadliest hurricanes in history hit the island and basically wiped it out.  6000 - 12,000 people died.  There were so many deaths, that the bodies were put in boats, taken out to sea and dumped.  But then some of the bodies washed back up on the beach resulting in Plan B, which was a pyre.  More about that later.

After the long drive, we sat out on our balcony and enjoyed a cocktail.  It was very relaxing.  We had a little dinner and then a walk on the beach.

The sunset on our first day in Galveston. 

Our day started with a walk along the seawall.  The seagulls were every where and appeared to be pretty well fed.

The dividing line of history for Galveston seems to be before the hurricane or after, "the hurricane" being the one that wiped out most of the island in 1900.  Initially, the city was only 8 feet above sea level and they were constantly getting flooded.  After the hurricane, the city built the seawall.  Construction began in 1902 and was completed in 1963 and covers 10 miles.

After the walk, our first trek was out to the Strand in Historic Downtown Galveston.  This building was the original First National Bank.  It opened in 1865 and was the first bank in Texas operating under the National Bank Act of 1863.  It remained open at this location until 1955.  The building currently houses the Galveston Country Cultural Arts Center (which was closed so we couldn't go in).

We've been to this part of Galveston (the cruise terminal) several times but we'd never had time to walk around and check stuff out.  On Pier 22, there were several of these murals.

Goofing around on the pier.

Galveston has a plethora of churches!  This is St. Mary's Basilica.  Built in 1842, St. Mary's is the Mother church for the whole Texas diocese.  This church is one of the few buildings that survived the 1900 hurricane that devastated the rest of the island.  It did, however, suffer serious water damage during Hurricane Ike in 2008.  It suffered five feet of storm surge.  As a result, the church was closed for restoration until 2014.

The statue of the Our Lady, Star of the Sea at the top of the church.  The 11 foot statue of the Blessed Virgin was originally added in 1878.  It was taken down in 2019 for some much needed restoration.  The statue survived the 1900 hurricane, Hurricane Ike as well as Hurricane Harvey.  She has earned the title "the Protectress" for Galveston.

The only time I was ever in Galveston (other than to board a cruise ship) was back in the late 80's when I was in college.  I remember taking a city tour and driving by this sign.  I missed the chance to take a picture and drove all over looking for it.  I love these old signs!

Dinner at Jimmy's on the pier.  This place was pretty good.  About a mile from the condo, we could have walked but we didn't.  We sat at the bar and had dinner.  The restaurant stops where the white fence ends.  The pier that goes beyond requires that you purchase admission.  It was peppered with people fishing.

We drove down to the Pleasure Pier after dinner just to walk around.

To go past Bubba Gump's restaurant requires admission.  We didn't want to walk around that bad.  Plus, it was 7 pm and the the place was shutting down.  We drove by the next day about 11:30 and it was still closed.  I guess lunch at Bubba Gump's was not an option as it was inside the gates of the pier.

Right across the street was the famed Hotel Galvez.  I've always wanted to stay there.  It's haunted!  Seriously!  Room 501 is where a young woman hung herself because she thought her lover was lost at sea.  Now she hangs around in her room (no pun intended).

The next day we headed out to the Bishop's Palace (aka Gresham's Castle).  The house has 19,082 sf.

The house was built between 1887 and 1893 by Nicholas Clayton (who built/designed several of the buildings on the island) for Walter Gresham, his wife and nine children.  The house has 3 floors and a raised basement that was originally the kitchen.  There are over 50 rooms in the house.  This was one of the few buildings on the island that withstood the 1900 hurricane.

This is the kitchen, which was moved to the first floor, which also included a dining room, a music room, a conservatory, a parlor, a pantry and a rotunda staircase.  Check out the stove!  How would you cook anything for eleven people on that tiny little stove?

The staircase from the landing between the first and second floors.  The photos don't do it justice.  

The second floor has Mr. Gresham's room, which has a connecting doorway into Mrs. Gresham's room.  This is Mr. Gresham's room.  It has a cool little round sitting room where the Christmas tree is.  

Mrs. Gresham's room.  All the rooms had "wash basins".  In the corner of the room by the window, you can see the basin for this room.

Also on this floor, was one of the children's rooms, a bathroom (through that door in Mrs. Gresham's room) and a chapel.  All the boys' rooms were on the third floor be we couldn't go up there.

In 1923, the Catholic diocese bought the house as a residence for Bishop Christopher Byrne.

Directly across the street is the Sacred Heart Church.  The original church was built 1892 and designed by our old friend Nicholas Clayton.  The church was destroyed during the 1900 hurricane.

This current structure was built in 1903 - 1904.  The dome was damaged in 1915 hurricane but redesigned by...Nicholas Clayton!  (I'm beginning to think he was the only architect on the island.)

This is where the pier for the Balinese Room was.  This is cool.  Back in the prohibition days, this pier had a nightclub that went the length of the pier (600 feet from the seawall).  At the furthest part of the pier, there was gambling and drinking, both of which where illegal at the time.  The place was run by the Maceo Brothers (Sam and Rosario), who had their own syndicate right here in Galveston.  Every time the police raided the place, the band would play "Eyes of Texas".  By the time the cops got back to the gambling/drinking area, all evidence was gone.  In 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed the pier as well as the buildings on it.  There was nothing left but a few stumps of wood sticking out of the water.

This was our only grilling option.  If we wanted to grill, we had to use this sad looking grill that was chained to the pole behind it.  The grill is at the edge of the parking lot.

Instead, we chose to go to Gaido's.  So this place has been in business since 1911.   John's sister, Michele, recommended that we try it.  We were blown away.

We decided to share a cup of the shrimp gumbo.  Fresh shrimp straight from the Gulf, it was amazing.

I got the shrimp and bleu cheese grits.  Holy cow!  The grits were so smooth and the bleu cheese was not overpowering.  It was just enough to give you the flavor.  There were also chunks of squash and zucchini and a sprits of balsamic vinegar.  It was excellent.

John got the redfish with the parmesan tomatoes.  That's fresh made tartar sauce on the side, which uses fresh made mayonnaise as a base!  They make all their sauces fresh daily.  Everything on the menu looked great.  We will definitely be back.

Sunrise as we head back home.  It was only a three-day getaway but it was very therapeutic.  There is a lot of history on this island and I plan to come back and check it all out!  

A Trip to La-La Land

Picture this: I’m in the 4th or 5th grade and we live on the Navy base.  Dad is out to sea so mom takes us to the movies and what do we see? Gone With The Wind.  My fascination with old Hollywood started there. Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Alice Faye were my favorites.  Since then, it has been on my bucket list to come to Los Angeles.

With all that has happened over the last two years, this vacation was a long time coming.  We flew out to LA after work on a Friday.  

We booked a room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, right in the heart of Beverly Hills at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd.  The Beverly Hilton was built in 1955 by Conrad Hilton and has been the site of numerous red carpet events.  In fact, there were several events going on while we were there.

We had a lovely terrace with a great view.

A very nice sized room with the requisite Beverly Hilton robes.

And check out the bathroom!  It was huge!

Our first full day there, was Saturday and we had reservations at the Broad.   This is a modern art museum in the arts district of LA and it's named after Edith and Ely Broad, who basically funded the building and the art.  The entrance is free, which is pretty amazing, but you had to have reservations due to Covid-19.

This is the building.  The slanted lines on the building let in the natural light without having it hit the exhibits directly.  That was slick.

The exhibits themselves were varied in nature.  I liked this as it was very colorful and one of the first things you see as you come up the escalator.

This exhibit is called "Under the Table".  That would be John...under the table.

This one was super cool.  This was a rectangular mirrored box with portholes on each side.  When you looked in, you saw different designs.  If you look at the center of the photo, you can see me taking the pic.

Also at the Broad were several Warhols.  This one is called Twenty Jackies.

After the exhibit, we wanted something good for lunch.  On the list of suggestions was Phillipe, The Original which has the best French Dip sandwiches.  I'd never had a French Dip.  I didn't think I'd like them because I'm not a big fan of roast beef.

I'm now a fan.  This is the beef dip.  It's a single dip, which means the top bread of the sandwich is dipped in Au Jus.  I didn't think I'd finish it but I ate every tasty bite.  I also got macaroni salad.  John got pickles and fritos.  I was glad I skipped breakfast.

After lunch, it was back to the hotel for a rest.  It was only one in the afternoon.  We got up at seven in the morning because we were on Dallas time.  We still had half the day.  I checked my list, we got in the car and drove to Santa Monica.

The rides were busy with families.

A view of the pier from the street.

We did not go on the beach but this was our first view of the Pacific Ocean.

Greetings from Santa Monica.

It is playoff season and the Dodgers were playing the Braves.  We decided to watch this do or die game with the Dodgers fans at a bar called Founders Ale House.  We squeezed into the two last seats at the bar and lamented with the other fans when the Dodgers lost.  Despite the loss, it was a great first day in LA.

Our second day included a trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  This is another modern art museum.

You start on the third floor and work your way down.  John getting a breath of fresh air before going into the building.

I like looking at paintings.  It's hard to believe that this painting was done by Pablo Picasso.  The people look normal.

Then there's this painting, also by Pablo Picasso.  Words fail me.  That started the conversation on who gets to determine what qualifies as art?  I would assume it's all in the eye of the beholder.

This Georgia O'Keefe looks pretty cool.

This is another Andy Warhol. The guy paints a can of soup and it's a hit.  Go figure.

And this is a Roy Lichtenstein.

This was a really cool thing.  When we first saw it, we didn't realize it was an elevator.  Then we saw those big doors open and some people disembark.  We were on the second floor and decided we wanted to check it out.

This is a view from the third floor of the LACMA.

After the museum, lunch.  This was one of the highlights of my vacation.  As you may or may not know, I am a hot dog fan.  I love a good hot dog and Pink's is famous.  This restaurant was started in 1939 with a pushcart.  They built the hot dog stand on this location in 1946 with a simple menu of a hamburger or a chili dog.  

I was practically giddy in line waiting to order.  I got a spicy polish with mustard, chili and onions.  John got a 9 inch chili cheese dog.  I had no idea that this would be so filling.  I thought it would be more like a snack.  Either way, it was so good.  

After that lunch, John and I went back to the hotel and decided to take a walk.  Here's a shot of the hotel during the day time.

The famed Rodeo Drive.  We drove down this street and I have to say, I wasn't impressed.  Granted, I'm not much of a shopper but all these stores were also in Dallas.

There was a walking path along the main street and there were these random sculptures.  This one is called Endless V.  I thought it was pretty cool.  We also walked through the neighborhood.  There were some pretty nice houses in there but they were not the mansions that I would have expected.

That night for dinner, we had a reservation at Petit Trois.  It was not what I expected at all.  We were sitting at tables that were effectively in the parking lot of this little strip center but it was so cool.  

We got a baguette to start and it was delicious.  

I got the pesto pasta which can be seen here with a bite taken out of it.  John got an omelet that was amazing.  We were still slightly hung over from Pink's but we definitely enjoyed our dinner. 

Monday, we had rain.  Lot's and lot's of rain.  But that was okay because we were taking the tour at Warner Bros Studios.

Now I'm thinking we're going to get some Hollywood history.  Warner Bros was the studio that produced Casablanca.

The tour carts were not enclosed so we got very wet.  But we saw some cool things.  Like this.  It's actually a flat painting of door but because of how it's done, it had depth and looks like a 3D door.

Mostly, it was about Friends.  This is the couch/fountain that is in the opening credits of the show.  All the episodes were filmed here.

This cool lagoon was in the move Pee Wee's Big Adventure when Pee Wee swung across it on his bike.

The set for Central Perk where a lot of the Friends episodes are shot.

We even got to have our picture made on the "couch".  Overall, I was a bit disappointed.  I like Friends but I thought we were going to get more history about the studio, etc.

Then, we went on a quest.  We wanted to find the Hollywood sign.  It's a big huge sign on the side of a mountain.  How could we miss it?  Well, we did.  We gave up and went to lunch.

So we didn't go to the original Canter's Deli.  We went to an outpost that was close to our hotel.  I goofed there and we didn't get the atmosphere.  The original deli was opened in 1931 by the Canter family, who bake their own bread and make their own pickles.

But we did get the food.  We got the pastrami sandwich with the homemade pickles and kettle chips.  I think the bread was homemade as well.  We split it because it was big.  It was good.

We also got Matzo ball soup.  Neither of us had ever had it and we've been wondering.  So it's chicken broth with a big matzo ball in the center.  The matzo ball is kind of a dumpling that's made of matzah meal, eggs and some kind of fat.  It was interesting.

Later that evening, we had dinner with a movie star.  Sam Bullington may not be a household name in your family but he is in ours.  He's been in movies (Hap and Leonard) and on TV (Two Sides).  We met him at a restaurant called Prosecco, which was really good.  It was great food and better company.  I was having such a good time I forgot to get photos.

Tuesday was my day.  Remember how I said I loved old Hollywood?  What could be better than hanging out at what was Grauman's Chinese Theatre?    Built in 1927, this was the place to hold premiers and other red carpet events.  Sid Grauman knew how to throw a party.  

The two lions in front of the theater were from the Ming Dynasty.

The whole point of the theater was to make you feel as though you were in a Chinese Garden.  The center row of the theater was reserved for the stars of the movie.  The press would sit in the seats closest to the screen.  

The ceiling is beautiful.  Sid Grauman owned the theater with United Artist stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  I didn't think we'd get to go in but there was a tour so we took it.

Aside from the red carpet events held here, the theatre is know for the number of handprints and footprints of the stars that are in the forecourt of the theater.

The rumor is that Norma Talmadge, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr were coming over with Sid Grauman to review the status of the construction when Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in the wet cement.  That gave Sid the idea and Norma Talmadge was the first to have her hand and footprints in the cement.

Bette Davis.  She was a crafty one.  She was in some great movies like Whatever happened to Baby Jane?  Her daughter wrote a scathing book about her.

Alice Faye.  I loved Alice Faye.  She was in a lot of technicolor musicals with Carmen Miranda (another favorite of mine).  She was one of the few actresses that left the studio system and went to work in radio with her husband, Phil Harris.  He was the voice of Baloo the Bear in The Jungle Book.

And here, is Jean Harlow's handprints and footprints.  Our hands are about the same size.  Jean Harlow seemed play very sassy characters.  My favorite is one called Red Dust with Clark Gable.  I always thought her life was kind of sad.  According to biographers, all she wanted was to get married and have kids.  Sadly she died very young.

And I'm sure everyone's seen these:  Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe.  They put their hands in the cement when they did Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Also a good movie if you haven't seen it.

The it was on to the walk of fame.  These are pink stars that dot Hollywood Blvd.  There are five categories for which a star can be added: Motion pictures, broadcast radio, broadcast television, audio recording and live performance.  Rush got their star on June 25, 2010.

Anyone can nominate a star but the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is the body that decides who gets the star.  The walk of fame was started in 1960 to maintain the glory of Hollywood.  Jean Harlow's star was dated February 8, 1960 as were stars for Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable.  If nominated, the person has to agree to attend the unveiling ceremony, unless the star is granted posthumously.

After a long walk down Hollywood Blvd, we decided once again to try and look for the Hollywood sign.  The intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland was supposed to be a primo spot to see the sign.  There's lots of construction going on there and we did NOT see the sign until we gave up.  We pulled out of the parking garage and saw the "H" and then the light changed.  

That when we got the bright idea to go up to the Griffith Observatory.  The Observatory was closed but we thought we could just go up there, park and walk around.  This was not an original idea.  There were traffic cops up there to keep the line of cars moving.  We did get this photo of the observatory.  It was built in 1935 and was the concept of Griffith J Griffith.  I don't know why it was closed but we'll have to come back to check it out.

We also saw this pretty amazing view of LA from the mountain top.

It was recommended to us that we should visit Zuma Beach in Malibu.  So we did.  Our last day in LA was very relaxing.  We drove to Zuma Beach and walked.  Then we realized we were on the Pacific Coast Highway.

We checked the maps and saw that we were only an hour from Santa Barbara and that we could drive up the coast to get there.   So we did.  The drive was beautiful.

When we got to Santa Barbara, we had a little lunch on Stearns Wharf.  Back in the early days of my career, I would come to Santa Barbara for software conferences and I always thought it was so cool.  John's always wanted to see what the fuss was about and now he knows.

The view from Stearns Wharf.

After lunch we decided to walk around a bit as I pointed out landmarks from the past.

We walked along the beach for a while and decided to head back to the hotel early so we could beat the traffic.  We lost.  It took us almost three hours to drive 89 miles.  The traffic is crazy.  It was a Wednesday at about 3 in the afternoon and the roads were packed.

Thursday was going home day but the adventure wasn't over.  We woke up to find that our flight had been cancelled and that we'd been rebooked in coach on an earlier flight.  When we got to the airport we were able to maneuver into better seats and so that we could sit together but it was little consolation.  

After we got to the gate, we were delayed by 30 minutes.  Then in 30 minutes were delayed again by 2 hours.

That was our 787 dreamliner mocking us by sitting there knowing we couldn't board.  But, as they say, all's well that ends well.  We did finally get to board.  Then they moved us back into first class, though not sitting together.  The first class on this plane was petty cool.  And we did get home safely.  OH! and we saw Albert Pujols in line in front of us when we were checking in.  

Overall, it was a great trip.  We had lots of fun and enjoyed ourselves.  We never did find the Hollywood sign....