This year, we chose Houston, TX! We have never been there before and we have friends that live there - bonus! As I was researching Houston, I wasn't too excited about anything around the area. It made me wonder, what is it you look for when you visit a city? I found myself relating to my kids because I was interested in seeing the Zoo or the Space Center. I even got a little excited about the Children's Museum and Aquarium, but I couldn't possibly go there without my kids! So what was left?
Once we landed, we quickly got our rental car and we were off to our hotel which was about 30 minutes away. Joe was pretty excited about our premium car rental, a Lincoln Town car.
I was hoping for something a bit more exciting, but it was fine. It was big, wide, spacious and drove well. I mainly appreciate that new car smell over my regular minivan-that-seats-my-five-kids smell. I don't know what I was expecting when I got to Houston - yes, I do...desert and a city. The first thing I noticed were the highways.
They had roads going everywhere and in every direction. They would elevate and criss-cross like a roller coaster. They had roads that were so wide, I stopped counting the number of lanes after seven (that is going one way) and assumed the other side was just as wide. I thought DC had some intimidating roads.
The first day in Houston, I slept in. Ahhhh....Then I went and visited the gym and jogged for an hour on a treadmill while listening to my iPod and watching ESPN sports (don't regularly follow sports, but it was something to stare at). I met Joe for a lunch and then afterwards I decided to get into the big Lincoln Town car and tootle around towards the mall to look for a jacket. It was cold in Houston, unfortunately.
That evening, after Joe was done with his clinics, we were able to visit with our friends, go out to dinner and then dessert. It has been a long time since I've had an evening out with adult friends. It was fun catching up! It's fun seeing Houston with people who live there and know where to take you! At the end of the night, we went back to our car to find out it had been towed away. Thankfully, we were able to get our car back.
The next day, we slept in again, and went jogging at Bear Creek Park. Then, we headed off to downtown Houston to have some lunch.
We skipped breakfast so we had a pretty large lunch. I never eat ribs, so that was a treat. They also had fried okra - I love that stuff, mmmmm.
After lunch, we headed off to Hermann Park to walk around and see the sights.
On the way to the other side of the Reflection Pool we saw some cute ducks that gave me some laughs.
I really couldn't resist taking this shot. There were so many different kinds of birds all over the place. I was taking shots of all of them, but none really turned out well. Here's a type of duck I found really pretty. I have no idea what type it is.
Joe & I went by the Garden Center, but didn't really find many of the flowers in bloom. In the rose garden, I found just a few blooms.
We headed over to the Japanese Garden which was my favorite part of the park. It was very peaceful. We found a couple who wanted their picture taken and in turn took a picture of us. I don't think Joe & I get enough pictures together.
All over the park were live oak trees that were really old. They were lined up next to the trail that made it so inviting to walk along. I may have mentioned before how I would love a driveway with beautiful trees lined up on both sides.
Not sure what it was, perhaps the winding trail, but I wanted to take a picture.
After Hermann Park we had planned to go to the vigil Mass at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. We got their early enough to pray and say the rosary. The Mass was lovely.
We went to dinner afterwards at the Steamboat House, supposedly the tenth best steakhouse in the country according to...I don't know who. It was a nice restaurant that gave tribute to Sam Houston and Texas Heroes. It was decorated with different pieces of history and art.
I always have to take a picture of my food. We had an appetizer that I've never heard of before. It was called Salmon Tar Tare (I've had steak tar tare before). It was raw salmon mixed with avocado and some jalapenos. It was very good, however tasted much better with lemon on top of each bite. Joe had the bison burger while I had a 10 oz ribeye, yummy!
Right near our restaurant was our next destination, the Sam Houston Race Track. I was researching Houston and thought it would be fun to do together. I've never been to a car, dog or horse race before. I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew I would be betting on horses. When we got there, I noticed the seating wasn't like a football stadium - all the way around, but just on one side. They had 10 races an evening. Before each race they had an area where you could see them. I was amazed at the Jockeys. They were all so short and skinny. It makes sense for racing, but when and how do you decide you will become a Jockey? If you are short and skinny, does it cross your mind?
Then there was a program with all the races listed and the horses' stats in them so you could make your bets accordingly. Once I saw the program with all those tiny numbers, I just decided against that and decided to bet on the horse with the name I liked best. I don't like numbers. Well, I looked at the horses, too and maybe a few of the numbers in the program, but to have to take into account the horses' parents, the jockey, it's age, etc...too much.
We went inside and went to one of these computer thingys and placed our bets then went outside to the track to watch the race. Joe was explaining all the numbers on the board. I think we watched about 5 races and I lost every single one. Some of my horses started strong but all lost their endurance at the end of their race. Joe won one race. I didn't take many pictures because it was dark and all my pics were getting blurry.
We watched some races on ground level, but eventually went inside to join everyone else. Even though the race only lasted a minute or two, it got very exciting for a lot of people who were making money! It was a fun night, but I got so tired. I'm not used to being out that late. I fell asleep on the way back to the hotel.
Overall, I liked Houston (the little of it I saw). I would like to explore more of Texas because I'm sure there is a lot more to see. Till next time...
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