Day 13 Houston and Kemah TX
Yesterday's warm muggy breezes vanished during the night. We were greeted with bright blue skies , noticeably cooler temperatures and gentler breezes this morning. Nice!
We couldn't agree on a plan for the day, tossing ideas back and forth. Finally we just decided to head into the city. I remembered the Galleria, a huge upscale mall and to my surprise, Jim agreed. He enjoys people watching and malls are great for that.
Tom Tom told us how to get there, even if it meant taking a harrowing trip up I45 and RT59 in Houston traffic. Jim falls right back into his Boston driving mode. He's an excellent driver, with quick reactions. I just wish my nerves were as adaptable, I will admit to stomping on my non-existent brake pedal in the passenger seat more than once. This was late morning, a time when traffic is lighter, made us both wonder (not that we ever want to experience it) what a horror show rush hour must be.
Best shot I could get of downtown from the car, darn billboard.
Eventually Tom Tom lead us right up to the parking garages of the Galleria. We didn't go into Saks, but did walk through Neiman Marcus. I never even flipped a price tag over, knowing that I would probably laugh much too loud. The top floor is where the top designer shop are. I was so out of my element, (which would be a Penney's, Dillards, Belk sort of element) but it was fun just to window shop. Heck, I felt smug just to be able to pronounce Louis Vuitton, Yves St.Laurent, Giorgio Armani, and Versace properly. And that is only because I watch TV...Gucci and Channel are easy! Jim kept asking where were the customers? I guess at their prices, you don't need to sell much.
We descended to the lower levels, where the people from Podunk belong, and felt better. A few of the sales people in the kiosks were a little over-aggressive. One lady got bocked my path, got right in my face and wanted me to try her make-up. I side-stepped her while shaking my head. A few steps later, my confidence now shattered, I turned to Jim asking if I looked that bad., Did I look as though I'd forgotten to put on my make up that morning? A fact that he thought was hysterically funny...
There were so many places to eat at the food courts. It was past noontime and the aromas got to us, we went to Chili's...I already knew the menu from yesterday's lunch. I had another salad, the Caribbean chicken, which was quite good.
Since we were already practically downtown, we went further into the downtown area. We got a little lost...thankfully THIS time we had TomTom with us, so we were able to find our way back to the interstate without ending up fearing for our lives in an 'every window barred, every wall tagged', ghetto. We find ghettos very easy! Much easier than places that we are actually looking for. Why is that?
Took another 'fun' ride back to the RV...about 25 miles, had coffee, cared for the dogs, and looked up a place nearby on the computer that seemed interesting. The afternoon;s weather was much too nice to stay inside. So off we went again.
Twelve miles up the road, and we did take the side roads, was Kemah Boardwalk. Almost totally rebuilt after Hurricane Ike's visit Sept. 2008. A fun little place on Galveston Bay. There are amusement park rides, restaurants, and shops. We didn't feel the need to spin our brains into early Alzheimer's, free-fall from 100 feet into cardiac arrhythmia, or experience the centrifugal asphyxia the various attractions. How times change.
Thursday afternoon on the boardwalk
Instead, we opted to enjoyed a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk around the park. I stopped at a gift shop and apparently I took too long, or perhaps it was just the right amount of time, just long enough for Jim to slip into the Marble Slab Creamery right next door, and have an ice cream on the sly! Luckily, he finished it before I emerged from the gift shop, or I would have ordered one too, which I certainly don't need. We watched the people on the rides, the sailboats entering the harbor and the pure glee of the little children seeing an amusement park for the first time. Just beautiful...
Tomorrow we head toward the Corpus Christi area on state roads, no interstates!
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