Hi everyone and Happy Fourth of July! This past week, my mom, sister, and I made a quick trip to Houston happen so that my mom could visit the Consulate General of Russia for a couple of things. While that was the main thing to be done on the trip, we had some time to experience a teeny bit of Houston.
We flew out of Denver early on Tuesday and it was definitely exciting and eye-opening to be back at the airport. We were required to wear masks the entire time we were in the airport as well as the entire time we flew. On both flights, I really appreciated the cleanliness of the airplanes and the concern for cleanliness and safety. Really really appreciated!! We landed in Houston around lunch time and then it was a 30 minute drive to our hotel in the area around The Galleria. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta Houston, which might I add was a very nice hotel! It was within walking distance of The Galleria (10ish minutes) and they also had a shuttle service.
After we settled into our room, we went to check out The Galleria. It was about a 10 minute walk and we were instantly welcomed to the area by the extreme humidity and a nice, light rain. While it was nice to get out and stretch our legs, I was not a fan of the environment we were in. Yes, I was with family, but I did not feel safe walking as we did. Not only were there people along our walk that said things that made me uncomfortable, but there were some very interesting and particularly shady groups of people within the mall, once we arrived. We were safe the entire time, but I was quite put off by how a mall with such high-end stores could be a place that attracts such a strange crowd.
While in the mall, we grabbed Chick-Fil-A for lunch which is definitely a favorite between my mom, sister, and I. We then walked around for about three hours and that was a good amount of time considering how absolutely MASSIVE the mall was. While we didn’t go into any of the super high-end, luxury stores, it was a lot of fun to walk around and see some of that stuff. There was a Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Tiffany & Co., Tesla (unfortunately no cars were in the store though), and Burberry to name a few stores. We stopped by the LUSH and Lululemon in addition the Free People stores, which are some of my personal favorite shops as of right now and we ended up getting some stuff from LUSH. My mom likes to joke that we flew to Houston just to go to the LUSH store, and honestly, she isn’t wrong! That was probably the most exciting part of the trip!
After our trip to The Galleria, we bunkered down in our hotel for the rest of the night, taking the advice of our hotel staff and taxi driver to not go out at night. We ordered food from the hotel’s restaurant and watched HGTV the rest of the night.
The following day, I had a fantastic omelet from the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast and then we were off the the Consulate General. After my mom finished everything that she needed there, we were off to the airport and that’s about it! While I would say that my small amount of time in Houston involved sketchy people in parking garages and strange people at a mall, there was still much more positive and fun time to focus on with my mom and sister. It was a short but sweet little trip and I hope I have a chance to visit a different part of Houston and the state of Texas again sometime soon!
And before I wrap this post up, I just wanted to say that I hope my fellow Americans out there enjoy a good and safe Fourth of July today! Today I am reminded of how grateful I am to live in the country that I do. Living in Colorado, I feel so lucky, especially, to be able to experience my country’s beauty on a daily basis. The Rocky Mountains are something special! 🙂 I am so thankful to all of the amazing men and women that have served our country to protect our freedoms. Freedom is not free and we are not the land of the free without the sacrifices of the brave. Have a wonderful day and an even better week. See you next Sunday!!