DAY FOUR – 11 SEPTEMBER 2013: SECOND DAY AT GALVESTON
On the previous day we’d been
trying to hit specific things as they opened, so today we were going to explore
the downtown Galveston
area a bit more. We had our breakfast at “The Egg and I” again, although
our draw was only for a free beverage. The first thing we did upon
arriving on the island was to drive down towards the center portion, where a
lot of the beach houses were. Lee and I stayed near the vicinity of the village of Jamaica
We passed the mini-golf course
(which had the giant ride to fling people into the air), and the corner store
we got stuff from, as well as a small house that looked vaguely like a giant
twenty-side dice. I recall reading that a lot of places got damaged when
Ike swept over the area in 2008, so the specific place I stayed out was
probably gone. Besides, there was no
reason to drive down a side road to see it. Mum mentioned this section
reminded them a lot of the Outer Banks, with all the beach houses (up on
stilts) near the coast. It was interesting to see some of the rather
large hotels raised up too, and I thought that was some engineering to be able
to do that (that’s a lot of weight to support).
We went back northward along the
Seawall, in order to get some more looks of the area. To me, I wonder
about those people who stay in these resort hotels, and have to cross a busy
four-lane road in order to get to the steps to go down to the beach. That
wouldn’t be much of an attraction factor to me, because I wouldn’t want to play
Frogger to be able to enjoy the ocean. That was nice when I was in
Myrtle Beach
back in 1997, as we paid extra to have a place with beach access.
It took a few extra moments for us
to locate the visitor’s center in downtown Galveston , because it was listed as a
different location on my map. It was located near the Galveston Fire
Department, and because of what day it was, Dad said he wanted to stop and
watch the memorial presentation. They could do that as I got our bearings
inside. The lady at the visitor’s center had pulled out a map of the
area, and I’d already noted what we’d hit yesterday, and a couple things we’d
considered today. She commented that most people that come in are never
that organized, and that made her job easier. I’d asked about the Seawolf
WW2-era submarine (out on nearby Pelican Island), because I wanted to know if
that was both pay to park, and pay to go in, or if we could just look at it
from afar. I figured Mum & Dad had no desire to go inside, but I’d
want to look at it if I could.
While that was being checked on, we
were informed about a historic tram tour which would be leaving from here in a
few moments. That sounded like a plan. Self-guided driving tours of
a city are nice, but you don’t get any information other than on the brochure
(no chance to have any questions answered). Also, the driver doesn’t
really get to enjoy it, as they’re trying to figure out where to go next.
All of use being able to enjoy someone leading us about is much nicer.
Galveston
Historic Tour was a golf-cart pulling us along, and it had a cover to provide
shade. Could’ve used cup holders, as I had to use my feet to keep hanging
on to my water bottle. The tour zig-zagged all over the downtown area,
from the historic “Strand ” district, to the
eastern end (which was a bit less affluent). Most of the houses were in
the Victorian style, and extremely close together. Some had been restored
to their formerly glory, and others were in the process of doing so.
Having a guide (Joseph) to answer
questions was nice, as he let us know those who restore the homes only have to
keep the exterior historical (thus free to decorate the inside to their
individual tastes). He also pointed out the homes with a star-shaped
plaque on them were the ones (the few) that survived the Hurricane of 1900,
which pretty much flattened the island. Other homes had other markers on
them to mark the water level of various other storms. That’s something
that a self-guided tour wouldn’t necessarily get that information.
Businesses also had these markers
on them, too, as seen by this pole outside of the Stork Club. Each of the
plaques has the names of the storm on them, which included 1961’s Carla and
2008’s Ike. The city of Houston is only
thirty-nine feet above sea level at its highest point, and Galveston was about a third lower.
Living near a coast which is subjected to hurricanes is dangerous, but it
also lets you know what you have to prepare for. Flood insurance is worth
the price.
After
Alicia tore through the area (back in August 1983), a number of trees were
taken down. The stumps that remained ended up being carved into statues
as a way to show how the city survived. These were all done by a single
artist (with one notable exception). One house (where movie director King
Vidor once lived) had the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz, the firehouse had a
Dalmatian…
…while others were intricately
carved flower motif, or waves. Now each of these stumps were still
rooted, so there was some concern about them eventually rotting from the inside
out. You couldn’t really polyurethane or use some other sealant when
parts were still in the ground, so that was something the tour guide said they
were trying to figure out how to preserve these.
One stump which pointed out was
that of a mermaid. The guide told us that she had taken quite a battering
during Hurricane Ike, so the city now referred to her a Tina. Okay, I liked the twisted humor!
The carving of the guitar we could
tell was of far less quality than the others, but it’s still a nice piece.
It showed someone’s devotion to his area.
During the tram tour, we were given
so much information that it was hard to capture it all. It wasn’t just
that I wanted to note it for things to be included in this very blog, but other
places to be able to visit ourselves, as a lunch or potential snack destinations.
There were a number of notable historic buildings here too, from the
house with the widow’s nest…
…to the Moody Mansion Boldt
Castle (back in New
York ’s Thousand Islands regions).
Given the time, we would’ve like to have gone inside these homes. By the way, the picture I took isn’t
backwards. You can see by the fronds on
the tree which direction the wind was blowing.
That’s why the “open” sing looks reversed.
The tram tour only lasted about an
hour, but it was extremely worth it.
This is a highly recommended, as you got everything from a local.
I’m sure some of the locations Joseph pointed out were ones that he had
some association with, as well as places which he considers his favorite, but
I’d do the same things. If you’re looking for a good place to eat, or
some other venue, always start with what one of the residents recommends.
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
Bishop’s
Palace: http://www.galvestonhistory.org/1892_bishops_palace.asp
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