An Afternoon in Galveston, October 26, 2022

We flew from Philadelphia to Houston today in anticipation of boarding the Norwegian PR1MA for a four night cruise. We checked into the Tremont House Hotel a little after 1pm, following an hour and fifteen minute ride from the George Bush International Airport in Houston to Galveston Island. We booked the hotel a while ago and upon arrival imagine our surprise to learn we were upgraded to a suite. Here are a few photos of the lounge and the space above where we were sitting in the lounge, the hotel’s exterior and our suite.

And now, our suite.

We are actually across the street from the main hotel in a separate building which, I believe, is all suites. You need a key to enter for security. Here is the entrance lobby . . .

. . . and the entrance to our suite. I love the table.

A little history lesson: the Tremont House Hotel had its roots in 1839 when the first of three hotels was built. In 1865 it was destroyed by a great fire that ravaged the Strand District for days. The second hotel opened in 1872 and stood until 1900 when a devastating hurricane pummeled Galveston causing the economy of Galveston to sink into depression as a result of which the second Tremont House, due to the economy, was ultimately demolished in 1928. The current hotel opened in 1985 and is a keystone to the Strand District today.

After dropping our luggage in the room we headed out for a walk around the historic area. For the most part, it is as if the Strand District was suspended in a bygone era with restored Victorian buildings, reminiscent of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is really interesting and attractive. The following are some shots of the area.

Many of the buildings are supported by decorative and interesting columns, some of which are clearly iron. Have a look.

Just outside of the hotel is a decorative arch which helps to liven up the street.

Galveston is an island off the southern coast of Texas; it’s a seaside retreat. I guess, based on what we saw and just like the New Jersey shore it has a season that begins on Memorial Day and ends with Labor Day. I say this because it’s like a ghost town today.

As we stroll around there is really no one on the streets and really no traffic. JoAnn and I both agreed that its a little eerie. Pleasant but eerie.As we walked around we passed these colorful houses, standing neatly in a row. I took a picture of the fronts and the rears of them. It appears that they have been elevated to protect them from flood waters.

In our journey we stumbled upon St. Mary’s Basilica. It was locked up tight and I could only get the photo of the exterior.

By now you know, if you follow my blog, that I enjoy taking photos inside churchs. And luck was on my side today. We came across Trinity Episcopal Church where I took these photos.

And our walk continued. The sign business must be booming as all sorts of elected positions are up for grabs.

I found a some wall art but there’s not much of it in the Strand. Have a look.

I liked this one the best but nothing here can hold a stick to the murals that Philadelphia has to offer. Still in all, this one is pretty good. I liked the bike, locked to the stop sign, as part of the composition.

This last photo ends our stroll around the Strand. Curious kitty with those intense eyes and perky ears. Tomorrow the PR1MA.